Unfamiliar Environment Research Articles

Care Refusal by Older Adults With Dementia Receiving Professional Care: A Scoping Review.

Care refusal behaviors by institutionalized older adults with dementia pose significant challenges for professional caregivers in residential care settings. This scoping review mapped the determinants and effects of care refusal in this population. A systematic search of five databases identified 19 studies published between 2013 and 2023. The findings indicated that personal, relational, environmental, and organizational factors influence care refusal behaviors in institutional settings. Cognitive impairment, communication difficulties, elderspeak, unfamiliar institutional environments, and task-oriented care were key determinants. Care refusal compromised health outcomes, disrupted care provision, and exacerbated neuropsychiatric symptoms in residential care facilities. Terminological inconsistencies and methodological limitations were identified as research gaps. Developing standardized terminology and person-centered strategies represents priority areas for coordinated action across policy, practice, and research to address the impact of refusal behaviors while upholding the rights of institutionalized older adults with dementia.

Enter the School Online Promoter for Online Course Success

Often schools are unable to offer a wide curriculum at the Pre-tertiary level (16-18 year olds) because of small cohorts or limited finance to employ the full-time specialist. Some schools, however, have incorporated alternative online instruction instead of conventional direct instruction. However, these online Pre-tertiary learners have to negotiate with working in an unfamiliar virtual working environment, lack of sustained motivation, and the sense of being anonymous and not accountable in any meaningful way. Using data based on 20 interviews with international Pre-tertiary students, school staff, and online provider administrative staff, we propose the Online Partnership Model that has the potential to address these motivational and accountability challenges. In this model, the online provider formally trains and continually works together with an “Online promoter” who is a designated member of the school’s staff that is in regular face-to-face contact with the online student. The findings indicate that the motivational role of the Online promoter is welcomed by students, schools, and the online provider as being crucially supportive to student motivational well-being in the virtual environment. With such support, online delivery could well be a viable means of enabling schools to widen their curriculum without having to employ additional staff. For schools, this means that they can offer more specialized subjects (for example, Economics, Psychology, Film Studies, Mandarin) in their curricula where the small number of students does not justify employing a specialist teacher.

Review on VSLAM based on deep learning

Abstract. Visual simultaneous localization and mapping technology (VSLAM) provides a theoretical basis for the operation of unmanned equipment such as autonomous vehicles and sweeping robots in unfamiliar environments. Although traditional VSLAM systems have achieved great success after long-term development, it is still difficult to maintain good performance in challenging environments. Deep learning, as a newly developed technology in the field of vision in recent years, has shown outstanding advantages in image processing. Combining deep learning with VSLAM is a hot topic. Deep learning can help traditional VSLAM systems improve the lack of scale information in dynamic environments by improving the performance of traditional VSLAM in depth estimation, pose estimation, and closed loop detection. It can not only reduce the scale of the network model but also improve the accuracy of trajectory estimation. Specifically, in terms of the fusion of VSLAM method flow and deep learning, many researchers have proposed deep learning fusion methods based on visual odometry, loop detection and mapping. This work studies the trend and combination of VSLAM with deep learning algorithms, hoping to provide help for the real autonomy of future mobile robots, and finally puts forward prospects for the development of VSLAM.

‘The Light of Day Was Our Comrade’: Ecologies of Forced Displacement and the Challenge of Unfamiliar Environments in Cold-War Greece

‘The Light of Day Was Our Comrade’: Ecologies of Forced Displacement and the Challenge of Unfamiliar Environments in Cold-War Greece

The effect of listening to the voice recording of relatives on chest pain, anxiety and depression in patients hospitalized in the coronary intensive care unit: A randomized controlled trial.

