Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR), are increasingly being integrated into production training across various industries. As XR becomes more prevalent, ethical considerations surrounding its implementation become important. This research aims to explore the ethical dimensions of XR in production training, with a specific purpose of identifying potential ethical issues that may arise with the use of XR in production training.. The study then proposes a guiding framework that encompasses pre-adoption, adoption, and usage stages of XR implementation, addressing key ethical concerns and offering practical guidelines for organisations, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the manufacturing industry.  The research methodology involves a systematic review of existing literature on XR development, the need for production training and the ethics of XR. It also incorporates qualitative interviews with industry experts and practitioners to gather insights on the challenges and opportunities related to ethical XR implementation. The findings highlight the importance of appointing a champion for XR use cases, conducting risk assessments, establishing clear guidelines and policies, training trainers on ethical considerations, selecting appropriate XR devices, designing simulations with user experience in mind, obtaining informed consent, and monitoring employee well-being.  The implications of this research extend beyond manufacturing industry SMEs, as the proposed framework can be applied to other businesses utilising XR for training purposes. By integrating ethical considerations and promoting user involvement in XR implementation, organisations can unlock the full potential of XR technologies while ensuring inclusivity, equal opportunities, and ethical practices. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on XR ethics and offers practical guidance for practitioners and decision-makers in leveraging XR for production training in an ethical and inclusive manner.

This study examines how new technologies, particularly generative artificial intelligence (AI), have become an innovative tool for communicators and how it affects their productivity and creativity. Through a combination of literature review, theoretical frameworks, and empirical research, we analyze how communicators integrate generative AI into their work process and how this affects their workflow and conditions. The study is based on the following questions: How are software-based text chat robots used by communicators in their professional role; To what extent do communicators perceive that there is an impact on creativity and productivity when co-writing between human and machine; What opportunities and challenges do communicators imagine that software-based text chat robots can contribute to? The findings indicate that generative AI has the potential to transform the communications industry by increasing efficiency and freeing up time for more strategic thinking and creativity. Communicators report increased productivity and that generative AI has the ability to help communicators manage large text bases in an agile way. At the same time, the study also identifies challenges and potential risks with the use of generative AI. Among these challenges are issues related to ethics, quality assurance and the need to maintain human control and creative input in the creation process. Communicators are aware of these challenges and emphasize the importance of balancing automation with human skills and insight. Finally, the study highlights the opportunities and challenges of the use of generative AI for communicators and identifies areas for future research and development. By understanding the potential benefits and limitations of this technology, communicators can develop strategies to maximize its positive effects and manage its challenges effectively.

Realistically, organizational and/or system efficiency performance is dynamic, non-linear, and a function of multiple interactions in production. However, in the efficiency literature, system performance is frequently evaluated considering linear combinations of the input/output variables, without explicitly taking into account the interactions and feedback mechanisms that explain the causes of efficiency behavior, the dynamic nature of production, and non-linear combinations of the input/output variables. Consequently, policy decisions based on these results may be sub-optimized because the non-linear relationships among variables, causal relationships, and feedback mechanisms are ignored. This research takes the initial steps of evaluating system efficiency performance in a dynamic environment, by relating the factors that effect system efficiency performance to the policies that govern it. First, this research extends the concepts of the static production axioms into a dynamic realm, where inputs are not instantaneously converted into outputs. The relationships of these new dynamic production axioms to the basic behaviors associated with system dynamics structures are explored. Second, this research introduces a methodological approach that combines system dynamics modeling with the measurement of productive efficiency. System dynamics is a modeling paradigm that evaluates system policies by exploring the causal relationships of the important elements within the system. This paradigm is coupled with the fundamental assumptions of production theory in order to evaluate the productive efficiency of a production system operating within a dynamic and non-linear environment. As a result, a subsystem within the system dynamics model is introduced that computes efficiency scores based on the fundamental notions of productive efficiency. The framework's ability to combine prescriptive and descriptive modeling characteristics, as well as dynamic and combinatorial complexity, can potentially have a greater impact on policy decisions and how they affect system efficiency performance. Finally, the utility of these concepts is demonstrated in an implementation case study. This methodology generates a prescriptive dynamical production frontier which defines the optimal production resources required to satisfy system requirements. Additionally, the dynamical production frontier allows for analysis for comparisons between options during a transient period, insight into possible unintended consequences, and the ability to forecast optimal times for introducing system or process improvements. / Ph. D.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Disk Recorders now represent a high performance, low cost and reliable alternative to traditional tape recorders for a wide range of platform data recording applications. This paper discusses the latest advances in disk-based recording technology in the context of multi-channel Telemetry applications, showing the degree of flexibility that is now possible in terms of both channel count and the ability to record synchronous and asynchronous digital data streams alongside multiple wideband analog channels. The techniques described are equally applicable to Acoustic, SIGINT and Telecommunications data capture and analysis applications aboard static, airborne and maritime platforms. Topics covered include how new disk-based data capture technologies have been able to extend bandwidth, storage capacity, signal fidelity and the overall capability of mission recorders. Advanced operational issues, including true ‘read-after-write’, data security, portability and archiving, enhanced data management and analysis strategies are also covered. The Paper includes detailed test results from COTS Disk Recorders already in service as well as an informative Road Map for this exciting new technology.

