Set Of Alternatives Research Articles

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AND GROUPING OF OPERATING STAFF OF SEARCH SYSTEMS IN THE SENSE OF STRESS RESISTANCE

In modern information and search automated systems, the main role is played by the human-machine interface for decision-making based on the detection of objects of a given class in the information field. The human operator, as an element of such an interface, carefully reviews the provided information on the information field – the monitor screen, analyzing images of scenes, for example, pictures of territories, economic tables, abstract data, etc. Based on the received results of the analysis, the operator forms or chooses from a set of alternatives the appropriate decision, for which he mostly bears some responsibility. Such, let’s call them primary solutions, can be both final and the basis for further functions of this search engine. However, among the factors that in one way or another can negatively affect the quality of work of this interface, one of the first places is stress in the form of a collection of micro stresses. The main goal of this study is to develop a methodology for the organization of experimental selection of operator personnel based on the study of their behavior under the influence of micro-stresses. A human-machine interface model has been developed, which takes into account the change in the functional state of the human operator. The presented concept of the difficulty of detecting the object of attention contributed to the development of a special sequence of ordinary test images with stressor images included in it, and presented models of the flow of presenting test images to the recipient. With the help of descriptive statistics, the parameters of individual boxplot diagrams were determined and the recipient group was clustered. Overall, the proposed approach based on the example of the conducted grouping makes it possible to ensure the objectivity and efficiency of the professional selection of applicants for operator specialties. The developed methodology is of practical importance and can be used in systems of training, certification and professional selection of operator personnel.

Agenda-Manipulation in Ranking

Abstract We study the susceptibility of committee governance (e.g. by boards of directors), modelled as the collective determination of a ranking of a set of alternatives, to manipulation of the order in which pairs of alternatives are voted on—agenda-manipulation. We exhibit an agenda strategy called insertion sort that allows a self-interested committee chair with no knowledge of how votes will be cast to do as well as if she had complete knowledge. Strategies with this “regret-freeness” property are characterized by their efficiency, and by their avoidance of two intuitive errors. What distinguishes regret-free strategies from each other is how they prioritize among alternatives; insertion sort prioritizes lexicographically.

Hamming Similarity Programming Model for Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Objects with Attribute Values as Interval Numbers and Its Application

With regard to the interval number-based uncertain multi-attribute decision making problem, in which the attribute weights are unknown and there is no preference on decision-making alternative objects, this paper presents a new decision-making approach. In this method, Hamming distance firstly is used to define the Hamming similarity degree of normative interval numbers, and the Hamming similarity degree of decision-making alternative objects, and then the Hamming similarity superiority relation theory to the comparison of interval numbers is proposed and some relevant results are obtained. Thus, by drawing on the idea of deviations maximization, an interval number-based decision-making object Hamming similarity programming model (IN-DMOHSPM) is established to calculate and solve the weight vector of attributes. Next, all of the selected alternative objects set is screened and sorted by using the overall Hamming similarity degree of each decision-making object compared with the ideal optimal object, and a new algorithm of Hamming similarity programming model for interval number-based multiple attribute decision-making objects is presented. Finally, the feasibility and utility of this model used in this paper are demonstrated by a numerical example.

EDUCATIONAL OFFERS OF MODERN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS

Modern Ukrainian education finds new forms and methodseducational activity, which helps to more fully reveal the child's potential, his creative abilities, free from authoritarian influences on the personality and maintain a balance between external and internal factors of his development, because the Law «On Education» refers to the comprehensive development of a person as an individual and the highest value of society, the need complex personality development. Taking into account the changes and the development of the quality of education, under the influence of the urgent need for interactive elevation, the framework of the educational process is expanding, as a result, the list of forms and means of education, as well as their definition, is also changing. New educational standards have a significant impact on reforming the educational sphere: new information technologies that contribute to the openness and accessibility of education: a new understanding of the content of general secondary education, improving the quality and competitiveness of education in new economic and socio-cultural conditions. Society needs a new school philosophy that would change not only its organizational, but also its substantive aspects. The article considers an important problem of today, such as alternative education. Alternative education provides an opportunity to experience a completely different quality of education from the one we know, requires non-standard thinking, breaking through the schemes on which the traditional education system is based. The existence of alternative education makes it possible to enrich the current educational environment with innovations, it is it that departs from the traditional system and tests experimental creative achievements and provides new perspectives for the schools of the future. Alternative education is based on the free development of the child. Alternative education sets itself the goal of preparing a young person for life and creating conditions for him to be able to realize himself.

