Search Results (270)

Background: This review discusses the application of eye-tracking technology in the detection and monitoring of binocular vision anomalies among children. Methods: A scoping review using PRISMA guidelines was conducted through Scopus, ScienceDirect, and PubMed using the keywords “eye-tracking,” “binocular,” “vision,” “anomalies,” “paediatrics,” and “children” from 2015 to 2025. Studies excluded were not written in English, did not apply the eye tracker as a research tool, involved an ineligible population, or involved non-human subjects. Results: The search strategy identified 77 citations, yet only 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. This review revealed a variety of binocular vision anomalies detectable through eye-tracking systems, along with the specific models and parameters employed in these assessments. Application of eye-tracking technology in diagnosing conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia demonstrated potential for improved accuracy and early detection. Discussion: Eye-tracking technology demonstrates considerable potential for the detection and monitoring of binocular vision anomalies in children, particularly as a non-invasive method for early screening, thereby strengthening its clinical applicability. By assessing fixation stability, saccadic movements, and vergence responses, eye-tracking allows for the early detection of subtle visual anomalies, especially in the paediatric population. Conclusions: Eye-tracking technology represents a valuable advancement in paediatric vision care, enabling the more objective and earlier detection of binocular vision anomalies in the paediatric population. Full article

Intergenerational memories, migration histories, and the lasting influence of colonial linguistic systems profoundly shape heritage language maintenance in Afro-descendant communities of Central America. This study examines how genealogy functions as a pedagogical tool for sustaining English-based Creole languages among Afro-descendant populations in Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize, three nations linked by Afro-Caribbean migration yet shaped by distinct colonial and educational systems. Drawing on scholarship documenting oral histories, family narratives, and community-based linguistic practices, the study advances a genealogy-as-pedagogy framework to explain how families transmit language, identity, and belonging across generations through ancestral memory, positioning family-based knowledge transmission as curriculum. In Costa Rica and Panama, where Spanish colonial and post-independence language ideologies marginalize English-based Creole varieties, genealogical practices operate as primary mechanisms of linguistic continuity in the absence of sustained institutional support. In Belize, by contrast, British colonial legacies and the national recognition of Belizean Kriol create a distinct sociolinguistic environment in which state institutions, the media, and educational policy reinforce genealogical memory. Through comparative analysis, the study argues for integrating genealogical knowledge into multilingual education, community revitalization initiatives, and heritage language policy to strengthen Afro-descendant linguistic continuity in Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. Full article

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize postures is a promising approach for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The aim was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to assess the performance of work posture recognition systems during occupational activity. The results were reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, PubMed/MedLine, and ScienceDirect databases were screened without date restrictions. Two authors independently selected articles and extracted data. Studies were included if they presented a performance analysis of an AI deep learning (DL) or machine learning (ML) method that assessed the WMSD risk associated with working postures. Only peer-reviewed studies written in English including accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, or F1-score values were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Prediction Model Study Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Of the 157 unique records, 58 studies were selected. The five performance parameters were investigated and averaged for seven occupational activities, eight posture categories, and the AI methods (ML vs. DL). Statistical analyses showed that DL methods produced better results. The reported systems detected sitting and standing postures with high accuracy. The solutions proposed in Manufacturing and Construction were the most numerous and the most effective on average. The major limitation lies in the wide variety of methods used. This analysis is a valuable source of information for designing new detection systems that are effective, ergonomic, easy to use, and acceptable so that humans remain at the center of the production process as defined by Industry 5.0. Full article

