Addressing the use of generative AI (genAI) tools by both staff and students has become a prominent issue in recent years, particularly with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. Questions arise as to whether students should be allowed to use such genAI tools, (many of which can be accessed at no cost i.e. for free, some are paid and others have both paid and free options) whether their use is inevitable or whether certain uses, especially to complete assignments, may constitute academic misconduct. In the UK, national and institutional guidance on the use of genAI in HE has emerged from sources including the Russell Group and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). 6 Our own institutions have organisation-wide high-level policies on genAI use, which are not discipline specific and often in practice it is up to module leaders to decide whether genAI use in assessments is prohibited (and thus may be academic misconduct) or permitted. 

In educational smart learning contexts, 360° virtual tours deliver authentic, cross-device experiences, but uptake is limited by subscription-based authoring tools and free options that restrict in-tour rich media embedding. To address this, we present a library of eight open-source HTML5 widgets (image gallery, PDF viewer, quiz, 3D model viewer, webpage viewer, audio player, YouTube viewer, and image comparison) that can be embedded directly in the viewer as HTML pop-ups (e.g., CloudPano) or run standalone, with dual packaging (single self-contained HTML or server-hosted assets referenced by URL). Evaluation is limited to technical efficiency (resource size, load performance, and cross-device/browser compatibility), with pedagogical outcomes and learner performance beyond the scope. The architecture minimizes dependencies and enables reuse in virtual classrooms via iframes. We provide a unified web interface and a repository to promote adoption, auditability, and community contributions. The results show that standalone widgets are between 20 and 100 times smaller than H5P equivalents produced with Lumi Education and exhibit shorter measured load times (0.1–0.5 ms). Seamless integration is demonstrated for CloudPano and Moodle. By lowering costs, simplifying deployment, and broadening in-tour media capabilities, the proposed widgets offer a pragmatic pathway to enrich educational 360° tours.

Mizou—AI Chatbot (Version: Spring 2025) by Mizou AI. Free option with limited features for individuals; $14.90/month for individuals; $19.90/month for teams. www.mizou.com

Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS) is a postural dysfunction characterised by muscle imbalances, including tightness in the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, and pectoralis muscles, along with weakness in the deep neck flexors, serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and rhomboid muscles. These imbalances result in postural abnormalities such as rounded shoulders, forward head posture, thoracic hyperkyphosis, and scapular internal rotation, abduction, and winging, commonly assessed visually. Postural analysis software, including Kinovea, AutoCAD, Biotonix, and Adobe Photoshop, is increasingly used for more precise evaluations. However, no dedicated studies have investigated the effectiveness of these tools in UCS assessment, creating a gap in research. This study reviewed the literature on the effectiveness of postural analysis software for UCS. A search of PubMed, Ovid, Scopus, Google Scholar, and PEDro identified studies published between 2015 and 2024. Only Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and randomised pilot trials in English-language peer-reviewed journals were included. Of the 30 articles identified, 13 met inclusion criteria. The software reviewed demonstrated varying levels of reliability, validity, and cost. Kinovea, a free motion analysis tool, showed the highest reliability (ICC 0.997) and validity (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC] 0.998). AutoCAD, another free option, excelled in biomechanical precision (reliability 0.984, validity 0.962). Adobe Photoshop, used for photograph-based assessments, offered high reliability (ICC 0.98–0.99) and validity (0.99–1.0) at $19.99/month. Biotonix, tailored for healthcare applications, demonstrated reliability (ICC>0.95) but required a $79/month subscription. All tools exhibited high reliability and validity, with Kinovea and AutoCAD standing out for cost-effectiveness, while Adobe Photoshop and Biotonix provided advanced features for specialized applications. Kinovea's high reliability and zero cost make it suitable for resource-limited settings, whereas Biotonix’s user-friendly interface supports clinical use. The findings highlight the potential of postural analysis software as a complement to traditional UCS assessment methods. Tailoring software choice to clinical or research needs is essential. Further studies are recommended to explore their long-term efficacy and practical application in diverse environments for optimising UCS assessment and management.