King-chicken choice correspondences

Given a complete, though not necessarily transitive, preference relation, we propose a family of choice representations inspired by the king-chicken procedure, according to which an alternative x is chosen among a set of alternatives A if, for every other alternative y in A, either x is preferred to y or there is another alternative z in A such that x is preferred to z, and z is preferred to y. We generalize this process by allowing the path from x to y to include more than one alternative z and fully characterize the choice correspondences that can be achieved through it. Two of the most relevant tournament solutions, the uncovered set and the top-cycle, are special cases of this generalized king-chicken choice procedure, so this work improves previous results that have appeared in the choice theory literature by delivering axiomatizations for those models in generic (not necessarily finite) choice spaces.

Understanding what matters to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients when considering treatment options: A US patient preference survey.

Understanding how patients perceive the efficacy, safety, and administrative burden of treatments for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) can facilitate shared-decision making for optimal management. This study sought to elicit patient preferences for mCRPC treatments in the US. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using the discrete-choice experiment method. Participants were asked to state their choices over successive sets of treatment alternatives, defined by varying levels of treatment attributes: overall survival (OS), months until patients develop a fracture or bone metastasis, likelihood of requiring radiation to control bone pain, fatigue, nausea, and administration (i.e., oral/IV injection/IV infusion). Using mixed logit models, we determined the value (i.e., preference weights) that respondents placed on each attribute. Relative attribute importance (RAI) and marginal rates of substitution (MRS) were calculated to understand patients' willingness to make tradeoffs among different attributes. The final data set numbered 160 participants, with a mean age of 71.6 years old and a mean of 8.96 years since prostate cancer diagnosis. Participants' treatment preferences were as follows: OS (RAI: 31%), bone pain control (23%), nausea (16%), delaying fracture or bone metastasis (15%), fatigue (11%), and administration (3%). The MRS demonstrated that respondents were willing to trade 1.9months of OS to eliminate moderate nausea and 3.3months of OS for a reduction in fatigue from severe to mild. Improving OS is the highest priority for patients with mCRPC, but they are willing to trade some survival to reduce the risk of requiring radiation to control bone pain, delay a fracture or bone metastasis, and experience less severe nausea and fatigue.

Air-rocket space launch system - as Responsive Space System

ObjectivesThe study was to analyze the concept of Responsive Space Systems alternative launch and set of the nanomicro satellites into Low Earth Orbit. The analysis focused on aircraft-rocket space systems, where platform for launching a rocket with a satellite is an aircraft.The aircraft in the role of the platform provides opportunities, system thus the operator doesn't need bases or space ports in European conditions.MethodsAnalysis of the research area, focused on the review, critical analysis, evaluation of the available literature, resources. The work was supplemented with the results and recommendation of the research project recently carried out at the MUT.ResultsSystems were presented in view of the war in Ukraine. Existing operational and currently designed systems were reviewed. Article evaluated the aerial-rocket systems for launching objects into the LEO in the context of the system's operational costs and capabilities, potential market and further military and civilian applications also the needs of the Polish Armed Forces. Combat aircraft and rocket kits based on decommissioned from PAF fighters were proposed and valuated.ConclusionsImplementation of system gives autonomy from countries or companies offering space services, possibility of mastering new capabilities of placing satellite systems for security&defense purposes. For the PAF, aircraft-rocket kits based on phased-out supersonic combat aircraft may be the start of the development and construction of the national Responsive Space System. The country's scientific-industrial base has competence to design&build such a system. Polish Space Agency can act as an integrator of the system just as NASA did in the 1960s.

Application of MCDM and Taguchi super ranking concept for materials selection problem

Material selection is a topic of pivotal importance in the optimal design and development of industrial products. Increasing demand for high-performance materials with desirable and tailor-made properties is expected to drive the future market. This paper examines the application of multicriteria decision-making techniques like AHP, TOPSIS, EDAS, VIKOR, and Taguchi-based super ranking concepts for the selection of optimal aluminum alloy material for the sheet metal forming process. The criteria used to evaluate the optimal material selection were identified as yield strength, tensile strength, thermal conductivity, impact, density, specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, and % elongation. The most ranked aluminum material frequency is selected for sheet metal forming simulation using DEFORM, a process simulation FEM-based tool. An integrated Taguchi DOE and process simulation were carried out for the best-ranked AA2024 aluminum material. The results showed that the MCDM and Taguchi-based super ranking concept provides an intelligent and methodical assessment for solving material selection from a finite set of alternatives for the sheet metal forming process. The group decision behavior, agility, and flexibility in including multiple decision-making criteria for overall comparative analysis of materials, and manufacturing processes with uncertainty make MCDM methods a definitive tool for materials and manufacturing process selection.

