scholarly journals Integration of a Social Robot in a Pedagogical and Logopedic Intervention with Children: A Case Study

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 6483
Author(s):  
Verónica Egido-García ◽  
David Estévez ◽  
Ana Corrales-Paredes ◽  
María-José Terrón-López ◽  
Paloma-Julia Velasco-Quintana

The effectiveness of social robots such as NAO in pedagogical therapies presents a challenge. There is abundant literature focused on therapies using robots with children with autism, but there is a gap to be filled in other educational different needs. This paper describes an experience of using a NAO as an assistant in a logopedic and pedagogical therapy with children with different needs. Even if the initial robot architecture is based on genericbehaviors, the loading and execution time for each specific requirement and the needs of each child in therapy, made it necessary to develop “Adaptive Behaviors”. These evolve into an adaptive architecture, appliedto the engineer–therapist–child interaction, requiring the engineer-programmer to be always present during the sessions. Benefits from the point of view of the therapist and the children and the acceptance of NAO in therapy are shown. A robot in speech-therapy sessions can play a positive role in several logopedic aspectsserving as a motivating factor for the children.Future works should be oriented in developing intelligent algorithms so as to eliminate the presence of the engineer-programmer in the sessions. Additional work proposals should consider deepening the psychological aspects of using humanoid robots in educational therapy.

Author(s):  
Megann McGill ◽  
Patrizha Schroth

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report on telepractice-based holistic speech-language therapy services to reduce avoidance of stuttering and increase positive self-image as a communicator for an adult who covertly stutters as compared with baseline. Method: A single case study design was employed with baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases completed via telepractice. The participant received biweekly speech-language pathology services, including both individual and group sessions. The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering–Adult and Stuttering Severity Instrument–Fourth Edition assessed the participant's overt and covert stuttering behaviors at pretreatment and posttreatment time frames. Weekly data points of participant's self-report of avoidance of stuttering during therapy sessions and during the week between therapy sessions as well as researcher-calculated frequency of stuttering were measured. Visual inspection was utilized to analyze treatment outcomes. Results: The participant demonstrated a reduction in avoidance of stuttering within sessions as well as the week prior to a session, as compared with baseline. Additionally, the participant presented with an increased percent of words stuttered following into maintenance as compared with baseline. Visual inspection of weekly data points of frequency of stuttering and self-report of avoidance appeared to present promising results throughout the intervention phase with potential treatment effects continuing into the maintenance phase. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate preliminary evidence for potential positive outcomes of holistic speech therapy via telepractice for people who covertly stutter.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Wingo Wira Dewanatan ◽  
Muhammad Kurniawan Adiputra ◽  
Imam Karfendi Putro ◽  
Soni Hartanto ◽  
Jonas Kristanto ◽  
...  

Petrochemical industries have faced growing pressure to decrease their carbon emission from direct and indirect sources. This work aims to demonstrate a carbon tax’s introduction to a feasibility study on the heat exchanger (HE) replacement project at PT Kaltim Methanol Industri, Indonesia. The project was aimed to avoid methanol release as much as 48.88 MT/year. The release of methanol can also be associated with CO2 emission with an emission factor of 0.6 ton CO2e/ton methanol. Here, we investigated the influence of inclusion and exclusion of carbon tax to monetize the CO2 release. From the project investment point of view, carbon tax inclusion is expected to increase the cost-saving. Introduction of the carbon tax as high as 10 USD/ton CO2e with 5% annual increase gives IRR value of 7.06% with Payout Time (PoT) of ca. 11 years. The IRR value without carbon tax scenario is 6.68 % with the same range of PoT. Hence, the inclusion of carbon tax may increase the feasibility of the project. This work has demonstrated the positive role of the carbon tax to increase the feasibility of a project which inlines with the national initiatives to curb the CO2 emission from chemical industries. It is also worth noting that introduction of carbon tax should be accompanied by a reorganization of government incentives, including several financial policies to create a conducive atmosphere for investors in Indonesia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natapon Anusorntharangkul ◽  
Yanin Rugwongwan

The objective of this paper is to study local identity and explore the potential for regional resources management and valuation of the historic environment a case study of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand, for guiding the tourism environmental design elements. The point of view has the goal creative integrate tourism model and product development from local identity embedded localism. This concept advocates the philosophy that tourism businesses must develop products and marketing strategies that not only address the needs of consumers but also safeguard the local identity. 