The complexity of the IRT analysis makes it difficult to perform manually, therefore requiring easy-to-use software. While many software options exist for IRT analysis, the high cost of paid software can make it inaccessible for many students and lecturers in Indonesia. While the mirt package provides a complete, free option for IRT analysis, it requires proficiency in the R programming language to use. This study aims to develop an R package for IRT analysis, equipped with a user-friendly interface based on the mirt package, designed to be easy to use for beginners in IRT analysis. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model is used for development, which includes five stages: Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation, and System. The resulting package is named irtawsi and includes functionality comparable to paid software. This package can calibrate both test and non-test instruments using various IRT models, such as the Rasch, 2PL, 3PL, 4PL, GRM, PCM, and GPCM model. The irtawsi package functionality includes (1) an easy-to-use user interface, (2) automatic interpretation of analysis results, (3) a guide for IRT analysis, (4) recommendations when assumptions are not met, (5) an HTML report format for analysis results,(6) support for two languages (Indonesian and English), (7) it’s free, and (8) can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.

Abstract The article follows an extensive investigation of individual variants of Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP) in distribution logistics. The paper aims to use the existing research and the developed VRP classification to design a new concept of decision tool. The research methods are analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparison, and expert interviews. The tool will be able to provide quick information to the professional public and users without prior knowledge based on a created and easily accessible decision-making environment. In this article, user-flexible and fully or partially free options including the structure of concept of decision tool are presented. They will enable developers to prepare an efficient solution that guides the user through the VRP database using the form.

Aims/Purpose: The purpose of this questionnaire was to investigate how glaucoma patients relate to preservatives in eye drops and the impact on their quality of life and eye discomfort.Methods: This study was designed as a questionnaire‐based cross‐sectional study. Inclusion criteria included the present use of intraocular pressure‐lowering eye drops, > 18 years of age, and the ability to read and understand Danish. Questionnaires with self‐rated compliance of < 60% or inadequate replies were excluded. Participants were classified into two groups depending on preservative status of their eye drops: participants using only preservative‐free eye drops (PF) and participants using only preservative‐containing eye drops or a combination of both preservative‐containing and preservative‐free eye drops (PC). Further questions were asked regarding awareness of preservative status of eye drops, and willingness to pay more for preservative free options. 146 questionnaires were included in total.Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the groups concerning the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS) score (PC: 66.16 + 21.49 vs. PF: 67.55 + 21.77; p > 0.05), the Glaucoma Quality of life (GQL‐15) score (PC 30.31 + 15.13 vs. 31.33 + 16.80; p > 0.05), or the eye discomfort score (PC/PF OR; 0.90, 95% CI; 0.66‐1.21, p > 0.05). We found that most of the participants in the PC group were unaware of the preservative status of their eyedrops (PC; 74%), as well as unaware of the possibility to avoid preservatives, by using a preservative‐free option (PC; 67%). However, regardless of the knowledge on preservative status most participants were willing to pay more for preservative‐free eyedrops (PC; 83%, PF; 93%)Conclusions: No significant difference in GSS, GQL‐15 or eye discomfort was observed. A severe lack of information was however observed regarding patient‐awareness on the preservative status of IOP‐lowering eye drops, as well as significant willingness to pay more for preservative‐free options.

Abstract: Introduction: In the last 7 years, against the backdrop of policy changes in the field of child adoption, an increasing number of Romanians have adopted children over 5 years old. Aim: The present study explores how women transition to motherhood when adopting older children. I focus on their experiences, the demands they face, their coping strategies, and the resources available to them. Methods: We interviewed 19 adoptive mothers using a narrative interview and analyzed the data thematically, resulting in three main themes and eight subthemes. Results: Many demands arose from the older children’s behaviors and attitudes and their challenges in forming new bonds and adjusting to the adoptive family system. These demands were felt by mothers as overwhelming, leading to fatigue, uncertainty, and sometimes anxiety. Most mothers relied on informal support, as formal resources in the private system proved costly, with few free options from the state. Conclusion: The study presents recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to adequately prepare parents for the adoption process and the development of support services for the postadoption period.

The standard for managing image data in healthcare is the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) protocol. DICOM web-viewers provide flexible and accessible platforms for their users to view and analyze DICOM images remotely. This article presents a comprehensive evaluation of various web-based DICOM viewers, emphasizing their performance in different rendering scenarios, browsers, and operating systems. The study includes a total of 16 web-based viewers, of which 12 were surveyed, and 7 were compared performance-wise based on the availability of an online demo. The criteria for examination include accessibility features, such as available information or requirements for usage, interface features, such as loading capabilities or cloud storage, two-dimensional (2D) viewing features, such as the ability to perform measurements or alter the viewing window, and three-dimensional (3D) viewing features, such as volume rendering or secondary reconstruction. Only 4 of the viewers allow for the viewing of local DICOM files in 3D (other than MPR(Multiplanar reconstruction)). Premium software offers a large amount of features with overall good performance. One of the free alternatives demonstrated the best efficiency in both 2D and 3D rendering but faces challenges with missing 3D rendering features in its interface, which is still in development. Other free options exhibited slower performance, especially in 2D rendering but have more ready-to-use features on their web app. The evaluation also underscores the importance of browser choice, with some browsers performing much better than the competition, and highlights the significance of hardware when dealing with rendering tasks.

