Evidence syntheses, such as systematic reviews, aim to summarise the current state of research in a field, often using the publication language of a study as a criterion for inclusion or exclusion. However, this has serious implications for capturing evidence from a wider range of geographical areas, and the potential for linguistic bias. In order to explore this issue, a trilingual tertiary mapping review of 446 evidence syntheses within the field of educational technology (EdTech) and published in English, Spanish and German was undertaken, analysing the frequency of multi- and monolingual evidence syntheses, reasons for language choice by research teams, and the composition of research teams in multi- and monolingual evidence syntheses. Items were included if they were a form of evidence synthesis with an explicit method section, indexed within ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science, Dialnet, FIS-Bildung, or Google Scholar, education-related, and published between 1983 and May 2022. The results showed that only eight languages were considered in published syntheses, only five languages were used to construct search strings, most evidence syntheses included research published in English without explaining why, and multilingual research team composition did not predict multilingual evidence syntheses. The findings suggest the need to address publication languages not only as a formal criterion but as an integral aspect of methodological approach, influencing the content and scope of syntheses in educational research.

Abstract - Shape memory polymers (SMP) can be used in numerous applications, for example in medical engineering, control technology, or in the automotive industry. Various triggers can be used to "remember" a programmed shape, such as temperature, pH value, humidity or light. One example of SMP is polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is characterised by biocompatibility, high hydrophilicity and non-toxicity as well as efficient shape memory behaviour. PVA reacts to the stimulus of temperature. In this work, the influence of incorporated nanoparticles on the shape memory effect of PVA will be investigated. For this purpose, the glass transition temperature of PVA containing different iron nanoparticles is determined and compared by means of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). In addition to the impact of the integrated nanoparticles on the switching temperature, consideration is also given to the quality of the resetting characteristics linked with the shape memory effect. These studies employ thermomechanical analysis as a tool to gain insights into this phenomenon. The inclusion of iron nanoparticles has been observed to result in a slight alteration of the switching temperature, while significantly influencing the shape memory effect and reducing the strain recovery rate by approximately 15%. The strain fixity rate simultaneously increases by approximately 50%. However, the size and structure of the iron nanoparticles showed no discernible impact on the observed phenomenon.

A common language facilitates exchange in international business (IB). The People’s Republic of China is a global player of significant economic and geopolitical importance. Thus, we can expect Chinese language capital to play a major role in IB. This article conceptualizes its importance from a Western (German) and Eastern (Chinese) point of view. Western concepts such as Positive or Constructive Management, the four-side communication model, language and power, and Chinese concepts such as 182 harmony, guanxi, and xinren explain the important role Chinese language skills play for a beneficial Sino-Western business relationship.

Synchronous online learning is situated in synchronous webinars, virtual classrooms, and videoconferences, in which students and teachers communicate live over the Internet across distant geographical locations. Shared virtual platforms with voice-over-IP technology and webcams are used to interact ubiquitously and synchronously in real-time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of synchronous online learning environments in primary, secondary, higher, and continuous education has grown massively. In this chapter, we aim to identify design recommendations that help increase the effectiveness of synchronous online learning. First, we provide an overview of recent meta-analyses on the effectiveness of synchronous online learning compared to synchronous face-to-face and asynchronous online learning. Second, we use this empirical evidence to develop design principles that can guide teachers, trainers, and educators in designing effective synchronous online learning environments. Third, we discuss a research agenda for future studies on synchronous online learning, webinars, and videoconferences in education, and we reflect on some practical affordances, including the use of webcams and breakout rooms.