After acute myocardial infarction, the prevalence of anxiety and depression is quite high in patients because of severe chest pain, distance from relatives, unfamiliar environment and orientation problems. To assess the effect of listening to the voice recordings of relatives of patients with acute myocardial infarction who were treated in the coronary intensive care unit (ICU) on chest pain, anxiety and depression parameters of the patients. In the study, which was conducted as a randomized controlled trial, voice recordings of the family members of the patients were created and played to the patients through a music pillow. The study was carried out with 60 patients, 30 experimental and 30 control groups. Three tests were applied to the patients 15 min before, and 15 and 30 min after the application. The data of the study were collected using the Patient Introduction Form, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, Visual Analogue Scale and Patient Follow-up Form. It was found that there was a significant decrease in the anxiety level of the patients in the intervention group after listening to the audio recording (p < .001, 95% CI: -3.796; -0.070). However, there was no significant difference between the pain and depression scores of the control and intervention groups (p > .05). In the ICUs of patients with acute myocardial infarction, it may be recommended to play audio recordings of their relatives to reduce the severity of anxiety. In the intensive care setting, the use of voice recordings of relatives can be used as an effective, non-pharmacological intervention to reduce anxiety in patients with acute myocardial infarction. This approach may potentially improve overall recovery by reducing patient anxiety in the intensive care setting.

Child-Centered Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring Pediatric Hospitalization Through Children's Perspectives.

Background/Objectives: Hospitalization can be stressful for children due to the influence of unfamiliar environments, separation from family, and interactions with healthcare professionals. This study aimed to explore children's hospitalization experiences from a child-centered care perspective to develop interventions that better meet their emotional and psychological needs. Methods: This qualitative study employed Husserl's descriptive phenomenology to explore hospitalization experiences among children aged 9-13 years. Conducted at a primary health center in Spain from October 2022 to June 2023, the study used purposive sampling to select participants hospitalized within the past six months. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and children's self-created drawings, analyzed using thematic analysis with ATLAS.ti software. Results: A total of 10 school-age children (five boys and five girls) were interviewed. Three main themes emerged: (1) Emotions and Feelings-children described fear, anxiety, and loneliness during their hospital stay; (2) Experiences of Pain and Discomfort-participants reported physical pain and discomfort; (3) Interactions with Medical Staff-children expressed a need for more detailed explanations and clearer communication. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of family-centered care and improved communication between healthcare providers and children. Strategies like art therapy and flexible visiting hours could provide better emotional support. Tailored communication to children's developmental levels is crucial. Integrating these strategies into clinical practice could enhance the well-being of hospitalized children. Future research should focus on evaluating these interventions to improve pediatric care.

Mental Models and Cognitive Frames in International Business

The modern international business (IB) landscape is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change, making effective decision-making more crucial than ever. Such decisions are made by managers who use mental models and cognitive frames to interpret and act on information. The role such cognitive tools play in shaping how managers perceive opportunities, assess risks, and navigate unfamiliar environments cannot be overstated. The four articles in this special issue of AIB Insights aim to address this issue by examining how mental models and cognitive frames influence decision-making in IB, offering both theoretical insights and, more importantly, practical advice for practitioners.

Grammatical systematicity of request models in the modern Russian

The article analyzes the grammatical systematicity of models of request expression in modern Russian language. The relevance is determined by the need to identify the grammatical systematicity of the use of syntactic models of different types in expressing a request in Russian speech practice. The aim of the paper is to study syntactic models of request expression in modern Russian language in the aspect of the theory of communicative-pragmatic complexes. The study is conducted on the material representing different contexts of request usage: samples from modern Russian plays by famous playwrighters – A. Vampilov, N. Lakutin, E. Shabalina and A. Yablonskaya, as well as samples from the National Corpus of the Russian Language (NCLR) are used. Research methods: systematic, comparative, functional, contextual, structural-grammatical. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of systematicity of syntactic models. The peculiarity of expressing the request by the models of sentences on the purpose of utterance – inductive, interrogative and narrative – is shown. The authors come to the conclusion about the peculiarity of linguistic conceptualization of request in three communicative situations – everyday request, official request, request when communicating in an unfamiliar environment, which differ in their communicative role and situations of use. The regularities of use of three types of sentences on the purpose of utterance depending on communicative situations are established. It is shown that the model of inductive sentences serves as the basic and most common grammatical form of expressing a request and is usually used in the communicative situation of a household request. Due to its special communicative characteristics, this model can also be used in the situation of communication with strangers, and with the use of grammatical extensions - and in some situations of official communication. The second most frequent type - interrogative sentences - is usually used when addressing strangers; as a rule, it is accompanied by politeness markers. Models of narrative sentences are used much less frequently than sentences of the other two types; they are most often used in situations of official communication.

