Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the cognitive and physical impact of virtual reality (VR) integrated training versus traditional training methods in the domain of weld training. Background: Weld training is very important in various industries and represents a complex skill set appropriate for advanced training intervention. As such, there has been a long search for the most successful and most cost-effective method for training new welders. Method: Participants in this study were randomly assigned to one of two separate training courses taught by sanctioned American Welding Society certified welding instructors; the duration of each course was 2 weeks. After completing the training for a specific weld type, participants were given the opportunity to test for the corresponding certification. Participants were evaluated in terms of their cognitive and physical parameters, total training time exposure, and welding certification awards earned. Each of the four weld types taught in this study represented distinct levels of difficulty and required the development of specialized knowledge and skills. Results: This study demonstrated that participants in the VR integrated training group (VR50) performed as well as, and in some cases, significantly outperformed, the traditional welding (TW) training group. The VR50 group was found to have a 41.6% increase in overall certifications earned compared with the TW group. Conclusion: VR technology is a valuable tool for the production of skilled welders in a shorter time and often with more highly developed skills than their traditionally trained counterparts. Application: These findings strongly support the use of VR integrated training in the welding industry.

We conducted two studies that investigated display characteristics related to color (hue, saturation, brightness, and transparency) and contrast with a background for displaying information qualifiers (termed meta-information) such as uncertainty, age, and source quality. Level of detail (or granularity) of the meta-information and task demands were also manipulated. Participants were asked to rank and rate colored regions overlaid on different map backgrounds based on the level of meta-information the regions displayed. Results from Study 1 indicated that participants could appropriately rank and rate levels of meta-information across saturation, brightness, and transparency conditions, and results from Study 1 and Study 2 showed that the natural direction of ordering is complex and dependent on the relevance of different information to the task and the contrast of the overlay region with the background.

Telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM), in particular, have been through a massive surge of adoption since 2020. This initiative has proven potential for the patient and the healthcare provider in areas such as reductions in the cost of care. While home-use medical devices or wearables have been shown to be beneficial, a literature review illustrates challenges with the data generated, driven by limited device usability. This could lead to inaccurate data when an exam is completed without clinical supervision, with the consequence that incorrect data lead to improper treatment. Upon further analysis of the existing literature, the RPM Usability Impact model is introduced. The goal is to guide researchers and device manufacturers to increase the usability of wearable and home-use medical devices in the future. The importance of this model is highlighted when the user-centered design process is integrated, which is needed to develop these types of devices to provide the proper user experience.

Research on m-government has started in the last decade. The use of m-government has been rapidly increasing due to the high penetration of mobile devices in the general population. This research will first compare m-government to e-government which will help in understanding the similarities and the differences between the two types of government. Then this research will examine the current state of research in the area of m-government. In this research, we collected 79 papers specifically related to m-government, dividing them into themes based on the research premise. The results showed that there is a gap in understanding the relationship between the use of m-government and civic engagement. A future study is highly recommended to determine whether the use of m-government positively affects civic engagement.