Understanding the complex and dynamic nature of experiences requires the use of proper measurement tools. As interest grows in the objective measurement of experiences within tourism and hospitality, there is an urgent need to consolidate and synthesize these studies. Thus, this study investigated prevalent objective measurement techniques via a systematic review. We analyzed physiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance (SC), and facial electromyography (fEMG) along with behavioral measures, including eye tracking and location tracking. This review identified 100 empirical studies that employed objective measurement to examine tourism and hospitality experiences over the last decade, highlighting trends, research contexts and designs, and the synergies between different methods. Our discussion on methodological issues and best practices will help researchers and practitioners identify the best tools to capture people’s experiences and promote more standardized practices and comparable findings on studying experiences in tourism and hospitality settings.
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BACKGROUND: Instability of the knee joint during gait is frequently reported by patients with knee osteoarthritis or an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. The assessment of instability in clinical practice and clinical research studies mainly relies on self-reporting. Alternatively, parameters measured with gait analysis have been explored as suitable objective indicators of dynamic knee (in)stability.RESEARCH QUESTION: This literature review aimed to establish an inventory of objective parameters of knee stability during gait.METHODS: Five electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, Cinahl and SPORTDiscuss) were systematically searched, with keywords concerning knee, stability and gait. Eligible studies used an objective parameter(s) to assess knee (in)stability during gait, being stated in the introduction or methods section. Out of 10717 studies, 89 studies were considered eligible.RESULTS: Fourteen different patient populations were investigated with kinematic, kinetic and/or electromyography measurements during (challenged) gait. Thirty-three possible objective parameters were identified for knee stability, of which the majority was based on kinematic (14 parameters) or electromyography (12 parameters) measurements. Thirty-nine studies used challenged gait (i.e. external perturbations, downhill walking) to provoke knee joint instability. Limited or conflicting results were reported on the validity of the 33 parameters.SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, a large number of different candidates for an objective knee stability gait parameter were found in literature, all without compelling evidence. A clear conceptual definition for dynamic knee joint stability is lacking, for which we suggest : "The capacity to respond to a challenge during gait within the natural boundaries of the knee". Furthermore biomechanical gait laboratory protocols should be harmonized, to enable future developments on clinically relevant measure(s) of knee stability during gait.
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Electric vehicles and renewable energy sources are collectively being developed as a synergetic implementation for smart grids. In this context, smart charging of electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technologies are seen as a way forward to achieve economic, technical and environmental benefits. The implementation of these technologies requires the cooperation of the end-electricity user, the electric vehicle owner, the system operator and policy makers. These stakeholders pursue different and sometime conflicting objectives. In this paper, the concept of multi-objective-techno-economic-environmental optimisation is proposed for scheduling electric vehicle charging/discharging. End user energy cost, battery degradation, grid interaction and CO2 emissions in the home micro-grid context are modelled and concurrently optimised for the first time while providing frequency regulation. The results from three case studies show that the proposed method reduces the energy cost, battery degradation, CO2 emissions and grid utilisation by 88.2%, 67%, 34% and 90% respectively, when compared to uncontrolled electric vehicle charging. Furthermore, with multiple optimal solutions, in order to achieve a 41.8% improvement in grid utilisation, the system operator needs to compensate the end electricity user and the electric vehicle owner for their incurred benefit loss of 27.34% and 9.7% respectively, to stimulate participation in energy services.
The objective of Waterrecreatie Nederland is to improve water recreation in the Netherlands. One of the focus points that the foundation focuses on is strengthening sustainable water recreation. With this study, Waterrecreatie Nederland wants to map the current CO2 emissions of recreational shipping (here: sailing and motor boats), in order to be able to report and communicate about this, and also as a baseline measurement for future monitoring in this area.Societal IssueShipping has a substantial impact on several environmental systems, amongst others through air and water pollution, and its contribution to climate change. The role of recreational shipping in these issues is not well known, as measurements are scarce and often partly based on assumptions. Benifit to societyThis project tries to strengthen the knowledge base on the carbon (CO2) emissions of recreational shipping in the Netherlands, and to provide detail on fuel use, fuel types, distances, etc. That knowledge can help in making more informed choices on the future development of recreational shipping, with a lower impact on climate change.
Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and a significant contributor to work incapacity. Although effective therapeutic options are scarce, exercises supervised by a physiotherapist have shown to be effective. However, the effects found in research studies tend to be small, likely due to the heterogeneous nature of patients' complaints and movement limitations. Personalized treatment is necessary as a 'one-size-fits-all' approach is not sufficient. High-tech solutions consisting of motions sensors supported by artificial intelligence will facilitate physiotherapists to achieve this goal. To date, physiotherapists use questionnaires and physical examinations, which provide subjective results and therefore limited support for treatment decisions. Objective measurement data obtained by motion sensors can help to determine abnormal movement patterns. This information may be crucial in evaluating the prognosis and designing the physiotherapy treatment plan. The proposed study is a small cohort study (n=30) that involves low back pain patients visiting a physiotherapist and performing simple movement tasks such as walking and repeated forward bending. The movements will be recorded using sensors that estimate orientation from accelerations, angular velocities and magnetometer data. Participants complete questionnaires about their pain and functioning before and after treatment. Artificial analysis techniques will be used to link the sensor and questionnaire data to identify clinically relevant subgroups based on movement patterns, and to determine if there are differences in prognosis between these subgroups that serve as a starting point of personalized treatments. This pilot study aims to investigate the potential benefits of using motion sensors to personalize the treatment of low back pain. It serves as a foundation for future research into the use of motion sensors in the treatment of low back pain and other musculoskeletal or neurological movement disorders.
Rugpijn komt voor bij veel paarden. De pijngrens van ieder paard is verschillend, het is lastig te constateren of een paard rugpijn heeft. De oorzaken van rugpijn kunnen uiteenlopen zoals slecht passend zadel, kreupelheid, orgaanproblemen, manier van rijden, overbelasting of wervelblokkades. Momenteel wordt rugpijn geconstateerd middels handelingen zoals voelen aan spieren of wervels, visueel beoordelen van de rug. Objectieve analyses op gebied van rug problematieken en bewegingskwaliteit zijn op dit moment erg uitdagend. Het is mensenwerk en vaak zijn de meningen verdeeld zelfs tussen experts met ruime ervaring. Het equine back measurement system kan voor de sector een gamechanger worden door de mogelijkheid om de rug/romp beweging van het paard te objectiveren en kwantificeren en zodoende rugklachten te kunnen aantonen. Het equine back measurement systeem maakt met behulp van sensoren een 3D scan van het rugoppervlak tijdens bewegen (stap/draf) op een lopende band. Middels AI software analyse volgt hieruit een resultaat van de metingen en geeft het systeem aan waar opvallende afwijkingen zitten in de bewegende oppervlaktepatronen. Met deze informatie kan dan bijv. een zadelmaker het zadel op de juiste manier instellen voor het betreffende paard of zijn er indicaties voor nader veterinair onderzoek. Het equine back measurement system zou gecombineerd kunnen worden met alle bestaande lopende band opstellingen voor paarden. In de toekomst zou het systeem zelfs gebruikt kunnen worden om een nieuw te ontwikkelen zadel met luchtkamers aan te sturen. In dit project ligt de focus op genereren van een 3D model met behulp van sensoren zoals dieptecamera’s. Op basis van de ervaring met bewegingsmetingen bij paarden van projectpartner Equimoves is gebleken dat het systeem 200 - 300 metingen per seconde moet kunnen maken om voldoende details te kunnen zien. Bij dit project zijn verder betrokken Peard (zadeldrukmetingen) en Paardenkliniek Venlo.