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, motor hyperactivity and verbal and cognitive impulsivity. Impairments in executive functions (EFs), in particular working memory, monitoring and organization of daily life, are frequently observed in children diagnosed with ADHD, and are reflected in behavioural, social-emotional and learning difficulties. The development and use of technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) for ADHD have increased in recent years, using a variety of tools to support including PC, video games, wearable devices and tangible interfaces. Objectives: To systematically map the current state of research on the use of AR, VR and MR technologies to assess and/or enhance EFs in children with ADHD. To evaluate the effects on their quality of life and on families’ and caregivers’ burden reduction. To explore the interventions’ clinical validity. Methods: A scoping review according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted. A systematic search was carried out in the Scopus and Web of Science databases for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Empirical studies published in English that examined children with ADHD aged <13 years were included. AR-, VR-, or MR-based interventions focused on EF were considered. For each study, the following features were recorded: year and country of publication, design, objectives, EFs considered, technology and hardware used, main results, and limitations. Results: Twenty studies were identified. The most frequently addressed functional domains were sustained and selective visual attention, working memory, and inhibition. Assessment interventions primarily involved the use of a head-mounted display (HMD) in conjunction with the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Training interventions included immersive VR, serious video games, VR with motor or dual-task training, and MR. The results suggest that VR can enhance cognitive performance and sustained attention; however, longitudinal studies are required to evaluate its long-term effectiveness and integrate emotional skills. Conclusions: The use of these technologies is a promising strategy for the assessment and training of EFs in children with ADHD. These tools provide positive, inclusive feedback and motivating tasks. Nevertheless, larger sample studies and longitudinal follow-ups to confirm the suitability and effectiveness of the technology-based programs are warranted. Full article

Table question answering has been studied using datasets drawn from a variety of tabular sources and task formats. However, most publicly available resources have been created in high-resource languages such as English. For low-resource languages, researchers are often required to construct new datasets or translate existing ones, which incurs substantial time, effort, and financial cost. In contrast to natural language text, table data consists of structured entries whose interpretation is less affected by language-specific syntax or word order. In this work, we present a cost-effective strategy for multilingual table QA that relies on selectively translating only the questions of existing datasets. Leveraging the language-agnostic structure of tables, our approach maintains the original table content while translating queries into multiple target languages. To address possible performance drops caused by using table data in the source language rather than the target language, we apply cross-lingual adaptation techniques using contrastive learning and adversarial training. In addition, to strengthen reasoning ability while avoiding degradation in languages not seen during pre-training, we perform supplementary pre-training of a RoBERTa-based multilingual encoder with SQL-derived table data. Finally, we extend our investigation beyond encoder-based architectures and evaluate decoder-only large language models under the same multilingual table QA setting. The experiments show that LLaMA-3 models exhibit strong cross-lingual generalization even without using translated table context and often achieve competitive performance using only Korean table data. Moreover, the performance gap among training configurations such as translated queries or translated datasets is notably smaller compared to encoder-based models, highlighting the inherent multilingual robustness of modern LLMs. We further evaluate LLaMA-3 models on domain-specific table datasets and observe that domain knowledge acquired from Korean tables transfers effectively across languages even without multilingual supervision, underscoring the potential of LLMs for specialized multilingual table reasoning. These findings demonstrate that LLMs can serve as an effective alternative for multilingual table QA, particularly in low-resource or partially translated environments. Full article

In today’s world, where the volume and variety of data are increasing at an extraordinary rate, extracting meaningful insights from data is of critical importance; however, the complexity of standard database query languages makes it difficult for users without technical expertise to access information. This study proposes an innovative Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture that analyzes natural language queries, identifies related database schemas, and automatically converts them to SQL. Unlike fixed schema selection (fixed-k) methods, a unique hierarchical clustering mechanism is introduced to dynamically determine the number of relevant schemas, minimizing noise. Furthermore, the architecture incorporates an iterative repair mechanism, data enrichment with sample rows, and a hybrid query strategy (Turkish + English) to overcome cross-lingual barriers. Performance evaluations on 15 databases demonstrate that the proposed method improved the schema retrieval F1 score from 0.79 to 0.88. In the SQL generation phase, the execution accuracy (EX) of the GPT-4o model increased from 0.70 to 0.78 with the proposed optimizations, representing an approximate 11% improvement relative to the baseline configuration without requiring fine-tuning. Full article

