Low-technology Environment Research Articles

Gamification and its benefits for English vocabulary development in preschool children

This study explores the impact of gamification on the development of English vocabulary in preschool children aged 4-6 at "Cinco de Octubre" school in Ecuador. Gamification incorporates elements such as points, rewards, and challenges into educational settings, fostering engagement, motivation, and self-directed learning. The research employs a qualitative design, collecting data from ten teachers experienced in using gamification tools for English instruction. Results highlight the positive effects of gamified activities, including enhanced student motivation, active participation, and improved vocabulary retention. Teachers reported significant academic improvements, with students exhibiting increased enthusiasm for learning English as a foreign language. Popular gamified methods included interactive storytelling, matching games, and competitive activities, which helped students connect learning with enjoyment. However, findings also acknowledge potential challenges, such as the need for tailored activities to accommodate diverse student needs and access to technology. The study concludes that gamification is a powerful tool in early language education, enabling dynamic and meaningful learning experiences. Recommendations are offered for educators and curriculum developers to integrate gamified approaches effectively, emphasizing their role in fostering linguistic skills and broader cognitive, social, and emotional development. Future research could investigate the long-term impacts of gamification and its application in low-technology environments to ensure inclusive education.

A timed tally counter for microscopic examination of thick blood smears in malaria studies

BackgroundDespite many technological advances for malaria parasite detection (e.g. high resolution image acquisition), microscopic reading of thick blood smear (TBS) remains the gold standard. Even though available in low technology environment, the microscopy of TBS is slow and time consuming. Moreover microscopy may induce errors at many levels and has no quality control.MethodsA electronic extension of the mechanical tally counter is proposed. In addition to the counting process it includes the process of counting itself that relies on the time elapsed between two successive pressures of the counting button leading to a timed tally counter (TTC). The microscopist performs the reading with the specific instruction starting by counting, in each high power fields, leucocytes first and then parasites. The time-stamp of all pressures of counting buttons are recorded along with the nature of the count. The data are recorded internally in CSV format and are exportable. The detection of HPFs locations and leukocyte/parasite counts per HPFs is performed through a hidden semi-Markov model (with outliers) allowing both to take into account the known distribution of leukocyte per HPFs (using a negative binomial distribution) and the pauses and hesitation of the microscopist during the reading. Parameters are estimated via the expectation-maximization algorithm. Hyper-parameters are calibrated using expert annotations. Forward/backward recursions are used to obtain the HPFs locations.ResultsThis approach provides richer data at no extra cost. It has been demonstrated that the method can derive parasites per HPF, leukocytes per HPF, and parasite/leukocyte ratio with robust non-parametric confidence intervals. Moreover a direct digital data entry leads to a less expensive process and decreased time-consuming and error-prone manual data entry. Lastly the TTC allows detecting possible protocol break during reading and prevents the risk of fraud.Discussion and conclusionIntroducing a programmed digital device in the data acquisition of TBS reading gives the opportunity to develop easily new (possible adaptive) reading protocols that will be easily followed by the reader since they will be embedded directly in the device. With the TTC the reader only has to read HPFs, counting leukocytes first and parasites second, and the counter will beep when the protocol is completed.

Waldorf inspired hyper-imaginative learning trajectories: developing new media literacies in elementary education

ABSTRACT The purpose of this pilot study is to identify how Waldorf-inspired imaginative teaching methods, and low-technology prototyping promote New Media Literacies (NMLs) development at upper elementary school students. Particularly, the aim is twofold: firstly, to test the feasibility of the research design and validate the research instruments; secondly, to explore the relationship among Waldorf-inspired teaching methods, low-technology prototyping and NMLs development. The study was conducted following mixed methods-grounded theory (MM-GT) methodology by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data from 104 participants. Specific learning trajectories are traced facilitating students to develop NMLs. Waldorf-inspired hyper-imaginative learning trajectories are unfolded within a six-phases learning process, as particularly effective at low-technology learning environments. Further research should be carried out to gain more insight into the cross-curricular infusion and acquisition of NMLs through Waldorf education across different educational grades.

