Effects and Prospects of the Vibration Isolation Methods for an Atomic Interference Gravimeter

An atomic interference gravimeter (AIG) is of great value in underwater aided navigation, but one of the constraints on its accuracy is vibration noise. For this reason, technology must be developed for its vibration isolation. Up to now, three methods have mainly been employed to suppress the vibration noise of an AIG, including passive vibration isolation, active vibration isolation and vibration compensation. This paper presents a study on how vibration noise affects the measurement of an AIG, a review of the research findings regarding the reduction of its vibration, and the prospective development of vibration isolation technology for an AIG. Along with the development of small and movable AIGs, vibration isolation technology will be better adapted to the challenging environment and be strongly resistant to disturbance in the future.

Human Resource Information System Adoption and Implementation Factors

In the modern era, human resource management is accompanied by the information system which is instrumental in managing human resource processes. In the current competitive and challenging environment, organizational success depends on its effective and efficient human resource. Human resource along with IT professionals can create an environment in an organization for successful adoption of human resource information systems. While considering it as a key factor in modern enterprise management, its burgeoning interest has led to the foundation of this article. The study is to delve deep into the literature and to explore the factors responsible for human resource information system adoption and to identify the barriers in its implementation and to provide suggestions to overcome these barriers. The findings reveal that the factors of human resource information system mentioned in literature are important. These factors should be taken into consideration while adopting Human Resource Information System by integrating Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework with Human-Organization-Technology (HOT) framework.

Acquiring Problem-Solving Skills Through Coding Games in Primary School

Play is a spontaneous and free activity of the child and its role in learning processes has been recognized by pedagogical studies from Piaget onwards. Game-based learning places the pupil at the center of the teaching-learning process, creating a motivating and challenging environment in which the pupil can learn freely, proceeding by trial and error, learning to evaluate their choices and those of other players and monitor a number of variables. Game-based learning therefore stands as an individualized and inclusive learning environment, which allows all students to achieve maximum educational success. In more recent years, the spread of online games, the use of coding as a teaching tool, and distance learning experiences have contributed to spreading game-based didactics. In this chapter, the author proposes a path of coding games for the development of problem solving in primary school with interdisciplinary links and to the mathematics curriculum.

Challenges of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation has been gaining attention amongst organizations, especially in keeping up with the demands and changes posed by COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic introduced challenges to organizations in the context of digital transformation and caused human resource management (HRM) to deal with such a challenging environment, impacting their practices and the workforce. The chapter intends to uncover the challenges of digital transformation following the COVID-19 crisis which is affecting the culture of one's organization. It also aims to provide insights of how HRM can play an important role in addressing these challenges. The result is promising. Digital transformation affected to HRM with challenging business processes within the organization. The study will be valuable for organizations to understand the issues surrounding digital transformation in Asia and comprehend the potential means of managing these issues, especially for the HRM, and it contributes to knowledge in the area of digital transformation, information technology, and innovation.

A Stereo Visual-Inertial Odometry Using Structural Lines for Localizing Indoor Wheeled Robots

This paper proposes an optimization-based stereo visual-inertial odometry (VIO) to locate indoor wheeled robots. Multiple Manhattan worlds assumption is adopted to model the interior environment. Instead of treating these worlds as isolated ones, we fuse the latest Manhattan world with the previous ones if they are in the same direction, reducing the calculated errors on the orientation of the latest Manhattan world. Then the structural lines which encode the orientation information of these worlds are taken as additional landmarks to improve positioning accuracy and reduce accumulated drift of the system, especially when the system is in a challenging environment (i.e., scenes with continuous turning and low textures). Besides, the structural lines are parameterized by only two variables, which improves the computational efficiency and simplifies the initialization of lines. Experiments on public benchmark datasets and in real-world environments demonstrate that the proposed VIO system can accurately position the wheeled robot in a complex indoor environment.

