Virtual Resources Research Articles

Thematic analysis of stakeholder perceptions for co-creative healthcare XR resource design and development; traversing a minefield of opportunities.

The expansive curricular volume of healthcare education makes a necessity the incorporation of innovative methods and immersive media in it. The core challenge in such approaches is the timely development of relevant immersive content such as Virtual, Augmented or Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) resources for healthcare topics. There is currently significant interest in the use of co-creative methods for streamlining immersive content development. A core research pursuit in this translational research field is the formulation of evidence-based, optimized workflows that streamline immersive content creation allowing for rapid expansion of innovative educational approaches in healthcare curricula. The purpose of this paper is to aggregate the perceptions of healthcare technologists and educators who participated in a series of co-creation sessions in order to elicit their best practice insights for design and development of XR educational resources using co-creative methods. According to our thematic analysis, findings of the qualitative study demonstrated that a rigorous organizational approach is required to maintain a constructive exchange of information and to keep the design process alive for both content and technical experts. In addition, rapid prototype and display of co-created features can empower their contributions and help them design more efficiently. Co-creative content production can benefit from adaption of existing frameworks and lightweight authoring environments that can facilitate generalized XR content development use cases.

Elevating metaverse virtual reality experiences through network‐integrated neuro‐fuzzy emotion recognition and adaptive content generation algorithms

AbstractInteractions between individuals and digital material have completely changed with the advent of the Metaverse. Due to this, there is an immediate need to construct cutting‐edge technology that can recognize the emotions of users and continuously provide material that is relevant to their psychological states, improving their overall experience. An inventive method that combines natural language processing adaptive content generation algorithms and neuro‐fuzzy‐based support vector machines natural language processing (SVM‐NLP) is proposed by researchers to meet this demand. With this merging, the Metaverse will be able to offer highly tailored and engaging experiences. Initially, a neuro‐fuzzy algorithm was developed to identify people's emotional moods from their physiological reactions and other biometric information. Fuzzy Logic and Support Vector Machine work together to manage the inherent ambiguity and unpredictability, which results in a more exact and accurate categorization of emotions. A key component of the ACGA is NLP technology, which uses real‐time emotional data to dynamically modify and personalize characters, stories, and interactive features in the Metaverse. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in the innovative integration of neuro‐fuzzy‐based SVM‐NLP algorithms to accurately recognize and adapt to users' emotional states, enhancing the Metaverse experience across various applications. The proposed method is implemented using Python software. This adaptive approach significantly enhances users' immersion, emotional involvement, and overall satisfaction within the augmented reality environment by tailoring information to their responses. The findings show that the SVM‐NLP emotion identification algorithm based on neuro‐fuzzy, has a high degree of accuracy in recognizing emotional states, which holds promise for creating a Metaverse that is more emotionally compelling and immersive. Stronger human–computer interactions and a wider range of applications, including virtual therapy, educational resources, entertainment, and social media networking, might be made possible by integrating SVM‐NLP. These sophisticated systems are around 92% accurate in interpreting the emotions.

A systematic review of green-aware management techniques for sustainable data center

Cloud computing is one of the powerful engines driving global industrial upgrading and the booming digital economy. However, the explosive growth of cloud data centers (DCs) has resulted in inevitable energy consumption and carbon emission problems. Therefore, constructing energy-efficient and sustainable DCs will be essential for green cloud computing. This review makes several efforts to thoroughly investigate and track the research progress and routes to sustainable DCs. Firstly, we construct a new conceptual model of sustainable DCs to cover cutting-edge research results and indicate future evolutionary directions. Secondly, this review provides a comprehensive survey of five topics from a technical perspective: workload management, virtual resource management, energy management, thermal management, and waste heat recovery. Subsequently, some real-world datasets relevant to the topics, including workload traces, renewable energy data, and electricity price traces, have been specifically collected to support researchers in conducting further research. Finally, based on observations of existing works, we highlight some salient technical challenges and promising solutions to provide sensible energy and carbon reduction suggestions in sustainable DCs.

Telematic education in practical subjects: an evaluation by occupational therapy students

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged university education to maintain teaching activities in virtual and distance education formats, among other non-face-toface modalities. In this sense, this article exposes the impact of virtuality on the learning results of two practical-experiential subjects developed with first-year students, promotion 2020 of the career of Occupational Therapy of Universidad Austral de Chile. The research was of a statistical-descriptive and exploratory nature, in which students completed surveys through an online form entitled: “Impact of Methodological Changes in Practical Subjects”. The results are uncertain in relation to the pedagogical process experienced, with positive perceptions regarding the use of virtual tools and resources implemented and also significant difficulties associated with motivation problems, double presence, overload and depersonalization. It is concluded that, although virtual strategies in higher education are a powerful and a currently applicable resource it is essential that Occupational Therapy students have practical-experiential subjects in person for personalized support for the incorporation of basic and essential communication skills of the discipline.

