Assessment Of Environment Research Articles

Improving Interaction and Assessment in Hybrid Educational Environments: An Integrated Approach in Microsoft Teams with the Use of AI Techniques

Improving Interaction and Assessment in Hybrid Educational Environments: An Integrated Approach in Microsoft Teams with the Use of AI Techniques

Artificial Intelligence-Based Comfort Assessment and Simulation of Architectural Sound Environments

Abstract This paper determines the influencing factors of architectural acoustic environment comfort assessment from the perspective of green building acoustic environment comfort, and constructs a two-by-two comparison judgment matrix for each questionnaire survey result. Through the consistency test of the judgment matrix, the weights of the factors influencing the comfort of the building sound environment are obtained, and the construction of the assessment model of the comfort of the building sound environment is completed. Based on the architectural acoustic environment comfort assessment model, optimization variables are selected and multi-objective optimization is used to determine the objective function and constraints of architectural acoustic environment comfort. The comfort of the acoustic environment of the campus building is evaluated and analyzed through simulation analysis. The results show that the two measurement points, point 8 and point 15, located on the north side of the library and information building and the center courtyard, respectively, have relatively low continuous sound pressure levels L eq of 51.7 dB and 44.4 dB, respectively, which are relatively favorable for the creation of a comfortable acoustic environment. Improving the building arrangement through the multi-objective optimization method under the acoustic environment assessment model can provide good environmental protection for people’s daily lives and work.

IDSI-SO: A Multiagent Safe Reinforcement Learning Navigation Based on Threat Assessment in Complex Dynamic Environments

IDSI-SO: A Multiagent Safe Reinforcement Learning Navigation Based on Threat Assessment in Complex Dynamic Environments

Assessment of the business environment for the furniture industries in the Temeke, Dodoma and Handeni districts, Tanzania

Assessment of the business environment for the furniture industries in the Temeke, Dodoma and Handeni districts, Tanzania

Трансформация делового климата российского бизнеса в условиях западных санкций

Modern trends and problems in the development of the global economy require a search for increasing the competitiveness of Russian companies in the global economic system. At the same time, one of the most important indicators assessing competitiveness opportunities is business activity and confidence in the future. The article presents an assessment of the business environment and analysis of the business climate of the Russian Federation in the period from 2014 to 2023, including in various sectors of the economy, taking into account positive, negative and restraining assessments given by the heads of large, small and medium-sized businesses. The main problems, internal and external barriers to the functioning of enterprises during the sanctions period under consideration are analyzed. Every year, more than half of entrepreneurs note the problem of rising prices and tariffs, high taxation, instability of the ruble exchange rate and a high key rate. One of the most important, and rightfully one of the three most negative barriers to doing business, is the lack of highly qualified personnel. Also relevant are the problems of unfair competition, difficulties in carrying out foreign economic transactions, underdeveloped infrastructure, insufficient protection of property rights and contract rights; remaining high administrative barriers, etc.

Assessment of the business environment for the furniture industries in the Temeke, Dodoma and Handeni districts, Tanzania

Assessment of the business environment for the furniture industries in the Temeke, Dodoma and Handeni districts, Tanzania

Long-term Human Participation Assessment In Collaborative Learning Environments Using Dynamic Scene Analysis

Long-term Human Participation Assessment In Collaborative Learning Environments Using Dynamic Scene Analysis

Stateless System Performance Prediction and Health Assessment in Cloud Environments: Introducing cSysGuard, an Ensemble Modeling Approach

Stateless System Performance Prediction and Health Assessment in Cloud Environments: Introducing cSysGuard, an Ensemble Modeling Approach

Cellular in-situ Assessment of Complex Tissue Environments in 3D

Cellular in-situ Assessment of Complex Tissue Environments in 3D

"В Сибири до последних пределов назрела нужда в неотложном введении земских учреждений": Сибирская парламентская группа и земская реформа в Сибири