Decisions with weather warnings when waiting is an option

Abstract Although palliative and end-of-life (PEOL) care offers many benefits to those with life-limiting illness, unhoused older adults face significant barriers in accessing these types of care. This symposium examines disparities in PEOL care, emerging services for disadvantaged older adults, and recommendations for capacity-building within healthcare, housing, and aging services. The first paper is an exploratory study of programs serving the PEOL care needs of unhoused adults with serious illnesses. The second paper is a mixed methods study that explores provider perspectives on approaches and challenges to addressing the PEOL care needs among unhoused individuals. The third paper uses the CBPR method photovoice to highlight the experiences of terminally ill patients accessing social model hospice care, a free option to facilitate access to hospice for unhoused older adults. In addition to well-established disparities in the prevalence of serious illness and access to palliative care among people with experiences of homelessness, limits and barriers to holistic support remain once housed. The fourth paper uses secondary data analysis of the Research and Supportive Care at Later-life for Unhoused People (RASCAL-UP) study to describe current practices, perceived barriers, and recommendations in permanent supportive housing for older residents with complex comorbidities. The final paper, also using secondary data analysis of the RASCAL-UP study, addresses the role of skilled nursing for palliative care patients with histories of homelessness. Together, findings illuminate challenges to providing PEOL care for unhoused older adults and those with prior experiences of homelessness, as well as opportunities to improve access to care. This is a Hospice, Palliative and End-of-Life Care Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

The advancement of technology has revolutionized the operational practices in vannamei shrimp (L. vannamei) cultivation, shifting towards a science-based and data-driven approach. The success of shrimp cultivation heavily relies on making informed technical decisions throughout the process. To facilitate optimal decision-making, an integrated monitoring system encompassing feed-growth data, water quality data, and material inputs is imperative. This research aims to design a customizable system that optimizes available resources and offers easily modifiable and adaptable program scripts for users. The development process involved constructing a prototype device, script development, and system implementation testing. The prototype incorporated three sensors (temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen) and utilized floats for flexible customization based on specific needs and available sensors or materials. Data analysis and visualization were achieved through various free options. Remarkably, the system only required 2-3 concise scripts to operate effectively. The experimental results demonstrated the system’s potential for broader application and future development. The proposed monitoring system provides a cost-effective solution, offering flexibility, reliability, and valuable data-driven insights to enhance decision-making in vannamei shrimp cultivation.

Development of coconut milk-based palmyrah fruit pulp drink for ready to serve beverage market

PurposeIn light of the increased roles of optometrists working in primary care in the UK, this research study aimed to gain an insight into perceptions of dry eye disease (DED), knowledge and confidence in diagnosis and management, and satisfaction with currently available treatment options. MethodsLinks to an online survey were distributed to optometrists across the UK via optometry websites newsletters, conferences, and local optical committee data bases, between October 2021 and July 2022. The anonymous questionnaire contained a variety of question types including multiple choice, likert-type scale, and free text questions. ResultsThe survey was completed by 131 optometrists, with a broad range of experience, who reported examining 33.3 ± 31.0 dry eye patients per month. Forty-eight percent of respondents were involved in the provision of an extended service. Fluorescein tear breakup time, corneal fluorescein staining, and anterior lid assessment were the most used clinical procedures, both for diagnosis and monitoring purposes. Sixty percent of respondents reported that they believed their patients were satisfied/managed with artificial tear alone, with the availability of a preservative free option being the top consideration, particularly with increasing severity. Of the 18.7% of respondents who held Independent prescriber status, 68% felt this had widened their ability to diagnose and treat DED. This was evidenced by an increase in steroid recommendation for moderate and severe disease. ConclusionsAlthough dry eye disease was perceived to be an important condition, opinions varied widely regarding knowledge and confidence in diagnosis and management. Involvement in an extended service did not alter patient management. However, an increase in therapeutic management and the employment of a stepwise approach to management has been identified.

