Trends in Acupuncture Training Research: Focus on Practical Phantom Models

This paper looks at how mixed reality can be used for the improvement and enhancement of Chinese acupuncture practice through the introduction of an acupuncture training simulator. A prototype system developed for our study allows practitioners to insert virtual needles using their bare hands into a full-scale 3D representation of the human body with labelled acupuncture points. This provides them with a safe and natural environment to develop their acupuncture skills simulating the actual physical process of acupuncture. It also helps them to develop their muscle memory for acupuncture and better develops their memory of acupuncture points through a more immersive learning experience. We describe some of the design decisions and technical challenges overcome in the development of our system. We also present the results of a comparative user evaluation with potential users aimed at assessing the viability of such a mixed reality system being used as part of their training and development. The results of our evaluation reveal the training system outperformed in the enhancement of spatial understanding as well as improved learning and dexterity in acupuncture practice. These results go some way to demonstrating the potential of mixed reality for improving practice in therapeutic medicine.

Acupuncture therapy has been widely used to treat post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). However, acupuncture therapy includes multiple forms. Which acupuncture therapy provides the best treatment outcome for patients with PSCI remains controversial. We aimed to compare and evaluate the efficacy and safety of different acupuncture-related therapies for PSCI in an attempt to identify the best acupuncture therapies that can improve cognitive function and self-care in daily life for patients with PSCI, and bring new insights to clinical practice. We searched eight databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Science and Technology Journal (VIP) database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, and Wan fang database to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture-related therapies for PSCI from the inception of the database to January 2023. Two researchers independently assessed the risk of bias in the included studies and extracted the study data. Pairwise meta-analyzes for direct comparisons were performed using Rev. Man 5.4 software. Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed using STATA 17.0 and R4.2.4 software. The quality of evidence from the included studies was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Adverse effects (AEs) associated with acupuncture therapy were collected by reading the full text of the included studies to assess the safety of acupuncture therapy. A total of 62 RCTs (3 three-arm trials and 59 two-arm trials) involving 5,073 participants were included in this study. In the paired meta-analysis, most acupuncture-related therapies had a positive effect on cognitive function and self-care of daily living in patients with PSCI compared with cognitive training. Bayesian NMA results suggested that ophthalmic acupuncture plus cognitive training (79.7%) was the best acupuncture therapy for improving MMSE scores, with scalp acupuncture plus cognitive training ranking as the second (73.7%). The MoCA results suggested that warm acupuncture plus cognitive training (86.5%) was the best acupuncture therapy. In terms of improvement in daily living self-care, scalp acupuncture plus body acupuncture (87.5%) was the best acupuncture therapy for improving MBI scores. The most common minor AEs included subcutaneous hematoma, dizziness, sleepiness, and pallor. According to our Bayesian NMA results, ophthalmic acupuncture plus cognitive training and warm acupuncture plus cognitive training were the most effective acupuncture treatments for improving cognitive function, while scalp acupuncture plus body acupuncture was the best acupuncture treatment for improving the performance of self-care in daily life in patients with PSCI. No serious adverse effects were found in the included studies, and acupuncture treatment appears to be safe and reliable. However, due to the low methodological quality of the included studies, our findings need to be treated with caution. High-quality studies are urgently needed to validate our findings. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails, identifier: CRD42022378353.

