It is not always possible to provide students and new users of complex instrumentation with sufficient hands-on use to fully develop the required knowledge of the instrument. Access may also be limited when there is a need to develop data collection and processing procedures. One solution to this problem is to develop a simulation of the instrument in readily accessible computer software. Modern computer-based technology allows traditional instrumentation to be replaced with Virtual Instruments consisting of digital control/acquisition hardware and software that graphically represents the functions of the physical instrument.In this thesis, operating and analysis software to simulate the operation of complex analytical instrumentation was successfully developed using a numerical model of the instrument. The approach will reduce the need for machine time for operator training and the development of data collection processing procedures. In particular the thesis developed software to emulate the behaviour of a VG-354 Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometer. Graphical programming tools were employed to create a modular set of Virtual Instruments that formed the basis of the model. The Simulated Mass Spectrometer produced results that compared well with real data obtained from the physical instrument.Virtual Instrument peak centring and measurement modules were then developed to operate the Simulated Mass Spectrometer in peak jumping mode. Uncertainties were reduced with improved analysis techniques employing polynomial least-squares fits for peak centring and single-collector isotope ratio measurements. The techniques also have the potential to accommodate hysteresis effects in the magnetic sector analyser, further reducing uncertainty.

"Ultrasound has become a widely used form of medical imaging because it is low-cost, safe, and portable. However, it is heavily dependent on the skill of the operator to capture quality images and properly detect abnormalities. Training is a key component of ultrasound, but the limited availability of training courses and programs presents a significant obstacle to the wider use of ultrasound systems. The goal of this work was to design and implement an interactive training system to help train and evaluate sonographers. This Virtual Training System for Diagnostic Ultrasound is an inexpensive, software-based training system in which the trainee scans a generic scan surface with a sham transducer containing position and orientation sensors. The observed ultrasound image is generated from a pre-stored 3D image volume and is controlled interactively by the user€™s movements of the sham transducer. The patient in the virtual environment represented by the 3D image data may depict normal anatomy, exhibit a specific trauma, or present a given physical condition. The training system provides a realistic scanning experience by providing an interactive real-time display with adjustable image parameters similar to those of an actual diagnostic ultrasound system. This system has been designed to limit the amount of hardware needed to allow for low-cost and portability for the user. The system is able to utilize a PC to run the software. To represent the patient to be scanned, a specific scan surface has been produced that allows for an optical sensor to track the position of the sham transducer. The orientation of the sham transducer is tracked by using an inexpensive inertial measurement unit that relies on the use of quaternions to be integrated into the system. The lack of a physical manikin is overcome by using a visual implementation of a virtual patient in the software along with a virtual transducer that reflects the movements of the user on the scan surface. Pre-processing is performed on the selected 3D image volume to provide coordinate transformation parameters that yield a least-mean square fit from the scan surface to the scanning region of the virtual patient. This thesis presents a prototype training system accomplishing the main goals of being low-cost, portable, and accurate. The ultrasound training system can provide cost-effective and convenient training of physicians and sonographers. This system has the potential to become a powerful tool for training sonographers in recognizing a wide variety of medical conditions."

<div>The use of virtual reality technologies in education and training can provide an opportunity to reduce training costs while increasing the attractiveness and safety for trainees in the manufacturing industry. This thesis strives to show a virtual world which is based upon real world imagery can be embedded in a virtual reality environment and augmented with underlying real world mathematical models to show in real time the consequences of user selected parameters on a running manufacturing process.</div><div>An interactive virtual operator training environment is presented utilizing a VR headset in conjunction with a VR gaming engine which supports the headset and also embeds the behavior details of the underlying manufacturing process.</div><div>To demonstrate this approach an example is developed based on a steel industry roughing mill in which steel slabs are ultimately rolled into coils. This example shows the software application development process given as applied to an interactive training simulator intended for plant operator training which includes the use of the gaming engine Unity 3D, 360-degree video, 3Ds Max and several other software tools.</div><div>The resulting example is a controllable model of the steel plant roughing mill which can be used to enhanced the knowledge of plant operational personnel as to the effects various operating parameters have on the final rolled product while enhancing the understanding of this mill operation for new plant operators.</div>

Literature assessing behavior among individuals with disabilities largely focuses on individuals with high incidence disabilities leaving a gap for those with rare, or low incidence, genetic syndromes. Specifically, individuals with CHARGE syndrome who exhibit a unique behavioral phenotype, as a result of numerous medical complexities, are absent in literature functionally assessing behavior. Because of this unique behavioral phenotype, caregivers of individuals with CHARGE Syndrome are likely to be most familiar and knowledgeable about their child’s behavior and should therefore be trained to be included in the functional assessment of behavior. Because CHARGE Syndrome is rare, families may have limited access to resources to adequately assess their child’s problem behavior, as well due to medical complexities, individuals with CHARGE may not be able to attend in-person assessment and ultimately treatment as a result of potential exposure to the novel COVID-19 virus. As a result, virtual training methods will allow more families to learn how to identify the cause of their child’s behavior and how to be involved in virtual behavioral assessments. This study evaluates virtual training methods focusing on training caregivers of individuals with CHARGE Syndrome to conduct brief functional analysis conditions.

