Accessibility Criteria Research Articles

REQUIREMENTS AND DESIDERATA FOR THE SCHOLARY USE OF WEB ARCHIVES

The web and online information has become of utmost importance. However, the short lifespan of online data (with 40% of content being removed after 1 year) poses serious challenges for preserving and safeguarding digital heritage and information. Hence, web or media historians, sociologists or digital scholars must learn to "dig" in online sources such as the Internet Archive or national web archives in order to find relevant research material. In this paper, we explore the requirements of researchers working with web archives and outline how they perceive the limitations and possibilities of using the archived web as a data resource, using survey data (n=154). We asked researchers with and without experience in working with web archives for, amongst others, the search functionalities and selection and access criteria they require. Given that archived web content is relatively new research material, new skills need to be acquired to work with this content which is not something evident or something every researcher is willing to do. Yakel & Thores (2003) point to three distinct forms of knowledge required to work effectively with these sources: (i) domain (subject) knowledge, (ii) artifactual literacy, and their own concept of (iii) archival intelligence. In addition to arriving at significant findings that demonstrate the relationship between researcher’s domain (subject) knowledge, archival intelligence and use frequency of web archives, this study discusses the limitations of using the archived web as a data resource and concludes with actions to overcome these hurdles and fulfill the desiderata of scholars.

Research on a Design Algorithm of Dynamic Spectrum Access Criterion

In order to improve the utilization of electromagnetic spectrum, electronic devices can sense the current spectrum occupancy status and use these spectrum resources without disturbing the communication of other authorized users. In the past research, researchers have generally ignored the randomness of the propagation channel and the uncertainty of the location of the authorized user on the spectrum perception. To this end, this paper proposes a dynamic spectral access criterion design algorithm.

BASIC MEANS OF BARRIER FREE SPACE IN URBAN AGRORECREATIONAL ECO-COMPLEXES

The paper considers the problem of creating a barrier-free space in urban agrorecreational eco-complexes for people with disabilities. Foreign and domestic publications on this and related topics are analyzed. The purpose of the research is set and the main tasks are defined in accordance with the purpose. Materials and research methods are defined in this article. The main terms and concepts are considered: vertical farm, low-mobile population groups, barrier-free envi-ronment, etc. The peculiarities of the criterion of accessibility, the criterion of informativeness, comfort are deter-mined. The requirements for urban agrorecreational eco-complexes design taking into account the needs of the people with limited mobility are analyzed and classified. The main means of barrier-free space in urban agrorecreational eco-complexes are determined. The main means of accessibility for the elements of the outdoor space of urban agro-recreational eco-complexes are analyzed: outdoor ramp, ramp exit, increased pedestrian crossing, lifting device, external stairs, parking space for a person with disabilities. The main means of accessibil-ity for the elements of the interior space of urban agro-recreational eco-complexes are considered: internal ramp, internal stairs, ramp, elevator, internal lifting device, escalator, bathroom for people with disabilities. The main means of universal (inclusive) design for elements of external and internal space of urban agro-recreational eco-complexes are revealed. Tactile elements of accessibility are considered: tactile guide strip, warning tactile strip, information tactile strip, tactile information pointer. Visual elements of accessibility were identified and analyzed: contrasting colored signs, information boards and informants. The sound elements of accessibility are analyzed: voice informers and sound beacons-alarms. An example of a voice informant combined with an information board and a tactile information index is presented. In accordance with the tasks in this article, conclusions are made about the main results of the study. Keywords: agrorecreation, ecocomplex, barrier-free, universality, design, means.

Development of Professionally-Oriented Reading Skills of Future Veterinarians

The article deals with the development of future veterinarians’ professionally-oriented reading skills during foreign language learning.The article's aim is to highlight and analyze the main directions of the development of professionally-oriented foreign reading skills of future veterinarians as one of the effective methods of mastering foreign language competence. The objectives of the article are to study and characterize the theoretical foundations of professionally-oriented reading training; to define principles and criteria for the selection of professionally-oriented texts for future veterinarians; to introduce and substantiate the stage-by-stage work with the text of professional veterinary orientation.General theoretical research methods (analysis, synthesis, system-structural) have been used to reach the research purpose.The results are the following. The teacher’s work on developing reading skills is not only to teach the students to read but also to encourage them to use learned material in their future professional activities. Properly selected training material on professionally-oriented reading takes a leading role in the successful training of future veterinarians. The problem of the selection of training material for the formation of professional competence in reading was solved by taking into account the criteria of authenticity, informativeness, and accessibility of texts. In the process of selecting materials for training professionally-oriented reading at the faculty of veterinary medicine, it is appropriate to rely on the principles of professional orientation; scientificity; sustainability; unity of theory and practice.As an outcome of the research, we have concluded that the development of professionally-oriented reading skills helps to solve a number of tasks: it gives the motivation to learn a foreign language, allows students to deepen their knowledge of scientific authentic material, develops abilities to use foreign sources in future professional activities, improves skills of professional communication.

