Active Support System Research Articles

Competition is More Efficient than the Command Mechanism

The article is devoted to the assessment of innovative activity factors in the national economy. The author shows that investments in human capital and the maintenance of favorable institutional environment are important but not sufficient for the innovation-driven development, because they do not provide incentives for innovators themselves. Partially the incentives could be provided by the state but its oversized machine and regulatory bias in modern Russia do not permit to accomplish this function. In this situation the most important elements of the innovative activity support system are the development of market competition and the integration into global value added chains.

Initiating and maintaining appropriate physical activity with cancer

The benefits of regular physical activity (PA) are essential and recognized, including for cancer patients, during and after treatment. The OncoNormandie regional cancer network therefore offers an adapted physical activity support system that facilitates access for cancer patients.

Letter from the New Editor

It is a tremendous honour and privilege to serve as the new Managing Editor of Australian Economic Papers. I am grateful for the opportunity to navigate the course of an Australian economics journal with a rich heritage that has spanned 60 years of publication of scholarly and applied economics research. Since its inception, Australian Economic Papers has published path-breaking contributions that have helped shape the advancement of the economics discipline nationally. Indeed, the journal's first issue in September 1962 featured the first econometric model of the Australian economy in John Nevile (1962), amongst other important offerings. The journal's history has also been graced with the work of international influencers such as Joan Robinson (1964) and Harry Johnson (1971, 1974), while consistently providing a friendly forum for emerging scholars to publish their research. To this day, the journal continues to feature a wide range of topics that are policy relevant, impactful and underpinned by robust economic analysis. Pleasingly, Australian Economic Papers' 2020 impact factor of 1.346 ranks the journal as fifth out of 14 Australian economics journals in the Web of Science's latest journal citation report. The journal's readership and global reach has been on a steady climb, as has the number of submissions received annually. Much credit goes to previous editorial teams for their careful stewardship of Australian Economic Papers over the years. I am thus presented with an exciting opportunity to steer a key Australian economics journal into new territory, building on the rich heritage that has shaped the journal's history and its growing visibility and impact across a number of metrics. In this regard, my near-to-medium-term focus will be two-pronged. The first has to do with diversification. While original research articles will contribute the bulk of the journal content, I look forward to increasing the categories of submissions received by the journal so we have a good balance of different article types within the journal. Furthermore, special sections featuring topics that are internationally appealing but nationally relevant will be planned. Themed contributions from emerging research communities in Vietnam and China were invited by the previous editor earlier this year (in volume 60 issue 1). The deadline for submitting these contributions is September 30, 2021. After this, I welcome proposals for other themed contributions within special sections that are strongly pertinent to Australian economic interests. Another important task is the welcome challenge of preparing for future expansion. Rigorous peer review is a vital component of our assessment of submitted articles, and the journal is fortunate to have a highly effective and active editorial support system in place. However, given the steady rise in the number of submissions to the journal in recent years, it is clear that the editorial team will have to grow. As such, I shall be inviting new associate editors to join the team very shortly. These will initially be experts in the fields of econometrics, economic measurement and development economics, which make up a significant share of current submissions to the journal. In the longer-term, I expect associate editors from other fields to the join the editorial team as the journal content further diversifies. Finally, I look forward to working with Australian Economic Papers' editorial board, who form a stellar cast of ambassadors for the journal. I am also grateful to the global community of expert peer reviewers, whose outstanding service and ongoing commitment to scholarly excellence have been vital for upholding the standards and integrity of the journal. Together, I am confident we can build on Australian Economic Papers' strengths to further increase its contributions to the advancement of the economics discipline nationally and internationally.