The article highlights the results of the completed research of trends in the development of Romania and Ukraine professional training systems of second language teachers. The purpose of the article is to reveal the features of the use of forecasting techniques to determine the main trends in the development of professional training systems for second language teachers in Romania and Ukraine. The essence of the term “extrapolation” and the concepts “extrapolation approach”, “inverse approach” are defined. The article claims that thanks to the use of a comparative analysis, a systematic approach, the methodology of scenario forecasting and conducting an expert assessment during the research, three ways of developing the trends of higher education in Romania and Ukraine in the field of professional training of foreign language teachers were determined and they were formed in three scenarios: optimistic, neutral and pessimistic. An algorithm for using forecasting techniques to determine the main trends in the development of professional training systems for second language teachers in Romania and Ukraine is presented. A step-by-step content analysis of the main directions of the development of Romania and Ukraine professional training systems of second language teachers is highlighted: historical aspects, content, structure and functions of these systems and features of the modern systems of professional training of second language teachers. The questionnaire procedure of experts from Romania and Ukraine leading institutions of higher education and the results obtained after the questionnaire regarding the main directions of the development of the system of professional training of Romania and Ukraine are presented: its historical aspects, content, structure and functions of this system, features of the modern system of professional training of second language teachers. In the article, the author describes step by step the stages that led to the choice of scenario forecasting methodology. The main types of scenario approach are highlighted. The reason for choosing the scenario forecasting method is substantiated, on the grounds that it allows: classifying the received scenarios into three groups - pessimistic, neutral and optimistic scenarios; making a forecast of probable scenarios for the development of events for higher pedagogical education in Romania and Ukraine for the coming years, each of which will be realized if certain conditions of the present are met; conducting a comparative analysis of the identified scenarios to ensure the possibility of forming a management strategy for the development of the system of professional training of teachers of second language teachers in Romania in the coming years, taking into account the identified trends and minimizing the expected losses in cases where they are unavoidable. The work also presents the stages that were implemented when using the scenario forecasting technique. The trends in the development of the system of professional training of second language teachers in Romania and Ukraine determined during the study were grouped into four groups: historical, trends in the development of the content of professional training of second language teachers, organizational and managerial, methodical and characterized. At the end of the article, it is concluded that the determination of trends in the development of the system of professional training of teachers of second language teachers in Romania and Ukraine made it possible to carry out research and scenario forecasting of the directions of the development of systems of professional training of second language teachers, to present probable scenarios of the development of systems of professional training of second language teachers as a component of higher pedagogical education of both studied countries.

Performance ImprovementVolume 42, Issue 2 p. 16-18 Article Visibility into the work TQM work process analysis with HPT and ISD Charles A. Beagles, Charles A. Beagles Charles A. Beagles is the Director, Technical Training and Evaluation Office, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Prior to joining VBA, Charles served as Deputy Program Director, Marine Corps Programs, and as Division Head, Training Plans and Analysis Division, Naval Air Warfare Systems Training Systems Division. Prior to that, he worked at the Center for Needs Assessment and Planning, Florida State University. In addition to 22 years experience in training analysis and design, Charles is a former Marine Corps Captain and served as a Rifle Company Commander in Vietnam. He holds a PhD in educational psychology, from Florida State University. Charles may be reached at vrccbeag@vba.va.gov.Search for more papers by this authorSteven L. Griffin, Steven L. Griffin Steven L. Griffin, an Instructional Systems Specialist, is Program Manager of Training and Performance Support Systems for the Technical Training and Evaluation Office, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). He holds a MEd from the University of Louisville. Steven has 32 years of government and industry experience in training system and courseware design and development, with VBA, the Department of Defense, Science Applications International Corporation, and General Electric. He may be reached at vsdsgrif@vba.va.gov.Search for more papers by this author Charles A. Beagles, Charles A. Beagles Charles A. Beagles is the Director, Technical Training and Evaluation Office, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Prior to joining VBA, Charles served as Deputy Program Director, Marine Corps Programs, and as Division Head, Training Plans and Analysis Division, Naval Air Warfare Systems Training Systems Division. Prior to that, he worked at the Center for Needs Assessment and Planning, Florida State University. In addition to 22 years experience in training analysis and design, Charles is a former Marine Corps Captain and served as a Rifle Company Commander in Vietnam. He holds a PhD in educational psychology, from Florida State University. Charles may be reached at vrccbeag@vba.va.gov.Search for more papers by this authorSteven L. Griffin, Steven L. Griffin Steven L. Griffin, an Instructional Systems Specialist, is Program Manager of Training and Performance Support Systems for the Technical Training and Evaluation Office, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). He holds a MEd from the University of Louisville. Steven has 32 years of government and industry experience in training system and courseware design and development, with VBA, the Department of Defense, Science Applications International Corporation, and General Electric. He may be reached at vsdsgrif@vba.va.gov.Search for more papers by this author First published: 08 February 2007 https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.4930420208 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume42, Issue2February 2003Pages 16-18 RelatedInformation