MYCO WELL D-ONE detection of Ureaplasma spp. and Mycoplasma hominis in sexual health patients in Wales

The genital mycoplasmas are a unique group of inherently antibiotic-resistant sexually transmitted bacteria, often associated with non-gonococcal urethritis and bacterial vaginosis. The MYCO WELL D-ONE is a culture-based assay that aims to detect these organisms whilst concurrently screening them for antibiotic resistance. Urine and/or swabs from 856 informed and consented participants attending Welsh sexual health clinics were subjected to MYCO WELL D-ONE analysis, alongside qPCR and culture titration methodologies to determine sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy. Resistance was confirmed by CLSI-compliant susceptibility testing and genetic mechanisms determined. The MYCO WELL D-ONE displayed a sensitivity and specificity of 91.98% and 96.44% for the detection of Ureaplasma spp., with sensitivity and specificity values of 78.23% and 98.84% for Mycoplasma hominis, compared with qPCR. Swabs harboured significantly greater bacterial loads than urine samples for both Ureaplasma spp. and M. hominis. Levofloxacin resistance rates, mediated by Ser83Leu mutation in ParC, for Ureaplasma spp. were 0.54%. Tetracycline resistance rates, mediated by tet(M), were 0.54% and 2% for Ureaplasma spp. and M. hominis, respectively; sequence analysis of tet(M)-positive Ureaplasma spp. and M. hominis strains isolated from a single individual confirmed separate resistance gene origins. The MYCO WELL D-ONE is a sensitive and specific assay for the detection of Ureaplasma spp. and M. hominis in genitourinary medicine samples, facilitating the accurate detection of these organisms within low-technology environments. While good for antibiotic resistance screening, accurate confirmation by MIC determination or molecular methods are required, and more optimally performed on urine samples.

Verbal Fluency Test in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Background The verbal fluency task is a widely used psychometric test to account for cognitive functions, particularly, verbal and executive functions. Being an easy and fast test to administer, it is a good neuropsychological tool in low technology environments. Our objective was to analyze the performance in verbal fluency of Spanish-speaking children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study to analyze the performance of children who had undergone a verbal fluency test in a neuropsychological assessment. Results We included 115 participants. There were 41 (35.65%) participants with low intellectual performance (LIP), 63 (54.78%) with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and 11(9.57%) participants with dyslexia. Participants with LIP showed lower phonological and semantic fluency scores than participants with ADHD, and a lower performance in semantic fluency than the dyslexia group. The probability of having LIP was 6.12 times greater when somebody had a scale score lower than 7 in the phonological task and it was 7.9 times greater when the scale score was lower than 7 in the semantic task. Conclusion There was a direct relationship between Full Scale Intelligence Quotient and verbal fluency test performance, the latter being a brief and effective neuropsychological test that can reveal deficit not only in executive functions and verbal abilities but also detect LIP.

Preliminary association of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) pre- and post-AdHER2 dendritic cell vaccination with overall survival in patients with metastatic HER2+ solid tumors

OBJECTIVE--To audit the outcome of pregnancies booked for confinement in a general practitioner maternity unit in a district general hospital. DESIGN--Retrospective review of case records. SETTING--General practitioner maternity unit in a district general hospital. PATIENTS--685 Women referred to a general practitioner unit in 1987. RESULTS--315 Nulliparous women and 330 multiparous women were booked for confinement; 202 women transferred to consultant care before delivery and a further 104 during labour or after delivery. Recognised risk factors, other than nulliparity, rarely predicted the need for transfer. Confinement in the general practitioner unit was associated with low intervention and good fetal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS--The general practitioner maternity unit provides a safe alternative for confinement in low risk pregnancies. High rates of transfer deny this facility to many women who desire confinement in a low technology environment.

Expectancy-value Theory as a Framework for Investigating Secondary School Teachers’ Attitudes towards the Transformative Use of ICT in Teaching in Ghana

The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes toward the pedagogical use of ICT among secondary school teachers using expectancy-value theory. A sample of 376 secondary school teachers was investigated for their computer attitudes. The results of this study revealed no gender, school type, or school location differences among secondary school teachers. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive correlation between value and expectancy, and pedagogical use of ICT. However, there was significant negative correlation between pedagogical use of ICT and cost. Multiple regression analyses showed that perceived cost and expectancy were the most important factors accounted for teachers' computer use. However, perceived value did not significantly contribute to teachers' use of ICT. This substantiates an earlier result that though most teachers recognize the value and benefits of computers in teaching and learning process, majority do not integrate ICT into their teaching (OTA 1995). Therefore, teachers need to be informed of the usefulness of technology as a tool to complement and enhance teaching in classrooms. The findings from this study will contribute to the understanding of teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward pedagogical use of ICT in low technology environment.

