Coordination Issues Research Articles

Effective Information Sharing for Circular Economy Business Models – A Conceptual Paper

The innovations of circular business models led to changes in the information sharing process and dynamics. The uncertainty from the new material treatment and coordination issues of new stakeholder dynamics poses significant challenges for information sharing methods to distribute adequate and accurate information

Exploring Dimensions of Teacher Education in Nepal: Perspectives, Challenges, and Reform Opportunities

This study evaluates Nepal's English Language Teacher Education (ELTE) reform possibilities and challenges. The study examines teacher education in connection with social contexts, knowledge transformation, and knowledge generation from many perspectives. Reflective teaching, modelling, and research habits improve instructors' professionalism and create effective learning environments. According to the report, English Language Teachers in Nepal face obstacles that must be addressed in teacher education. Content analysis is used to study the diverse literature. Surkhet English teachers and headteachers participate in a focus group. The paper's results and discussion section summarize the literature review and participants' opinions. It covers key concerns such as the absence of physical facilities and funds for teacher training, poor English language ability among instructors, coordination issues between pre-service and in-service training programs, and minimal research on ELT classroom methods. Reforming teacher education to improve topic knowledge, pedagogical skills, and technology expertise is recommended. English language teacher education faces societal inequities, uneven government regulations, and limited access to internet resources and databases. The study also examines technology integration in English language classrooms, online platforms, and the lack of research on ICT integration in Nepalese education. This research article helps to understand ELTE in Nepal and suggests areas for development and additional study.

Heterogeneity in sequential network formation games

In the benchmark model of network formation by Bala and Goyal (2000), the equilibrium network is known as the Center-Sponsored Star (CSS), wherein one player establishes a link with every other player. However, laboratory experiments have shown that CSS do not emerge due to coordination failure and fairness concerns. The difficulty arises from the fact that participants are homogeneous and make simultaneous decisions, making it highly challenging for them to converge on an asymmetric network. In this study, we addressed this coordination issue by introducing a sequential linking decision process. Furthermore, we introduced heterogeneity among the participants and examined whether the presence of a special individual (such as one with a higher monetary value or a different status) affected the network structure. The results revealed that the sequential decision-making process enables the coordination on fair and efficient networks, but not CSS. The impact of heterogeneity varies depending on the type of heterogeneity: the participants with higher values attract more links, leading to increased network asymmetry, whereas non-monetary heterogeneity does not influence linking decisions.

Design of the Integrated Cognitive Perception Model for Developing Situation-Awareness of an Autonomous Smart Agent

This study explores the potential for autonomous agents to develop environmental awareness through perceptual attention. The main objective is to design a perception system architecture that mimics human-like perception, enabling smart agents to establish effective communication with humans and their surroundings. Overcoming the challenges of modeling the agent's environment and addressing the coordination issues of multi-modal perceptual stimuli is crucial for achieving this goal. Existing research falls short in meeting these requirements, prompting the introduction of a novel solution: a cognitive multi-modal integrated perception system. This computational framework incorporates fundamental feature extraction, recognition tasks, and spatial-temporal inference while facilitating the modeling of perceptual attention and awareness. To evaluate its performance, experimental tests and verification are conducted using a software framework integrated into a sandbox game platform. The model's effectiveness is assessed through a simple interaction scenario. The study's results demonstrate the successful validation of the proposed research questions.

Building a hospitable and reliable dialogue system for android robots: a scenario-based approach with large language models

Dialogue systems implemented with android robots are expected to provide not only advanced conversational ability but also reliability and hospitality due to their human-like appearance. In this study, we aim to develop a hospitable dialogue system by encouraging open-ended utterances and responding adaptively to give users the feeling of being heard. To achieve this, utilizing large language models (LLMs) is a promising option, but task-oriented dialogue systems implemented with only LLMs often generate irrelevant, inconsistent, or contradictory utterances. Therefore, we propose a scenario-based dialogue system that subdivides the task into smaller sub-tasks, such as summarization, information extraction, and response generation, and uses LLMs in a fine-grained manner to overcome such shortcomings of the LLM-based dialogue system. Our system was evaluated in the tourist-spot recommendation task of the Dialogue Robot Competition 2022 and achieved second place in the preliminary round and first place in the final round, outperforming other rule-based dialogue systems. However, we also identified several challenges when using LLMs for android dialogue systems, including response delays due to computational complexity, hallucinations, and coordination issues between generated utterances and robot control.

