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The UC Research Repository collects, stores and makes available original research from postgraduate students, researchers and academics based at the University of Canterbury.
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Interactions with virtual therapists during motor rehabilitation in immersive virtual environments: a systematic review
(Frontiers Media SA, online-publication-date) Crowe, Stephanie; Yousefi , Mamehgol; Shahri , Bahareh; Piumsomboon , Thammathip; Hoermann , Simon
Introduction: Virtual Reality applications for rehabilitation are increasing in popularity. In traditional as well as virtual rehabilitation, the guidance of an occupational therapist through physical and verbal interaction is often required. Several studies have attempted to implement a virtual therapist or assistant in immersive virtual environments for rehabilitation.Objective: This research aims to systematically review these studies, understanding the therapist’s role and how they are represented in the virtual environment, how the virtual therapist and patient interact and the experience of users. Our goal is to provide guidance for virtual therapist implementations into fully immersive virtual reality environments.Method: The researchers systematically reviewed the literature on virtual therapists in immersive virtual environments for motor rehabilitation (protocol prospectively registered with PROSPERO ID: CRD42022357369).Results and Conclusion: Seven studies were identified, with findings showing that virtual therapists are often human-like avatars that guide patients, requiring them to mimic the therapist’s movements. Visual, haptic, or one-direction audio feedback from the therapist to the patient was provided in five studies. The selected studies were all newly developed custom-made systems, with five systems developed using the same game engine. Studies carrying out user testing utilised several methods to understand user experience, evidencing a positive attitude from therapists and motivated and satisfied patients.Future Research: The roles of virtual therapists for motor rehabilitation needs to be explored further in rigorous empirical studies to gather data on patient and therapist user experience. Considerable potential was identified in the development of virtual therapists and therapeutic alliance in the virtual environment. Future systems should reduce manual input from therapists and include personalisation and individualised patient feedback.Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=357369], PROSPERO ID [CRD42022357369].
The unsaturated characteristics of natural loess in slopes, New Zealand
(Thomas Telford Ltd., 2022) Yates, Katherine; Russell , Adrian R.
Loess and loess-derived soils in the Akaroa harbour area of New Zealand are typically unsaturated and vulnerable to shallow landsliding during rainfall events. In this paper, the water retention properties and unsaturated shear strength of these materials are characterised using laboratory testing and long-term field instrumentation. Because the pore size distribution of the loess is fractal, the laboratory-derived soil-water characteristic curve is described mathematically using a series of power-law relationships. The same soil-water characteristic curve applies to both recompacted and intact loess when suction is normalised by the air entry value. Stress-strain behaviours of the recompacted and intact loess exhibit significant differences, however. The unique microstructure of the intact loess contributes to its larger shear strength. Long-term field instrumentation data, including suction and volumetric water content, indicate that the hydraulic state of in situ loess remained on a scanning curve for the duration of the monitoring period, despite the occurrence of significant wetting events. This, in combination with triaxial test results, allows the contribution of suction to unsaturated shear strength to be quantified. Temporal variations in suction's contribution to strength confirms seasonal variability in unsaturated shear strength and thus slope stability.
Taming a ‘fuzzy beast’? stakeholder perspectives on Antarctic science-policy knowledge exchange practices in New Zealand
(Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2023) Gardiner, Natasha; Gilbert, Neil; Liggett, Daniela; Silva DDP
Antarctic environmental change is accelerating with significant regional and global consequences making it critically important for Antarctic research knowledge to inform relevant policymaking forums. A key challenge is maximising the utility of evidence in decision-making, to which scholars have responded by shifting away from linear science-policy arrangements towards co-production alternatives. As an Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party (ATCP), New Zealand (NZ) is responsible for facilitating knowledge exchange (KE) among Antarctic science and policy actors at national and international levels. However, at present, we have few metrics for assessing the success of science-policy dialogues. Furthermore, studies on the Antarctic science-policy interface have so far primarily focused on the international perspective. This paper is the first to examine domestic stakeholder perspectives regarding Antarctic KE using NZ as a case study. We report on the findings of two workshops involving over 60 NZ Antarctic stakeholders in 2021 that aimed to explore the various elements of NZ’s Antarctic science-policy interface and identify barriers or drivers for success, including future opportunities. Our results indicate that there is a desire to shift away from the current linear approach towards a more collaborative model. To achieve this, stakeholders share an understanding that KE practices need to become more equitable, inclusive and diverse, and that the policy community needs to play a more proactive and leading role. Described as a ‘fuzzy beast’, the NZ Antarctic science-policy interface is complex. This study contributes to our understanding of Antarctic KE practices by offering new guidance on several key elements that should be considered in any attempts to understand or improve future KE practices in NZ or within the domestic settings of other ATCPs interested in fostering science-policy success.
GEO4PALM v1.1: an open-source geospatial data processing toolkit for the PALM model system
(Copernicus GmbH, 2024) LIN, DONGQI; Zhang , Jiawei; Khan , Basit; Katurji, Marwan; Revell, Laura
Abstract. A geospatial data processing tool, GEO4PALM, has been developed to generate geospatial static input for the Parallelized Large-Eddy Simulation (PALM) model system. PALM is a community-driven large-eddy simulation model for atmospheric and environmental research. Throughout PALM's 20-year development, research interests have been increasing in its application to realistic conditions, especially for urban areas. For such applications, geospatial static input is essential. Although abundant geospatial data are accessible worldwide, geospatial data availability and quality are highly variable and inconsistent. Currently, the geospatial static input generation tools in the PALM community heavily rely on users for data acquisition and pre-processing. New PALM users face large obstacles, including significant time commitments, to gain the knowledge needed to be able to pre-process geospatial data for PALM. Expertise beyond atmospheric and environmental research is frequently needed to understand the data sets required by PALM. Here, we present GEO4PALM, which is a free and open-source tool. GEO4PALM helps users generate PALM static input files with a simple, homogenised, and standardised process. GEO4PALM is compatible with geospatial data obtained from any source, provided that the data sets comply with standard geo-information formats. Users can either provide existing geospatial data sets or use the embedded data interfaces to download geo-information data from free online sources for any global geographic area of interest. All online data sets incorporated in GEO4PALM are globally available, with several data sets having the finest resolution of 1 m. In addition, GEO4PALM provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for PALM domain configuration and visualisation. Two application examples demonstrate successful PALM simulations driven by geospatial input generated by GEO4PALM using different geospatial data sources for Berlin, Germany, and Ōtautahi / Christchurch, New Zealand. GEO4PALM provides an easy and efficient way for PALM users to configure and conduct PALM simulations for applications and investigations such as urban heat island effects, air pollution dispersion, renewable energy resourcing, and weather-related hazard forecasting. The wide applicability of GEO4PALM makes PALM more accessible to a wider user base in the scientific community.
Dignity and Right to health award: ICMDA leadership in Christian health and development initiative
(Christian Journal for Global Health, 2019) Mathias, Kaaren; Burke , Michael
The Dignity and Right to Health Award
(DRH) is an activity of the International Christian
Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA)
Leadership in Christian Health and Development
Initiative. The WHO Constitution (1946)
envisages “... the highest attainable standard of
health as a fundamental right of every human
being.”