O processo de aprendizagem motora (AM) envolve a reorganização de redes neurais mediadas pelo treino a qual permite um aprimoramento do desempenho na tarefa treinada. O sucesso da reabilitação de pacientes com lesões nervosas é intimamente dependente do potencial do treinamento aplicado de ativar e potencializar o processo de AM. A sequela motora mais limitante e refratária a reabilitação em pacientes vitimas de Acidente Vascular Encefálico (AVE), é a paresia do membro superior contralateral ao hemisfério lesado. Diante disso, a busca por novas estratégias de treino que potencializem o processo de AM têm sido uma constante na área. O treinamento em realidade virtual (RV) é uma nova promessa nesse sentido, pois poderia oferecer condições favoráveis para AM. A despeito do crescimento do uso desse tipo de ferramenta para reabilitação do membro superior parético (MSP) em pacientes com AVE, ainda não há evidencias consistentes sobre seu potencial para promover AM. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a melhora do desempenho de curta e longa duração após um treinamento para membros superiores (MS) em RV, baseado em jogos do Nintendo Wii® (NW), em indivíduos portadores de sequelas crônicas de AVE. Para alcançar esse objetivo, o desempenho de 22 indivíduos com sequelas crônicas de AVE em MS, 17 homens e 5 mulheres com média de idade 52.7±10.29 e média de 5.68±5.31 anos pós AVE foi registrado em quatro jogos do NW que demandam movimentos de MS com amplitude e velocidade variáveis e foram comparados antes e depois do treino. A aquisição intrasessão foi obtida por meio da comparação da pontuação nos jogos antes do treinamento (AT) e imediatamente após o treino (IDT), enquanto a retenção de curta duração foi obtida pela comparação entre a avaliação IDT e 48 horas após o treino (48hDT), e a de longa duração entre a avaliação IDT e 7 dias após o treino (7dDT). O treinamento foi realizado em sessão única, com 5 repetições de cada um dos quatro jogos, sendo que a 2°, 3° e 4° o fisioterapeuta responsável interferiu por meio de pistas explícitas e implícitas, a fim de favorecer as respostas motoras dos pacientes. A pontuação nos jogos, tomadas como desfecho primário, serão analisadas por meio de ANOVA para medidas repetidas, considerando-se como fator as avaliações (AT, IDT, 48hDT e 7dDT), uma para cada um dos jogos. Acreditamos que os resultados deste estudo poderão contribuir com evidências, fundamentando o uso terapêutico do treino em RV para pacientes com AVE, com base no seu potencial de promover melhora do desempenho motor do MSP e a retenção desta melhora / The process of motor learning (ML) involves the reorganization of neural networks mediated by training, which enables an improvement in the performance of the trained task. The success of rehabilitation of patients with nerve damage is closely dependent on the potential of the applied training to activate and increase the ML process. The most limiting and refractory motor sequel of rehabilitation in patients victims of Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) is the paresis of the upper limb contralateral to the injured hemisphere. Therefore, the search for new training strategies that enhance the ML process has been a constant in the area. The virtual reality training (VR) is a new promise in this sense, because it could offer favorable conditions to ML. Despite the growing use of this type of tool for rehabilitation of the paretic upper limb (PUL) in patients with stroke, there is no consistent evidence about its potential to promote ML. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the improvement of short and long term performances after training for upper limbs (UL) in VR, based on Nintendo Wii® games (NW), in individuals with chronic sequelae of stroke. To achieve this goal, the performance of 22 individuals with chronic sequelae of stroke in UL, 17 men and 5 women in an average age of 52.7 ± 10.29 and 5.68 ± 5.31 years post stroke, was recorded in four NW games that require movements of UL with variable amplitude and speed that were compared before and after training. The intrasession acquisition was obtained by comparing the scores of the games before training (BT) and immediately after training (IAT), while the short-term retention was obtained by comparing the evaluation IAT and 48 hours after training (48hAT), and the long-term between IAT evaluation and 7 days after training (7dAT). The training was conducted in a single session, with five repetitions of each of the four games, in which 2nd, 3rd and 4th, the responsible physiotherapist directed through explicit and implicit clues, in order to benefit the motor responses of patients. The score in the games, taken as the primary endpoint, will be analyzed by ANOVA for repeated measures, considering as a factor assessments (BT, IAT, 48hAT and 7dAT), one for each of the games. We believe that the results of this study can contribute with evidences, substantiating the therapeutic use in VR for stroke patients, based on their potential to promote PUL motor performance improvement and its retention