In the second half of the XIX century, among the few representatives of the Siberian intellectuals called “intelligentsia”, discussions about the prospects for independent political regional development were actively spread, justified by the climatic, ethno-confessional and economic features of the historical development of Siberia. The evolution of the idea of Siberian separatism can be traced in the intellectual heritage of N.M. Yadrintsev, G.N. Potanin and A.P. Shchapov. In the future, the topic would be reflected in the works of the XX–XXI century historians, in particular M.V. Shilovsky, A.V. Remnev, S.V. Seliverstov and others. It is not surprising, that the events of the revolutionary of 1905 and the authoritative decisions of Nicholas II, which were made public to appease the revolution, "breathed new life" into the idea of Siberian autonomy.Within the framework of this article, an attempt has been made to analyze the structure and conceptual features of the "Siberian Parliamentary Group", as well as the assessment of participants’ contribution of the latter to the project development for the introduction of “zemstvos” in Siberia. The basis of the research source foundation consists of periodical press materials, in particular, the issues of the journal "Siberian Problems" for the specified period, as well as the articles from the newspapers "Siberia", etc. In addition, verbatim reports of State Duma meetings, memoirs of contemporaries and other sources were studied, which allow to characterize the composition and activities of the "Siberian Parliamentary Group" participants. The authors of the article characterized the composition and conceptual features of the Siberian Parliamentary Group activities. The key factors of the formation of the need for «zemstvo» in the region were identified. Based on the analysis of the draft zemstvo reform in Siberia, prepared by the Siberian Parliamentary Group members, an objective assessment of the political environment in which the investigated project was submitted to the State Duma is given. As a result of the conducted research, the key findings about the influence of the activities of Siberian deputies on the prospects of creating “zemstvo” in Siberia are formulated. The members of the Siberian parliamentary group as a whole acted energetically and in a timely manner, updating the most important issues requiring urgent solution to society and parliamentarians, on which the viability of the monarchy in Russia directly depended. Despite the fact that, unfortunately, none of the draft laws developed by the Siberian Parliamentary Group could be implemented for the region, the experience of Siberian deputies in the effective organization of joint activities of representatives of various political parties was valuable and even unique at the dawn of Russian parliamentarism.

Advancing assessment of responsive feeding environments and practices in child care.

Child care environments offer an ideal setting for feeding interventions. CELEBRATE Feeding is an approach implemented in child care environments in two Maritime Provinces in Canada to support responsive feeding (RF) to foster children's self-efficacy, self-regulation, and healthy relationships with food. This study aimed to describe RF in child care using established and enhanced scoring frameworks. The Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) was modified to reflect RF environments and practices, resulting in our modified EPAO and a CELEBRATE scale. Observations were conducted in 18 child care rooms. Behaviours and environments were scored on both scales, creating 21 RF scores, with a score of '3' indicating the most responsiveness. Descriptive analyses of the scores were conducted. The overall room averages were Mean (M) = 41.00, Standard Deviation (SD) = 7.07 (EPAO), and M = 37.92 SD = 6.50 (CELEBRATE). Most responsive scores among rooms within our EPAO and CELEBRATE scales, respectively, were 'educators not using food to calm or encourage behaviour' (M = 2.94, SD = 0.24; M = 2.98, SD = 0.06) and 'not requiring children to sit at the table until finished' (M = 2.89, SD = 0.47; M = 2.97, SD = 0.12). The least responsive scores within the EPAO were 'educator prompts for children to drink water' (M = 0.78, SD = 0.94) and 'children self-serving' (M = 0.83, SD = 0.38). The least responsive in the CELEBRATE scale were 'enthusiastic role modelling during mealtime' (M = 0.70, SD = 0.68) and 'praise of mealtime behaviour unrelated to food intake' (M = 0.74, SD = 0.55). The CELEBRATE scale captured unique observation information about RF to allow documenting change over time with detailed measurement to inform and support nutrition interventions within child care environments.