THE NETWORK FORM OF OBTAINING EDUCATION – A MODEL OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORY OF THOSE OBTAINING EDUCATION OF STUDENTS: THE MANAGERIAL ASPECT

This article describes the analysis of the mechanism of the implementation of the network form of obtaining education and describes the order of interaction of the participants of this process in the implementation of an individual educational trajectory. A network form of education is defined as a model in which the educational process is organized through a network of participants, such as students, teachers, parents, experts, etc., who cooperate and interact to achieve educational goals. The article considers the key aspects of the network form of obtaining education from a managerial point of view. The article analyzes the role and functions of various participants in the educational process, such as students, teachers, heads of educational institutions, pedagogical experts, etc. The interaction between these participants is also investigated and their role in the implementation of an individual educational trajectory is determined. In particular, the processes of cooperation, communication, information exchange and interaction that help students develop and realize their educational goals are described. Analyzing the management aspect of the network form of education, this article examines the issues of organization and coordination of work between network participants, distribution of responsibilities and decision-making. Attention is also drawn to the need to establish effective cooperation and communication between network participants. Organizational structures and management mechanisms are considered from the point of view of ensuring the flexibility and adaptability of the education system to the individual needs and goals of education seekers. The article highlights the importance of the network form of obtaining education for the implementation of the individual educational trajectory of those obtaining education. It shows that the online form of education allows students to develop their individual potentials, taking into account their unique personal characteristics, interests and needs. The management aspect of the network form of education consists in creating an effective organizational structure that ensures interaction between network participants, coordination of their work and joint decision-making. The responsibility for the successful implementation of an individual educational trajectory rests with students, teachers, heads of educational institutions and other participants of the network.

Analysis of motion characteristics of lower limb exoskeleton robot

To address the issue of motion coordination in lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robots, and to meet the basic characteristics of ergonomics and human kinematics, a humanoid design was adopted to design a lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot. The Denavit- Hartenberg (D-H) mathematical model of the lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot was established, and the motion characteristics of each joint were analyzed to obtain the D-H parameters during the motion process. The motion characteristics were analyzed from the perspectives of forward kinematics and inverse kinematics. The variation law of motion parameters during the motion process was obtained, and simulation analysis of the motion characteristics was performed. The results show that the maximum center of mass velocity is 0.45 m/s, which is reached within 0.8 seconds. After that, the velocity decreases, with a range of approximately -0.2 m/s to 0.55 m/s. It can be seen that the displacement and velocity changes of the exoskeleton robot legs are relatively stable, which meets the design requirements.

Exclusive-Region-Map-Based Medium Access Control in Mobile Networks With Directional Antennas Through Deep Interference Learning

The medium access control (MAC) design in mobile networks with directional antennas is challenging due to the difficulty of defining the exact RF interference range between two neighboring directional links and the frequent changes of interference range due to node mobility. This research targets directional data reception (Rx) and transmission (Tx) coordination issues based on the computation of directional interference ranges from nearby directional links. An innovative MAC mechanism is designed with three features: (1) ER-map, i.e., the spatial expression of exclusive region (ER) model in the format of a heatmap. The ER-map helps to determine the directional interference range in typical communication scenarios. Different ER-map cases are analyzed based on the spatial layout differences for two nearby directional links. (2) Spatio-temporal ER-map evolution prediction: a Spatio-Temporal Residual Network (ST-ResNet+) model is used to describe the spatial correlations (for the ERs among neighboring links) and temporal correlations (for the ERs across different time instants) as well as the ER map evolution patterns. Such a Deep ST-ResNet+ model is used to predict the next-time ER map’s snapshot. (3) Optimized directional MAC protocol based on ER map predictions: The ST-ResNet+ prediction results are used to determine the MAC operations, such as Tx/Rx schedule arrangement in the one-hop area, sending rate adjustments, etc. Comprehensive simulations are conducted to validate the throughput efficiency for the proposed directional MAC scheme.