Background: In Canada, 30 percent of the older adult population is foreign-born. Immigrant older adults are more likely to experience significant social isolation due to a variety of factors. However, limited research exists on the influence of specific factors. The objective of this study is to understand the economic factors that contribute to social isolation among older immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada. Methods: A qualitative interpretive description method was used. Following research ethics boards’ approval, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with a total of 47 Arabic, Mandarin, and Punjabi-speaking older immigrants in the GTA. The interviews were conducted in their preferred language, audio-recorded, and translated (when needed) into English and transcribed. Thematic analysis of the data was informed by an ecosystemic framework. Results: Six themes were identified: (1) barriers to finding employment; (2) living a “hand-to-mouth life” due to limited income/pension; (3) housing costs that eliminate choices and options; (4) costs (and availability) of transportation as a barrier to getting around; (5) lack of “essential” healthcare coverage; and (6) costs of community programs that prevent “getting out of the house.” These economic factors at micro, meso, and macro levels of society intersected to create desperate situations that contributed to social isolation among older immigrants in the GTA. Conclusions/Implications: Addressing these economic factors is critical to immigrant older adults’ aging in place. Service providers must advocate for accessible physical and financial resources and services including affordable housing and transportation, old age security, and comprehensive healthcare coverage for older immigrants. Future research should focus on economic challenges faced by older adults across other immigrant communities in the GTA as well as in other cities, provinces, and territories. Full article

Set in the vocational education and training sector in England, this article draws attention to how top-down, centre–periphery approaches to curriculum design and development in vocational education fail for at least three reasons. First, they misconstrue the nature of knowledge. Second, they lead to perfunctory and fragmented approaches to curriculum design, coupled with mechanistic measures of quality and achievement, which often require little more than “one-off” and superficially assessed demonstrations of performance. Finally, they underplay the role and importance of the teacher as researcher and artist in putting the cultural resources of society to work in creative curriculum design and pedagogy. Teacher artistry is pivotal in animating and heightening the vitality of vocational curricula. It is through this artistry that teachers make theories, ideas and concepts in vocational subjects and disciplines accessible and meaningful to all learners in coherent ways in the contexts of their learning and their lives. The consequences of the epistemic faux pas underpinning centre-to-periphery models of curriculum design and development are highlighted in this article in vocational tutors’ accounts of experiences of problems and issues in curriculum design, development and assessment encountered in their practice. Participants in the research teach in a variety of vocational education settings, including Apprenticeships and Higher-Level Technical Education; English Language at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level; Health and Social Care; Information and Communications Technology; Construction (Plumbing); Digital Production, Design and Development and High-Tech Precision Engineering. Data are analysed and reported through systematic, thematic analysis This article draws upon qualitative data derived from a study funded by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) in England over a two-year period from 2021 to 2023. The research population consists of a group of eight practitioner–researchers working in three colleges of Further Education (FE) and one Industry Training Centre (ITC) in England. All of the teachers of vocational education reported here volunteered to participate in the study. Research methods include semi-structured interviews, analysis of critical incidents and case studies produced by practitioner–researchers from across the FE and Skills sector in England. Full article

Along the French-English Channel coast, fibre flax is traditionally cultivated in spring during a short window from March to July. However, increasingly frequent and severe spring droughts, driven by climate change, cast doubt on the sustainability of this practice. One possible adaptation, inspired by the winter cultivation of oilseed flax and tested over several years, involves extending the growing cycle by cultivating fibre flax in winter. In this system, seeds are sown in autumn, and the crop is harvested in early June. After four consecutive years of monitoring yield and fibre mechanical properties, a selected spring flax variety was grown both in winter 2022/2023 and in spring 2023 for direct comparison. This period included a mild winter favourable for winter crops, and a spring drought that severely impacted spring crops. Plants from the winter crop produced twice as many fibres at mid-stem height as the spring crop, but the mechanical properties of the elementary fibres remained similar in both. However, the elementary fibres in the lower stems of the winter crop averaged only 15 mm in length, compared to 33 mm for the spring crop, which benefited from higher temperatures. Regarding biochemical composition, lignin content in winter flax scutched fibres was significantly higher than in spring flax, at 4.2% versus 2.7%. Cultivating a spring flax variety in winter is thus feasible under favourable conditions, but the resulting fibres are shorter and more lignified, which may pose technical challenges during spinning and could require separating fibres from the lower stems of winter plants to ensure consistent fibre quality. In the final section of the paper, strategies to adapt flax cultivation to climate change are proposed, drawing on the experimental results and current meteorological projections, providing guidance for optimizing crop performance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Robotic therapies are emerging as a potential management strategy for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). These devices apply mechanical and electrical forces to regulate neural excitability and promote motor learning. This review aimed to systematically assess and synthesize evidence from published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the therapeutic benefits of robotics and exoskeletons for gait and postural balance in pediatric CP. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library was conducted. Two independent reviewers screened records to identify studies that were: (1) written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals; (2) included participants <18 years with a diagnosis of CP; and (3) examined robotic therapies or exoskeletons targeting gait or postural balance. Methodological quality of included reviews was appraised with the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Results: 18 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 256 primary studies and 5092 participants. Overall methodological quality of the included reviews was rated as moderate to good. A variety of robotic and exoskeleton systems were noted across studies, with heterogeneous protocols and outcomes. Several reviews reported modest improvements in gait and postural balance; however, the findings were inconsistent, and pooled effects, where available, did not yield definitive conclusions regarding efficacy. Conclusions: Robotic and exoskeleton interventions may offer benefits for gait and postural balance in children and adolescents with CP, but the current evidence base remains inconclusive. Additional high-quality research is required to determine effectiveness more definitively. Full article