МЕДИКО-БІОЛОГІЧНА СКЛАДОВА ПІДГОТОВКИ УЧИТЕЛЯ ФІЗИЧНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ

The purpose of the work is to characterize the biomedical component in the training of specialists in the field of knowledge 01 Education / Pedagogy in specialties 014 Secondary education (physical culture), 014 Secondary education (human health), 017 Physical culture and sports. Research methods. To obtain the most significant research results and their interpretation, the following methods were used: theoretical analysis and synthesis, systematization, generalization of information presented in scientific sources of information. Medical and biological support of physical culture is most justified, connected with the influence of physical exercises on the human body, the subject of which is the problems of human physical development, the activity of the main functional systems of the body, biochemical processes in the implementation of motor activity. This is due to the study of human health, the health-improving effect of motor exercises, adaptation to physical activity, determination of the influence of intense muscular activity on the body systems, adaptive changes in the life support system and regulation of human motor activity. Human motor activity associated with physical activity is one of the main factors that ensures normal vital activity, the basis for mental and physical development in ontogenesis. At the same time, mainly in the biomedical sciences, the physical qualities of a person are considered as natural (biological) properties without taking into account the integral individuality. Medical and biological education in physical culture of a person has recently been due to the active study of integrative approaches to the physical condition of a person. A future teacher of physical culture in the learning process should form a universal competence based on the sports and physical culture of the individual, reflecting its integrative nature. An integrated factor in physical culture and sports is movement, the direction of which is determined by operational, current and long-term goals of physical activity.

Modeling of an active multi-agent environment for the design of a multi-criteria group decision support system

In the present study, the research problem concerns business intelligence, more precisely collaborative decision-making. The authors propose a complete modeling of a multi-agent active environment for the design of a multicriteria group decision support system dedicated to the spatial problem of localization in territory planning. The proposed model is called ActiveGDSS (Active Group Decision Support System) which uses a coupling between a geographic information system and a multi agents system and is endowed by a new negotiation protocol based on the concession allowing reaching to a consensus which satisfies the territorial actors. The main purpose is to integrate the principle of contextual activation in the modeling of the system which makes the environment an active entity. The main advantages of contextual activation are efficiency gain in terms of execution, better flexibility and reuse of agent behaviors.

The employment policy and vocational activity support system for people with intellectual disabilities in Poland

This short report discusses issues related to the employment policy and vocational activity support system for people with intellectual disabilities in Poland. The analyses are based on data from a broader research project entitled Employment and Disability. The reconstruction of the Vocational Experience of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Poland. The project sought to explore the work-related situation of persons with intellectual disabilities regarding the employment policy, support practices in workplaces, and vocational experience of employees with intellectual disabilities, their job coaches and the coordinators of employment projects. The methodological framework combined the grounded theory set in social constructivism, as presented in Charmaz's works, with discourse analysis and the sociologically-oriented analysis of practices. The data were collected in 25 workplaces employing persons with disabilities in various parts of Poland, mainly by means of in-depth interviews, observation, and field notes. Although analyses discussing the specificity of Polish employment policy indicate that the vocational activity of persons with intellectual disabilities is promoted in Poland, in reality its implementation is difficult. The difficulties result from the poor quality law regulating vocational activity, lack of adequate legislative solutions, barriers on the part of employers, and the absence of sufficient financial support.

Modeling and Control of an Underactuated System for Dynamic Body Weight Support

This article concerns the stability analysis of a control system for a dynamic body weight support system in a rehabilitation device for the re-education of human gait. The paper presents a physical model of the device, which characterizes the most important physical phenomena associated with the movement of the system, i.e., inertia, damping, and elasticity. The device has one active and one passive element. They are connected by a connector with elastic and damping properties. This solution provides the kinematic chain required due to interactions with humans, while at the same time ensures that the device is an underactuated system. The article also presents the methodology used to verify the stability of the control system while acting as an active body weight support system. The paper formulates the mathematical model of the system that was used in the synthesis of control using the Lyapunov theory of stability. The results of simulation and experimental tests are also presented.

A Study of Antenna Unifying with Artificial Magnetic Conductor for Firefighting Activity Support System

Vital data communication is useful in preventing heatstroke during firefighting activities by firefighters. Since the communication environment may deteriorate at the fire site, it is desirable to use a wireless repeater if required. The antenna mounted on the wireless repeater is required to be able to transmit and receive regardless of the situation on the back conditions. In this paper, we proposed an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) integrated antenna with a planar structure that can reduce the influence of the backside by using AMC and examined its characteristics by electromagnetic field analysis. As a result, the antenna combined with AMC was able to increase the gain and front-to-back ratio without significantly reducing the reflection coefficient to the antenna alone. In addition, deterioration of reflection coefficient and movement of resonance frequency could be reduced even on a metal plane.