Secure Cloud Architecture

Cloud computing refers to the availability of online resources and services. Global data centers serve as the delivery hubs for cloud services. Cloud computing helps its users by giving them access to virtual resources over the internet. Pay-Per Use-On-Demand mode is provided by cloud computing and e-trade. It may be easily accessible and shared via IT resources with the help of the internet. The primary obstacle in cloud computing is to protection and privacy issues arising from its multi-tenancy structure, as well as the outsourcing of critical applications, infrastructure, and sensitive data. Businesses are utilizing cloud services at a rapid pace; therefore, it is necessary to implement measures that ensure businesses have security and can select a provider that suits them. An advancement in current technology that fulfills the long-held dream of computing as a utility is cloud computing. The majority of private and public sector businesses have been deceived by the emergence of this innovative technology in the IT industry. The two main security-based approaches now in use for cloud-based platforms are holomorphic encryption and single tamper-proof hardware. Scalability is a problem for hardware-based solutions, but holomorphic encryptions are merely an idea. Furthermore, because of the different nature of its services and deployment strategy, cloud-based platforms cannot directly incorporate standard defense in-depth security mechanisms. To secure the cloud-based platform, however, the same idea of a multi-layered security mechanism can be suggested

Intelligent Resource Orchestration for 5G Edge Infrastructures

The adoption of edge infrastructure in 5G environments stands out as a transformative technology aimed at meeting the increasing demands of latency-sensitive and data-intensive applications. This research paper presents a comprehensive study on the intelligent orchestration of 5G edge computing infrastructures. The proposed Smart 5G Edge-Cloud Management Architecture, built upon an OpenNebula foundation, incorporates a ONEedge5G experimental component, which offers intelligent workload forecasting and infrastructure orchestration and automation capabilities, for optimal allocation of virtual resources across diverse edge locations. The research evaluated different forecasting models, based both on traditional statistical techniques and machine learning techniques, comparing their accuracy in CPU usage prediction for a dataset of virtual machines (VMs). Additionally, an integer linear programming formulation was proposed to solve the optimization problem of mapping VMs to physical servers in distributed edge infrastructure. Different optimization criteria such as minimizing server usage, load balancing, and reducing latency violations were considered, along with mapping constraints. Comprehensive tests and experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed architecture.

Perceived Effect of COVID-19 on the Academic Performance and Satisfaction Level of Online Teaching of Sandwich Students

The study examined the perceived effect of COVID-19 on academic performance and the satisfaction level of online teaching of sandwich students on the OLA university campus. The study was a descriptive survey design with a quantitative approach. The accessible population was made up of 150 students. Through a multi-stage sampling approach, a sample size of 109 students was chosen for the study and determined using Miller and Brewer's (2003) sample size mathematical model. Data was collected using an adapted questionnaire with an r = .727. Data on respondents' demographic characteristics, as well as data to answer the four research questions, were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment correlation, r). The study found a negative influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ academic performance who study through the sandwich mode of learning. The study found that there is a high satisfaction level of online teaching among sandwich students. However, they are faced with problems of poor internet connection and the inability to purchase internet data/bundle for online learning. Ultimately, it was discovered that the degree of pleasure with online instruction and the effect of COVID-19 on academic achievement are not significantly correlated. The Ministry of Education, the universities, and all other relevant stakeholders were advised to provide online teaching apps. Also, they should provide professional training for online teaching applications and devices, Wi-Fi facilities, affordable internet packages, and virtual resources in light of the findings.

End-to-end network slicing for edge computing optimization

User-centric services proliferated by the smart devices is getting more demanding and characteristically diversified. Fall-risk assessment, augmented reality and similar services coexist in a shared heterogeneous setting. To meet the diversified and often conflicting requirements of the services, the physical network is decomposed into virtual slices. In order to address the optimal network slicing problem for various service types with different performance requirements, this study proposes a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model. This optimization model aims to satisfy the demands of the services and provide complete isolation among them through virtual resources reservation, including both networking and computation. Additionally, a heuristic implementation NESECS (NEtwork Slicing for Edge Computing Services) is proposed as an efficient solution for the cases where the optimization tools remain inadequate. The performance of the proposed solutions is evaluated with an extensive set of experiments. The obtained results indicate that the proposed optimization model is capable of providing optimal or near optimal solutions for small network instances, and NESECS algorithm can provide good solutions for larger instances by eliminating the time complexity.

