scholarly journals Adaptive Musical Instruments (AMIs): Past, Present, and Future Research Directions

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-142
Author(s):  
Florian Grond ◽  
Keiko Shikako-Thomas ◽  
Eric Lewis

We review and discuss the literature related to adaptive musical instruments since 2000, focusing on the use of such instruments with children with disabilities. The aim of this review is to provide a synthesis of perspectives and answer the following questions: How have music technologies, including both software and hardware, been used for children with disabilities and how have they been tested and evaluated? What have been the research questions asked and outcomes evaluated concerning these instruments? The studies reviewed include intervention, narrative and descriptive studies. One observation is that adaptive instrument design and research cuts across many different disciplines including music therapy, education and engineering. We considered articles taking functional and rehabilitation informed perspectives as well as critical disability studies, for which music making is often discussed as a human right independently of potential benefits. We discuss methodological approaches used in these studies, and reports of user’s opinions concerning the use of AMIs. It is worth noting that most uses of AMIs by the population under consideration are highly improvisatory, and so a methodological challenge frequently reported is how can the effectiveness of AMIs be assessed without focusing only on easily measurable outputs? We reveal divisions existing between research focusing on the use of AMIs with precise therapeutic and pedagogic goals in mind, and that interested in more general positive effects of improvised collective creative activity and its role in community building. With this two-fold perspective, we analyse the limitations of current research and derive questions for future directions.

Author(s):  
Gert Kootstra ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Pieter M. Blok ◽  
Jochen Hemming ◽  
Eldert van Henten

Abstract Purpose of Review The world-wide demand for agricultural products is rapidly growing. However, despite the growing population, labor shortage becomes a limiting factor for agricultural production. Further automation of agriculture is an important solution to tackle these challenges. Recent Findings Selective harvesting of high-value crops, such as apples, tomatoes, and broccoli, is currently mainly performed by humans, rendering it one of the most labor-intensive and expensive agricultural tasks. This explains the large interest in the development of selective harvesting robots. Selective harvesting, however, is a challenging task for a robot, due to the high levels of variation and incomplete information, as well as safety. Summary This review paper provides an overview of the state of the art in selective harvesting robotics in three different production systems; greenhouse, orchard, and open field. The limitations of current systems are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanzeel Rehman Charan ◽  
Muhammad Aqeel Bhutto ◽  
Mihr Ali Bhutto ◽  
Azhar Ali Tunio ◽  
Ghulam Murtaza Khuhro ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Nanomaterials of curcumin with hyaluronic acid have gained a lot of attention for potential therapeutic applications of curcumin and hyaluronic acid with or without other additional drugs. Overall studies of curcumin and hyaluronic acid show that nanomaterials of curcumin with hyaluronic acid accelerate the efficacy of curcumin in the treatment of various disorders like arthritis, cancer, hepatic fibrosis, neural disorders, wound healing, and skin regeneration, it is largely due to the combined effect of hyaluronic acid and curcumin. However, due to limited clinical trials and experiments on humans and animals, there is a substantial gap in research for the safety and efficacy of nanomaterials of curcumin-hyaluronic acid in the treatment of curcumin and hyaluronic acid targeted diseases and disorders. Main body of the abstract In this current review, we have first described various reported synthetic nanomaterials of curcumin-hyaluronic acid, then in the next section, we have described various fields, disorders, and diseases where these are being applied and in the final section of this review, we discussed the research gap, and future research directions needed to propose the fabricated nanocurcumin-hyaluronic acid biomaterials. Short conclusion There are substantial gaps in research for the safety and efficacy of nanomaterials of curcumin with hyaluronic acid due to limited available data of clinical trials and experiments of nanocurcumin-hyaluronic acid biomaterials on humans and animals. So, it entirely requires serious and committed efforts through the well-organized system of practical and clinical trials which provide results, data, and detections that lead to the formulation of the best drug from curcumin with hyaluronic acid for the treatment of curcumin and hyaluronic acid targeted diseases and disorders.


Logistics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Abderahman Rejeb ◽  
John G. Keogh ◽  
Suhaiza Zailani ◽  
Horst Treiblmaier ◽  
Karim Rejeb

Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising technology with far-reaching implications for the food industry. The combination of immutability, enhanced visibility, transparency and data integrity provides numerous benefits that improve trust in extended food supply chains (FSCs). Blockchain can enhance traceability, enable more efficient recall and aids in risk reduction of counterfeits and other forms of illicit trade. Moreover, blockchain can enhance the integrity of credence claims such as sustainably sourced, organic or faith-based claims such as kosher or halal by integrating the authoritative source of the claim (e.g., the certification body or certification owner) into the blockchain to verify the claim integrity and reassure business customers and end consumers. Despite the promises and market hype, a comprehensive overview of the potential benefits and challenges of blockchain in FSCs is still missing. To bridge this knowledge gap, we present the findings from a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of sixty-one (61) journal articles and synthesize existing research. The main benefits of blockchain technology in FCSs are improved food traceability, enhanced collaboration, operational efficiencies and streamlined food trading processes. Potential challenges include technical, organizational and regulatory issues. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our research and present several ideas for future research.


