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Parallelogram linkages are used to increase the stiffness of manipulators and allow precise control of end-effectors. They help maintain the orientation of connected links when the manipulator changes its position. They are implemented in many palletizing robots connected with binary, ternary and quaternary links through both active and passive joints. This limits the motion of some joints and hence results in relative and negative joint angles when assigning coordinate axes. This study aims to provide a simplified accurate model for manipulators built with parllelogram linkages to ease the kinematics calculations.

This study introduces a simplified model, replacing each parallelogram linkage with a single (binary) link with an active and a passive joint at the ends. This replacement facilitates countering motion while preserving subsequent link orientations. Validation of kinematics is performed on palletizing manipulators from five different OEMs. The validation of Dobot Magician and ABB IRB1410 was carried out in real time and in their control software. Other robots from ABB, Yaskawa, Kuka and Fanuc were validated using control environments and simulators.

The proposed model enables the straightforward derivation of forward kinematics and transforms hybrid robots into equivalent serial-link robots. The model demonstrates high accuracy streamlining the derivation of kinematics.

The proposed model facilitates the use of classical methods like the Denavit–Hartenberg procedure with ease. It not only simplifies kinematics derivation but it also helps in robot control and motion planning within the workspace. The approach can also be implemented to simplify the parallelogram linkages of robots with higher degrees of freedom such as the IRB1410.

The purpose of this study is to examine the vital link between manufacturing firms and the environment, delving into the intricate connections among factors affecting these firms. Specifically, it investigates how the environmental performance of manufacturing firms is shaped by their adoption of environmental management practices and the regulatory environment in which they operate.

Data are currently being collected through a structured questionnaire from employees working in manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Random sampling was used to select the participants. The hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM analysis.

The study reveals a positive correlation between green manufacturing practices and superior environmental performance. Effective environmental management systems further help firms reduce their environmental footprint. External environmental regulations play a significant role as moderators, influencing the strength and direction of the relationship between green manufacturing, environmental management and environmental performance.

The practical implications offer valuable insights and guidance for manufacturing companies seeking to improve their environmental responsibility and performance. Additionally, policymakers gain insights into how regulatory frameworks can be designed or modified to better support sustainability efforts within the manufacturing sector.

This study offers timely insights for sustainable business practices, aligning with corporate responsibility efforts. It contributes to both academic knowledge and provides actionable guidance for fostering environmentally responsible practices in the manufacturing sector.

This study examines the need for an accounting curriculum to evolve in response to the changing business landscape. Specifically, this study aims to explore the relationship between various market forces, the shifting dynamics of business, and the importance of adapting accounting education to these changes.

This study is a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research. A structured questionnaire was administered to 320 professionals to gather data, and the study employed descriptive analysis, one-sample t-tests, and structured equation modeling to analyze the relationship between the variables.

The findings reveal a strong correlation between business transformation and the imperative to adapt accounting education. This study emphasizes the significance of modifying accounting curricula to align with the current market trends. Furthermore, this study addresses the pressing concern of sustainability and the triple bottom line (TBL), advocating specialized education in sustainability accounting programs.

Despite its contributions, this study acknowledges a limitation in its focus solely on the perceptions of professionals and academicians regarding the impact of business transformation on accounting education, without directly examining the prevailing accounting education system. Future research should address this limitation by undertaking a qualitative exploration of the actual accounting education landscape and market requirements.

The implications of the study span the theoretical, regulatory, environmental, and social domains, stressing the need for educational institutions, regulatory bodies, and industry to collaborate in shaping competent and future-ready accounting professionals. A systematic approach would validate and extend the findings of this study, providing deeper insights into the transformative processes necessary to enhance accounting education in response to evolving business landscapes and environmental dynamics.

The outcome of the study assists educational institutions and regulatory bodies in framing policies to adapt accounting education to the evolving business landscape by updating the accounting curriculum as per the changes in the market forces to make graduates relevant and competent.