Supporting Older Co-Resident Carers of Older People – The Impact of Care Act Implementation in Four Local Authorities in England

The Care Act 2014 provides for ‘parity of esteem’ between people with social care needs and carers. This is achieved by extending the principles of prevention and wellbeing to carers; reinforcing carers’ right to an assessment; and setting national eligibility criteria for access to carer support services. This article reports on research that examined the impact of these changes on older co-resident carers of older people in four English local authorities. Findings are described in relation to four key themes: organisational arrangements and rationale; the aims of carer support and preventative services; design and delivery of carer assessment; and barriers to assessment and support. The findings of the research suggest that, despite the new statutory requirements, underlying contradictions and tensions in local authorities’ relationship with carers, and efforts to support them, remain unresolved.

European Union membership conditionality: the Copenhagen criteria and the quality of democracy

ABSTRACT The European Union has been praised for successfully promoting democracy through its political accession conditionality by incentivizing Central and Eastern European countries to establish stable democratic institutions and improve their human rights practices. However, recent democratic downturns in the region have brought into question the quality and longevity of democracy that the Union promotes. By tracing political developments and progress towards satisfying European Union membership requirements in two countries currently engaged in accession negotiations, Montenegro and Serbia, I find that the European Union’s standards of democracy fall short of requiring stable democratic institutions and long-term successes in producing political systems that respect and protect human rights, the rights of minorities, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms. Instead of requiring prospective member states to comply with accession criteria, the European Union is allowing them to progress along the integration path with only partial compliance, weakening its own ability to induce meaningful reforms.

A limited defense of talent as a criterion for access to educational opportunities

In recent work, Joseph Fishkin has helpfully enriched understandings of equality of opportunity as a feature of distributive justice schemes. One branch of his argument focuses upon the degree to which ‘merit’, as a function of talent and effort, is conceptually and practically vexing for these goals. While Thompson is in general agreement with the direction of Fishkin’s critiques and new offerings, in this article he extends and strengthens Fishkin’s analysis of talent, specifically focusing upon its role as a defensible criterion for access to developmentally useful educational opportunities. Developing an account sympathetic to Fishkin’s contributions, Thompson provides a limited defense of talent as a morally relevant criterion for access to some educational opportunities. Of course, Thompson acknowledges that this relevance is not absolute and, therefore, points towards reasons why talent enjoys only this occasionally relevant status in relation to educational opportunities and what systemic issues ought to be avoided as a result.

Assessment of Chicken Production, Marketing and Socio-Economic Situations in Some Selected Districts of Gambella Region, Ethiopia

The present study was conducted in Gambella region of south west Ethiopia to assess the chicken production, marketing and socio-economic characteristics in some selected districts of the region. The study was conducted in selected districts that were based on accessibility criteria’s and potentially to represent the region. The study involved under field conditions by using semi structured questionnaires for focus group discussions and key informant interviews. From four districts atotal of 384 farmers those have indigenous chickens (96 from each districts) were considered. Mean age of the respondents in the districts were 39.72±0.14 at Lare, 43.29±0.12 at Abobo, 42.18±0.15 at Gambella Ketema Zuria and 43.31±0.13 at Itang special districts. The family size per interviewed households (HHs), respectively was 6.21 ± 0.17, 5.43 ± 0.16, 5.11 ± 0.15 and 5.65 ± 0.12. Almost all the respondents indicated that broodiness characteristics were common in their flock in which 79(82.29%) in Itang especial district, 77(80.21%) in Abobo, 75(78.13%) in Lare and 88(91.67%) in Gambella Ketema zuria districts. The mode of transportation of chickens to the market were mainly by hand usually embracing (69.01%) and hanging the chicken downward (30.99 %). According to the interviewed farmers, a comparative higher price of Birr 180.50±0.75 and Birr 130.50±2.50 per birds were given for matured cocks and matured female hens, respectively during holidays and Birr 150.25±0.50 and Birr 120.55±0.73 per birds were given for matured cocks and matured female hens at regular time, respectively. Disease and shortage of feed were the first two major constraints in village chicken production, ranked first, and second, respectively in the study area. Generally, there are factors, including chicken management practices on housing, feed and feeding and market channel need improvement, which makes differences in chickens’ production and marketing situation in the study area, which suggests that there is an opportunity to improve poultry production and marketing in the future. Keywords: Marketing, Poultry production, Selected districts, Socio economics. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/70-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2020