Distributed collaborative scheduling technology for random access in real-time

The planning and deployment of mega constellations has posed increasing pressure on the existing telemetry, track and command (TTC) resource scheduling strategy. The current plan-based scheduling strategy distributes resources according to needs, however, it cannot address sudden resource requests with prompt responses. By analyzing the status quo of resource scheduling systems, we have proposed a distributed collaborative scheduling technology for random access in real-time, based on the theory of low costs and rapid transfers of scheduling task resources. First, we use knowledge graph technology to map the link between scheduling tasks and idle resources and develop a graph network. Furthermore, by analyzing and evaluating the resource transfer capability of a multi-target TTC system in hemispherical coverage (MT-TTC), we propose the concept of a virtual resource pool and develop a two-layer scheduling framework in which the central scheduling system coordinates with multiple regional systems. This scheduling strategy works well when a sudden TTC request occurs. The central system manages the satellite requests and make plans, while regional systems are responsible for handling the sudden requests and report to the central system on its resource change. With regional systems sharing some degree of autonomy, the central system making a final decision and systems across the framework coordinating in real-time, we design a model on resource transfers for MT-TTC equipment and a collaboration mechanism that coordinates the resource transfers across MT-TTC equipment and other single-beam equipment within and between regions. We do experiments in simulation scheduling environments. The results show that the regional scheduling system based on MT-TTC equipment is able to manage continuous random-access requests in real-time, and avoid resource conflicts across regions by collaborating with the central scheduling system. It is of value to be applied in real scenarios.

Virtual research laboratory in foreign language teaching: Strategies and role

With the growth of technology and the availability of virtual tools, the creation of interactive and dynamic learning environments that increase students’ interest and motivation becomes relevant and possible. The study aimed to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of using virtual laboratories in the process of learning foreign languages. Analytical research methods, generalisation, systematisation, and surveying were used in the research. The study demonstrated that virtual reality (VR) could change the traditional approach to language learning through immersive experiences of students’ interaction with language structures. The article highlighted technical and pedagogical challenges that require an integrated approach. The study confirmed that mobile learning and augmented reality (AR) offer new education opportunities, providing interactivity and personalisation. The research concluded that augmented reality could improve the learning of complex concepts and increase student motivation. This article highlighted a need for effective pedagogical strategies for the successful implementation of virtual reality and augmented reality. A survey of students at Northwest Normal University was also conducted. The survey of students who use virtual labs to learn foreign languages indicates that they are more effective and useful for the learning process, including the use of Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Memrise, Busuu, Lingodeer, BBC Languages, and Italki. Although the majority of students have a positive attitude towards this technology, some prefer traditional methods, which indicates the need for additional adaptation and support of virtual resources to ensure their optimal effectiveness. The study findings can be used to adapt existing foreign language curricula and courses to the use of virtual research laboratory tools

From Artificial Intelligence to Virtual Resource Pools: Where Should Teachers Select Their Elementary Mathematics Curriculum Resources?

From Artificial Intelligence to Virtual Resource Pools: Where Should Teachers Select Their Elementary Mathematics Curriculum Resources?

Energy and Performance Centric Resource Allocation Framework in Virtual Machine Consolidation Using Reinforcement Learning Approach

Abstract:: Virtual machines are used to reduce cloud platform application performance, management costs, and access irregularities. Virtual machines are frequently vulnerable to delays, overburdening workloads, and other obstacles while consolidating and migrating servers. To significantly disperse loads among virtual machines, dynamic consolidation techniques are implemented to control energy dissipation, monitor overloading, and address underloading problems. Background:: The process of consolidation involves more calculations and resources in order to transfer services between virtual machines, provided that Service Level Agreements are observed. Methods:: The suggested approach promotes the use of cutting-edge architecture to combine virtual machines, and, therefore, strike a balance between performance and energy requirements. The main design considerations for the suggested Dynamic Weightage algorithm, which includes the clustering approach in relation to reinforcement learning approaches, are overall resource needs and Performance to Power Ratio (PPR). A cluster of ideal virtual machines is created, and resources are distributed according to performance and energy requirements. Virtual machine resource requests are converted into a matching relationship factor, which represents the individual hosts while taking PPR into account. The overall workload associated with virtual machine consolidation is also provided by these estimations. It is noted that there is little energy trade-off and that performance is maintained at a nominal level across the cluster. The architecture is put into practice throughout offline platforms, which are dispersed ecosystems that allow for increased system performance and scaling. Results:: The CloudSim simulator is used to validate the system using datasets that are obtained from PlanetLab. According to the data, energy saving has produced yields of up to 47% and promising quality of service attributes. Conclusion:: The validation of the system is performed using the CloudSim simulator with datasets from PlanetLab. The results indicate significant energy conservation, up to 47%, along with promising quality of service parameters. The proposed architecture is compared with other state-of-the-art algorithms for distributed architectures and heterogeneous environments, showcasing its efficiency. The conclusion emphasizes the prioritization of VM consolidation and energy efficiency in the proposed architecture, which has been tested on a Proliant G7- based data center using a variety of hosts. Notably, the CloudSim Toolkit is highlighted as outperforming OpenStack-based techniques in simulation results.