In einer zunehmend herausfordernden Geschäftsumgebung besteht für kleine und mittlere Business-to-Business Unternehmen die Herausforderung, ihre Geschäftsprozesse und die unternehmensweiten Anwendungssysteme entsprechend der Technologielandschaft anzupassen, um konkurrenzfähig zu bleiben. Der zielgerichtete Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz birgt das Potenzial für Effizienzsteigerung und Unterstützung in verschiedenen Geschäftsbereichen, darunter auch Marketing und Vertrieb. Trotz der zunehmenden Bedeutung von Künstlicher Intelligenz bleibt der Einsatz in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen oft zögerlich. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist die Herleitung eines ganzheitlichen Ansatzes für eine mit KI-Werkzeugen unterstützte Customer Journey. Diese Arbeit untersucht dafür speziell den potenziellen Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz in der Kundenkommunikation von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen im produzierenden B2B-Sektor. Basierend auf zehn leitfadenorientierten qualitativen Interviews mit Praktikern aus produzierenden B2B-KMU werden deren spezifische Herausforderungen in der Kundenkommunikation identifiziert und der Einsatz von KI als potenzielle Lösung geprüft. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Einsatz von KI in der Kundenkommunikation produzierender B2B-KMU Potenzial birgt, um bestehende Herausforderungen zu mindern, wobei die Einsatzmöglichkeiten je nach Datenverfügbarkeit variieren. Die vorliegende Arbeit trägt dazu bei, produzierenden B2B-KMU aufzuzeigen, wie sie Künstliche Intelligenz einsetzen können, um ihre Herausforderungen zu bewältigen und die Kundenkommunikation zu optimieren.

This paper investigates anthropomorphism of a robot arm during a cooperative human-robot pick-and-place task, while varying cognitive load of test persons. Test persons are required to repeatedly provide a Lego brick for the robot by alternatingly putting it onto one of two trays. The robot then picks it up and puts it in front of the test person again. Cognitive load is varied by whether or not an initially given 8-digit number has to be remembered by the test person. Dimensions of anthropomorphism are acquired using the HRIES questionnaire and cognitive load is acquired using two state-of-the-art questionnaires. Results show a significant correlation of perceived sociability and animacy on mental demand and cognitive load, but only in the high load condition. It is suggested, that cognitive load should be considered during cooperative task design because resulting variations of anthropomorphism may impact cooperative task performance.

Abstract

This paper presents results from a study on the impact of negative attitudes towards robots on pedestrians’ needs for technological communication capabilities of autonomous vehicles and preferred communication modalities. Further, the amount of prior information on autonomous vehicles given to test persons is varied. The study is realized in terms of an imagination scenario. Results show a significant dependency of the demand for communication of autonomous vehicles with pedestrians on the extent of negative attitudes towards robots as well as a general demand for such communication capabilities. Interestingly, these findings are independent of the amount of prior information. Differences of preferred communication modalities with respect to negative attitudes or prior information are not found. The results of this study emphasize the importance of vehicle-pedestrian communication, particularly, using multi-modal interfaces in future autonomous driving technology.

Dieser Beitrag präsentiert die Ergebnisse einer Studie über die Auswirkungen negativer Einstellungen gegenüber Robotern auf die Bedürfnisse von Fußgängern nach technologischen Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten autonomer Fahrzeuge und bevorzugte Kommunikationsmodalitäten. Darüber hinaus wird die Menge an Vorinformationen zu autonomen Fahrzeugen, die den Testpersonen gegeben werden, variiert. Die Studie wird anhand eines imaginären Szenarios durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine signifikante Abhängigkeit des Bedarfs an Kommunikation autonomer Fahrzeuge mit Fußgängern vom Ausmaß negativer Einstellungen gegenüber Robotern sowie eines Bedarfs an solchen Kommunikationsfähigkeiten allgemein. Interessanterweise sind diese Erkenntnisse unabhängig von der Menge an Vorinformationen. Unterschiede der bevorzugten Kommunikationsmodalitäten in Bezug auf negative Einstellungen oder Vorinformationen wurden nicht festgestellt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie unterstreichen die Bedeutung der Fahrzeug-Fußgänger-Kommunikation, insbesondere unter Verwendung multimodaler Schnittstellen in zukünftigen autonomen Fahrtechnologien.

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