Promoting positive washforward through personalised test feedback and other benefits: Piloting a computer-based testing system

Abstract This contribution reports on the developing and piloting of a computer-based version of the test of English as a foreign language produced by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), where it is currently used for the admission of international students and the subsequent evaluation of their language progress. Among other benefits, computer-based testing allows for better and individualised feedback to both teachers and students, and it can provide a more authentic test experience in light of the current digital shift that UK universities are undergoing. In particular, the qualitative improvement in the feedback available for test-takers and teachers was for us a crucial factor. Providing students with personalised feedback, that is, directly linked to their performance, has positive washforward, because it means we can guide their future learning, highlighting the areas they need to work on to improve their language skills and giving them suggestions on how to succeed in academia. Furthermore, explaining the meaning of test results in detail improves transparency and ultimately washback, as teachers can use the more accessible marking criteria, together with information on how their students performed, to review plans and schemes of work for subsequent courses.

Professional Re-Stratification and the (Defensive) Adaptation of Status Hierarchy

Over thirty years since Eliot Freidson’s seminal account of re- stratification and the emergence of administrative elites in professions, we still know little about how far this process has been associated with changes in the criteria for determining seniority and authority. Have new criteria emphasising proven management competency for advancement in professional management hierarchies displaced those of professional status, and if so, under what conditions? In this paper, we investigate this matter focusing on senior medical management roles in English public hospitals. Drawing on a mix of administrative data sources and applying fsQCA, we highlight both change and continuity in the prevailing status hierarchy of medicine. Our findings reveal the continued influence of externally derived professional status criteria for access to the highest-ranking professional manager roles. Additionally, the configurational approach shows how, in situations where hospitals have achieved greater formal autonomy (corporatisation), different criteria emphasising management competency have also been influential.

Independent Community Building Model through Environmental-based Tourism Management in “Masdarling” Program

Village tourism program is one of programs that can boost positive contributions to community development. This study aimed to design an independent community building model through environmental-based tourism management. Using primary and secondary data, the researchers used qualitative descriptive analysis to obtain a model of independent community building through environmental-based tourism management by forming a group named environmental awareness community group or Masdarling. In this way, regional potential can be used maximally, while masdarling tourism development was done using Community Based Tourism (CBT). A participative community empowerment became the main instrument to increase environmental living standard and preservation. Based on the mapping of problem patterns, the crucial programs to develop covered tourism awareness community, joint business group and integrated waste management efforts. It was expected that the development of tourism village through several kinds of village groups could explore various and sustainable tourism concepts. As a result, this development could fulfill the criteria of access, attraction, amenities. Upon this achievement, new tourism spots in Bontang City and the increase in community income can be obtained. Also, village economy and environment quality were resulted through the indirect effects of this development.

Use of an Exit Criterion for a Clinical Paediatric Feeding Case in-Home

There are well-established empirically-supported treatments for paediatric feeding disorders (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder; ARFID); however, more research is needed on their sole use, outside of specialised multidisciplinary feeding hospitals, and with older ages. Additionally, there is little research on the use of an exit criterion treatment. An 11-year-old male participated in a 2-week in-home programme. Treatment was solely behaviour-analytic and consisted of demand fading, choice, differential attention, contingent access, and exit criterion. We conducted repeated edible preference assessments and used a changing criterion single-case experimental design across three food variety groups of decreasing preference. Variety reached 79 foods across food groups and 100% of goals were met. Caregivers reported high social acceptability and at 2-year follow-up the problem still resolved.

The 'Ius Pecuniae': The Prize of Citizenship

When transformations of the relevance or the role of citizenship in contemporary societies occur, it has been observed that also a crisis of the citizenship institution must be investigated. This intuition confirms itself every time the access criteria to citizenship are renovated or transformed, such as in the case of the “ius pecuniae” criterion. This Latin term (in a free translation “the right of money”) describes the principle according to which a particular form of economic investment can provide for a facilitated access to residence (residence by investment) and/or to citizenship (investor citizenship). In recent years, a growing number of EU countries adopted regulatory schemes and programs that “trade” access to citizenship (direct or mediated through residence) for economic contributions in the name of the public interest of the country. This expanding phenomenon has already ignited concerns regarding not only doctrinal, ideological or ethical points of view, but also for the consequences that this criterion produces on the practices of citizenship rights and freedoms, especially in relation to European citizenship.