The Appropriate Age for Transition to Managed Accounts in a Qualified Default Framework: It Might Be Earlier than You Think

In this article, we review evidence of retirement under-saving and potential solutions, as well as empirical evidence regarding investor reaction to negative market returns. We present new corroborating evidence from fund flows around the recent volatile market events in 2020 that indicates a rising loss aversion, just as asset levels become significant with investors approaching retirement. We surmise that recent trading activity implies an aggregate investor preference for target-date fund (TDF) portfolios within a 20-year time horizon of retirement, with a volatility profile that is potentially too conservative for requisite savings in later years, due to concomitant lower portfolio return potential combined with the aggregate under-saving problem. This mismatch in investor preferences is compounded by a reactionary tactical investor trading strategy that essentially buys high and sells low. We propose that the rising investor loss-aversion problem can be mitigated by including guaranteed retirement income products in the asset mix in a defined contribution qualified default investment alternative setting to provide for the desired downside risk protection against extreme events, or else by shifting investors from a TDF to a managed account (MA) setting in later years to accomplish the same goal, or by utilizing both approaches in tandem. Given the evidence of MA utilization in increasing aggregate savings rates, reducing portfolio risk levels and its potential to meaningfully address the serious measured return drag from investor return-chasing behavior, the potential benefits can outweigh the higher average fee burden for managed advice in many cases. The question then becomes at what age do the benefits outweigh the potential costs, on average. Based upon the recent empirical evidence of TDF flow data from 2020 and data on average account balances, we propose that the appropriate age for automatic transition to managed accounts could be as early as 40.

A family of distances for preference–approvals

A preference–approval on a set of alternatives consists of a weak order on that set and, additionally, a cut-off line that separates acceptable and unacceptable alternatives. In this paper, we propose a new method for defining the distance between preference–approvals taking into account jointly the disagreements in preferences and approvals for each pair of alternatives. The proposed distance is compared to the existing distance functions to deal with clustering problems. Specifically, we prove that our metric improves the estimated clusters in terms of both stability and accuracy.

Commonplaces of Governance and the Vulnerability of Faculty Work

ABSTRACT Shared governance, the principle that faculty members have a role in governing the institutions in which they work, in the American university is in crisis. Do the principles that underlie shared governance retain their efficacy in the contemporary, neo-liberal university? In this essay, I examine the commonplaces that underwrite our contemporary understanding of university shared governance and the practices that are animated by them: the idea of the university as a public good, the idea that faculty expertise grants them a governance role, and the assumption that governance provides stability, security, and continuity to the institution. The essay examines the development of shared governance as a (rhetorical) means of providing order through consensus, analyzes recent instances of governance crises in American higher education, and proposes an alternative set of commonplaces with which to address a period in American public higher education characterized by mobility, unsettlement, and vulnerability.

Confined Klein–Gordon oscillators in Minkowski spacetime and a pseudo-Minkowski spacetime with a space-like dislocation: PDM KG-oscillators, isospectrality and invariance

We revisit a confined (in a Cornell-type Lorentz scalar potential) KG-oscillator in Minkowski spacetime with space-like dislocation background. We show that the effect of space-like dislocation is to shift the energy levels along the dislocation parameter axis, and consequently energy levels crossings are unavoidable. We report some KG-particles in a pseudo-Minkowski spacetime with space-like dislocation that admit isospectrality and invariance with the confined KG-oscillator in Minkowski spacetime with space-like dislocation. An alternative PDM setting for the KG-particles (relativistic particles in general) is introduced. We discuss the effects of space-like dislocation and PDM settings on the confined KG-oscillators in Minkowski spacetime with space-like dislocation. Three confined PDM KG-oscillators are discussed as illustrative examples, (i) a PDM KG-oscillator from a dimensionless scalar multiplier gr=exp(2αr2)≥0,α≥0, (ii) a PDM KG-oscillator from a power law type dimensionless scalar multiplier gr=Arσ≥0, and (iii) a PDM KG-oscillator in a Cornell-type confinement with a dimensionless scalar multiplier gr=expξr≥0 .