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Goria ◽  
Louise Dupet ◽  
Maëva Négroni ◽  
Gabriel Sega ◽  
Philippe Arnoux ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND most serious games and other game-based tools are designed as digital games or escape games. They are designed for learning or sometimes in the field of medicine as an aid to care. However, they can also be seen as an aid to research, in our case, to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of imaging techniques for cancer detection. OBJECTIVE we present a case study of action research on the design of a serious board game intended to consider the advantages and weaknesses of a diagnostic method in a different ways. The goal was to better understand the principles of designing a tool using game or play. METHODS we explicitly implemented another process than gamification to develop a structure reminiscent of the game to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of different imaging techniques from the point of view of the respondents (in this case specialists not directly involved in the project). Based on this feedback and the scientific literature on this subject, we detail the main categories of games and games developed for serious use in order to understand their differences. Concerning the cancer research part to which game contributes, our method is based on questions asked to experts and practitioners of this specialty. RESULTS an expert point of view translation tool in the form of a game has been realized to apprehend a research in a different way. CONCLUSIONS we show with the help of a diagram, some possible design paths leading to this type of design result including two hidden dimensions to consider (the awareness of the game or play by the "player" and his role as a contributor or recipient).


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Detzen ◽  
Tobias Stork genannt Wersborg ◽  
Henning Zülch

ABSTRACT This case originates from a real-life business situation and illustrates the application of impairment tests in accordance with IFRS and U.S. GAAP. In the first part of the case study, students examine conceptual questions of impairment tests under IFRS and U.S. GAAP with respect to applicable accounting standards, definitions, value concepts, and frequency of application. In addition, the case encourages students to discuss the impairment regime from an economic point of view. The second part of the instructional resource continues to provide instructors with the flexibility of applying U.S. GAAP and/or IFRS when students are asked to test a long-lived asset for impairment and, if necessary, allocate any potential impairment. This latter part demonstrates that impairment tests require professional judgment that students are to exercise in the case.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Nikolaj Kaae Kirk ◽  
Clara Navarrete ◽  
Jakob Ellegaard Juhl ◽  
José Luis Martínez ◽  
Alessandra Procentese

To make biofuel production feasible from an economic point of view, several studies have investigated the main associated bottlenecks of the whole production process through approaches such as the “cradle to grave” approach or the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis, being the main constrains the feedstock collection and transport. Whilst several feedstocks are interesting because of their high sugar content, very few of them are available all year around and moreover do not require high transportation’ costs. This work aims to investigate if the “zero miles” concept could bring advantages to biofuel production by decreasing all the associated transport costs on a locally established production platform. In particular, a specific case study applied to the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) campus is used as example to investigate the advantages and feasibility of using the spent coffee grounds generated at the main cafeteria for the production of bioethanol on site, which can be subsequently used to (partially) cover the campus’ energy demands.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2110173
Author(s):  
Danilo Silva Guimarães

This article aims to discuss the relationship between personal cultural experience and knowledge construction in psychology, from the perspective of the Semiotic-Cultural Constructivism. The thoughts here presented are, at the same time, from within psychology and about psychology. The researcher is culturally situated and science is a field of production of cultural works that aims to create perspectives of knowledge about the world. Researchers can and must create some detachment from their field of study to be able to understand the course of their own knowledge constructions. This detachment is achieved through a historical–philosophical view on the theoretical–methodological propositions of their field of research. As a case study, we selected for analysis the field’s pioneer productions, from the years 1982 to 2004. The material showed that the rationality that characterizes scientific research is directed, in this field, to creating semiotic resources for further developing reflexivity in psychology, as a recursive and open-ended process. The theoretical–methodological work of the researcher concerns its own personal cultural experience and the tradition of the already constructed knowledge, selected to a dialogue about the ethical implications of human action. Therefore, advances in psychological knowledge construction cannot be addressed from an external, allegedly neutral point of view, focused on the efficacy of the instruments resulting from the said “scientific progress.”


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 378
Author(s):  
Jaco Griffioen ◽  
Monique van der Drift ◽  
Hans van den Broek

This paper sets out to enhance current Maritime Crew Resource Management (MCRM) training, and with that to improve the training of technical and non-technical skills given to bachelor maritime officers. The rationale for CRM training is improving safety performance by reducing accidents caused by human error. The central notion of CRM training is that applying good resource management principles during day-to-day operations will lead to a beneficial change in attitudes and behaviour regarding safety. This article therefore indicates that enhanced MCRM should play a more structural role in the training of student officers. However, the key question is: what are the required changes in attitude and behaviour that will create sufficient adaptability to improve safety performance? To provide an answer, we introduce the Resilience Engineering (RE) theory. From an RE point of view, we elaborate on the relation between team adaptability and safety performance, operationalized as a competence profile. In addition, a case study of the ‘Rotterdam Approach’ will be presented, in which the MCRM training design has been enhanced with RE, with the objective to train team adaptability skills for improved safety performance.


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