The employment policy and vocational activity support system for people with intellectual disabilities in Poland: emancipation policy or apparent actions?

This article presents problematics related to social policy and the system supporting the vocational activity of persons with intellectual disabilities in Poland. Analyses aimed at finding an answer to the question posed in the title are based on the results of a research project entitled Employment and disability. An analysis of the vocational experience of people with intellectual disabilities in Poland, which aimed at an exploration of the policy of the employment of persons with disabilities, practices in the area of employment services, and a reconstruction of the experience of subjects involved in the work situation: job coaches, persons with intellectual disabilities, and coordinators of employment projects. The methodological framework of the project was provided by the grounded theory set in social constructivism as presented in Charmaz’s works. The research material was collected in 25 workplaces employing persons with disabilities in various parts of Poland, mainly by means of in-depth interviews, observation, and field notes. The paper presents only a small fragment of the research results. The analyses focus on the presentation of the assumptions, goals, and trends of the employment policy, ways of functioning of the system of support of the vocational activity of persons with intellectual disabilities, and the confrontation of these systemic assumptions with the experience of persons involved in the implementation of this employment policy in the Polish reality. The article is therefore a critical analysis of the current policy of the employment of persons with intellectual disabilities, unmasking the existing paradoxes and apparent actions in the system of vocational support and the labour market

Design methodology to develop an active optics system for a thin 1-m meniscus mirror

We investigate the design of an active support system for the thin primary mirror of a mid-sized telescope system used for optical satellite communication and space debris observation. To handle the complexity of this task, a general design methodology is proposed. The design for the axial and lateral support is separated into several subtasks to reduce the number of design variables in every design step. Due to the independence of mirror geometry and material, this methodology is also applicable to larger mirrors. Utilizing the proposed procedure, an active support for a 1-m meniscus mirror with 25 mm thickness and the requirement to achieve diffraction-limited optical performance is developed. The final system consists of 32 axial and 8 lateral actuators supporting the mirror with a maximal simulated RMS error of 8.8 nm and PV error of 48.0 nm when pointing to zenith. Simulations show that the obtained design ensures the required performance even under commonly occurring mirror deformations.

Learning-Enabled Robotic Assistive Support: Understanding Older Adult Opinions and Comparing Them to Younger Adult Opinions.

As older adults age, they may require assistance completing activities of daily living (ADLs). Robotic assistance can offset healthcare costs and allow older adults to preserve their autonomy. Younger adults are often involved in the design and purchase of these robotic technologies, and must take into account the needs and expectations of the target population (i.e., older adults) to create a robot that the end-user will adopt. This study evaluated the opinions of both younger and older adults regarding the design and performance of the Robot Activity Support (RAS) system. It is important to understand points of agreement and divergence between these populations' perspectives so that effective robotic aids are created for older adults. Fifty-two younger and older adults completed three scripted tasks with the RAS robot in a smart home environment. Each participant made task errors to cue the robot to offer help via three prompt modalities (guide to the object, video of forgotten step, and video of the full task). After interacting with the robot, participants completed questionnaires to evaluate their opinions of and satisfaction with the robot. There were no differences between younger and older adults' perceptions of the robot across a variety of factors (e.g., likability, cognitive demand), with both age groups expressing generally neutral opinions. Both groups rated the Full Video prompt as least helpful, effective, and liked. Participants recommended the robot's response accuracy, movement speed, alerting style and system flexibility be improved. Younger adults overestimated how much older adults would want a robot like this. This study underscores the importance of testing technology with the end-user, as older adults were less interested in having a similar robot in their home than younger counterparts expected. Future studies will show if older adults' opinions can be improved after making the recommended changes.