Author(s):  
Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano ◽  
Mercedes Rubio-Andrés ◽  
Pedro Jiménez Estévez

Although a lot of research has been carried out in the field of family businesses in recent years, not much of it has focused on human resource management. After compiling the major studies, both negative aspects (e.g. nepotism) and positive ones (e.g. employee commitment) have been identified. Therefore, the authors propose high-performance human resources practices to reduce the negative impact of family in business and boost the positive effects, increase their human capital, and achieve a competitive advantage in this field. Finally, the authors provide key insights for practitioners, family business owners, and managers, and they propose future research directions.


Author(s):  
Jorge A. Romero

The understanding of the link between Information Technology (IT) investments and firm performance is still not completely understood in spite of numerous studies. However, these studies are not united in how they examine the effects of IT on business performance. They differ in their criteria, methodologies, and samples. Therefore, while there are positive effects associated with IT on firm performance, it is still difficult to reach overarching conclusions and highlight that there is still a need for further research. Specifically, this chapter contributes to this area of study by discussing the different types of benefits that firms can get from IT investments, examining the use of accounting variables to quantify the effect of IT, and providing future research directions.


Author(s):  
Gerald R. Ferris ◽  
B. Parker Ellen ◽  
Charn P. McAllister ◽  
Liam P. Maher

Organizational politics has been an oft-studied phenomenon for nearly four decades. Prior reviews have described research in this stream as aligning with one of three categories: perceptions of organizational politics (POPs), political behavior, or political skill. We suggest that because these categories are at the construct level research on organizational politics has been artificially constrained. Thus, we suggest a new framework with higher-level categories within which to classify organizational politics research: political characteristics, political actions, and political outcomes. We then provide a broad review of the literature applicable to these new categories and discuss the possibilities for future research within each expanded category. Finally, we close with a discussion of future directions for organizational politics research across the categories.


2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiankan Liao ◽  
Daniel R. Cooper

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) is widely recognized as a critical pillar of advanced manufacturing and is moving from the design shop to the factory floor. As AM processes become more popular, it is paramount that engineers and policymakers understand and then reduce their environmental impacts. This article structures the current work on the environmental impacts of metal powder bed processes: selective laser melting (SLM), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), electron beam melting (EBM), and binder jetting (BJ). We review the potential benefits and pitfalls of AM in each phase of a part's lifecycle and in different application domains (e.g., remanufacturing and hybrid manufacturing). We highlight critical uncertainties and future research directions throughout. The environmental impacts of AM are sensitive to the specific production and use-phase context; however, several broad lessons can be extracted from the literature. Unlike in conventional manufacturing, powder bed production impacts are dominated by the generation of the direct energy (electricity) required to operate the AM machines. Combined with a more energy-intensive feedstock (metal powder), this means that powder bed production impacts are higher than in conventional manufacturing unless production volumes are very small (saving tool production impacts), and/or there are significant material savings through part light weighting or improved buy-to-fly ratios.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (158) ◽  
pp. 200264
Author(s):  
Antenor Rodrigues ◽  
Gerard Muñoz Castro ◽  
Cristina Jácome ◽  
Daniel Langer ◽  
Selina M. Parry ◽  
...  

Respiratory physiotherapists have a key role within the integrated care continuum of patients with respiratory diseases. The current narrative review highlights the profession's diversity, summarises the current evidence and practice, and addresses future research directions in respiratory physiotherapy. Herein, we describe an overview of the areas that respiratory physiotherapists can act in the integrated care of patients with respiratory diseases based on the Harmonised Education in Respiratory Medicine for European Specialists syllabus. In addition, we highlight areas in which further evidence needs to be gathered to confirm the effectiveness of respiratory therapy techniques. Where appropriate, we made recommendations for clinical practice based on current international guidelines.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S229-S229
Author(s):  
Frank J Infurna

Abstract Lifespan developmental psychology has many guiding principles. My past, current, and future research has been influenced by the lifespan developmental principles of multidimensionality and multidirectionality and the premise that development is not entirely bound to chronological age, but to historical-, contextual-, non-normative event-, pathology- and mortality-related processes. The first part of my talk will discuss ways I have utilized these principles in my research examining individual’s ability to be resilient to diverse types of adversities (cancer diagnosis, unemployment, and bereavement) and resources they are drawing on to promote more positive outcomes, such as social support. The second part of my talk will focus on future research directions that aim to advance the conceptual and methodological significance of this research. Future directions include explicitly studying individuals in midlife, inclusion of outcomes beyond that of mental health and well-being, such as character strengths, and longitudinal research designs that assess people more frequently.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Gengchen Mai ◽  
Krzysztof Janowicz ◽  
Rui Zhu ◽  
Ling Cai ◽  
Ni Lao

Abstract. As an important part of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Question Answering (QA) aims at generating answers to questions phrased in natural language. While there has been substantial progress in open-domain question answering, QA systems are still struggling to answer questions which involve geographic entities or concepts and that require spatial operations. In this paper, we discuss the problem of geographic question answering (GeoQA). We first investigate the reasons why geographic questions are difficult to answer by analyzing challenges of geographic questions. We discuss the uniqueness of geographic questions compared to general QA. Then we review existing work on GeoQA and classify them by the types of questions they can address. Based on this survey, we provide a generic classification framework for geographic questions. Finally, we conclude our work by pointing out unique future research directions for GeoQA.


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