Evaluation of an automated matching system of children and families to virtual mental health resources during COVID-19

BackgroundChildren and their families often face obstacles in accessing mental health (MH) services. The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot test an electronic matching process to match children with virtual MH resources and increase access to treatment for children and their families during COVID-19.MethodsWithin a large observational child cohort, a random sample of 292 families with children ages 6–12 years were invited to participate. Latent profile analysis indicated five MH profiles using parent-reported symptom scores from validated depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, and inattention measures: (1) Average Symptoms, (2) Low Symptoms, (3) High Symptoms, (4) Internalizing, and (5) Externalizing. Children were matched with virtual MH resources according to their profile; parents received surveys at Time 1 (matching process explanation), Time 2 (match delivery) and Time 3 (resource uptake). Data on demographics, parent MH history, and process interest were collected.Results128/292 families (44%) completed surveys at Time 1, 80/128 families (63%) at Time 2, and a final 67/80 families (84%) at Time 3, yielding an overall uptake of 67/292 (23%). Families of European-descent and those with children assigned to the Low Symptoms profile were most likely to express interest in the process. No other factors were associated with continued interest or uptake of the electronic matching process. Most participating parents were satisfied with the process.ConclusionsThe electronic matching process delivered virtual MH resources to families in a time-efficient manner. Further research examining the effectiveness of electronically matched resources in improving children’s MH symptoms is needed.

Virtual quantum resource distillation: General framework and applications

Virtual quantum resource distillation: General framework and applications

Virtual Quantum Resource Distillation.

Distillation, or purification, is central to the practical use of quantum resources in noisy settings often encountered in quantum communication and computation. Conventionally, distillation requires using some restricted "free" operations to convert a noisy state into one that approximates a desired pure state. Here, we propose to relax this setting by only requiring the approximation of the measurement statistics of a target pure state, which allows for additional classical postprocessing of the measurement outcomes. We show that this extended scenario, which we call "virtual resource distillation," provides considerable advantages over standard notions of distillation, allowing for the purification of noisy states from which no resources can be distilled conventionally. We show that general states can be virtually distilled with a cost (measurement overhead) that is inversely proportional to the amount of existing resource, and we develop methods to efficiently estimate such cost via convex and semidefinite programming, giving several computable bounds. We consider applications to coherence, entanglement, and magic distillation, and an explicit example in quantum teleportation (distributed quantum computing). This work opens a new avenue for investigating generalized ways to manipulate quantum resources.

Benefits of Metaverse Application in Education: A Systematic Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in people’s lifestyles, with the educational sector being one of the most reliant on technology to facilitate the teaching and learning process. In this literature review, a search for articles related to the metaverse in education, published in 2022 and 2023, has been conducted across six databases: Scopus, EBSCO Host, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis Online, IEEE Xplore, and Springer. The PRISMA methodology was used to analyze and systematize the manuscripts found. The aim of this research was to examine how integrating the metaverse into education can enhance educational accessibility and equity by enabling students to utilize virtual learning resources and opportunities. In addition, they can engage in interactions with others to learn and create interactive content during the teaching and learning process. This requires a commitment from the student because a connection between the student and the machine will be established through the use of emerging technologies. These technologies offer unique opportunities to enhance teaching quality, broaden access to education, and prepare individuals for an increasingly digital and evolving world. The analysis identified 14 emerging technologies: artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, blockchain, augmented reality, extended reality, virtual reality, 5G, EON-XR, digital twins, 3D virtual reality, and immersive virtual reality. These technologies offer immersion (simulation of a real world in a virtual world), interactivity (interaction with different people), improvement of the educational environment (innovative presentation of content), and motivation for learning (capturing attention). When it comes to the different types of learning, there are six categories: experiential (based on experience), collaborative (involving a guide to lead the process), cooperative (involving teamwork), significant (building on existing knowledge), explicit (self-directed learning), and emotional (involving the regulation of emotions).