Management of Severe Open Ankle–Foot Trauma by a Simple External Fixation Technique: An Alternative During War and in Resource-Poor and Low-Technology Environments

Severe open foot and ankle injuries are still a challenge for the orthopaedic surgeon. Their treatment is even more difficult in third world countries and in war settings where high-energy trauma with severe soft tissue damage is more frequent. Lack of equipment, poor resources and hygiene, and different cultural systems make most of the standard proposed treatments difficult to apply. The authors describe an inexpensive, rapid, minimally invasive, and easy-to-apply external fixation technique for the treatment of severe open ankle-foot fractures. With the main goal of soft tissue management rather than definitive treatment of any bony injuries, this technique was developed over time during many consecutive missions in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan as an alternative to more appropriate treatments with surprisingly satisfactory short- and long-term results.

Founder CEO management and the long-run investment performance of IPO firms

This study provides a comparative analysis of the long-run investment performance of founder and non-founder CEO led IPO firms in high and low technology environments. We find weak evidence of superior long-run investment performance on the part of founder CEO led IPO firms, since the significance of the results are sensitive to choice of benchmark, portfolio weighting method, and factor regression model. However, in the context of high technology IPO firms, we find consistent evidence to indicate that founder CEO led firms provide significantly higher long-run returns relative to non-founder CEO led firms. Our results suggest that the unique nature of founder CEO leadership is particularly beneficial to IPO firms in high technology environments.

A simple classical wet digestion technique for the determination of total mercury in fish tissue by cold-vapour atomic absorption spectrometry in a low technology environment

Four classical wet digestion procedures for the determination of mercury (Hg) by cold-vapour atomic absorption spectrometry in fish tissue were investigated with the aim of selecting and optimising the most convenient and inexpensive for use in a low technology environment. A mixture of H 2O, HNO 3, HClO 4 and H 2SO 4 or a mixture of HCl, HNO 3, HClO 4 and H 2SO 4 was used for the digestion in two different vessels namely thick walled long neck 50 ml volumetric flask and 50 ml 26 mm × 200 mm pyrex test tube. The effect of temperature and time on the digestion efficiency of the mixture of HCl, HNO 3, HClO 4 and H 2SO 4 using test tubes were investigated to obtain the optimum conditions. Mercury was partly lost at temperatures above 230 °C and this was pronounced when decomposition time was more than 30 min. Detection limit for the optimised procedure was 0.52 ng g −1. The optimised procedure was employed to study the level of Hg in canned fish samples. Concentration of Hg in the samples tested ranged from 0.015 to 0.139 μg g −1 wet weight.

Transcranial approach to pituitary adenomas invading the cavernous sinus: A modification of the classical technique to be used in a low-technology environment

Objective:Pituitary adenomas invading the cavernous sinus represent a therapeutic challenge. Those tumors have been traditionally treated with incomplete surgical removal, observation and/ or adjunctive medical therapy, and radiotherapy. In relatively recent years, some authors have suggested a main direct surgical approach to cavernous sinus (CS) with the aim of complete removal of the adenoma, either by a modified trans-sphenoidal route, using or not an endoscopy-assisted approach, or by a transcranial direct approach. The latter has the advantage of allowing direct exposure of the lesion with a view of the surgical field unhindered by important neurovascular structures.Materials and Methods:We report a technical modification of the classical epidural approach for CS adenoma removal. This was used in 14 patients. Surgical technique included a fronto-orbito-zygomatic craniotomy with extradural anterior clinoidectomy, and intradural approach to the Hakuba’s triangle for intracavernous dissection. The tumors were removed under direct vision.Results:Total macroscopical removal was achieved in all but one case. This patient required postoperative radiation therapy as well as adjuvant dopaminergic regime for achieving control of preoperatively increased hormonal values. No other case required radiotherapy. Hormonal and/ or clinical control was also achieved in all the remaining cases. Out of the remaining 13 cases, all appeared to be tumor free at an average postoperative observation at 78 months (34 to 90 months). Significant surgical sequels were detected in only 1 case (persistent 3rd nerve palsy and moderate hemiparesis).Conclusions:This experience, though limited, would suggest that the transcranial limited CS exposure through the Hakuba’s triangle may allow adequate removal of intracavernous pituitary adenomas with very good long-term results and acceptable complication rate.