Optimal coordination of directional overcurrent relays in complex networks using the Elite marine predators algorithm

The integration of renewable energy sources in the distribution network (DN) has had a significant influence by reducing power loss and enhancing network dependability. Aside from that, the protection system has met coordination issues as a result of bidirectional power flow and variations in fault levels. Therefore, an optimal coordination strategy is required to deal with relays coordination problem. The coordination problem of the directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs) is a restricted optimization issue that involves determining appropriate time dial settings (TDS) and plug setting (PS) to reduce relays operating time. Currently, a various nontraditional optimization strategies have been presented to overcome this challenge. In this paper, a modified version of the marine predators algorithm (MPA) referred to as Elite marine predator (EMPA) is developed for the optimal coordination of DOCRs. Therefore, the EMPA method is used to find out the optimal settings for the DOCRs problem. The suggested algorithm's performance is evaluated using standard test systems, including 3-bus, 8-bus, 9-bus, and 15-bus. The findings are compared with the traditional MPA and with other recent optimization methods presented in the literature to prove the efficiency and superiority of the proposed EMPA in reducing relay operation time for optimal DOCRs coordination.

How (Not) To Wrong Others with Our Thoughts: A Liberal Challenge Against the Possibility of Doxastic Wronging

In recent years, a number of authors have claimed that we can wrong each other simply by having certain beliefs—in particular sexist, racist, ableist etc. beliefs—about each other. So far, those who argue for the possibility of so-called doxastic wronging have tried to defend this idea by focusing on issues of doxastic control and coordination. In this paper, I raise a distinctly moral challenge against the possibility of doxastic wronging. I show that the idea of doxastic wronging runs afoul of the liberal principle according to which all moral obligations have to be justifiable vis-à-vis those they presume to bind. In addition, I argue that there is a better way to account for the fundamental intuition driving the debate: instead of assuming the possibility of doxastic wronging and the morally grounded epistemic duty it implies, we should conceptualize what is morally problematic about bigoted beliefs in terms of the harm they constitute for their targets.

Critical Perspectives on the New Situation of Global Ocean Governance

Global ocean governance is the concretization of global governance. Various interest groups interact with and coordinate ocean issues. Global ocean governance is inevitably linked to the new global governance landscape. In recent years, a series of new scenarios in global governance have emerged. These situations have further shaped the plurality of participants and the diversity of mechanisms in global ocean governance. Science and technology innovation and application are prerequisites and prime movers for the evolution of global ocean governance. Major worldwide crises, represented by global climate change and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, have added great uncertainty to the future development of global ocean governance. The divergence of interests and positions between emerging countries and developed countries, as well as the reshaping of the global geopolitical landscape in recent years, has led to the stagnation or deadlock of a series of international negotiations and international cooperation platforms related to global ocean governance. With the deepening of global governance, non-state actors are not only objects of ocean governance but also bearers of legal obligations and enjoy varying degrees of legal rights, participating in agenda setting, rule construction, and monitoring implementation at different levels of ocean governance. From a critical jurisprudence perspective, in the practice of global ocean governance, the relationship between non-governmental organizations, states, and international organizations is more likely to be one of reconciliation than the “state–civil society” dichotomy of moral imagination. This new set of circumstances exposes the divisive and fragmented nature of global ocean governance. This study concludes that the new situation of global ocean governance constitutes a historic opportunity for countries to reexamine the role of the rule of law during the Anthropocene to bridge the fragmentation and gaps in mechanisms and achieve a truly integrated, holistic, and closely nested global ocean governance. The question of how to implement the rule of law requires the introduction of theoretical perspectives such as the Anthropocene, complex systems theory, and the community of a shared future for humanity to undertake a fundamental critical reflection and rethinking of global ocean governance.

What can economic coordination do for creativity and well‐being?

The scope of this paper is contributing to unveiling how economic organizing can be more humanistic by delving into ideas of well‐being and advancing them through the concepts of creativity. Accordingly, our contribution reflects on how designing and implementing organizations and processes inspired to creativity can ameliorate the life of participants. We therefore analyse issues of economic coordination through fundamental mechanisms elaborated by organizational economists (market exchange, organized hierarchies) and associate them with diverse consequences in terms of creative capacity. Illustrations are taken from the creative sectors. The creativity dimension (as an outcome) assumes especial relevance in our analysis, not only or primarily because of its potential link with competitiveness and economic prosperity (as in the current economic approach to creativity) but mostly because of the connections with the creation of a public good in the form of well‐being and value for the public.