Physical fitness of students attending the freestyle wrestling section

Research and experimental research made it possible to reveal the level of physical fitness of students of the Faculty of Physical Education, who are engaged in freestyle wrestling. The indicators obtained in the test tests revealed that the physical qualities of the subjects were formed gradually. A slight advantage is observed in indicators of speed and strength formation. It is these qualities that are a priority for freestyle wrestlers, which was confirmed by the conducted experimental research.
 In classes, depending on the period of training, various tasks, means and training methods are used. It is more effective to alternate different sets of exercises using a variety of training methods. For the age of athletes presented in the work, competitive, circular, methods and methods of speech and demonstration are best suited when performing specially preparatory, competitive exercises, exercises with partners or a dummy.
 According to the results of the experimental research, it was found that students improved their results in all test exercises by the end of the academic year. The technical preparation of freestyle wrestlers has undergone the same changes. According to the results of the educational and training year, the average score of the subjects increased in all technical and tactical actions. Which indicates the correct selection of means and methods of physical education. At the same time, the conditions of students' workload during the day were also taken into account, because in the first half of the day they are busy with academic work, training was held in the evening.
 An analysis of the competitive activity of students of the Faculty of Physical Education, who are engaged in the freestyle wrestling section, showed that the boys took an active part in all competitions during the academic year. The following were the most successful: Championship of Ukraine in freestyle wrestling among juniors and juniors born in 2004-2005: one first and one second place, Championship of the Zakarpattia region in freestyle wrestling among men and women: one first and two third places, Universiade of universities: two first places places, three second places and six third places.

Public Opinion About the Benefit, Risk, and Acceptance of Aerial Manipulation Systems

Aerial manipulation systems are an emerging subclass of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) that use a mobile arm to manipulate their environment. Public opinion is an important consideration for drones, but past public opinion polls have focused on drones without attached arms and have relied on text-based surveys. Study 1 ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</i> = 190) assessed participants’ perceived benefit, risk, and acceptance of aerial manipulation systems across five applications, using an animation-based online public opinion survey. Study 2 ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</i> = 194) assessed the influence of stimulus sampling on public opinion of aerial manipulation systems by replicating Study 1 using an alternative set of animations. Study 3 ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</i> = 396) assessed the influence of using animations versus a text control on perceptions of the poll and aerial manipulation systems, as well as the influence of survey platform (YouGov Direct versus Mechanical Turk). Results show that delivery applications are perceived as more beneficial than several other applications; that people’s opinions and imagining of drones were different if they watched animations versus read text; and that stimulus and population sampling influence the results of public opinion polls about drones.

Stability Representations of Many-to-One Matching Problems: An Integer Optimization Approach

We consider integer optimization models for finding stable solutions to many-to-one, utility-weighted matching problems with incomplete preference lists and ties. Whereas traditional algorithmic approaches for the stable many-to-one matching problem, such as the deferred acceptance algorithm, offer efficient performance for the strict problem setting, adaptation to alternative settings often requires careful customization. Optimization-based approaches are free of the need to create customized algorithms for each unique context and can readily accommodate such extensions as (incomplete) preference lists with ties, alternative and nontraditional objective functions, and side constraints including those that ensure stable matching outcomes free of waste. We explore the flexibility of optimization-based approaches in several ways. First, we introduce four new constraint sets that prevent justified envy and a new system of constraints that prevents waste; taken together, they jointly ensure stable matching outcomes. Second, we create two algorithms to accelerate the generation of our proposed constraints. Third, we construct aggregate objective functions to reflect multiple hierarchical emphases by imposing a strict lexicographical order on the individual components. Fourth, we conduct comprehensive experiments to study the computational performance of our proposed optimization models and compare them with models from the extant literature under a variety of problem attributes. Our experiments reveal the circumstances under which each stability representation excels in terms of optimality criteria and computational efficiency on a variety of real and synthetic data sets. One such setting in which our proposed stability representations excel includes the important context of when sufficient seats exist for applicants, such as school choice problems and hospital residency matching. History: Accepted by Pascal Van Hentenryck, Area Editor for Computational Modeling: Methods &amp; Analysis. Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplementary Information [ https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.1237 ] or is available from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC ) at [ http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6892615 ].

130 Novice-Performed Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Home-Based Imaging

As delivering health care in alternative settings becomes more common, portable imaging technologies aiding medical decision-making will be key. Patient-performed point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) scanning may be feasible for use in home-based medical care. Here, we investigated whether novice users can obtain lung ultrasound (LUS) images via self-scanning with similar interpretability and quality as experts.