ОЦІНКА СВІТЛОВОГО СЕРЕДОВИЩА З УРАХУВАННЯМ БЕЗПЕКИ ПРАЦІ ТА ПРАЦЕЗДАТНОСТІ ЛЮДЕЙ ПРИ ВИКОНАННІ РОБІТ ВИСОКОЇ ЗОРОВОЇ СКЛАДНОСТІ

Purpose. Development of a complex methodology for evaluating the production light environment when performing works of high visual complexity. Methodology is to use comparative analysis of methodical approaches to the assessment of the light environment, which is the basis for the standardization of the light environment of workplaces in the EU countries and Ukraine. The regulatory documents have been analyzed from the point of view of the impact of the light environment on work safety, work capacity, and the psychophysiological state of workers who perform visual work of high complexity, as the most vulnerable category of workers. Results. Our analysis of international and Ukrainian acts that regulate the quality of the light environment at workplaces and research methods that take into account the quality of the light environment when performing work of high visual complexity allows us to establish that they do not fully take into account the requirements for the light environment in the work area and on workplaces.Taking into account the data of the world experience when assessing working conditions by the light environment factor, the justification and selection of the light environment criteria has been carried out for the first time, which allows to qualitatively assess the influence of the light environment when performing works of high visual complexity. For the first time, an algorithm for step-by-step assessment of the quality of lighting in the workplace is proposed to assess the components of the light environment, taking into account the impact of natural and artificial lighting on work capacity, safety, and psychophysiological activity, taking into account the psychophysiological state of workers. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a scientific and practical justification and selection of criteria for the parameters of the light environment has been carried out, which allows to qualitatively assess the influence of the light environment during the performance of visual tasks of high complexity. Practical significanse. The results of the implementation of the research make it possible to improve the methods of researching the production environment. Taking into account the factor of the light environment allows to increase the safety of work of a wide category of workers in various industries, which is especially important in connection with the spread of automation of production in Ukraine and the world, and, accordingly, an increase in the category of workers performing work related to high visual load. Keywords: visual environment; lighting environment; glance; labor protection.

Assessment of the public health risk from noise pollution of the Saint Petersburg center

The purpose of this study is to assess the risk to public health from exposure to road noise in the historical city center of St. Petersburg., the source of which is automobile (freight, passenger, public) transport. The presented article is devoted to an urgent problem – the assessment of the noise environment and the levels of the emerging risk to the health of the population exposed to traffic noise in dense urban areas. The risk assessment was carried out based on the results of field measurements of noise levels in the zone of influence of traffic flows. The quantitative risk assessment was carried out in accordance with the methodological recommendations of MP 2.1.10.0059-12 «Assessment of public health risk from exposure to traffic noise» and Instructions 2.1.8.10-12-3-2005 «Assessment of the risk to public health from exposure to noise in populated areas». The relevance of the work is confirmed by the fact that motor transport is becoming an increasingly priority source of noise pollution of streets, house territories, residential areas. The analysis of the results of the performed acoustic measurements indicates that the values of the equivalent and maximum sound levels at all four control points exceeded the normative noise exposure levels from 6 to 29.9 dBA. At the same time, the actual values varied from 61.2 dBA to 74.9 dBA for L(A)eq. and from 70.4 to 85.7 L(A)max. The obtained result indicates a significant noise impact of motor transport on the nearest residential area, which can lead to adverse health consequences.