Optimizers for optimal coordination of distance relays and non-standard characteristics of directional overcurrent relays

In this paper, different methods are utilized to solve the coordination issue involving directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs) and distance relays. The proper coordination of DOCRs and distance relays is a critical issue for system security in electrical networks. Finding the DOCRs setting, pickup current(Ip) and timed dial setting (TDS), and operating time for zone-2 of distance relays is the primary objective of solving the coordination problem. The constant parameters A & B of the directional overcurrent relay that are responsible to control the form of the relay´s characteristics as well as the Ip and TDS have been regarded as variables in this problem. The optimal value for these four DOCR settings has been determined using different optimization techniques. The primary and backup relays must operate sequentially and without any violations, and this must be guaranteed by optimization techniques. In order to determine the operation time for zone-2 and DOCRs setting, optimization methods are examined utilizing the 8-bus and IEEE 30-bus networks. Different optimization algorithms, including recent and traditional techniques, are compared. The obtained results show the superiority of the genetic algorithm (GA) in solving the coordination problem of distance relays and DOCRs. Also, the obtained results prove the ability of the GA method compared to the particle swarm algorithm (PSO), grey wolf optimization (GWO), water cycle technique (WCA), equilibrium optimizer (EO), African vultures optimization algorithm (AVOA), flow direction algorithm (FDA), and gorilla troops optimizer (GTO) techniques.

ANALYSIS ON THE CIVIL MILITARY COORDINATION FOR DISASTER RESPONSE IN KUALA LUMPUR

A successful disaster response requires great coordination between the military and rescue aid agencies to minimize casualties and losses suffered by victims. The collaboration between agencies and the military during a disaster response needs to consider the issues of coordination, communication, and roles responsibilities in order to ensure that disaster response operations are well-structured and prevent duplication of task. In addition, the findings of the study also show that community awareness factors also influence the effectiveness during disaster response activities. Response to disasters requires an understanding of the factors that affect civil-military coordination. In order to accomplish the research objectives, a sample size of ten respondents was selected for the qualitative research method. Interviews were conducted with ten representatives from each agency involved in Disaster response in Kuala Lumpur. However, thematic network analysis and narration and observation were used for data analysis. The study found that each of the identified elements greatly influenced the effectiveness of civilian-military coordination during disaster response operations. This study contributes in equipping the agencies and the military to respond to disasters systematically.

Optimizing Traditional Shipyard Industry: Enhancing Manufacturing Cycle Efficiency for Enhanced Production Process Performance

The traditional shipbuilding industry is crucial in the global maritime sector, contributing to ship construction, repair, and maintenance. However, it faces challenges in improving production process efficiency. This article explores strategies to optimize the industry's manufacturing cycle. A comprehensive literature review identified key challenges, including production planning errors, coordination issues, material delivery delays, and limited technology integration. These challenges result in higher costs, reduced productivity, and project delays. To address these issues, the article proposes integrating efficient management systems like Lean Manufacturing and Total Quality Management to enhance the production cycle's efficiency. Implementing these systems eliminates non-value-added activities, simplifies processes, and reduces wait times. Additionally, the Manufacturing Cycle Efficiency method is valuable for analyzing production processes, identifying waste, bottlenecks, and interruptions, and optimizing workflows. In conclusion, this article provides insights and strategies to optimize the traditional shipbuilding industry. By integrating efficient management systems, utilizing the MCE method, and embracing sustainability practices, shipyards can enhance production cycle efficiency, increase productivity, and gain a competitive advantage, supporting industry growth and paving the way for a sustainable future.

A new era for myelin research in Neurofibromatosis type 1.

Evidence for myelin regulating higher-order brain function and disease is rapidly accumulating; however, defining cellular/molecular mechanisms remains challenging partially due to the dynamic brain physiology involving deep changes during development, aging, and in response to learning and disease. Furthermore, as the etiology of most neurological conditions remains obscure, most research models focus on mimicking symptoms, which limits understanding of their molecular onset and progression. Studying diseases caused by single gene mutations represents an opportunity to understand brain dys/function, including those regulated by myelin. Here, we discuss known and potential repercussions of abnormal central myelin on the neuropathophysiology of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). Most patients with this monogenic disease present with neurological symptoms diverse in kind, severity, and onset/decline, including learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, motor coordination issues, and increased risk for depression and dementia. Coincidentally, most NF1 patients show diverse white matter/myelin abnormalities. Although myelin-behavior links were proposed decades ago, no solid data can prove or refute this idea yet. A recent upsurge in myelin biology understanding and research/therapeutic tools provides opportunities to address this debate. As precision medicine moves forward, an integrative understanding of all cell types disrupted in neurological conditions becomes a priority. Hence, this review aims to serve as a bridge between fundamental cellular/molecular myelin biology and clinical research in NF1.