This paper focuses on the development of a virtual training system by applying simulation techniques such as: Full Simulation and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL). This virtual reality system is intended to be a teaching and learning tool focused on the area of industrial robotics. For this purpose, mathematical models (kinematic and dynamic) have been considered. These models determine the characteristics and restrictions of the movements of a Scara SR-800 robot. The robot is then virtualized to simulate position and trajectory tasks within virtual environments. The Unity 3D graphic engine (Unity Software Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA), allows the design and development of the training system which is composed of a laboratory environment and an industrial environment. The same that contribute to the visualization and evaluation of the movements of the robot through the proposed control algorithm using the mathematical software (MatLab, manufactured by MathWorks, USA), through shared memories. This software in turn can be linked to an electronic board (Raspberry Pi) for data acquisition through a wireless connection. Finally, the stability and robustness of the implemented controllers are analyzed, as well as the correct operation of the virtual training system.

Light management within apple ( Malus domestica Borkh.) canopies has been an invariable rationale of fruit tree architecture strategy during the development of training systems. This paper attempts to compare fruit quality characteristics of three apple cultivars Coe Red Fuji, Granny Smith and Spartan trained on three canopy architectural engineering (training) system, viz. Espalier, Vertical axis and Cordon were grafted on M 9 rootstock. The maximum fruit weight (210.11g) was observed in Granny Smith and maximum yield per tree (32.11 kg/cm2) and yield efficiency (0.69 kg/cm2) in Coe Red Fuji which may be due to higher crop density. Among training systems, maximum fruit weight (200.12 g), highest yield per tree (36.36 kg) and maximum yield efficiency (0.72 kg/cm2) was observed in espalier training system. The interaction study displayed maximum fruit weight in Granny Smith (210.55g), highest yield per tree in Coe Red Fuji (32.16 kg) and maximum yield efficiency in Spartan on Espalier system. Light interception demonstrated maximum photon flux density (237 µmolm-2 s-1) across the canopy of Spartan with minimum leaf area index (0.30) and among training systems maximum PPFD (221 µmolm-2s-1) was observed in Espalier system with minimum LAI (0.21). Fruit size, TSS and colour parameters of fruits in all varieties were significantly influenced by light intensity. Higher the light intensity, higher was the TSS and colour development in coloured varieties like Spartan and Coe Red Fuji. Therefore, espalier training system was found the best canopy management system allowing maximum PAR penetration and diffusion leading better fruit quality and productivity.

Oil palm plantations are long-lived plants and require special management with special land. HR competencies need to be continuously improved, given the lengthy business processes that require large funds and the increasingly fierce competition in the oil palm plantation business. Education and training are important entities in managing the learning and growth process for employees in order to improve competence and achieve company goals and win the competition. A good management of the education and training system will result in an effective training process to improve the competence of human resources, which will enable oil palm plantation companies to find productive jobs. This study aims to describe and analyze the development of management training systems in improving the competence of human resources at PT Sahabat Mewah dan Makmur, PT Kayung Agro Lestari, and PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Agri Siais. The research method used is descriptive with a qualitative approach, collected through 1) observation, 2) interviews, 3) documentation studies. The results showed that the hypothetical model of the training and education management system in improving the competence of human resources is influenced by the administrative management process, the influence of strategic decision makers, and either instructors or mentors appointed for the training process. The recommendation from this research is that special efforts are needed to build the quality of educators in the education and training system because the quality factor of educators, both instructors and mentors, has a big influence. It is also necessary to pay attention to the unavoidable natural and environmental aspects, and to make adjustments to the education and training process based on the natural situation and the environment in which the plantation is located. In addition, it is necessary to build communication with various parties outside the education and training to meet the needs of many parties whose decisions directly affect the implementation of education and training.