Inmersos de lleno en la Sociedad del conocimiento, la incorporación de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje suponen un gran reto a alcanzar por parte tanto de instituciones educativas, como de un profesorado todavía poco formado y menos consciente de los cambios metodológicos a los que se enfrenta.En el marco de la formación del profesorado,la formación a lo largo de la vida se establece como prioridad en los programas educativos y de formación de la agenda europea (2007-2013) y a nuestro entender, ésta puede ser claramente ejemplificada por la creación de comunidades virtuales de aprendizaje en las que individuos con objetivos similares se unen para alcanzar retos en común. El uso de herramientas tecnológicas y de modalidades de formación basadas en entornos virtuales ayudan a la comunidad a generar e intercambiar conocimiento en un entorno en el que se participa de forma colaborativa, se comparten experiencias y se solucionan problemas, produciendo procesos de formación y aprendizaje continuos y en constante evolución.Tomando estas y otras reflexiones como punto de partida se originó la tesis doctoral que presentamos. Así pues, nos propusimos, en primer lugar, realizar un análisis de la situación actual de dicho profesorado en el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. El primer gran bloque de esta tesis -o marco teórico y referencial- lo constituyen apartados tales como los grandes cambios metodológicos surgidos a raíz de la incorporación de las TIC y su impacto en la enseñanza y aprendizaje de la lengua inglesa. Seguidamente se realiza un exhaustivo y detallado análisis de los órganos que ofrecen formación al profesorado y a la oferta formativa en TIC dirigida específicamente al colectivo mencionado. Posteriormente se lleva a cabo una compilación de herramientas, recursos y actividades electrónicas dirigidas específicamente al profesorado de inglés teniendo muy en cuenta el ámbito pedagógico y su implantación en el aula, proponiendo pautas didácticas de fácil integración.El segundo gran bloque de la tesis lo constituye una investigación llevada a cabo durante tres años para obtener datos fehacientes respecto del conocimiento en TIC que posee dicho profesorado, la detección de sus demandas formativas reales, la situación actual de este colectivo en relación al acceso e infraestructuras tecnológicas y posibles barreras tanto metodológicas como actitudinales. Así pues se desarrolló una investigación tomando como muestra profesores tanto de educación primaria como de secundaria de todo Catalunya. Dicha investigación fue llevada a a cabo entre los participantes de ocho cursos de formación TIC para profesorado de inglés y para ello se utilizó la modalidad formativa semi-presencial. Para dar soporte a la formación a distancia se utilizaron dos plataformas diferentes: BSCW y Moodle que fomentaron la comunicación y la colaboración entre los participantes hasta límites insospechados.Los resultados obtenidos permitieron observar una realidad muy alejada de los parámetros que deberían ser considerados normales por lo que respecta al grado de formación TIC que tienen el profesorado de inglés. Por otra parte, el feedback recibido tras la realización de los diferentes cursos de formación también nos permitió realizar una propuesta de Plan de Acción formativo con el principal objetivo de capacitar al profesorado de inglés en el uso de las TIC. Así pues, se ofrece una propuesta formativa con los diferentes módulos y contenidos que, a nuestro entender, debería conocer y gestionar dicho profesorado. Finalmente, una de las revelaciones de todo el proceso fue la gestación y consolidación de una comunidad virtual de aprendizaje formada por los profesores participantes en el proceso de formación. / Deeply immersed in the Society of knowledge, the integration of ICT in teaching and learning processes suppose a great challenge to be achieved both by competent institutions and by a collective of teachers, which is still far from being well-trained and not conscious of the methodological trenes and changes to which they are confronted.Within the framework of teacher training, life-long training is established as a priority in the European agenda (2007-2013) and, according to our opinión this can be exempolified by the creation of virtual learning communities in which individuals with similar objectives unite in order to achieve common goals. The use of technological tools and training modalities help the community to generate and exchange knowledge in an environment in which oparticipation is done collaborately, experiences are shared and problems are solved, producing, thus, continuous processes of learning and training, which are in constant evolution.Taking these and other reflexions as departing point this thesis was originated. We carried in the first place a detailed analysis of the present situation of English as a foreign language teachers in the use of ICT. This first great section of this thesis orreferential and theoretical basis- is conformed by chapters which deal with the great methodological changes emerged out of the integartion of ICT and their impact in the