Barley wine is one of the most chemically complex and historically significant beer styles, yet its molecular composition remains largely unknown. This study aims to create the first detailed molecular framework for understanding the chemical diversity of barley wine and cereal wines. The chemical diversity of barley wines and related “cereal wines” made from wheat, oats, and rye, including barrel-aged varieties, is examined using ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics. Distinct cereal-dependent signatures were revealed by multivariate analyses. High levels of fusel alcohols and phenolic acids were present in barley wines. Elevated levels of pyruvate and aromatic amino acids were found in wheat wines, and high levels of maltodextrin, arabinose, and trigonelline were found in oat and rye wines. A comparison of sub-styles showed that English and American barley wines were different based on ester and complex sugar profiles. Barrel aging introduces changes dependent on the barrel’s origin. A reliable classification of barrel origin was allowed for by a decision tree with four diagnostic metabolites—5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), acetaldehyde, mannose, and tryptophan. The way in which raw materials, fermentation conditions, and the reuse of barrels collectively influence their metabolomes is exemplified. Verifying the authenticity of beer, evaluating its quality, and generating new ideas for high gravity brewing are all cases in point for this approach. Full article

Background: Innovative methods to test healthcare interventions have recently emerged to help provide more targeted, effective, and scalable interventions. Given the importance of the early years for children’s development, improved interventions for vulnerable children and families have become public health imperatives. Traditional randomized control trials (RCTs), considered the gold standards, have serious limitations due to high costs, time demands, and issues with the generalizability of the results. Indeed, new accelerated methods are being considered to improve the efficiency of RCTs. Thus, we compared innovative methods with RCTs in their ability to test and implement interventions. We also provided recommendations for best practices in the child-health research. Methods: A realist review was undertaken to identify and make recommendations on what works for whom and under what circumstances. This realist meta-review was conducted as an umbrella review of reviews, supplemented by a synthesis of the targeted grey-literature, to report both peer-reviewed and practice-based evidence on evaluation methods for community child-health interventions. We searched electronic databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the grey literature, and provided references. We identified, selected, and appraised sources if they were (1) written in English, (2) answered our research question, (3) described/criticized a method for intervention evaluation, and (4) focused on community-based health interventions. Results: For our final analysis, out of 5167 identified documents, we selected those that criticized or reviewed RCTs (n = 13) and innovative methods (n = 31). Following Pawson’s recommendations, we developed an extraction tool to promote a consistent approach and assessed to what degree each method enabled evaluation, was theory driven, offered clear guidelines, provided clear methods or tools, fostered innovation, was fast and generalizable, worked for who and under what circumstances, and focused on children and child-related research. Conclusions: Innovative and accelerated methods offer promising alternatives to the traditional RCTs for evaluating community-based child health interventions. Among these, the Innovate, Develop, Evaluate, Adapt, and Scale (IDEAS) method emerged as the most integrative and context-sensitive approach to evaluate early interventions in a variety of settings. Other innovative methods were not well-developed, compromising the internal validity of studies focused on promoting children’s health in community settings. Graphical abstract synthesizes the phases of RCTs and contrasts them with IDEAS. Full article