A Brief Analysis of the Application of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Reducing the Sense of Loneliness Among International Students

With the deepening of globalization, the number of international students has grown significantly. In unfamiliar environments, these students face challenges such as academic pressure and cross-cultural adaptation, which often lead to feelings of loneliness. In severe cases, loneliness can negatively impact their mental health and daily lives. As a psychological intervention, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) integrates mindfulness training with cognitive exercises, making its application in mental health highly significant. This paper first explains the definition and origin of MBCT and discusses its value in regulating emotions, changing thought patterns, and maintaining mental health. Based on the current causes of loneliness among international students, this paper explores targeted applications of MBCT to offer practical intervention methods that promote the holistic and healthy growth of international students.

Parental Involvement in the Care of Hospitalized Children: A Qualitative Study in the Tamale Metropolis

Introduction There is a growing appreciation that parents play a critical part in promoting the health outcomes of their hospitalized sick children. This is because parents want to be involved in the care of their children to allay parental anxiety and promote cooperation from children. After all, children feel insecure in an unfamiliar environment. Objective The main objective of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of parental involvement and experiences in the care of hospitalized sick children in Tamale Metropolis. Methods A descriptive exploratory design with a qualitative approach was used for the study. Thirteen parents of sick children on admission at the children’s unit of the Tamale Metropolis were interviewed for the study. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis (TA). Results The study revealed that participants in the study demonstrated basic knowledge and understanding of parental involvement in the care of hospitalized sick children and shared some of the benefits of parental involvement as improved interaction with health workers, healthier and happier children as well as promoting the early detection of the signs and symptoms of illnesses in children on admission. Some of the barriers to parental involvement include language barriers, poor communication between healthcare providers and parents, financial challenges and institutional challenges. Many participants also reported that sources of parental involvement were the media and healthcare workers. Conclusions Findings from the study indicate that the majority of participants have a fundamental idea about parental involvement. To improve parental involvement in the care of sick children, stakeholders must engender a collective approach that sensitizes the general public and health workers toward acceptance and incorporation into healthcare delivery.

Catch the Cyber Thief: A Multi-Dimensional Asymmetric Network Attack–Defense Game

This paper presents a novel multi-dimensional asymmetric game model for network attack–defense decision-making, called “Catch the Cyber Thief”. The model is built upon the concept of partially observable stochastic games (POSG) and is designed to systematically incorporate multi-dimensional asymmetry into network attack–defense problems. The attack agent is called a “thief” who wants to control a key host by exploring the unfamiliar network environment, and the defense agent is called a “police” who needs to catch the opponent before its goal is accomplished. The results indicate that the asymmetry of network attack and defense is not only influenced by attack and defense strategies but also by spatio-temporal factors such as the attacker’s initial position, network topology, and defense lag time. In addition, we have found that there may exist the “attack rhythm,” which makes “how to maintain a good attack rhythm” and “how to generate a robust defense strategy against different attackers” worth exploring. Compared with existing attack–defense game models, our game model can better generate a direct mapping relationship with real elements, enabling us to understand network attack and defense interactions better, recognize security risks, and design defense strategies that can directly serve real-world decision-making.