Teknisk utveckling och innovation är drivande för samhällets ekonomiska tillväxt. Vilja och förmåga att innovera är också avgörande för företags överlevnad då lyckosam innovation skapar konkurrensfördelar. Additiv tillverkning är en ny produktionsmetod som har potential att revolutionera hur produkter tillverkas. Tekniken kastar om förutsättningarna för hur företag konkurrerar genom att möjliggöra kostnadseffektiv tillverkning av små serier, produktion nära kundorderpunkten och kundanpassning. Modeindustrin är en komplex och hårt konkurrensutsatt bransch där företag befinner sig i en konstant strävan efter differentiering. För att nå framgång måste företag skapa fördelar gentemot konkurrenterna. Flera branscher har redan börjat använda additiv tillverkning och företag skapar framgångsrikt konkurrensfördelar genom att implementera tekniken. Inom modebranschen har dock additiv tillverkning använts begränsat och inte för produktion av konsumentprodukter. Vårt intresse väcktes för att vidare utreda huruvida det är lämpligt att implementera additiv tillverkning på bredare front. Studiens syfte är att fördjupa diskussionen kring spridning av ny teknik genom att studera additiv tillverknings potential för spridning till modeindustrin. Studien har genomförts med en deduktiv ansats där teorikärnan utgjorts av Schumpeters teorier kring innovation och Rogers teorier om innovationsdiffusion. Studien har varit av kvalitativ karaktär där empiriinsamlingen skett genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med representanter från företag som använder additiv tillverkning samt forskare inom det textila området. Studiens slutsats är att additiv tillverkning inte lämpar sig för produktion av kläder så som vi känner dem idag. När empirin analyseras i förhållande till studiens teorier framkommer aspekter som indikerar ett flertal matchningar mellan fördelarna med additiv tillverkning och modeindustrins karaktärsdrag framkommit. Att implementera additiv tillverkning kan, i framtiden, vara en möjlighet för modeföretag att i framtiden skapa konkurrensfördelar. / Technological development and innovation are driving forces behind economic growth. Having the will and ability to innovate are also crucial factors for companies as successful innovation creates competitive advantage. Additive manufacturing is a new production process with the potential to revolutionise the way products are being manufactured. The technique disrupts competitive conditions by enabling cost-effective production of small lot sizes, production close to the decoupling point and customisation. The fashion industry is a complex and highly competitive industry, companies are in a constant quest for means of differentiation. In order to be successful, companies must create advantages over the competitors. Several sectors have already started using additive manufacturing and companies create successful competitive advantage by implementing the technology. In the fashion industry however, additive manufacturing has been used sparsely and not for production of consumer products. Our interest was awaked to further investigate whether or not it is appropriate to extend the use of this new technology. The purpose of this study is to immerse the discussion of diffusion of new technology by studying additive manufacturing’s potential of spreading to the fashion industry. The study was conducted with a deductive approach and the central theories have been Schumpeter’s theories of innovation and Rogers’ theories of diffusion of innovations. The study has been of a qualitative nature and semi-structured interviews with representatives from companies using additive manufacturing and researchers in the textile field were conducted to collect the empirical data. The conclusion is that additive manufacturing is not yet suitable for production of clothing. Nonetheless, when the empirical data was analysed in relation to the theories used, multiple matches between the benefits of additive manufacturing and the characteristics of the fashion industry were revealed. Consequently, implementing additive manufacturing can, in the future, pose opportunities for fashion companies to create competitive advantage. The thesis is written in Swedish.

This dissertation examines emerging cultural attitudes, language ideologies, and discursive practices among Navajos and Navajo speakers through the lens of new media technologies on the Navajo Nation. New media such as cell phones and the Internet are significant features of contemporary Navajo communities, and act as both a context for and medium of linguistic and cultural vitality and transformation. They have opened new spaces for Navajo language use, generated emergent uses of the Navajo language, and increased the spaces of language contact and change. This dissertation explores the ways in which ideologies of language and technology have shifted and converged, and describes multiple instances of the transformative nature of technology through the mediation of communities. New technologies do not exist in a vacuum, and novel practices emerge from a wide range of existing observable styles, registers, and norms in Navajo communities. Significant are the shifting geographies of communication, expansion of social networks, and increased circulation of bilingual Navajo hane’, or publicly shared “tellings” in the form of stories, jokes, and information that accompany them. This work analyzes the appearance of new media technologies in contemporary Navajo society within broader discourses of modernity and narratives of progress about, and among, Navajo communities. New technology is not incommensurate with existing practice; rather, emergent practices are part of the broader circulation of Navajo identities, defined here as a process linked to social activities, and emergent practices index the ways in which some Navajos are “doing” community in unexpected ways and unexpected places. New expressive forms and genres have appeared, including a migration to English emails by previously monolingual, illiterate elders, the transition of traditionally oral genres to widely circulated emails, and the appearance of locally created bilingual hip-hop music. These are crucial developments that have immediate implications for Navajo language vitality and cultural continuity. / text