Balancing Caregiver Resources Provided by Michigan’s Area Agencies on Aging

ABSTRACT Timely linkages are necessary for people with dementia and other disabling conditions to reduce caregiver burnout, prevent unnecessary hospitalization, or placement in alternate care settings. To identify needs, the Caregiver Resource Collaborative conducted a needs assessment of Michigan’s sixteen area agencies on aging (AAA). Responses by the sixteen AAAs to an online questionnaire provided a point-in-time picture of current caregiver assessment and services conducted by AAAs. Fifteen AAAs responded there would definitely or probably be an increase in the number of caregivers. Fifteen responded that they purchase or contract out respite care services. Fourteen stated that they provide some type of direct caregiving resources. Twelve utilize staff to develop and monitor care plans. While some provide training, none of the AAAs provides supportive services. The AAAs anticipate rapidly increasing needs for caregiver supports and services. While each provides different services, demand will continue to grow as the older adult population increases.

An extended picture fuzzy multicriteria group decision analysis with different weights: A case study of COVID-19 vaccine allocation

The high contagion rates of COVID-19 and the limited amounts of vaccines forced public health authorities to develop vaccinations strategies for minimizing mortality, avoiding the collapse of health care infrastructure, and reducing their negative impacts to societies and economies. We propose a Multi Criteria Group Decision Making for prioritizing a set of COVID-19 vaccination alternatives, under a picture fuzzy environment, where the weights for Decisions Experts (DE) and criteria are unknown. A panel of six DEs assess six criteria for prioritizing four groups for vaccination. The weights for DE and criteria are handled in the form of fuzzy sets. Three types of weights are calculated: subjective, objective, and mixture weights.According to our results, three out of the six criteria hold 60% of the strategic importance: 1) allocation and distribution, 2) COVID-19 strains and 3) capabilities and infrastructures. However, persons with comorbidities became the group with the highest priority, followed by essential workers, women, and adults older than 40 years. Governments, decision makers, and policy makers can find rigorous scientific evidence for articulating effective vaccinations campaigns from this work, and contribute to minimize undesired outputs, such as high mortality rates or collapse of hospitals.

Development of a multicriteria model for crises in urban water supply and its application to the case of Brasilia, Brazil.

The expansion of urban water supply crisis (UWC) cases, a context characterized by an inadequate ratio between water consumption and supply capacity, has motivated researchers to search for tools to solve the problem. The objective of this study is to develop a multicriteria tool to help select the solution alternative for UWC cases. The tool (called UWC-MCDA) is based on obtaining consensus on various multicriteria methods for selecting alternatives to solve UWC cases. The proposed methodology consists of the following steps: (1) defining the criteria, (2) defining weights, (3) defining the alternative, (4) defining multicriterial decision support methods, (5) coding the UWC solution alternative selection model, (6) evaluation of the model coding, (7) application of the model coding, and (8) sensitivity analysis. The methods PROMETHEE II, TOPSIS, ELECTRE III, and Consensus ranking are used. The case study considered was the Administrative Region of Brasilia, in the Federal District of Brazil. A multicriteria tool to help select the solution alternative for UWC cases was developed in an easy-to-use environment (Visual Basic for Applications, MS Excel). The UWC-MCDA is able to identify and prioritize, among a set of possible alternatives, the most appropriate solution for the case in question. For the case study, the UWC-MCDA indicated the best alternatives for regulating water consumption, strengthening sanitation service operators and good water conservation practices. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:99-113. © 2022 SETAC.

The cross-subsidy and buy-one-give-one models of compensated peer review: A comparative study for mission-driven journals

A financial compensation model could incentivise peer reviewers to provide the optimal amount of effort by rewarding them for their quality reports. Therefore, in this article, we consider peer-reviewed journals with the mission to financially compensate reviewers for delivering quality reports and to ensure affordable access to peer review for every author. In a cross-subsidy scenario of compensated peer review, the mission-driven journals expect all authors to pay for either the standard or a premium peer review. However, using this strategy, the journals offer standard peer review to low-income authors at lower prices, compared with the premium price high-income authors pay for higher-quality peer review. In addition, we also present a buy-one-give-one model of compensated peer review for the mission-driven journals. In this alternative setting, when a high-income author pays for a premium peer review, the journals would donate a certain number of free peer reviews to the low-income authors who are unable to afford them. In this two-tiered system, scholars with access to more funding receive premium treatment, while low-income authors can still access standard peer review similar to what authors currently receive for free. In this article, we show a comparative study between the cross-subsidy and buy-one-give-one models of compensated peer review. We find that a buy-one-give-one scenario provides a higher total sum of financial and social gain than the cross-subsidy scenario either when the mission-driven journals are highly socially responsible or when the social gap between the high-income and the low-income authors is large enough.