teaching and learning of foreign languages. Followingly, there is an exhaustive analysis of the different organizations which offer teacher training in ICT , especially regarding the collective mentioned. Secondly there is a compilation of tools, resources and e.activities especifically addressed to the English as a foreign language teachers, taking into account the pedagogical field as well as its integration into the classrooms.The second main section of this thesis is conformed by an investigation which was carried out during three years in order to obtain relevant data regarding the knowledge of ICT that teachers have, the detection of their training needs and the real situation of this collective regarding their access to technology and the barriers that prevent them form using ICT.Tus, we Developer an investigation which took as sample teachers belonging to both Primary and Secondary Education from the whole of the catalan territory. The research was carried out with participants of eight courses of teacher training in ICT and used the blended modality. In order to support the virtual teaching we used two different platforms: BSCW and Moodle, which encouraged communication among participants and enhanced collaboration as well.The obtained results allowed us to observe that there are many challenges to be overcome. Otherwise, the feedback obtained after the courses were delivered allowed us to account for a Training Action Plan whose main aim is that of providing training and capacitation to teachers of English as foreign language teachers.

There is currently an international shortage of Audiologists (McIntyre, 2010). Audiology is a professional degree undertaken at a postgraduate level at most universities around the world. Students have training in anatomy and physiology, hearing aids, cochlear implants, electrophysiology and acoustics; combined with a clinical component to the course. The clinical component is undertaken throughout the entirety of the course and involves a mixture of observation and supervised clinical practice in a variety of settings. Clinical training often begins with students crowded around a single piece of equipment, such as an audiometer for testing puretone-hearing thresholds or by pairing up and simulating a hearing loss. This process creates time and access constraints for students as it restricts their ability to practice performing audiometry, particularly if there is a shortage of equipment, and also limits their exposure to a wide variety of hearing loss pathologies. The potential for universities worldwide to use Virtual Reality and Computer Based Simulations to provide Audiology students with basic clinical skills without relying on extensive support from external clinics warrants further investigation. In particular, it needs to be determined whether Audiology students value these simulations as a useful supplement to their clinical training, and whether the use of these simulations translates into measurable improvements in student abilities in real clinical placements. A computer based training program for Audiology students developed at the Human Interface Technology Lab (HITLAB) New Zealand is evaluated in this study as an educational tool at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. The present study aims to determine if a sample of twelve first year Audiology students felt their interactions with Virtual Patients improved their ability to interact with clients and perform masking which is often part of a basic audiometric assessment for a patient with hearing loss. The study measures the students’ competency in performing masking in puretone audiometry on the Virtual Patient and then on a patient in a real-world setting to see whether the Audiology Simulator training tool improved the student’s basic audiometry skills (a training effect) and whether these skills were maintained after a period of four weeks (a maintenance effect). Statistical analysis is applied to determine any training and maintenance effects. Students also gave subjective feedback on the usefulness of the simulator and suggestions for ways in which it could be improved. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant training effect between students that had used the Audiology Simulator and those that hadn’t. Once all students had used the Virtual Patient there was an overall maintenance effect present in that student’s scores stayed the same or improved even for those students who had not used the Virtual Patient for a period of time. Students overall reported that they found the Virtual Patient to be ‘Moderately Useful’ and had many recommendations for ways in which it could be improved to further assist their learning.The present study indicates that computer based simulation programs like the Virtual Patient are able to present and simulate realistic hearing losses to an acceptable level of complexity for students studying in the field of audiology and that the Audiology Simulator can be a useful and complementary training tool for components of audiological clinical competence, such as puretone audiometry and masking.