Interactive Services: A Framework, Synthesis and Research Directions

This article briefly reviews marketers' current knowledge about interactive services. It defines interactive services as services that have some form of customer–firm interaction in an environment characterized by any level of technology (i.e., a high or low technology environment). Customers may interact with the firm's physical elements (including technology), processes and people in both service creation and delivery. Consequently, customer participation directly influences service quality and behavioral outcomes (e.g., service usage, repeat purchase behavior and word-of-mouth) — as well as firm outcomes (efficiency, revenues and profits). Hence, a recurring theme throughout our article is that the nature of customer participation is critically important for the effective creation and delivery of interactive services. The article identifies key research areas and their relevance to managerial practice. This analysis yields a set of research questions that provides an agenda for future research.

Linking social change and developmental change: Shifting pathways of human development.

P. M. Greenfield's new theory of social change and human development aims to show how changing sociodemographic ecologies alter cultural values and learning environments and thereby shift developmental pathways. Worldwide sociodemographic trends include movement from rural residence, informal education at home, subsistence economy, and low-technology environments to urban residence, formal schooling, commerce, and high-technology environments. The former ecology is summarized by the German term Gemeinschaft ("community") and the latter by the German term Gesellschaft ("society"; Tönnies, 1887/1957). A review of empirical research demonstrates that, through adaptive processes, movement of any ecological variable in a Gesellschaft direction shifts cultural values in an individualistic direction and developmental pathways toward more independent social behavior and more abstract cognition--to give a few examples of the myriad behaviors that respond to these sociodemographic changes. In contrast, the (much less frequent) movement of any ecological variable in a Gemeinschaft direction is predicted to move cultural values and developmental pathways in the opposite direction. In conclusion, sociocultural environments are not static either in the developed or the developing world and therefore must be treated dynamically in developmental research.

Enhancing performance in anaerobic high-solids stratified bed digesters by straw bed implementation

Anaerobic high-solids single-stage stratified bed digesters have been found to be simple and flexible design candidates for small-scale reactors located in medium- to low-technology environments. In the present study, wheat straw was used as the starter material for the stratified bed. Upon green mass feeding, the anaerobically stabilised straw bed functioned both as a biofilm support and as a particulate filter. It enabled a direct onset of 7 kg VS m −3 batch loads, added twice a week, and permitted a low but consistent bed permeability during feeding at an average superficial flow velocity of 1 m d −1 to be achieved. Fed-batch tests with sugar beet tops in pilot- and laboratory-scale setups at an average loading rate of 2 kg VS m −3 d −1 resulted in average biogas production rates of 1.2–1.4 m 3 m −3 d −1 and methane yields of 0.31–0.36 m 3 kg −1 VS added. At the end of the laboratory-scale feeding trial, the 200 day old straw bed had compacted to 50% of its initial volume, without any negative effects on performance being detectable.

Surgery in Developing Countries

A surgical elective in a developing country setting is an essential new component in academic residency training. A survey of residents and faculty within the Department of Surgery at the University of California-San Francisco, and a collaborative program piloted between the Department of Surgery at the University of California-San Francisco and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, including a 6-week clinical elective. Mulago and Nsambya hospitals in Kampala, Uganda. Two residents and three faculty advisors at the University of California-San Francisco. Development of a 6-week pilot clinical surgical elective. Assessment of the level of interest in international health in an academic surgery program; pathology and case variety, diagnostic methods, and surgical and anesthetic resources and techniques in a pilot developing country. Forty percent of residents enter residency with prior international health experience whereas 90% express interest in a developing country elective. Twenty-five percent of faculty participate in voluntary international surgical service and research projects. As a result of the survey and the level of interest in our program, two visits to Uganda were made and a residency elective rotation was successfully created. This resulted in exposure of residents to the educational benefits of learning in a resource-constrained setting: a broader scope of surgical conditions and pathology, greater reliance on history-taking and physical examination skills in a low-technology environment, and sociocultural aspects of care provision. Greater questions about global health equity, access to information, and the role of surgery in public health are raised along with potential challenges in international collaboration. A developing country surgical experience complements the academic mission of service, training, and research, and should be an essential component of surgical training programs. There is interest among residents and faculty in such a program as well as a need for greater commitment to north-south collaborations among academic surgical institutions and societies, as has been successfully implemented abroad. More generally, surgery is an integral part of public health and health systems development worldwide.