The purpose of skills training is making trainers master skills correctly and utilize them efficiently in their work and life. As one of the most important skills training of nurses, the disinfection training is often trained on the medical mannequin. The effect of the mannequin-based disinfection training is often not ideal because of the lack of the feedback information generated by the disinfection training of novice nurses. To solve this problem, we design a new robotic system for the mannequin-based disinfection training by transforming the medical mannequin. The robotic system is made up of the force processing module, the location processing module and the data fusion module. The force processing module handles the vertical downward force applied by the forceps with sterilized cotton ball on the medical mannequin, and transmits the force filtered by the moving average filter to the data fusion module. The location processing module transmits the plane position information applied by the forceps to the data fusion module. The data fusion module integrates the location information and the force information to generate the pressure and the three-dimensional coordinate information of the forceps exerted on the medical mannequins. After the test of the West China Medical School, the output data of the newly designed robotic system meets the requirements of the sensing sensitivity and working range for the mannequin-based disinfection training. The new robotic system could also be utilized in other medical training fields, e.g. the massage training, the acupuncture training and so on.

Many issues in training system design and development may be mitigated by applying and improving requirements engineering processes. Building on prior work pertaining to team training and collaborative problem solving (CPS), this work examines the value of empirical and technical literature as a source for requirements elicitation. We apply a novel approach—thematic inclusive artifact-based requirements analysis—to identify and consolidate excerpts containing requirements and other considerations for training macrocognition in teams for CPS contexts. Our methodological contribution supports training practitioners who may be engaged in requirements activities during training development, identifying evidence-based training practices, or evaluating training. We discuss the benefits and limitations of this approach in the context of current requirements engineering practices, future directions, and the value of published literature as a complementary source for requirements elicitation in training system development.

Training people in the use, maintenance, and support of complex operational systems and equipment is well recognized in both military and commercial applications as one of the most important elements of system performance. Too often efforts to provide effective training either come after the design and development of the operational system or overemphasize the hardware and technology aspects of training devices. In either case, the expected benefits from training for the costs invested have been disappointing. The Systems Approach to Training (SAT) has long been recognized as beneficial to making training programs more effective, but even in areas like weapons systems development where SAT is applied extensively, total integration has not occurred. MANPRINT offers an opportunity for the development of completely integrated training systems through a more comprehensive approach to the conduct of training analyses. This chapter describes (1) the background leading up to the MANPRINT approach applied to training system development; (2) a conceptual model and methodology for integrating training systems and analyses on a timeline matching operational equipment design and development; and (3) the effect of MANPRINT (through integrating training system development and analyses) on operational equipment and training system development.

The article deals with the analysis of the existing system of training of the Army of Armed Forces of Ukraine; it also depicts main problems and reveals the drawbacks of its structure and causes for their origin; basic problem questions are exposed, found out failings in its organization and reasons of their origin; the article also determines the necessity of transformation of the system of training troops. The main attention is paid to changes in the system of combat training after the adoption of governmental programme of development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the years of 2006-2011. The article considers the main directions and perspectives of development of combat training system in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Over the last years, with the rapid development of 3D Web technologies, such as Web3D, HTML5 and WebGL, have allowed complex 3D scenes to be rendered interactively, within a web browser. Compared to the traditional virtual training system, the traing system with WebGL, which requires no explicit installation plug-in and is able to achieve cross-platform easily, is getting more and more popular. This foundation has made it possible to build powerful the virtual acupuncture training system. However, designing and implementing a complete virtual training system using WebGL is not straightforward and complex. In this paper, the author presents a virtual acupuncture training system that using WebGL and Three.js 3D Engine. It can be used to learn acupuncture, and also give ordinary people a reference. Our experiment result shows that WebGL and Three.js 3D Engine can easily support the virtual acupuncture training system, and have a good response. By using this system, the trainers can be more familiar with the acupoint of the human body. At the same time, the trainer will improve his ability in acupuncture therapy. We also hope to provide some references for the development of the virtual training system.