Hub Traveler Guidance Signage Evaluation via Panoramic Visualization Using Entropy Weight Method and TOPSIS

Signage functions as guidance and distribution assistance, directly affecting the operational efficiency of traffic in and around the comprehensive transportation hubs. Among the elements of signage, the visual guidance effect is the key factor affecting the information conveyance, which should be evaluated during the design and optimization process. This study conducted field investigations and developed panoramic videos for multiple transportation hubs in China and designed a survey accordingly. Human subjects were recruited to watch panoramic videos via virtual reality (VR) and respond to the surveys. The results show that the degree of visual attention of travelers significantly affects the evaluation results of guidance signage, with the influence being inversely proportional. Key factors affecting visual attention include accurate legibility, obstruction and defacement rates, informativeness, and whether signage is set up in a hierarchical manner. In unfamiliar environments, travelers focus on the overall context and closely observe the interaction between directional signs and their surroundings. The prominence and visibility of signage are influenced by interactions within the spatial environment. Notably, simple and clear signs are more likely to attract travelers’ attention, and their directional information is more easily comprehended. Moreover, when the destination is clearly defined, visual attention significantly directs pedestrians’ wayfinding behavior.

Classroom Interactions Facilitate a Sense of Belonging in Remote STEM Classes: Lessons from a Large-Scale Quantitative Study

AbstractDuring the global COVID-19 pandemic, instructors strove to facilitate student learning, engagement, and community in an unfamiliar environment, while students adapted to a college experience that differed from their expectations. This context provided the opportunity to identify factors that increased undergraduates’ sense of belonging in remote STEM classrooms. We analyzed responses from 1589 students in 26 undergraduate STEM courses at a large R1 research university in Likert-style surveys to assess how the remote modality affected their sense of belonging in their STEM course. Likewise, we analyzed data from 22 instructors about their pedagogical mindset and implementation of classroom activities. K-means clustering of student survey responses sorted classes into four significantly distinct clusters. Student responses in cluster 1 revealed an increased sense of belonging in the post-survey, whereas students in cluster 4 reported a decreased sense of belonging. Further, we observed that a higher frequency of active learning activities (student–student and student-instructor interactions) and instructor type (teaching faculty) correlated with an increased sense of belonging. Many studies have investigated alterations in students’ sense of belonging; our study contributes by identifying activities that enhance a sense of belonging in remote STEM classrooms. Moreover, our findings from a quantitative study allow us to propose ways instructors can modify their courses to increase student sense of belonging and insulate students from the isolation of remote classrooms.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Internship Programs in Aligning Education with Industry during Covid-19: A Case Study

This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of internship programs in aligning education with industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research focuses on the internship outcomes of College of Communication and Media Sciences (CCMS) students in various UAE organizations. This study employs Kirkpatrick's framework and analyzes 64 student reports over ten weeks to understand the strengths and areas of improvement in aligning academic instruction with real-world applications. The research focuses on the "reaction" and "learning" constructs in the alignment of theoretical teachings with practical experiences based on Kirkpatrick’s framework. The study revealed that internships offer students a chance to gain practical experience in their field of study, and the CCMS internship program helps students gain professional skills that are difficult to teach in a classroom context. The findings of this study could help academic policymakers understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of different learning areas and refine and enhance internship offerings. The study underscores the significance of assessing the practical application of university education in the workplace and the benefits of internship experiences as a mandatory component of CCMS specialization academic programmes. The research demonstrates that the internship program provides students with hands-on experience in the media and communication sectors, enabling them to interact directly with industry professionals. Additionally, this study highlights the common challenges faced by internship students, including communication with supervisors, workload management, handling tasks beyond their current skill set, navigating limited workplace resources, adjusting to unfamiliar work environments, and refining time management skills.

Research on the comprehensive child life intervention program (CCLIP) for adjusting medical fear in children with central nervous system (CNS) cancers: a randomized controlled trial study protocol