In a changing and globalized world, companies are faced with an ever-increased competition. This rapid change has made a big impact, where automation, complex production and customization are common requirements in order to stay competitive. Due to more complex production, companies need to prioritize safety aspects simultaneously as they develop internal processes. The addressed problem in this thesis have been centralized to the department Massamagasinet at Södra Cell in Mönsterås, mainly due to their experienced safety problems regarding forklifts and heavy vehicles. Due to the chosen context, a case study has been conducted in order to create an in-depth understanding of Södra’s witnessed safety issues. The executed thesis has been characterized by three theoretical perspectives: Multi Causational Theory, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of New Technology as well as Virtual Reality. Thanks to the theories, an identification of safety shortcomings as well as user requirements was made possible. The context and theoretical perspectives have consistently been linked to chosen technologies, Virtual Reality simulators and RFID. Furthermore, interviews with users as well as software-developers have provided a broader perspective, regarding the situation and techniques mentioned above. Results generated, includes both technical possibilities and limitations based on the thesis initial perspective. Moreover, it has been shown that a potential reduction of identified shortcomings is possible, by using a Virtual Reality simulator and RFID system. However, it’s worth mentioning that such implementations and the advantages they potentially might generate, are feasible first when prevailing requirements regarding the techniques are carefully considered. Investments of similar character require both human and financial resources, where maximum value can be achieved first if the employees stands positively against such implementation. Thanks to the theory Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of New Technology, this thesis has been enriched with an additional perspective which aimed to investigate how Södra in general, and Massamagasinet in particular, stands towards new techniques.

Aujourd’hui, les bibliothèques universitaires (BU) en Syrie sont confrontées à une évolution de leur environnement liée en grande partie à la mutation de l’enseignement supérieur et l’arrivée de nouvelles technologies. Ainsi, les BU se trouvent dans l’obligation de s’interroger sur la pertinence de leurs offres de services. En effet, les besoins et les attentes des universitaires ne sont plus les mêmes qu’auparavant. Ces bibliothèques doivent, par conséquent, suivre cette évolution et répondre à leurs nouveaux besoins pour pouvoir survivre dans un contexte où elles ne sont plus la seule source d’information. L’objectif de cette thèse est de contribuer à la réflexion sur l’adéquation entre l’offre et les besoins. Pour y parvenir, des enquêtes quantitative et qualitative ont été menées auprès d’étudiants, d’enseignants, de dirigeants et de bibliothécaires dans cinq universités syriennes. Cette enquête a été réalisée dans le but de connaître la situation actuelle des BU et des besoins informationnels de leurs publics. Nous avons, ensuite, élargi et diversifié la gamme de services proposés aux universitaires tout en partant de leurs besoins tant exprimés qu’implicites. / Today, in Syria, university libraries are facing an actual change in their environment. This change is largely due to the evolution of higher education and the advent of new technologies. In this context, university libraries have to question the relevance of their services. Indeed, information needs have evolved and are no longer the same as before hence libraries need to adapt to evolution by meeting new needs in a context where they are no longer the only source of information. This thesis aims at contributing to reflection on adequacy between supply and service needs. To achieve this goal, a quantitative and a qualitative survey was conducted among students, professors, managers and librarians in Syria to have a clear understanding of the current situation of university libraries and information needs of their publics. We then expanded and diversified the group of services and provided the academics with the basis of their stated and implied needs.