РАЗРАБОТКА И ОБУЧЕНИЕ МОДЕЛИ ИСКУССТВЕННОЙ НЕЙРОННОЙ СЕТИ ДЛЯ СОЗДАНИЯ СИСТЕМ ПОДДЕРЖКИ ПРИНЯТИЯ РЕШЕНИЙ

The article highlights the significant increase of industrial capacities and automation of production, which requires taking effective management decisions by a responsible person. There have been outlined the important achievements of the scientists in application of the artificial neural networks in the various fields of activity and decision support systems involving the information analysis and processing with the results obtained. There has been proposed a review of publications on training artificial neural networks and on their efficient application in solving problems of classification, prediction and control. The most common structures of neural networks, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the methods used to create training data arrays have been studied. A comparative analysis of using various structures of artificial neural networks and the effectiveness of existing teaching methods and the prospects for their use has been carried out. There has been defined the most preferred neural network topology for solving problems of fire safety management at the production facilities as an active decision support system. Using the analysis results, the most common and effective training methods have been identified, application of which is appropriate for developing and training various types of neural networks. The use of the technology is well grounded for reducing the errors in data processing, the financial costs for ensuring security, as well as for possible using the neural networks in the decision support systems to optimize these systems.

Influence of Body Weight Support Systems on the Abnormal Gait Kinematic

In recent years, the Body Weight Support system has been considered to be an indispensable component in gait training systems, which be used to improve the ability to walk of hemiplegic, stroke, and spinal cord injury patients. Previous studies investigated the influence of the Body Weight Support system on gait parameters were based on the implementation with healthy subjects or patients with high assistance. Consequently, the influences of the Body Weight Support systems on gait rehabilitation in clinical practice are still unclear and need further investigation. In this study, we investigated the effects of the two Body Weight Support systems, the active body weight support system and the Counter Weight system, on an abnormal gait, which was generated by restriction of the right knee joint and 3 kg-weight on the right ankle joint. Both Body Weight Support systems improve the gait parameters of the abnormal gait such as the center of mass, the center of pressure, margin of stability, and step parameters. The active Body Weight Support system with the unloading force modulation showed more advanced and better behavior in comparison with the Counter Weight system. The results suggested the applicability of two Body Weight Support systems in clinical practice as a recovered gait intervention.

Implementation of a volunteer fire corps activity support system during fires

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to implement an activity support system for volunteer fire corps using Web-GIS technology. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors implemented a volunteer fire corps activity support system comprising a dispatch request system, a water sources geographic information system, a fire-vehicle location confirmation system, a route history system and an integrated management system. They implemented this system as a Web application in consideration of responsive design assuming that it is used on mobile terminals. Findings To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system, the authors conducted a survey of 18 fire corps volunteers who were asked to evaluate the system for operability, relevance, functionality, usability and effectiveness. Originality/value In this research work, the authors implemented the volunteer fire corps activity support system using Web-GIS technology. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey of the volunteer fire corps activity support system, asking 18 fire corps volunteers to evaluate the system for operability, relevance, functionality, usability and effectiveness. The results of the survey indicate an overwhelming positive response to the volunteer fire corps activity support system for all five measures.

РАЗВИТИЕ ВНЕШНЕЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ СВЯЗЕЙ РОССИИ С ГОСУДАРСТВАМИ АФРИКИ В УСЛОВИЯХ МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЙ КОНКУРЕНЦИИ

Цель: автор ставит цель идентифицировать препятствия на пути развития российско-африканских экономических отношений в условиях международной конкуренции, предложить варианты их ликвидации, выработать механизмы активизации взаимодействия. Обсуждение: автором проведен анализ существующих программных документов, систематизирующих цели и задачи России на африканском направлении. Определены преграды, мешающие динамичному расширению экономических связей. Результаты: автор приходит к выводу, что для многопланового развития сотрудничества между Россией и государствами Африки необходимо: выработать единую торгово- инвестиционную стратегию; реализовать ряд инициатив, направленных на обеспечение представителей российских органов власти и бизнеса информационными услугами; осуществить оптимизацию системы поддержки внешнеэкономической деятельности отечественных компаний на африканском направлении.