Background: Disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) affect millions worldwide and rank among the most frequent causes of orofacial pain unrelated to dental disease. Beyond discomfort, they can restrict mandibular motion and impair chewing efficiency. Arthrocentesis has been adopted as a favored surgical approach after conservative therapy fails since joint lavage can reduce inflammation and restore mobility with minimal invasiveness. A variety of irrigants are available for this procedure, including normal saline, Ringer’s lactate, and ozonated water, each offering potential therapeutic advantages. However, the comparative effectiveness of these solutions in terms of pain reduction and functional recovery has not been clearly established, warranting systematic evaluation. Materials and Methods: Following PRISMA recommendations, a literature search was conducted in PubMed and ScienceDirect between 10 October and 14 November 2024. The search focused on studies published in English within the past ten years that examined arthrocentesis for temporomandibular joint disorders using normal saline, Ringer’s lactate, or ozonated water as the irrigant. Results: Seven clinical trials involving 220 patients were included, of which three provided data suitable for meta-analysis. Qualitative synthesis indicated that all irrigants reduced pain (VAS) and improved maximum mouth opening (MMO), with ozonated water showing the greatest mean improvements (VAS reduction 6.2 points; MMO gain 12.9 mm). Ringer’s lactate and saline also demonstrated clinically relevant effects. Quantitative analysis revealed no baseline group differences (VAS p = 0.800; MMO p = 0.935). Short-term (≤1 month) random effects models showed non-significant changes for VAS (Fisher’s z = 1.32; 95% CI −2.64 to 0.00) and MMO (z = 0.04; 95% CI −0.14 to 0.21). At 3–6 months, ozonated water produced a statistically significant reduction in pain (z = −0.34; 95% CI −0.53 to −0.15), whereas MMO remained unchanged (z = 0.05; 95% CI −0.13 to 0.22). Conclusions: Arthrocentesis with any irrigant improves TMD symptoms. Ozonated water demonstrated the strongest long-term analgesic effect, but MMO improvements did not reach significance. Larger, standardized randomized trials are required to validate these findings. Full article

This study reexamines Learner Englishes (LEs)–New Englishes (NEs) continuum by considering intervarietal variation, mode differences, and multiple linguistic levels. Relying on comparable written and spoken corpus data, we investigate the valency patterns and senses of the verb TAKE across two LEs (Mainland Chinese English (MCE) and Belgian French-speaking English (BFE)) and two NEs (Singapore English (SgE) and Hong Kong English (HKE)) within the Extra- and Intra-territorial Forces (EIF) Model. The study examines whether internal linguistic factors, namely, mode (writing and speech) and linguistic levels (valency patterns and senses), influence the variety positioning along the LEs-NEs continuum and whether this positioning reflects the expected proximity cline to native English (NativeE) (BFE > MCE > HKE > SgE) established within the EIF Model. Our quantitative results reveal that individual varieties intermingle depending on mode and linguistic levels rather than occupying stable positions along the LEs-NEs continuum. Dendrogram analyses yield distinct variety clustering patterns that contradict the expected proximity cline to NativeE. Qualitatively, we identify some shared linguistic features across LEs and NEs that suggest common underlying language learning strategies. These results contribute to variationist linguistics by demonstrating that English varieties exhibit dynamic development trajectories shaped by language-internal factors (e.g., mode and linguistic levels). We propose refining the EIF Model to incorporate language-internal dimensions, thereby bridging the gap between LEs and NEs through a more nuanced theoretical framework. Full article

Even though it has been previously suggested that Spanglish is not exclusive to the US, research on this sociolinguistic phenomenon has focused on the US Hispanophone context, thus providing a limited understanding of how the US compares to Belize and Gibraltar, two language contact situations where Spanglish is also attested. This paper fills this gap by bringing together insights from scholarship on these three contexts where Spanish has been in prolonged contact with English. To this end, this article highlights some of the key debates and discussions regarding Spanglish. It also introduces the reader to some similarities between the US, Belize and Gibraltar and posits that there are Spanglish phenomena, which necessarily entail the reevaluation of the role that structural hybridity plays in Spanglish. Lastly, through an overview of comparative analyses that have been conducted more recently, we illustrate the importance of this work in elucidating our knowledge of the remarkable patterns of uniformity and variability that characterize the dynamic nature of Spanglish varieties in different parts of the world today. Full article