Horizons architecture with virtual reality for complexity: Mixed methods

In the field of complexity, new methodologies emerge, such as horizon architecture, which help to focus solutions that can be integrated to foster innovation in university education. Technologies are also opening up opportunities for training, such as virtual and augmented reality. This article aims to answer the question: What innovations do postgraduate students perceive in environments using horizons architecture to integrate virtual reality? In this project's training experience for students, the horizons architecture strategy was implemented with virtual reality resources and emerging technologies. Mixed method with three instruments (two semi-structured questionnaires and one Likert scale) were applied to 99 postgraduate students in Humanities and Education. Virtual and augmented reality supported the distance education modalities and project presentations. The findings account for: (a) open and systemic innovation, (b) creation of new products and services, (c) the potential of horizons architecture strategy, (d) motivation boosted by virtual and augmented reality, and (e) critical aspects of integrating virtual and augmented reality (technical and academic). This study may be valuable to teachers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers interested in innovative educational environments and technologies, especially those in graduate education.

Bacterial Teaching Material Supplement Based on the Study of Identification of Resistant Bacteria in Leachate at TPA Talumelito as a Virtual Laboratory-Based Digital Learning Resource

Differentiated learning is the core of the independent curriculum now.The aim of this research is to develop an instrument for measuring the cognitive learning outcomes of high school students based on differentiated learning on elasticity material and to obtainits characteristics. Differentiation, in this case, is differentiation of student learning styles. The instrument grid is arranged based on indicators of cognitive learning outcomes, which are then used to compile question items. The test instrument consists of two test sets, each of which has 9 items including two anchor itemsso that the total number of items is 16 items and has been validated by 6 experts. The validated instrument was tested on 252 respondents spread across high schools in the low, medium and high categories. Dichotomous data were analyzed using the Partial Credit Model (PCM). The trial results showed that all 16 items and the differentiated learning-based student cognitive learning outcomes test instrument were proven to be valid, fit the PCM model, and reliable, which means all items were in the good category. Thus, the test instrument developed meets the requirements for measuring the cognitive learning outcomes of high school students on elasticity material based on differentiated learning.

Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice Program: Ten-Year Outcomes.

The Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice Program (OHNEP), a core partner of the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health, is a national initiative focused on implementing an interprofessional oral health workforce innovation to influence change in clinical education, practice, and policy. OHNEP aims to address oral health disparities by enhancing the nursing profession's role in integrating oral health and its links to overall health in both academic and clinical settings. Leveraging the opportunity to cultivate faculty, preceptors, and clinicians as oral health champions, OHNEP aims to integrate interprofessional oral health clinical content and competencies in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs through faculty and preceptor development, curriculum integration, and establishing oral health as a standard of care in clinical settings. Outcomes include widespread dissemination of OHNEP virtual products and resources used by a significant number of undergraduate and graduate programs nationwide. OHNEP has a notable impact on policy related to integrating oral health and its links to overall health in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, thereby increasing interprofessional oral health workforce capacity and aiming to improve oral health equity.

Exploring color concepts in physics education: Addressing common preconceptions among teachers‐in‐training

AbstractIn the field of physics education, the identification of students' preconceptions—especially regarding light and color—has been pivotal, as these foundational ideas often persist through higher education. Within teacher education, this is particularly crucial, as these early conceptions can deeply influence how future educators understand and teach these concepts, highlighting the need for an approach that weaves these initial understandings into a coherent scientific framework. Instructing students on color concepts reveals that many grapple with the fundamental optical principles. These initial understandings are integral to designing educational sequences that facilitate conceptual evolution, allowing for a deeper grasp of scientific ideas. This study aimed to examine and interpret the initial conceptions that aspiring primary and secondary educators hold about color and its optical fundamentals, while also developing and applying virtual teaching resources to promote a conceptual change about these foundational concepts. A quasi‐experimental approach was employed, comprising control and experimental groups, and utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods for a comprehensive analysis. Engaging 409 trainee teachers through non‐probabilistic sampling, the study stratified participants by degree program. These groupings facilitated a comparative evaluation of the pedagogical efficacy of the educational resources developed. The study utilized an online assessment comprising single‐answer multiple‐choice questions, grounded in prior research, which was psychometrically validated. Educational tools were then developed and implemented to foster a deeper understanding of color concepts among prospective teachers. Results analysis highlighted the existence of preconceptions about color among participants from diverse educational backgrounds. The interventions employed were effective in catalyzing a shift in conceptual understanding and in elevating the knowledge levels of the trainee teachers.