Quantitative and Qualitative Factors Associated with Social Isolation Among Graduate and Professional Health Science Students

Objective. To determine the prevalence of social isolation and associated factors in graduate and professional health science students. Methods. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered via an online survey from graduate and professional students in the colleges of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health at a Midwestern university. Questions assessed students' demographics, weekly activity hours, support systems, and financial concerns, and included the 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Logistic regression was performed using the binary outcome of feeling socially isolated (yes/no) and examined program-related respondent comments using thematic analysis. Results. There were 427 survey respondents with 398 completing the full survey. Students answering the social isolation question (n=386) were included in the regression analysis. Nearly one-fifth (19.4%) of respondents indicated social isolation, with the highest percentage among nursing respondents (40.7%). Lacking a strong support, being a non-native English speaker, having caregiving responsibilities, and experiencing "lonely" items described in the UCLA Loneliness Scale were positively associated with social isolation. The ability to discuss feelings with friends in their professional program and experiencing "non-lonely" items were negatively associated with social isolation. Ninety-six comments revealed nine risk factor themes in four categories: individual (feeling different from peers, personality, employment), interpersonal (competition/exclusionary atmosphere, faculty relationship), organization (too busy with coursework, isolating program) and community (relocation reduces social support). Student-involvement in organizations (activities encouraging socialization) and community (support from outside the group) were protective factors. Conclusion. Understanding associated factors and designing strategies to reduce student social isolation may enhance the quality and well-being of future health professionals and scientists.

Scholarly Activity Support Systems in Internal Medicine Residency Programs: A National Representative Survey in Japan.

Objective To describe the clinical research support systems in Japanese board certification programs of internal medicine and to assess the relationship between these support systems and the scholarly activities of residents. Methods In 2018, a 26-item web questionnaire was mailed to 542 points of contact of hospitals listed as certified residency programs of internal medicine in order to obtain information about the presence of a research support system and scholarly activity from 2016. We used hospital characteristic data from the Japanese Diagnostic Procedure Combination database, a national inpatient database, and the annual report of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine. Results A total of 228 hospitals (42%) responded to the survey. There were regular research lectures in 129 hospitals (57%), protected time (time to perform research during working hours) in 53 hospitals (23%), research consultations in 175 hospitals (77%), regular journal clubs in 213 hospitals (77%), regular research conferences in 151 hospitals (66%), data warehouses in 139 hospitals (61%), and financial research support from the hospital budget in 140 hospitals (61%). A multivariate analysis showed that none of the research support systems were related to the number of conference presentations. In contrast, protected time [odds ratio (OR) 3.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-9.39] and regular research conferences (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.14-4.23) were related to the presence of clinical research presentations in scientific conferences hosted by residents. Conclusion Protected time and regular research conferences were related to the scholarly activity of residents in Japanese teaching hospitals.

Commissioning progress of the FAST

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) was completed with its main structure installed on September 25, 2016, after which it entered the commissioning phase. This paper aims to introduce the commissioning progress of the FAST over the past two years. To improve its operational reliability and ensure effective observation time, FAST has been equipped with a real-time information system for the active reflector system and hierarchical commissioning scheme for the feed support system, which ultimately achieves safe operation of the two systems. For meeting the high-performance indices, a high-precision measurement system was set up based on the effective control methods that were implemented for the active reflector system and feed support system. Since the commissioning of the FAST, a low-frequency ultra-wideband receiver and 19-beam 1.05-1.45 GHz receiver have been mainly used. Telescope efficiency, pointing accuracy, and system noise temperature were completely tested and ultimately achieved the acceptance indices of the telescope. The FAST has been in the process of national acceptance preparations and has begun to search for pulsars. In the future, it will still strive to improve its capabilities and expand its application prospects.

GROA, active clinical decision support system

GROA, active clinical decision support system

The Shared Information Platform for Disaster Management –The Research and Development Regarding Technologies for Utilization of Disaster Information–

The common situational awareness among the disaster-response organizations and the appropriate action based on the information sharing are the key factor for the effective and efficient disaster response. Supported by the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), we have developed the Shared Information Platform for Disaster Management (SIP4D) which facilitate the “cross-ministerial information sharing” by intermediating the various governmental organizations. Also, as the empirical research for utilize the shared disaster-information by SIP4D, we have developed the Medical Activity Support System for Disaster Management, the Reservoir Disaster Prevention Support System, and the Disaster Management Information Service Platform. In this paper, we introduce the overview of our R&D project, and report the implementation plans of our systems in the society.