Re-engineering inclusive classroom assessment practices in a digitalized environment. The mediating effect of digital competencies, instructional practices and assessment literacy

Inclusive assessment is crucial for fostering equity and justice in classrooms by accommodating diverse student needs. However, using uniform assessment tools for all students, regardless of their disabilities and learning requirements, has raised significant concerns. This study addresses the gap in research regarding the administration of inclusive assessments by examining how digital competencies, instructional practices, and assessment literacy mediate the relationship between the digital environment and inclusive classroom assessment practices. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2317 academic staff members. The study adapted items from previously validated tools and subjected them to rigorous quantitative validation, establishing reliability through Cronbach's alpha. Data analysis included assessing both the measurement model and the structural equation model. The results indicate that the digital environment significantly predicts teachers' practices related to inclusive assessment, digital competence, and assessment literacy. Furthermore, digital competence has a direct impact on instructional practices, assessment literacy, and inclusive assessment. While the joint mediation effects of digital competence and assessment literacy were significant, the combined effect of instructional practices and assessment literacy was not. These findings have important implications for educational policy and practice, highlighting the need for integrating digital competence into teacher training programs to enhance inclusive assessment practices.

Analysis of Chemical Pollutants using Non-Invasive Approach in Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus) in Selected Regions of Punjab

Present study was conducted to estimate heavy metals, macro and micro nutrients along with pesticide residues in fecal pellets of Pteropus giganteus fruit bat at three different sites, Chatpat Bani (district Pathankot) site I, village Katani Kalan (district Ludhiana) site II and village Longowal (district Sangrur) as site III. Among heavy metals, Cr predominates (17.35-26.30 ppm) followed by Pb (7.17-10.03 ppm) from three selected sites. Comparatively, higher levels of Cr, Pb, Cd and Ni heavy metals were recorded at site III, whereas As at site II, respectively. Among macro nutrients, K (7653.50-16927.17 ppm) and Mg (3249.33-3516.10 ppm) predominates in three sites. Comparatively higher levels of Mg, Ca and Na macro nutrients were recorded at site III whereas K and P at site I, respectively. Among micro nutrients, Fe (682.88-2069.45 ppm) and Zn (79.18-126.02 ppm predominates in three selected sites. Comparatively higher levels Fe, Zn and Mn micro nutrients were recorded at site II, B at site III and Cu at site I, respectively. Interestingly, contamination of pesticide residues in faecal pellets was found negligible as GLC showed values below detectable limits i.e., <0.05 ppm in all selected locations, which is a positive sign that exposure of bats to different pesticides is negligible in these areas due to less usage of pesticides or excretion by body. In present study, all elements were under permissible limits which are required for growth and reproduction except Mg and K which are good indicator of assessment of environment.

Dynamic monitoring of vegetation growth in Engebei ecological demonstration area based on remote sensing

Vegetation growth and the ecological environment affect each other. Understanding vegetation growth trend and their spatial pattern evolution is of great significance for ecological environment assessment and protection. The spatial trend and pattern evolution of different vegetation growth in the ecological area are included in vegetation planning, which can be used as a reference for vegetation planning and development. Based on Landsat remote sensing data, the spatial evolution trend and dynamic evolution of vegetation patterns at different levels in the Engebei Ecological Demonstration Zone from 2000 to 2021 were revealed, and the degree of ecological vulnerability was determined. The results show that: during the growing season from 2000 to 2021, the vegetation growth of the study area showed an overall improvement trend (about 63.44%), and the vegetation growth trends was mainly not significant change (about 97.12%). The improvement of vegetation growth in the southern desert region was higher than that in the northern arid steppe region. In the future, the main growth types were non-significant improvement of sustainability, non-significant improvement of anti-sustainability, non-significant degradation of anti-sustainability, and non-significant degradation, accounting for 38.84%, 23.81%, 17.30%, and 17.16%, respectively. The spatial distribution of vegetation of different grades mainly showed aggregation patterns, and the spatial distribution evolvement was more and more uniform, the distribution range was gradually expanded, and the orientation was gradually weakened. The numerical clustering degree of ecological vulnerability of vegetation was constantly declining. The results can provide a scientific basis for vegetation planning in the Engebei ecological demonstration area.