BackgroundMedical fear is a common psychological reaction in hospitalized children, especially during radiotherapy for central nervous system (CNS) cancers. This fear not only causes negative emotions such as anxiety and depression but also affects children’s quality of life and treatment outcomes. It is exacerbated by factors such as unfamiliar environments during radiation therapy and separation from parents. Child Life, as a professional service, offers physical and mental support to children through medical understanding and psychological preparation, addressing their social and psychological needs, among other things. This study aims to construct a comprehensive Child Life intervention program (CCLIP), consisting of four key components: psychological adjustment and preparation, therapeutic play, pain management and coping strategies, and family support. The integration of effective intervention methods aims to reduce medical fear in children undergoing radiotherapy, promote psychological well-being, improve treatment compliance, and enhance quality of life.MethodsThis study is a protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Using a random number table method, we plan to recruit 38 eligible children who meet the inclusion criteria and then randomize them into two distinct groups: the intervention group and the control group. The intervention group will receive the CCLIP, and the control group will receive standardized care. Data will be collected through questionnaires and on-site assessments during the one-month intervention period at four distinct time points: the day of admission (T0), the first radiotherapy positioning (T1), mid-radiotherapy (T2), and postradiotherapy (T3). The primary outcome measure is the effectiveness of the CCLIP in reducing medical fear among children receiving radiation treatment for CNS cancers. Secondary outcomes include anxiety, depression, radiation adherence, quality of life among children, and parental satisfaction.DiscussionThis study aims to alleviate medical fear among children with CNS tumors undergoing radiotherapy through the implementation of the CCLIP while enhancing their mental health and quality of life. The expected outcomes of this research include providing effective intervention strategies for clinical practice, improving the treatment experience and long-term prognosis of children, and having positive impacts on children and their families.Trial registrationThis study is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2400082622. Registered 2 April, 2024.

Challenges of preterm families: parenthood and participation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Northern Italy

ABSTRACT Prematurity can disrupt the psychological transition to parenthood, with the unfamiliar environment of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) often exacerbating parental concerns about their baby’s health and survival. This study explores factors influencing parental coping mechanisms during their NICU stay, focusing on gender differences and parental perceptions of staff support. Sixteen Italian parents of preterm infants (born before 37 weeks of gestation and hospitalized for at least 10 days) participated in remote narrative interviews. Thematic analysis revealed key differences in the emotional experiences and care participation between mothers and fathers, shaped by traditional Italian gender norms and further impacted by COVID-19 restrictions limiting fathers’ access to the NICU. Additionally, parents who were more involved in their infant’s recovery through interactions with doctors reported higher levels of personal well-being. These findings highlight the importance of fostering parent-staff communication and support, particularly during times of crisis, to promote positive outcomes in the parent-infant relationship and enhance parental well-being. Recommendations include tailored interventions to ensure mothers and fathers are actively engaged in their infant’s care.

ChitChatGuide: Conversational Interaction Using Large Language Models for Assisting People with Visual Impairments to Explore a Shopping Mall

To enable people with visual impairments (PVI) to explore shopping malls, it is important to provide information for selecting destinations and obtaining information based on the individual's interests. We achieved this through conversational interaction by integrating a large language model (LLM) with a navigation system. ChitChatGuide allows users to plan a tour through contextual conversations, receive personalized descriptions of surroundings based on transit time, and make inquiries during navigation. We conducted a study in a shopping mall with 11 PVI, and the results reveal that the system allowed them to explore the facility with increased enjoyment. The LLM-based conversational interaction, by understanding vague and context-based questions, enabled the participants to explore unfamiliar environments effectively. The personalized and in-situ information generated by the LLM was both useful and enjoyable. Considering the limitations we identified, we discuss the criteria for integrating LLMs into navigation systems to enhance the exploration experiences of PVI.

VLAI: Exploration and Exploitation based on Visual-Language Aligned Information for Robotic Object Goal Navigation

Object Goal Navigation(ObjectNav) is the task that an agent need navigate to an instance of a specific category in an unseen environment through visual observations within limited time steps. This work plays a significant role in enhancing the efficiency of locating specific items in indoor spaces and assisting individuals in completing various tasks, as well as providing support for people with disabilities. To achieve efficient ObjectNav in unfamiliar environments, global perception capabilities, understanding the regularities of space and semantics in the environment layout are significant. In this work, we propose an explicit-prediction method called VLAI that utilizes visual-language alignment information to guide the agent's exploration, unlike previous navigation methods based on frontier potential prediction or egocentric map completion, which only leverage visual observations to construct semantic maps, thus failing to help the agent develop a better global perception. Specifically, when predicting long-term goals, we retrieve previously saved visual observations to obtain visual information around the frontiers based on their position on the incrementally built incomplete semantic map. Then, we apply our designed Chat Describer to this visual information to obtain detailed frontier object descriptions. The Chat Describer, a novel automatic-questioning approach deployed in Visual-to-Language, is composed of Large Language Model(LLM) and the visual-to-language model(VLM), which has visual question-answering functionality. In addition, we also obtain the semantic similarity of target object and frontier object categories. Ultimately, by combining the semantic similarity and the boundary descriptions, the agent can predict the long-term goals more accurately. Our experiments on the Gibson and HM3D datasets reveal that our VLAI approach yields significantly better results compared to earlier methods. The code is released athttps://github.com/31539lab/VLAI.