The rapid emergency remote teaching has moved informal learning programs online including makerspaces, which has created an opportunity for harnessing the benefits of virtual makerspaces. This study reports on findings from three club designers and facilitators’ reflections on a fully virtual maker club offered in the summer of 2023. This paper aims to inform practitioners of the potential challenges and strategies to resolve various issues.

Reflective video journaling was conducted by facilitators. Videos were transcribed and analyzed for observations, learning events, challenges and strategies.

Findings present strategies adopted to address problems during implementation and a checklist for practitioners. The problems are associated with the learning environments, technology tools and student participation. The authors adopted in-the-moment and short-term strategies to tackle the problems and long-term strategies that bear implications for future virtual makerspaces.

This paper can provide direct guidance to practitioners in schools, libraries, museums, etc., who plan to offer informal collaborative learning for children online. It prepares practitioners for the potential challenges and equip them with concrete strategies and questions.

Fully virtual makerspaces have the potential to reach a wider range of audience.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to report the reflective findings on a fully virtual makerspace club that comprehensively covers challenges and strategies before, during and after the club, which has direct implications for future offerings of such programs.

We conducted the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) practice analysis to examine perceptions of US public relations practitioners and educators regarding the essential competencies for entry-level and mid-career professionals. This is a trend analysis survey that is conducted every five years to assess changes in required competencies.

The survey was distributed via email to organizations affiliated with the UAB. Two variations of the survey were available to differentiate between practitioners and educators. The study was conducted from February through March of 2024.

We found practitioners’ expectations for others exceeded their own actual performance levels. This may be attributed to social comparison bias. We have provided recommendations for updating the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) and certificate exams based on our findings. For example, we recommend senior professionals adopt a nurturing leadership style when mentoring young professionals. The study also revealed that educators overestimated generative artificial intelligence (AI) use in the workplace, as practitioners exhibited a slower rate of adoption of AI. The literature and theories that guided the paper were AI use, the history of accreditation in public relations and the diffusion of innovation theory.

This research paper provides insights related to the diffusion of AI competencies in the workplace. Additionally, this research adds to public relations literature by revealing the gap in expectations of senior professionals for beginning and mid-career professionals and their own job performance.

The purpose of this study is to examine how former K-12 teachers’ perceptions of psychosocial support led to their decision to leave the profession.

The researcher conducted eight interviews with former teachers who had been in the profession for 1.5–26 years and asked them about their thoughts on mental health interventions, leadership and collegial support and the stressors of teaching. The data were analyzed by qualitative analysis.

Former teachers had varying responses, and some of the biggest takeaways were the importance of strong leadership support, the request for more time and overall changes to the system and how teachers are supported overall. Results indicate the ultimate impetus for exiting the profession was not directly the result of mental health support or the lack thereof, yet support for well-being did play a role in job dissatisfaction with the teaching role.

Teacher attrition is a significant issue in many countries. This study focuses on teachers in South Carolina, USA, yet the literature indicates similar problems across the USA and globally. The focus on former teachers was compelling, as most studies focus on current teachers.

In this study, students’ perceptions of the effective practices of their research mentors were examined. The research mentors implemented the practices informed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) mentorship competencies to mentor underrepresented students in engineering education research in a virtual environment.

This research experience for undergraduates (REU) program, situated in the United States of America, consisted of undergraduate students (i.e. mentees), graduate students and faculty mentors who all had at least one underrepresented identity in engineering (i.e. Black, Latiné/x, and/or women). Using qualitative methods, we used data from reflection surveys and follow-up interviews with REU mentees to understand the outcomes of the mentorship strategies employed by the mentors in the program. The data were analyzed thematically using CIMER model constructs and social capital theory as guiding frameworks.

The results indicated the identified strategies students perceived as the most impactful for mentorship throughout the program. Students in the REU gained knowledge on how to activate social capital in mentorship relationships and how to better mentor others.

The findings provide insight on how to operationalize the CIMER mentorship competencies to skillfully mentor underrepresented students in engineering. Given the size of the REU and the nature of qualitative research, the sample size was limited.

The results help inform mentorship practices for underrepresented individuals in engineering education and the workforce. Further, they add to the practical knowledge of implementing CIMER best practices virtually, at a time when the world has transitioned to more hybrid and virtual working and learning environments.