Implementation of data access and use procedures in clinical data warehouses. A systematic review of literature and publicly available policies

BackgroundThe promises of improved health care and health research through data-intensive applications rely on a growing amount of health data. At the core of large-scale data integration efforts, clinical data warehouses (CDW) are also responsible for data governance, managing data access and (re)use. As the complexity of the data flow increases, greater transparency and standardization of criteria and procedures are required in order to maintain objective oversight and control. Therefore, the development of practice oriented and evidence-based policies is crucial. This study assessed the spectrum of data access and use criteria and procedures in clinical data warehouses governance internationally.MethodsWe performed a systematic review of (a) the published scientific literature on CDW and (b) publicly available information on CDW data access, e.g., data access policies. A qualitative thematic analysis was applied to all included literature and policies.ResultsTwenty-three scientific publications and one policy document were included in the final analysis. The qualitative analysis led to a final set of three main thematic categories: (1) requirements, including recipient requirements, reuse requirements, and formal requirements; (2) structures and processes, including review bodies and review values; and (3) access, including access limitations.ConclusionsThe description of data access and use governance in the scientific literature is characterized by a high level of heterogeneity and ambiguity. In practice, this might limit the effective data sharing needed to fulfil the high expectations of data-intensive approaches in medical research and health care. The lack of publicly available information on access policies conflicts with ethical requirements linked to principles of transparency and accountability.CDW should publicly disclose by whom and under which conditions data can be accessed, and provide designated governance structures and policies to increase transparency on data access. The results of this review may contribute to the development of practice-oriented minimal standards for the governance of data access, which could also result in a stronger harmonization, efficiency, and effectiveness of CDW.

The Multi-Method Tool ‘PAST’ for Evaluating Cultural Routes in Historical Cities: Evidence from Cagliari, Italy

Thematic paths are a central aspect of urban policies for cultural heritage valorization. In fact, thematic paths are central spatial features for structuring the image of a historical landscape. Hence, this study proposes the cultural paths assessment tool (PAST) as a methodological framework for individuating a network of routes connecting cultural heritage components and for assessing their usefulness. Usefulness is herein defined as the potential of a street network to support the meaningful experience of a historical urban landscape. PAST combines space syntax techniques, a geographic information system, and a qualitative analysis within a multi-criteria analysis framework for addressing four aspects of connecting cultural heritage components, including: (i) the individuation of relevant assets; (ii) the identification of the sub-network of most central street segments; (iii) the definition of the street network of thematic routes; (iv) the assessment of the usefulness of thematic paths, according to the criteria of usability, imageability, and accessibility. The proposed methodology, applied to the historical district of Marina in the city of Cagliari in Italy, supports planning and design processes in two ways: (1) by identifying street segments and squares comprising a network of thematic routes; (2) by individuating high-leverage interventions for improving the usefulness of thematic routes. Consequently, the proposed study addresses the need to establish methodologies and analytic tools that support decision making processes for conserving, managing, and valorizing historic urban landscapes.

Una aproximación a la brecha digital de las personas con discapacidad en los espacios educativos del noroeste argentino

El acceso a las tecnologías digitales es un derecho humano ampliamente garantizado para las personas con discapacidad, en tanto estas aportan a la inclusión social, a la autonomía y vida independiente. Asimismo, las mismas, usadas y desarrolladas bajo los principios de accesibilidad y criterios de diseño universal, pueden contribuir significativamente a los procesos de educación inclusiva del colectivo con discapacidad.
 Partiendo de este reconocimiento, se exponen los primeros avances de una investigación que indaga en la brecha digital de las personas con discapacidad en los espacios educativos del noroeste argentino. Por medio de un recorrido bibliográfico se explicitarán los principios epistemológicos que la estructuran, los conceptos teóricos que delimitan el objeto de estudio y los aportes de otras investigaciones conexas que brindan información para su contextualización.

Toward dynamic phenotypes and the scalable measurement of human behavior.