O processo de aprendizagem motora (AM) envolve a reorganização de redes neurais mediadas pelo treino a qual permite um aprimoramento do desempenho na tarefa treinada. O sucesso da reabilitação de pacientes com lesões nervosas é intimamente dependente do potencial do treinamento aplicado de ativar e potencializar o processo de AM. A sequela motora mais limitante e refratária a reabilitação em pacientes vitimas de Acidente Vascular Encefálico (AVE), é a paresia do membro superior contralateral ao hemisfério lesado. Diante disso, a busca por novas estratégias de treino que potencializem o processo de AM têm sido uma constante na área. O treinamento em realidade virtual (RV) é uma nova promessa nesse sentido, pois poderia oferecer condições favoráveis para AM. A despeito do crescimento do uso desse tipo de ferramenta para reabilitação do membro superior parético (MSP) em pacientes com AVE, ainda não há evidencias consistentes sobre seu potencial para promover AM. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a melhora do desempenho de curta e longa duração após um treinamento para membros superiores (MS) em RV, baseado em jogos do Nintendo Wii® (NW), em indivíduos portadores de sequelas crônicas de AVE. Para alcançar esse objetivo, o desempenho de 22 indivíduos com sequelas crônicas de AVE em MS, 17 homens e 5 mulheres com média de idade 52.7±10.29 e média de 5.68±5.31 anos pós AVE foi registrado em quatro jogos do NW que demandam movimentos de MS com amplitude e velocidade variáveis e foram comparados antes e depois do treino. A aquisição intrasessão foi obtida por meio da comparação da pontuação nos jogos antes do treinamento (AT) e imediatamente após o treino (IDT), enquanto a retenção de curta duração foi obtida pela comparação entre a avaliação IDT e 48 horas após o treino (48hDT), e a de longa duração entre a avaliação IDT e 7 dias após o treino (7dDT). O treinamento foi realizado em sessão única, com 5 repetições de cada um dos quatro jogos, sendo que a 2°, 3° e 4° o fisioterapeuta responsável interferiu por meio de pistas explícitas e implícitas, a fim de favorecer as respostas motoras dos pacientes. A pontuação nos jogos, tomadas como desfecho primário, serão analisadas por meio de ANOVA para medidas repetidas, considerando-se como fator as avaliações (AT, IDT, 48hDT e 7dDT), uma para cada um dos jogos. Acreditamos que os resultados deste estudo poderão contribuir com evidências, fundamentando o uso terapêutico do treino em RV para pacientes com AVE, com base no seu potencial de promover melhora do desempenho motor do MSP e a retenção desta melhora / The process of motor learning (ML) involves the reorganization of neural networks mediated by training, which enables an improvement in the performance of the trained task. The success of rehabilitation of patients with nerve damage is closely dependent on the potential of the applied training to activate and increase the ML process. The most limiting and refractory motor sequel of rehabilitation in patients victims of Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) is the paresis of the upper limb contralateral to the injured hemisphere. Therefore, the search for new training strategies that enhance the ML process has been a constant in the area. The virtual reality training (VR) is a new promise in this sense, because it could offer favorable conditions to ML. Despite the growing use of this type of tool for rehabilitation of the paretic upper limb (PUL) in patients with stroke, there is no consistent evidence about its potential to promote ML. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the improvement of short and long term performances after training for upper limbs (UL) in VR, based on Nintendo Wii® games (NW), in individuals with chronic sequelae of stroke. To achieve this goal, the performance of 22 individuals with chronic sequelae of stroke in UL, 17 men and 5 women in an average age of 52.7 ± 10.29 and 5.68 ± 5.31 years post stroke, was recorded in four NW games that require movements of UL with variable amplitude and speed that were compared before and after training. The intrasession acquisition was obtained by comparing the scores of the games before training (BT) and immediately after training (IAT), while the short-term retention was obtained by comparing the evaluation IAT and 48 hours after training (48hAT), and the long-term between IAT evaluation and 7 days after training (7dAT). The training was conducted in a single session, with five repetitions of each of the four games, in which 2nd, 3rd and 4th, the responsible physiotherapist directed through explicit and implicit clues, in order to benefit the motor responses of patients. The score in the games, taken as the primary endpoint, will be analyzed by ANOVA for repeated measures, considering as a factor assessments (BT, IAT, 48hAT and 7dAT), one for each of the games. We believe that the results of this study can contribute with evidences, substantiating the therapeutic use in VR for stroke patients, based on their potential to promote PUL motor performance improvement and its retention