Implementing integrated water resources management locally in rural catchments: Lessons from eastern Sudan

Sudan is a vulnerable and challenging environment as a result of its climate, hydrology, and hydrogeology. Other entrenched human factors, such as authoritarian rule, limited historical investment in rural water services and the gradual decline of national institutions make it particularly difficult. This has manifested itself today into low levels of water supply coverage particularly amongst rural communities. Trust between rural communities in Kassala and government institutions has also declined for those left behind in rural hinterlands. Providing sustainable and resilient water services in rural Sudan is difficult work, not least because of high rainfall variability, inadequate infrastructure and the lack of continuous external support to communities when problems arise. This paper describes efforts to strengthen links between water resources management and WASH, and the challenges faced when national institutions responsible for water resources and water supply are weak. It documents recent efforts to ensure water supply services can provide water year round and increase collaboration between rural communities and mandated government authorities. It is intended to be read by government personnel, non-governmental organisations and other staff that are directly involved in implementing integrated water resource management programmes in complex environments.

Practice in a Time of Uncertainty: Practitioner Reflections on Working With Families Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

This paper reports findings of a qualitative study examining the perceptions of 21 Australian women professionals who conduct home visiting with families experiencing intimate partner violence. There is scant evidence documenting how home visiting professionals adapted practice to address the safety concerns of women and their children within the context of the pandemic. Practitioners noted an increase in the risk level and complexity of intimate partner violence (IPV), including the ways that perpetrators weaponized the pandemic to exert power and control over women and children. Practitioners reported on their rapid adaptation of practices, to ensure the continuation of services which included moving to online delivery methods, wearing PPE, and negotiating practice from a distance. While responses to these changes were mixed, most reported their desire to continue to use online platforms post-pandemic, reporting increased safety, flexibility, and accessibility for the majority of clients. This research addresses a gap in respect of professionals’ perceptions of the issues facing survivors of IPV and of their professional practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. As policies, practices, and protocols continue to adapt to the challenging environment posed by the pandemic the experiences of professionals and service users are critical to inform these changes.

Graph SLAM-Based 2.5D LIDAR Mapping Module for Autonomous Vehicles

This paper proposes a unique Graph SLAM framework to generate precise 2.5D LIDAR maps in an XYZ plane. A node strategy was invented to divide the road into a set of nodes. The LIDAR point clouds are smoothly accumulated in intensity and elevation images in each node. The optimization process is decomposed into applying Graph SLAM on nodes’ intensity images for eliminating the ghosting effects of the road surface in the XY plane. This step ensures true loop-closure events between nodes and precise common area estimations in the real world. Accordingly, another Graph SLAM framework was designed to bring the nodes’ elevation images into the same Z-level by making the altitudinal errors in the common areas as small as possible. A robust cost function is detailed to properly constitute the relationships between nodes and generate the map in the Absolute Coordinate System. The framework is tested against an accurate GNSS/INS-RTK system in a very challenging environment of high buildings, dense trees and longitudinal railway bridges. The experimental results verified the robustness, reliability and efficiency of the proposed framework to generate accurate 2.5D maps with eliminating the relative and global position errors in XY and Z planes. Therefore, the generated maps significantly contribute to increasing the safety of autonomous driving regardless of the road structures and environmental factors.

Whole Team, Whole Person High-Involvement Quality Improvement Training for VA Community Living Center Leaders

Long-term care is a challenging environment for quality improvement due to the high resident acuity, wide variation in resident needs, and wide variation in types and backgrounds of the large staff across three daily shifts. We report results from a learning collaborative undertaken to improve care quality and staff quality improvement skills in the VA CLCs through development of high functioning relationally coordinated teams operating in accord with person-centered care principles. The collaborative included 27 CLCs. Over 9 months leadership teams completed action assignments supported by 5 workshops and regular group coaching calls. Evaluation included fidelity monitoring (attendance, mid- and final progress reports), satisfaction questionnaires, and review of the VA quality measures (CLC Compare). Pre-post participant evaluations revealed a significant increase in positive responses to the question “to what extent do you think applying these new skills/knowledge will improve quality in your CLC?” and positive responses trending toward significance in ratings of abilities to apply new skills. Open-ended survey comments were positive and indicated change in understanding and practice: “utilizing the daily huddle to facilitate real time communication afforded the team a proactive approach to providing care and reducing acute exacerbations. We are able to avert, evaluate as a real time team and make it happen in the now not as a look back.”; “definitely unified front-line staff and CLC leadership.” Some changes were achieved in CLC Compare quality scores (e.g., falls with major injury rate had a 9.6 reduction (average rate = 3.39 pre, 3.07 post)).