Dans un environnement en constant changement, les fonctions exécutives (FRE) nous permettent d'organiser l'information en provenance de sources multiples, de s'adapter à des situations sociales complexes et d'inhiber les comportements inappropriés. Les recherches sur le fonctionnement exécutif ont été initiées en neuropsychologie, après avoir observé chez des patients frontaux, des difficultés à organiser leurs comportements quotidiens sans pour autant présenter de difficultés de langage ou de mémoire. Un grand nombre de tests neuropsychologiques sont disponibles afin d'évaluer les FE. Cependant, ces tests sont souvent critiqués pour leur complexité et leur manque de validité de construction. Le champ des FE manque en réalité de modèles théoriques précis qui permettraient de décrire ces fonctions et leurs potentielles interactions pour le contrôle des comportements complexes. En conséquence, les tâches sont souvent construites de manière intuitive, dans le présent travail de thèse, après revue d'un état de l'art sur les FE (Ch1), je propose une nouvelle tâche, le spatial-tapping, qui pourrait être utilisée en remplacement des tâches classiques complexes (Ch2). Je promeus également le potentiel de cette tâche à être utilisée dans des contextes cliniques (Ch3). Je présente finalement comment les analyses réalisées pour le spatial-tapping afin d'étudier les FE peuvent être transférées à des situations motrices plus complexes, comme la coordination bi-manuelle (Ch4). En conclusion, les résultats présentés dans ce travail de thèse sont en faveur de l'idée selon laquelle notre organisation mentale reflète la manière dont on organise nos mouvements. / In a constant changing environment, executive abilities allow us to organize sensory information of multiple sources and to adapt to diverse stuations while at the same time inhibiting inappropriate behaviors. research on the executive functions (EFS) have historical roots on neuropsychology, with the description of frontal patients that were showing disruptions in organizing their daily behaviors independently of any impairment in memory, language or general intelligence. A wide range of neuropsychological tools is used today to evaluate executive abilities : tower of London for planning, go-no-go for inhibition, etc. However, the classical tasks often present methodological limitations and they lack of correpondence between process and behavior. Furthermore, the field lacks of a compelling theory that make links between the EFS themselves. The present PHD work was an attempt to propose a novel task to assess the EFS in the place of the classical batteries of neuropsychological tasks. After offering an overview of the EF literature and presenting simple motor tasks that seem to target similar EFS than those described in neuropsychology (Ch1), I present the spatial-tapping task as a challenging paradigm to understand the relationships between the different EFS (Ch2), and its potential to be used in clinical settings (Ch3). The I present how a similar approach can be used to investigate how EFS intervenes in the control of more complex motor sequences, E.G. bi-manual tasks (Ch4). Overall, the results presented here support an emboided perspective of cognition with mental organization reflecting the way one plans motor sequences for adaptive behavior.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:58:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nidia Lima Queiroz do Santos.pdf: 3607594 bytes, checksum: c9f038907a27a0362f6c6e941bc11ba9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-10-15 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work is based on recognition of the importance of the new technologies of communication and information, especially the computer, incorporated in school education as educational tool. In view of this most important aspect in teacher education, the research aimed to describe and analyze the professional development of three teachers of mathematics, from the moment they chose to include the technology in their teaching practice. The research aimed to understand the relationship of the teachers - who felt excluded digitally - with new technologies. To understand the new technologies, especially the computer, and work with them were required workshops we call "computer shops": For 7 months there were 12 encounters with specific objectives and characteristics for each, to include participants digitally. Data analysis was made from the meetings, all written and filmed - after authorization of the participants involved in the research project - with the use of technological tools, such as digital camera and MP3. After the digital inclusion of the teachers involved, trying to link the work and teaching educational tool - in our case, the computer. In this search, we met some mathematical programs, especially the Graphmatica, whose features and capabilities for the development of all types of functions, especially quadratic function, we studied. After the acquisition and development of knowledge, finally our research project with activities - reported and commented through comics - involving students in the 8th grade of elementary school do1 II and grade of high school / Este trabalho baseia-se no reconhecimento da importância de serem as novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação, em especial o computador, incorporadas na educação escolar como ferramenta educacional. Por considerar da maior importância este aspecto na formação de professores, a pesquisa teve por objetivo descrever e analisar o desenvolvimento profissional de três professoras de matemática, a partir do momento em que optaram por incluir a tecnologia informática em sua prática docente. A pesquisa procurou entender a relação das professoras que se sentiam excluídas digitalmente com as novas tecnologias. Para entender as novas tecnologias, em especial o computador, e trabalhar com elas foram necessárias oficinas que denominamos oficinas de informática : durante 7 meses houve 12 encontros com objetivos e características específicos para cada um, a fim de incluir as participantes digitalmente. A análise dos dados deu-se a partir dos encontros, todos gravados e filmados após autorização das participantes envolvidas no projeto de pesquisa com a utilização de ferramentas tecnológicas, como: câmera digital e MP3. Após a inclusão digital das professoras envolvidas, procuramos fazer a ligação entre o trabalho pedagógico e a ferramenta educacional no nosso caso, o computador . Nessa busca, conhecemos alguns programas matemáticos, em especial o Graphmatica, e estudamos as funcionalidades e potencialidades para o desenvolvimento de todos os tipos de funções, em especial função quadrática. Após a aquisição e o aprofundamento desse conhecimento, finalizamos nosso projeto de pesquisa com atividades registradas e comentadas através de história em quadrinhos envolvendo alunos da 8ª série do ensino fundamental II e do1º ano do ensino médio