Elemental carbon - An efficient method to measure occupational exposure from materials in the graphene family

Graphene is a 2D-material with many useful properties such as flexibility, elasticity, and conductivity among others. Graphene could therefore become a material used in many occupational fields in the future, which can give rise to occupational exposure. Today, exposure is unknown, due to the lack of efficient measuring techniques for occupational exposure to graphene. Readily available screening techniques for air sampling and -analysis are either nonspecific or nonquantitative. Quantifying materials from the broad graphene family by an easy-to-use method is important for the large-scale industrial application of graphene, especially when for the safety of working environment. Graphene consists primarily of elemental carbon, and the present study evaluates the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC)-technique for exposure assessment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the OC/EC analysis technique as an efficient and easy-to-use method for quantification of occupational exposure to graphene. Methods that can identify graphene would be preferable for screening, but they are time consuming and semi-quantitative and therefore not suited for quantitative work environment assessments. The OC/EC-technique is a thermal optical analysis (TOA), that quantitively determines the amount of and distinguishes between two different types of carbon, organic and elemental. The technique is standardised, well-established and among other things used for diesel exposure measurements (ref standard). OC/EC could therefore be a feasible measuring technique to quantitively determine occupational exposure to graphene. The present evaluation of the technique provides an analytical method that works quantitatively for graphene, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide. Interestingly, the TOA technique makes it possible to distinguish between the three graphene forms used in this study. The technique was tested in an industrial setting and the outcome suggests that the technique is an efficient monitoring technique to be used in combination with characterisation techniques like for example Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.

Влияние профессионального мастерства и личностных особенностей педагога на психическое развитие ребенка в разных типах образовательной среды

Background. Cognitive and personal development are priority areas for the development of a child at preschool age. The quality of the developmental preparation of children in preschool institutions, their level of readiness to study at school, the degree of their adaptation to school, peers, and teachers largely depend on the state of the educational environment, the level of professional skills and personal characteristics of the teacher. Objective. The aim of the study is to explore the developing potential of educational environments and the influence of the professional and personal characteristics of a teacher on the formation of a child's personality in modern educational space. Study Participants. The empirical study involved 413 preschoolers aged from 4 to 6 years (M = 5.5 years), 413 parents (mothers) of preschool children and 50 teachers. For each child a written parental consent to participate in the study was signed. The study was conducted between 2014 and 2022. Methods. An empirical study was conducted using the ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) educational environment assessment scales; diagnostics of the level of development of professional culture and skill in kindergarten teachers was carried out (V.F. Gabdulkhakov, L.M. Popov); the methodology for studying the subjectivity of the teacher by E.N. Volkova and the methodology for studying creativity by E.E. Tunik were used. To evaluate various aspects of gaming activity, we used the proposed experimental situation by E.O. Smirnova and A.N. Veraksa. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using the Student's T-test, ANOVA and correlation analysis. Results. It is shown that in the educational environment of different levels, the indicators of professional skills and personal characteristics of teachers, as well as the personal development of children, are different. Significant differences were established in the severity of various aspects of children's play activity in different types of educational environments (one-way analysis of variance was used, p < 0.05), as a result of which significant differences were obtained according to the following diagnostic criteria: “substitution” (F = 25.72); “interaction” (F = 29.3), “game intent” (F = 13.76); “initiativity” (F = 5.25). Conclusion. Based on the study of the qualitative characteristics of educational environments (according to the ECERS-R scales), it is concluded that the specifics of the educational environment sets the vector of a child's development, contributing (or not contributing) to the disclosure of individual characteristics. The level of development of professional culture and skill in teachers of preschool educational institutions, their personal development determines the possibilities of the intellectual and personal development of the child and depends on the system of conditions for stimulating the quality work of the teaching staff and leaders, their involvement in creative self-development in order to realize creativity and activity as well as to improve their professional skills.