This study identifies impactful strategies for operationalizing mentorship strategies informed by theory- and evidence-based CIMER mentorship competencies. In addition, this study extends knowledge about how to implement mentoring best practices and engage mentorship in a virtual environment.

The current study investigated the relationship between nostalgia, conspicuous consumption, and impulse buying and compared gender differences in the effects of nostalgia on conspicuous consumption and impulse buying.

A total of 307 college students in western Singapore were recruited. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the scales and estimate model path coefficients. A multi-group analysis was conducted to test if the path coefficients in the research model varied across genders.

This study found that nostalgia had a positive influence on consumers’ conspicuous consumption, which in turn had a positive impact on their impulse buying of sport products. The results of the multi-group analysis also revealed significant differences across gender groups in that the impacts of nostalgia on conspicuous consumption and impulse buying were stronger for male consumers.

This study forges new ground by investigating the intricate dynamics among nostalgia, conspicuous consumption, and impulse buying in the context of sport. By delving into the relationships between them and exploring gender disparities in their effects, this study enhances our understanding of the pivotal role nostalgia plays in shaping consumer behavior in sport. In addition, the identification of gender-specific patterns underscores the significance of tailored marketing approaches for effectively engaging both male and female consumers. Overall, this study presents fresh perspectives that can inform the development of targeted marketing strategies for sport marketers and retailers aiming to optimize their offerings and promotional endeavors.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the social contexts of sustainable Lean culture in healthcare by examining self-efficacy (SE) as a fundamental construct related to the value of perceived readiness, prior education of Lean and the importance of leadership’s system-level support.

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to identify the relationships between SE and Lean readiness factors, SE and prior Lean training, SE and clinical vs administrative roles and SE and perceived system-level support in a large health system.

There was a statistically significant difference in self-reported readiness to use Lean tools between individuals who had received Lean training during their academic education and those who had not; however, their level of education did not impact SE. Lastly, and perhaps most important, the learner who embodies SE also has system-level support.

Future directions of this research, in addition to assessing team readiness as other studies suggest, would be to evaluate individual team member readiness by gauging SE and addressing deficits prior to the deployment of process improvement (PI) projects to promote success and sustainability.

This contributes to the ongoing scholarship of Lean management systems, providing clinical and non-clinical leaders with a contextual understanding of their supportive role in the SE of teams.

This study demonstrates the value of understanding SE of individual team members and how it can contribute to overall improved team outcomes, directly impacting the sustainability of Lean change culture and its promotion of improved patient safety, cost efficiencies and access to care.

The purpose of this study is to understand how faculty members perceive learning needs of the attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) student, as they acclimated to and performed within the higher education settings.

A phenomenological design was used to explore the faculty perceptions of ADHD college students. A sample of ten faculty members, employed in two-year, four-year, and graduate-level programs, participated in virtual semi-structured interviews. A six step thematic analysis of the codes was performed revealing three themes.

Results from the study yielded three themes: problem-based learning, time management and accommodations versus privilege. These themes highlight the complexity of the learning process, the limitations with time management, and the need for meaningful, rather than stereotypical, accommodations in these settings.

The number of students diagnosed with ADHD attending postsecondary education continues to rise, necessitating a critical lens on increasing neurodiversity-affirming practices in these settings. Despite noted strengths, students with this diagnosis struggle academically, resulting in academic challenges. To maximize each individual’s learning potential, systems of higher education need to carefully consider how to best design a positive learning environment with universally effective learning accommodations.

While faculty described accommodations and strategies provided to students, they also repeatedly shared concerning challenges and barriers to learning, as demonstrated by their students in various scenarios and situations. Results suggest areas of potential improvement, alongside the complexity of serving the need of the next generation of neurodivergent learners, in a world where equity and inclusion required additional time and thoughtful effort. Of greatest concern, perhaps, was the systems already in place, including offices of accommodations and services, that tended to use a “one-size-fits-all” approach, oversimplifying, rather than serving, student need.