Twistable and Stretchable Nasal Patch for Monitoring Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders Based on a Stacking Ensemble Learning Model.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome disrupts sleep, destroys the homeostasis of biological systems such as metabolism and the immune system, and reduces learning ability and memory. The existing polysomnography used to measure sleep disorders is executed in an unfamiliar environment, which may result in sleep patterns that are different from usual, reducing accuracy. This study reports a machine learning-based personalized twistable patch system that can simply measure obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in daily life. The stretchable patch attaches directly to the nose in an integrated form factor, detecting sleep-disordered breathing by simultaneously sensing microscopic vibrations and airflow in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The highly sensitive multichannel patch, which can detect airflow at the level of 0.1 m/s, has flexibility via a unique slit pattern and fabric layer. It has linearity with an R2 of 0.992 in the case of the amount of change according to its curvature. The stacking ensemble learning model predicted the degree of sleep-disordered breathing with an accuracy of 92.9%. The approach demonstrates high sleep disorder detection capacity and proactive visual notification. It is expected to help as a diagnostic platform for the early detection of chronic diseases such as cerebrovascular disease and diabetes.

Long-term effects of pre-weaning social housing on response to a social and housing transition in pregnant heifers

Dairy cattle are routinely managed in social groups and subject to various management and social transitions, yet conventional approaches to rearing dairy calves limit social experience during early weeks of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term effects of dairy calf social housing, with calves housed individually or in pairs, on long-term behavioral responses observed in pregnant heifers following social regrouping and introduction to a novel housing environment. Holstein heifers were raised during the milk-feeding period (provided 8 L/d milk replacer) in either individual pens (n = 20 heifers) or paired pens (n = 20 pens; 1 focal heifer/pen) and subsequently identically managed in groups on pasture from 9 weeks of age. At 30 d before expected calving, pregnant heifers were moved from pasture to a free stall barn, which represented introduction to a novel social group and an unfamiliar housing environment. Behavior was continuously recorded from video for 24 h, beginning at 0000 h on the day after introduction, to characterize feeding behavior, locomotor activity, and stall usage, as well as social proximity and competitive behavior surrounding the feed bunk and stall. Stocking density of the free stall barn fluctuated and was categorized as low (≤75%, 100 × animals in pen/available stalls), medium (>75%, 100%), or high (≥100%). Body weights obtained following calving indicated that previously PH heifers were heavier (632.3 vs. 593.4 kg; PH vs. IH), and body weight was included as a covariate in analysis of feeding behavior. Upon introduction to the free stall pen, previously PH heifers spent more time walking (1.9 vs. 1.3 min/h) with no effect of calf social housing on duration of lying time. However, stall use was subject to an interaction between previous housing treatment and stocking density and differed overall between previous housing treatments; previously PH heifers spent less time in the stall, particularly at high stocking density (29.4 vs. 48 min/h), due to shorter (29.6 vs. 95.7 min/visit) but marginally more frequent stall visits. Previously pair-housed heifers were also less likely to be displaced from a stall (44 vs. 85% of heifers replaced; PH vs. IH). Feeding behavior was similarly influenced by previous housing treatment particularly at high stocking density, with previously PH heifers spending more time feeding (8.2 vs. 4.2 min/h) and visiting the feed bunk more frequently (1.5 vs. 0.8 visits/h). These results suggest that preweaning social housing had long-term effects on behavior and ability to adapt to a novel environment which became most apparent under heightened competitive pressure.