Satisfaction and readiness for professional activity of students of the Institute of Osteopathy (Saint-Petersburg): a study using the DREEM questionnaire

Introduction. The educational program is an important factor of the training quality of a future specialist in the modern system of medical personnel training. The most important indicator of the educational program quality is the educational environment that influences the formation of competencies and the students′ success. Measurements of the educational environment with the help of developed and validated tools make it possible to change it in many ways, which will eventually improve the quality of medical education. To date, the rapid educational environment assessment system developed at the University of Dundee (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, DREEM questionnaire) is considered as a valid and reliable tool that is universally accepted for measuring the medical educational environment, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the educational environment according to the educational program under study and determining the direction of improving the educational environment. The aim of the study is to evaluate the perception of the educational environment by students of the Institute of Osteopathy (Saint-Petersburg) using the DREEM questionnaire. Materials and methods. The study involved 80 students of the Institute of Osteopathy (Saint-Petersburg), studying in residency or professional retraining programs. Participants were surveyed using the DREEM questionnaire, consisting of 50 closed-ended statements, which are grouped into 5 subcategories. I. Students′ perception of the learning process (12 statements). II. Students′ perception of the role of lecturers in the educational process (11 statements). III. Students′ perceptions of their own academic performance (8 statements). IV. Students′ perceptions of the educational atmosphere (12 statements). V. Social self-perception and interaction with the environment (7 statements). Each of the 50 statements is rated on a 5-point scale: «Strongly agree» (4), «Agree» (3), «Not sure» (2), «Disagree» (1) and «Strongly disagree» (0). Satisfaction analysis was also carried out for individual statements. Results. The analysis of information obtained using the DREEM questionnaire showed that the educational environment created at the Institute of Osteopathy (Saint-Petersburg) was rated by students as ideal — 165,2 points; doctors studying in the residency educational program rate the educational environment statistically significantly (p < 0,05) higher than those studying in the professional retraining program. Among the students studying in a residency program, the indicators of confidence in their readiness for professional activity are at a fairly high level — 3,5–3,7 points, while among the students studying in a professional training program, the indicators of confidence in their readiness for professional activity are at the level of 2–3,3 points. There are some indicators of the educational environment that require improvement. Conclusion. A detailed study of the level of the educational environment perception among students of the Institute of Osteopathy (Saint-Petersburg), studying in various educational programs, made it possible to identify the most problematic areas in the educational process implemented at the Institute, which makes it possible to develop proposals for improving the current educational environment. The issues of organizing social support for students and building confidence in their preparedness for practical activities deserve the greatest attention. It is also recommended to regularly conduct a study of the educational environment satisfaction among students of the Institute of Osteopathy to assess the dynamics of the indicators.

Revitalizing a Traditional Market Space in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: An Analysis of Environmental Quality Indicators and Policy Implications

Traditional market settings in Nigeria have been observed to be poor in environmental quality and less conducive for human physical and economic wellbeing. The physical conditions of the markets have been used to draw conclusions in livability of the space. Policy options to revitalize the overall environmental quality of market spaces require users’ inputs. The study, therefore, examined the environmental quality of a traditional market space in Nigeria, specifically focusing on Odo-Ogbe in Ile-Ife, and explored the potential for policy interventions to revitalize the market. The study was carried out among everyday users of the market. Information obtained through questionnaire administration was the users’ socio-economic backgrounds and twenty-three variables having social, economic and environmental characteristics. Physical observation was also carried out for an all-inclusive environment assessment of the market. Using systematic random and purposive sampling techniques, 119 market users were selected for the survey. Results showed that, the majority of the users were married (64.7%), females (74.8%), who had one form of educational qualification or the other (89.9%). Using an index tagged “Users’ Environmental Quality Index” (UEQI), sixteen environmental quality indicators were rated to be important. Among these were “availability of electricity (UEQI=4.68)”, “availability of water (UEQI=4.52)”, and “clean and healthy environment (UEQI=4.18)”. The study recommended that the government concerned with city administration should pull financial and human resources together to provide facilities and services related to users’ environmental quality indicator data for effective revitalization of the market space.