Precision psychiatry demands the rapid, efficient, and temporally dense collection of large scale and multi-omic data across diverse samples, for better diagnosis and treatment of dynamic clinical phenomena. To achieve this, we need approaches for measuring behavior that are readily scalable, both across participants and over time. Efforts to quantify behavior at scale are impeded by the fact that our methods for measuring human behavior are typically developed and validated for single time-point assessment, in highly controlled settings, and with relatively homogeneous samples. As a result, when taken to scale, these measures often suffer from poor reliability, generalizability, and participant engagement. In this review, we attempt to bridge the gap between gold standard behavioral measurements in the lab or clinic and the large-scale, high frequency assessments needed for precision psychiatry. To do this, we introduce and integrate two frameworks for the translation and validation of behavioral measurements. First, borrowing principles from computer science, we lay out an approach for iterative task development that can optimize behavioral measures based on psychometric, accessibility, and engagement criteria. Second, we advocate for a participatory research framework (e.g., citizen science) that can accelerate task development as well as make large-scale behavioral research more equitable and feasible. Finally, we suggest opportunities enabled by scalable behavioral research to move beyond single time-point assessment and toward dynamic models of behavior that more closely match clinical phenomena.

Successful weight loss after bariatric surgery in Appalachian state regardless of food access ranking score.

Following bariatric surgery, an explicit dietary regimen is required to facilitate and maintain successful weight loss. Without adequate access to healthy foods, weight maintenance can be hindered. Examine influence degree of food access has on Appalachian bariatric surgery patient weight loss outcomes. Appalachian University hospital, United States. A retrospective chart review was used to examine the influence of food accessibility on weight loss outcomes in an Appalachian bariatric surgery patient population at a large tertiary hospital in West Virginia between 2013 and 2017. Demographic characteristics, health and family history, and 1-year surgery outcomes were collected. A state-specific food accessibility score was calculated for each patient address using the geographic information system. Patients were assigned a food access ranking score (FARS) between 0 (low food access) and 4 (high food access) based on criteria of quantity, quality, income, and vehicle access. Patients (n = 369) were predominately married (60.5%), white (92.4%), female (77.8%), and underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (75.9%), with a mean age of 45 years. Most patients had low FARS (M = 1.67 ± .73; 72.6%). Nonwhite patients (P = .03) with a preoperative diagnosis of depression (P = .02) or without a family history of obesity (P = .01) were found to be in the lower FARS categories. FARS was not indicative of weight loss post surgery (P > .05). Food accessibility in West Virginia was not associated with bariatric surgery weight outcomes at 1-year post operation. Lower food access was associated with nonwhite race/ethnicity, diagnosed depression at baseline, and no family history of obesity. Future studies should include moreextended follow-up data collection and mixed-method approaches to capture perceptions of food access and its impact on the patients' postoperative journey.

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic incentives for reform: An informational mechanism of E(M)U conditionality

How does the prospect of accession to an international union affect a non-member-state government’s incentives to implement political and economic liberalization reforms? To answer this question, we propose an informational mechanism of international union accession conditionality drawing on Benabou and Tirole’s (The Review of Economic Studies, 70, 489–520, 2003) formalization of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In a Bayesian game of union accession between a supranational principal (e.g., EU Commission) and a national agent (e.g., the government of the target country), we find that the extrinsic bonus of post-accession transfers may on the one hand reinforce the agent’s short-term incentives to meet the accession criteria but on the other hand can also “crowd out” its intrinsic motivation to liberalize and comply with the union’s acquis in the long run. As a result, we expect that (i) net-recipient countries’ post-accession pace of reform may decline or even turn negative over time (temporal effect), (ii) the crowding-out effect will be stronger for countries that enjoy higher levels of distributive net transfers and those that go through a lengthier negotiation period (spatial effect), and (iii) early liberalizers are ex ante more likely to be officially selected as union candidate members, accept the accession contract, and implement the required reforms. We illustrate the theoretical mechanism and dynamics of the model with anecdotal evidence from two paired comparisons in respect to the effects of economic conditionality attached to EMU accession (Greece vs. Spain) and political conditionality attached to EU accession (Hungary vs. Estonia).

Evaluation of e-Government Web Portals: The Case of Agricultural e-Government Services in Greece

The evaluation of users’ satisfaction from the available e-Government services is a very important factor for the e-Government evolution. In this research, the MUlticriteria Satisfaction Analysis (MUSA) method and the related software is used in order to evaluate the users’ satisfaction of agricultural e-Government services. For this reason, we used the results of a survey conducted for an agricultural e-Government web portal in Greece. Five main criteria and the thirty-one sub-criteria were used in order to calculate the global and partial users’ satisfaction. From the results, the strong and the weak points of the agricultural e-Government services and the specific usability attributes that are more crucial for the users’ satisfaction were determined. The results of the questionnaire revealed that the average level of the users’ satisfaction is high but there are still actions to be taken in order to improve the provided agricultural e-Government services. Furthermore, the users of agricultural e-Government services attributed great importance to the criteria of interaction and accessibility. The MUSA method highlights the actions that have to be taken using action and improvement diagrams.