Robot swarms neutralize harmful Byzantine robots using a blockchain-based token economy.

Through cooperation, robot swarms can perform tasks or solve problems that a single robot from the swarm could not perform/solve by itself. However, it has been shown that a single Byzantine robot (such as a malfunctioning or malicious robot) can disrupt the coordination strategy of the entire swarm. Therefore, a versatile swarm robotics framework that addresses security issues in inter-robot communication and coordination is urgently needed. Here, we show that security issues can be addressed by setting up a token economy between the robots. To create and maintain the token economy, we used blockchain technology, originally developed for the digital currency Bitcoin. The robots were given crypto tokens that allowed them to participate in the swarm's security-critical activities. The token economy was regulated via a smart contract that decided how to distribute crypto tokens among the robots depending on their contributions. We designed the smart contract so that Byzantine robots soon ran out of crypto tokens and could therefore no longer influence the rest of the swarm. In experiments with up to 24 physical robots, we demonstrated that our smart contract approach worked: The robots could maintain blockchain networks, and a blockchain-based token economy could be used to neutralize the destructive actions of Byzantine robots in a collective-sensing scenario. In experiments with more than 100 simulated robots, we studied the scalability and long-term behavior of our approach. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility and viability of blockchain-based swarm robotics.

Effects of Virtual Reality on Complex Building System Recall

Multidisciplinary design and construction teams are challenged to communicate and coordinate across complex building systems, including architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and piping (MEP). To support this coordination, disciplinary 3D models are combined and coordinated before installation. Studies show that besides the use of 3D models, industry professionals sketch building components to discuss coordination issues and find resolutions that require them to recall the building components in the model. In current practices, 3D models are explored with Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools presented on 2D screens, while Virtual Reality (VR) can provide users with an immersive environment to explore. This paper presents the results of an experiment that studied the effects of VR’s immersive environment on the participants’ complex MEP system recall compared to BIM via sketching. The comparison criteria were the 3D geometry properties of the piping system and the users’ self-awareness in the model categorized under color, shape, dimension, piping, and viewpoint. The results showed significant improvement in recall of shape, dimension, and piping when the model was explored in VR.

Corrective demonstrations and embodied resources for modeling speech sounds in aphasia speech-language therapy

This paper analyzes the way speech-language therapists instruct and correct aphasic speakers regarding the pronunciation of linguistic items and model pronunciation through auditory, verbal, visual, and tactile resources, thus configuring it as an embodied, multisensory experience. The data analysis shows that correction of a patient's productions is first initiated by therapists audibly, through repetition of the target item with specific prosodic features, such as loudness and length. When this type of cue proves to be ineffective, therapists perform instructions and corrective demonstrations through visual and haptic cues: By using their body as an “instructional tool,” they represent, with gestures and facial expressions, features of the target sound. They can also touch a patient's face to help them to correctly realize specific articulatory movements. This paper focuses on the hierarchy of embodied resources that are mobilized by therapists, in an ordered and incremental way, to model pronunciation. Moreover, it highlights the methods used to enhance patients' visual attention toward embodied resources and solve issues of bodily coordination. More broadly, this paper highlights the complex embodied nature of speaking and, by focusing on a pathological situation and a therapeutic setting, shows what participants treat as relevant for producing speech sounds in interaction.

Legal Problems of Environmental Information in the Management of Solid Municipal Waste

The article reveals some problems of legal regulation of the solid municipal waste management system and the elimination of accumulated environmental damage in terms of the elimination of unauthorized locations of solid municipal waste and landfills of solid municipal waste. The importance of the measures and rules adopted by the state to ensure the implementation of environmental protection projects to eliminate accumulated environmental damage, as well as to reduce the negative impact on the environment and human health, the importance of improving legislation in terms of ensuring access to environmental information in the field of education, processing, disposal and disposal of municipal solid waste is noted. Particular attention is paid to the need to establish transparency of the state environmental management aimed at implementing an Environmental Safety Strategy, one of the main issues of which is the creation of an integrated system for the management of solid municipal waste and the elimination of accumulated environmental damage.The direct dependence of ensuring environmental safety and achieving the indicators of the national development goals of the country on the transparency of environmental information generated during the management of solid municipal waste and the elimination of unauthorized landfills of solid municipal waste has been established. The article also touches upon some issues of coordination of the activities of public authorities that ensure the formation of a sustainable system of solid municipal waste management, and the importance of environmental information in the framework of building interdepartmental cooperation in this direction.