<p>Virtual reality (VR) provides students with a platform to train in a 3D environment where their lab experiments can be replicated. By performing repetitive training, trainees can learn better in the Virtual Environment along with the benefits of the cost-effectiveness. The study focuses on two research questions: 1) Are there differences in the performance and errors committed by subjects in  gamified  vs.  non-gamified  educational  labs?  2)  Does  the  attitude  of  students  matter  in  the  gamified and non-gamified environment? This study examines the difference between gamified and non-gamified training environments' effectiveness in training performance and motivation in the VR training. During this study, the participants were provided with one of the two platforms –gamified and non-gamified and were asked to perform a micro-pipette experiment, where the users used a micropipette to transfer liquid from one container to another. The gamified environment has  the  visual  elements  for  providing  positive  feedback  to  the  users,  and  the  non-gamified environment does not have these elements. During the experiment, the participants’ performance metrics like damage caused to the pipette and time taken to complete the experiment were captured. After the experiment, the participants were asked to answer a questionnaire related to the pipette usage, and then self-report their motivation during the experiment in the VR training. Based on the collected data, it was found that while the participants did seem more motivated in doing the gamified  experiment,  there  were  no  differences  between  the  performance  in  the  gamified  experiment  and  the  non-gamified  experiment.  The  participants  were  however  more  enthusiastic  about  the  gamified  experiment  and  were  even  able  to  provide  suggestions  to  add  more  game  elements. Suggestions for further research and more information on their feedback is also provided. </p>

The exploration of Smart Factories and Industry 4.0 technologies has indeed sparked curiosity and interest in the industrial world. The potential of these advancements to revolutionize manufacturing processes, enhance efficiency, and drive innovation is immense. However, there is a gap in research when it comes to the practical implementation of these advanced technologies in real-world production settings, especially in already established factories so-called Brownfield Factories. This thesis work was conducted within one such brownfield factory to comprehend the tangible challenges associated with transferring smart technologies. Within this specific company, a laboratory had already been established for testing novel smart technologies in the context of production and logistics. The aim in companies is to test smart technologies in a controlled environment without causing any disruption to the ongoing profit-generating production processes. This laboratory setup also serves the additional purpose of educating the personnel within traditional production facilities about the upcoming smart technologies in the market. The Lab showcases the potential of new and emerging technologies in addressing long-standing issues with a fresh perspective, thereby inspiring innovation. The central approach of this thesis revolves around the establishment of a standardized laboratory work process through which smart technology can be tested in a structured way. In this context, an illustrative example of a technology, namely "Virtual Training for Assembly Operators," was chosen as a case study to explore and comprehend the challenges associated with technology transfer. This case study also played a pivotal role in assessing the credibility of the standard technology transfer model formulated within the company. Notably, it was deduced that knowledge and competence are two key obstacles impeding the smooth transfer of technology. Building upon the insights garnered from the case study on virtual training technology and drawing from interviews with engineers and managers employed at the case company, a refined technology transfer process named the "Smart Factory Lab Process" was developed. This process aims to enable the effective transfer of smart technologies, informed by the lessons learned from the practical application of technology in real-world scenarios.