We examined trajectories of multiple health risk behavior (MHRB) patterns throughout adolescence, and changes in mental health from childhood to young adulthood. Further, we assessed how continuity or onset of MHRBs overall were associated with subsequent changes in mental health, and whether this varied …

Key to reinforcement learning in multi-agent systems is the ability to exploit the fact that agents only directly influence only a small subset of the other agents. Such loose couplings are often modelled using a graphical model: a coordination graph. Finding an (approximately) optimal joint action for …

Abstract: This study sought to provide insight into how art activities influence the well-being of long-term care residents, and how artists and caregivers collaborate in offering these activities. In two long-term care facilities for people with dementia and one for older people with chronic psychiatric …

Our world is made up of so much technology, all around us, that we are barely aware of it. Technology accommodates our existence, as nature did for our prehistoric ancestors and still does for (most) other organisms. In this series of 3, I examine the tension between technology and nature as the host …

Purpose: To study the relationship between actual motor competence (AMC) and perceived motor competence (PMC) in a large sample of 6- to 12-year-old children. Method: The AMC and PMC were measured (N = 1,669, 55% boys) with the Athletic Skills Track and the Physical Self-Confidence Scale, respectively. …

Using hybrid toys to deliver physical therapy is an innovative way to engage children in personalised healthcare. However, there is an urgency to understand children’s needs in their digital-physical play experience, to effectively design these toys. The aims of this explorative study were to identify …

In this paper, we examine the process of designing robot-performed iconic hand gestures in the context of a long-term study into second language tutoring with children of approximately 5 years old. We explore four factors that may relate to their efficacy in supporting second language tutoring: the age …

Background: Crisis line services, run by volunteers, offer a listening ear 24/7 to people who cannot or do not want to use professional help. Although previous studies have identified various potential stressors crisis line volunteers face, as yet a comprehensive assessment is lacking with regards to …

Inter-organizational arrangements that aim to address social and environmental “grand challenges” often take the form of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) (also cross-sector partnerships or collaborations). Grand challenges -- problems characterized by knowledge uncertainty, dynamic complexity and …

Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has reinforced climate change to alarming rates and has introduced new stressors such as plastic pollution to the environment. Currently, 4.8 - 12.7 million tons of plastic litters enter the oceans every year. Globally alternatives to replace synthetic-based …