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Hearing aids can be effective devices to compensate for age- or non-age-related hearing losses. Their overall adoption in the affected population is still low, especially in underdeveloped countries in the subpopulation experiencing milder hearing loss. One of the major reasons for low adoption is the need for repeated complex fitting by professional audiologists, which is often not completed for various reasons. As a result, self-fitting procedures have been appearing as an alternative. Key open questions with these digital tools are linked to their effectiveness, utilized algorithms, and achievable end-results. A digital self-fitting prototype tool with a novel quick four-step fitting workflow was evaluated in a study on 19 individuals with moderate hearing loss. The tool was evaluated in a double-blinded, randomized study, having two study aims: comparing traditional audiological fitting with the new self-fitting tool, which can also be used as a remote tool. The main reported results show moderately high usability and user satisfaction obtained during self-fitting, and quasi-equivalence of the performance of the classical audiological fitting approach. The digital self-fitting tool enables multiple sessions and easy re-fitting, with the potential to outperform the classical fitting approach.

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Problem Solving (PS) skills allow students to handle problems within an educational context. PS is a core competence of Computer Science education and affects programming success. In this vein, this paper aims to investigate PS ability performance in primary school pupils of a computer course, implemented according to the Neo-Piagetian theory of cognitive development. The study included 945 Slovenian pupils, ranging from fourth to sixth grade. The effects of gender, age and consecutive years of attending the course were examined on pupils' PS ability at the pre-operational and concrete operational stages. Pupils completed a survey questionnaire with four types of tasks (a series of statements, if-statements, loops and variables) at both stages. The analysis revealed three findings: the performance of PS ability in all tasks was, at the pre-operational stage, associated positively with performance at the concrete operational stage; there were no gender differences in PS performance at both stages, and both the grade and consecutive year of taking the computer course had an effect on PS ability performance at both stages. Those in the lowest grade and those taking the course for the first year reported lower performances than their older counterparts. These findings may help curriculum designers across the world develop efficient approaches to teaching computer courses.

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This paper presents a method for shortening the computation time and reducing the number of math operations required in complex calculations for the analysis, simulation, and design of processes and systems. The method is suitable for education and engineering applications. The efficacy of the method is illustrated with a case study of a complex wireless communication system. The computer algebra system (CAS) was applied to formulate hypotheses and define the joint probability density function of a certain modulation technique. This innovative method was used to prepare microsimulation-semi-symbolic analyses to fully specify the wireless system. The development of an iteration-based simulation method that provides closed form solutions is presented. Previously, expressions were solved using time-consuming numerical methods. Students can apply this method for performance analysis and to understand data transfer processes. Engineers and researchers may use the method to gain insight into the impact of the parameters necessary to properly transmit and detect information, unlike traditional numerical methods. This research contributes to this field by improving the ability to obtain closed form solutions of the probability density function, outage probability, and considerably improves time efficiency with shortened computation time and reducing the number of calculation operations.

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One important theme in captioning is whether the implementation of captions in individual sign language interpreter videos can positively affect viewers' comprehension when compared with sign language interpreter videos without captions. In our study, an experiment was conducted using four video clips with information about everyday events. Fifty-one deaf and hard of hearing sign language users alternately watched the sign language interpreter videos with, and without, captions. Afterwards, they answered ten questions. The results showed that the presence of captions positively affected their rates of comprehension, which increased by 24% among deaf viewers and 42% among hard of hearing viewers. The most obvious differences in comprehension between watching sign language interpreter videos with and without captions were found for the subjects of hiking and culture, where comprehension was higher when captions were used. The results led to suggestions for the consistent use of captions in sign language interpreter videos in various media.

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Excessive venipunctures are both time- and resource-consuming events, which cause anxiety, pain, and distress in patients, or can lead to severe harmful injuries. We propose a low-cost mobile health solution for subcutaneous vein detection using near-infrared spectroscopy, along with an assessment of the current state of the art in this field. The first objective of this study was to get a deeper overview of the research topic, through the initial team discussions and a detailed literature review (using both academic and grey literature). The second objective, that is, identifying the commercial systems employing near-infrared spectroscopy, was conducted using the PubMed database. The goal of the third objective was to identify and evaluate (using the IEEE Xplore database) the research efforts in the field of low-cost near-infrared imaging in general, as a basis for the conceptual model of the upcoming prototype. Although the reviewed commercial devices have demonstrated usefulness and value for peripheral veins visualization, other evaluated clinical outcomes are less conclusive. Previous studies regarding low-cost near-infrared systems demonstrated the general feasibility of developing cost-effective vein detection systems; however, their limitations are restricting their applicability to clinical practice. Finally, based on the current findings, we outline the future research direction.