Dense networks of weather stations in urban areas are now becoming an increasingly common, but expensive way of monitoring the urban climate. The expense is not only related to the initial deployment of the network, but also the ongoing maintenance which can be increasingly problematic if monitoring is needed for extended periods of time. As an alternative, crowdsourcing weather data provides an effectively free option to acquire hyperlocal weather data, but is not yet fully accepted by the user community due to data quality concerns. This paper explores an approach between these two options to assess whether a more durable (i.e. longer term, less transient) means of monitoring can be achieved by using a controlled deployment of ‘low-cost’ Netatmo weather station maintained by citizens. As a result, the novelty of this paper resides in the first assessment of the durability of crowdsourcing as opposed to just the data quality alone. The results show that expert input at the deployment stage in terms of device modification and siting improves data quality, but the length and completeness of the record of unsupported weather stations is highly variable with less than 50% of devices surviving the measurement campaign, and far fewer providing full data records. Better durability, albeit at the expense of data quality, was exhibited by pre-existing Netatmo devices procured by the public in the study area with many units producing useable data throughout and beyond the measurement campaign. Overall, these are significant findings which need to be taken into account at the design stage of an urban meteorological network and prompt a rethink in the way that equipment is deployed via living lab approaches. Fundamentally, existing approaches are all largely built on a paradigm of transient sensing methodologies which are difficult to reconcile with a science that uses thirty-year baselines.

Since Markowitz proposed modern portfolio theory, portfolio optimization has been being a classic topic in financial engineering. Although it is generally accepted that options help to improve the market, there is still an improvement for the portrayal of their unique properties in portfolio problems. In this paper, an intelligent option portfolio model is developed that allows selling options contracts to earn option fees and considers the high leverage of options in the market. Deep learning methods are used to predict the forward price of the underlying asset, making the model smarter. It can find an optimal option portfolio that maximizes the final wealth among the call and put options with multiple strike prices. We use the duality theory to analyze the marginal contribution of initial assets, risk tolerance limit, and portfolio leverage limit for the final wealth. The leverage limit of the option portfolio has a significant impact on the return. To satisfy the investors with different risk preferences, we also give the conditions for the option portfolio to gain a risk-free return and replace the Conditional Value-at-Risk. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the intelligent option portfolio model obtains a satisfactory out-of-sample return, which is significantly positively correlated with the volatility of the underlying asset and negatively correlated with the forecast error of the forward price. The risk- free option model is effective in achieving the goal of no drawdown and gaining satisfactory returns. Investors can adjust the balance point between returns and risks according to their risk preference.

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ABSTRACT Purpose: Prior to this data collection, no study had documented insights into the usage of financial inducements and comparative appeals in direct-to-consumer magazine ads nor cataloged the ads by ailments associated with drug classes. Since that time, the literature does not suggest strategy changes in DTCA. However, future healthcare regulation to revamp pricing issues may impact the incentives of marketers and their advertising strategies thus calling for a revisitation using this study as a template. Design/methodology/approach: A content analysis was conducted of over 1600 total pages of ads from November 2016 and May 2017 issues of 82 national magazines where 432 DTC advertisements were identified. Findings: Financial inducements were found in over half of the DTC ads. Savings and free options were used most often with copays mentioned less frequently. Comparative appeals were found in only 11% of the ads required. Comparisons revealed differences by drug classes. Research implications: Magazine print advertising is significant in terms of ad quantity and dollars spent by pharmaceutical companies. Content analysis continues to be a useful technique. Originality/value: The examination of financial inducements and comparative appeals as promotional tools used in DTC advertising has not received sufficient attention. Important strategic, managerial and research insights are discussed.

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In the educational program for masters within the specialty 014 Secondary educationbeside compulsory educational courses students are proposed to choose from various optional courses. Theireffectiveness can be reached under condition that students may have their conscious choice. The main peculiarity of optional disciplines in the course of methodology of teaching foreign languages and cultures is theirvariability – the student might have an opportunity to make a free option of his or her individual educationalway with some outlook of his or her methodological development as a future lecturer of two foreign languages. Aims. It is specified the content of the optional course “Visual aids for teaching foreign languages andcultures” in the article that is introduced to master students – prospective foreign languages lecturers.Methods. Such theoretical method of scientific research like constructing was used. The constructing of theoptional course content “Visual aids for teaching foreign languages and cultures” has been done at the analytical, constructive, evaluation phases and at the phase of expertise. Results. There is a detailed presentationof the content of lectures as well as practical classes within this optional course. It is provided the example ofthe module test with comments of objects of each of its tasks’ control. Some results of students’ questionnaireare given. Conclusions. The outcome about appropriateness of teaching this optional course “Visual aids forteaching foreign languages and cultures” has been made and it elaborates the technology of teaching foreignlanguages and cultures using aids.