High-Technology Buying in Low-Technology Environment: The Issues in New Market Economies

Many LDCs (less developed countries) that lack market values and competitive experience and instruments have moved to market economies. In this paper, we look at some of the new issues in the interaction process; particularly, at buyer behavior when the risk element becomes important and complex within a relatively short period, and uncertainty is much higher. The case examined involves the process of buying plants and equipment for the production of cash-operated and telephone card-operated equipment in Algeria. Both the technology and the product were new to the country. This limited empirical study raised some issues about the behavior of low-technology buyers and assessed the impact of the interaction between partners in international markets. Perceived risk resulting from uncertainty is magnified by new pressures of the environment; namely, shifts to performance requirements, a higher level of competition, and financial restrictions. These new market constraints influence both buyers (directly) and suppliers (indirectly). The supplier must adapt to both new market conditions and new buyer behavior and must reassess the new market pressures and requirements to determine more accurately the market impact of establishing these new relationships.

THE MANAGEMENT OF WAR WOUNDS INVOLVING BONE

Over 200 high-velocity missile injuries treated in a low-technology environment were audited under the aegis of the International Committee of the Red Cross Hospitals in Afghanistan and Northern Kenya. Femoral fractures were treated either by traction or external fixation using a uniaxial frame. The results showed that patients treated by external fixation remained in hospital longer than those treated on traction. The positional outcome was identical in both groups. In tibial fractures the external fixator was only of extra benefit in those of the lower third when compared with simple plaster slabs unless more complex procedures such as flaps or vascular repair were to be performed. In complex humeral fractures, external fixation resulted in long stays in hospital and a large number of interventions when compared with simple treatment in a sling. We conclude therefore that in an environment where facilities are limited and surgeons have only general experience very careful initial wound excision is the most important factor determining outcome. The application of complex holding techniques was generally inappropriate.

Patient Outcomes for The Chronically Critically Ill

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a low-technology environment of care and a nurse case management case delivery system (special care unit, SCU) with the traditional high-technology environment (ICU) and primary nursing care delivery system on the patient outcomes of length of stay, mortality, readmission, complications, satisfaction, and cost. A sample of 220 chronically critically ill patients were randomly assigned to either the SCU (n = 145) or the ICU (n = 75). Few significant differences were found between the two groups in length of stay, mortality, or complications. However, the findings showed significant cost savings in the SCU group in the charges accrued during the study period and in the charges and costs to produce a survivor. The average total cost of delivering care was $5,000 less per patient in the SCU than in the traditional ICU. In addition, the cost to produce a survivor was $19,000 less in the SCU. Results from this 4-year clinical trial demonstrate that nurse case managers in a SCU setting can produce patient outcomes equal to or better than those in the traditional ICU care environment for long-term critically ill patients.

Edible wafers need physics

The food industry is changing rapidly. What was once a high-labour, low-technology environment has become a highly automated mass-production business. In becoming so, the food industry can now present physicists with challenges equal to anything that they face in industries more usually associated with physics, such as electronics, instrumentation and power generation. First, the final product has to be eaten and enjoyed by the purchaser. This places great demands on taste, texture and hygiene. Second, the raw materials are always changing: every electron is identical, but every potato is different, while crisps are expected to remain the same.

Nursing dependency needs of HIV-infected patients, part 2: Implications for management

Nurses on undifferentiated patient care units observed significant differences in the nursing needs of persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease compared with other hospitalized patients. These needs were reflected in the provision of greater nursing hours per case and greater lengths of hospital stay. Less time was spent in the intensive care unit by HIV-infected patients, although 25 percent died in the hospital. There were few HIV patients overall, but given the percentage dying, additional support services may be required in the community to enable terminally ill persons to die at home or in a similar low-technology environment.