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This paper describes a new method of collecting additional data for the purpose of skin cancer research from the patients in the hospital using the system Mobile Computing in Medicine Graz (MoCoMed-Graz). This system departs from the traditional paper-based questionnaire data collection methods and implements a new composition of evaluation methods to demonstrate its effectiveness. The patients fill out a questionnaire on a Tablet-PC (or iPad Device) and the resulting medical data is integrated into the electronic patient record for display when the patient enters the doctor's examination room. Since the data is now part of the electronic patient record, the doctor can discuss the data together with the patient making corrections or completions where necessary, thus enhancing data quality and patient empowerment. A further advantage is that all questionnaires are in the system at the end of the day - and manual entry is no longer necessary - consequently raising data completeness. The front end was developed using a User Centered Design Process for touch tablet computers and transfers the data in XML to the SAP based enterprise hospital information system. The system was evaluated at the Graz University Hospital - where about 30 outpatients consult the pigmented lesion clinic each day - following Bronfenbrenner's three level perspective: The microlevel, the mesolevel and the macrolevel: On the microlevel, the questions answered by 194 outpatients, evaluated with the System Usability Scale (SUS) resulted in a median of 97.5 (min: 50, max: 100) which showed that it is easy to use. On the mesolevel, the time spent by medical doctors was measured before and after the implementation of the system; the medical task performance time of 20 doctors (age median 43 (min: 29; max: 50)) showed a reduction of 90%. On the macrolevel, a cost model was developed to show how much money can be saved by the hospital management. This showed that, for an average of 30 patients per day, on a 250 day basis per year in this single clinic, the hospital management can save up to 40,000 EUR per annum, proving that mobile computers can successfully contribute to workflow optimization.

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PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of web-based video lectures on demand for the deaf in comparison to the traditional method of teaching using a sign language interpreter. The web-based lectures presented are specifically designed for the deaf in education and in rehabilitation. METHOD: Sixty-three deaf students and adults were divided into four groups. All of the groups were made up of users who shared similar knowledge in the field of computers, but with different abilities in using computers, from beginners to advanced users. All of the groups were of mixed gender. The first two groups (consisting of 23 test users) graded the usability of the user interface for web-based lecture on demand with the help of the standardized SUMI questionnaire. After that, two groups (20 students from high school and 20 adults) joined in a 45-min informational program on the history of the deaf. Both groups were then divided into two smaller subgroups of 10 participants. The first subgroup in the first part of the learning program followed a traditional teaching style with the help of a teacher and an interpreter for Slovenian sign language. Meanwhile, the second group observed a 12-min web-based video lecture on demand and still had available an additional 18 min for a more detailed observation of the video. At the end of the lecture, the teacher used the questionnaire to review the participants' understanding of the content of the lecture in both of the groups. During the entire testing period, the interpreter used Slovenian sign language. RESULTS: By using the SUMI questionnaire, we determined the usability of the user interface for comprehension and gathering of knowledge. We discovered that the system was usable according to the standards. The global Median results (Global Median=51) were in the range of 50. In the second part of testing, we determined the level of significance between the traditional and web-based lectures. The results were statistically evaluated using the t-tests and the ANOVA test. From the t-tests we established the hypothesis that the number of correct answers for both groups (group 1: web-based, group 2: traditional) differed. The t-test used for the age groups rejected the hypothesis that the number of correct answers for both groups differed, where group 1 was comprised of adults and group 2 was comprised of students. Additionally, the ANOVA test showed that the number of correct answers for adults using traditional lectures differed significantly from the number of correct answers for both adult and student web-based users. The ANOVA test showed no differences between any of the remaining groups. CONCLUSIONS: We can conclude that for deaf people it is extremely important to introduce the use of information and communications technology on all levels of education and rehabilitation. This increases their ability to learn and improves their understanding of learning materials, especially if the applications are designed specifically for their needs. Through daily exposure to a larger number of such materials, we can positively influence the literacy (reading and writing skills) of the deaf. With increased literacy, the deaf would be able to read literature, and subtitles, enabling them to receive information through written sources. Therefore, we can expect them to have a higher self-esteem, more easily integrate into society and have more opportunities for employment.

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