The demand for individualized and efficient production yields more capable but also more complex manufacturing environments. Virtual training systems were proposed to train the operators who control and maintain industrial machines. This article reviews such training systems with a focus on their teaching styles and identifies new research directions in the field of adaptive training systems. The review applies a classification scheme that describes the instructions, the presentation of the instructions, and the interaction possibilities of a virtual training system. Another aspect of the classification scheme are the capabilities to adapt a training system to the characteristics of the trainee. The review indicates that existing training systems apply similar teaching styles and provide limited adaptive capabilities. The development of training systems that adapt their teaching style to the disposition and the qualification of individual trainees is proposed, to address the increasingly diverse workforce.

This article is devoted to the theoretical substantiation of the prerequisites and tendencies in the development of the system of professional training of civil servants and employees of local self-government bodies (public authorities) in Ukraine. Within this article is a proposal for a hypothesis that the professional training provided by the relevant system is currently becoming the only factor capable of compensating for the needs of public authorities for employees who are able to effectively perform the functions and powers assigned to these bodies. It is determined that the prerequisites for the development of the system for professional training of public authority employees are the conditions for the existence of the components (parts) of the system for professional training existing at the time of its reform (within the framework of this article, at the beginning of 2024), and the tendencies in the development of the system of professional training of public authority employees are the main directions of targeted changes in its components (parts) during certain periods of its functioning. Based on the analysis of strategic documents (strategies, concepts, plans) for the management bodies of the civil service and local self-government system, the general and specific prerequisites and tendencies in the development of the system of professional training for civil servants and local self-government officials in Ukraine are identified. Based on the analysis of statistical data (needs of public authorities' employees in vocational training for 2024–2027, the amount of funding for vocational training of employees at the expense of the state budget for 2021–2024), the author identifies the correspondence between the priority issues of training, as the needs of employees, and the use of funds for it. At the same time, it is established that the State is not able to financially meet all the priority needs of employees in professional training, which requires the search for new mechanisms for the development of the professional training system, one of which is proposed to be the receipt of an annual certificate for professional training by employees. It is substantiated that, given the prerequisites and tendencies in the development for the system of professional training for public authority employees in Ukraine, it should be based on a combination of the principles of centralisation and decentralisation for each of its parts

Authors are working on the development of the neurosurgical training system based on force feedback device. In the training system, it is necessary to generate not only visual view of the surgical scene similar to the surgical field but also tactile sensation due to intraoperative interaction between the brain tissue and the surgical instruments (brain spatula, suction, forceps, scissors, etc.). The development of the neurosurgical training system will greatly contribute to neurosurgery, since it enables neurosurgeons to improve surgical technique safely at any time. Furthermore, the surgeon can repeat the practice of the operation to a few cases by using the training system. In order to predict intraoperative brain tissue deformation due to retraction of cerebellum with spatula, our research group developed three-dimensional finite element brain model. However, long computation time was required. Computation time reduction is essential for the real-time simulation based on finite element analysis. The goal of this study is developing the novel finite element model which can achieve drastic computation time reduction of brain shift simulation for surgical training system by using static condensation. Static condensation is one of the methods for reducing the degree of freedom of the finite element model. Our research group demonstrated the usefulness of linear elastic model in gravity induced brain tissue deformation simulation for the reduction of computation time in the previous work. Then, the finite element analysis in the linear elastic medium is introduced in this study. Tetrahedral mesh is generated and the simulation results obtained by the proposed finite element model is compared with that obtained by the previous developed model. Illustrative brain tissue deformation simulation results will show the availability of the proposed model.