Human Support System Research Articles

A Qualitative Examination of Challenges Influencing Doctoral Students in an Online Doctoral Program

<p class="apa">The main purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by students in completion of an online doctoral program at the University of Liverpool, Online Doctoral Business Administration program. We analyse the responses of 91 doctoral students in an online DBA program. Based on the exploratory qualitative study themes were developed based on student perceptions. Various themes identified were course structure and workload, resources, absence of human interaction, technological challenges, support systems, and satisfaction with instructor and quality of instruction. Discussion, Implications and avenues for future research are presented.</p>

Gut microbes in correlation with mood: case study in a closed experimental human life support system.

Gut microbial community, which may influence our mood, can be shaped by modulating the gut ecosystem through dietary strategies. Understanding the gut-brain correlationship in healthy people is important for maintenance of mental health and prevention of mental illnesses. A case study on the correlation between gut microbial alternation and mood swing of healthy adults was conducted in a closed human life support system during a 105-day experiment. Gut microbial community structures were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing every 2 weeks. A profile of mood states questionnaire was used to record the mood swings. Correlation between gut microbes and mood were identified with partial least squares discrimination analysis. Microbial community structures in the three healthy adults were strongly correlated with mood states. Bacterial genera Roseburia, Phascolarctobacterium, Lachnospira, and Prevotella had potential positive correlation with positive mood, while genera Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, and Anaerostipes were correlated with negative mood. Among which, Faecalibacterium spp. had the highest abundance, and showed a significant negative correlation with mood. Our results indicated that the composition of microbial community could play a role in emotional change in mentally physically healthy adults.

機能的電気刺激を用いた人―機械のバイラテラル制御

Recently, human activity support systems by remote control of robots have been developed. Bilateral control is an effective control system of teleoperation because it can transmit the information of position and force. However, it is difficult to design multi-degree-of-freedom wearing robots that have used in previous studies. It can be solved by using functional electrical stimulation (FES) in the teleoperation system. On the other hand, there are only few studies of human-machine bilateral control systems using FES and they are not sufficient because the control systems have not been compared. This paper considers bilateral control systems using FES through comparative analysis.

Pengembangan Sistem Penunjang Operasional dan Pengelolaan Sumber Daya Manusia untuk Laboratorium Komputer

Human resources are an important asset in the entire company operations activity. A human resources management support system should be provided to improve performance in accordance with the company target. The purpose of this study is to design a model of operational and human resource management support systems that can integrate employee performance data, simplify management of employee data, and generate reports in the form of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and Binusian Level. Methodology used in this study is using literature study, design, and test a model to make operational and human resource management information system.
 Index Terms - human resources, operational support system, Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

P1309 : A randomized, open-label, multicenter, controlled study to assess safety and efficacy of ELAD® human cell-based bio-artificial liver support system (ELAD®) in subjects with alcohol-induced liver decompensation (AILD)

P1309 : A randomized, open-label, multicenter, controlled study to assess safety and efficacy of ELAD® human cell-based bio-artificial liver support system (ELAD®) in subjects with alcohol-induced liver decompensation (AILD)

Recalibrating Asymmetric Relationships through Economic and Business Development: The Case of Lao PDR

Poor and land-locked, communist-ruled Laos began opening its economy to capitalist methods at the end of the 1980s. With a sparse population and very limited technical capacity, the country’s principal economic activities involve foreign investors building dams for hydroelectricity or mining for minerals that are destined for export. The local economy is dominated by small and uncoordinated enterprises operating in mostly undeveloped and unsophisticated markets. Laos is in the process of becoming more integrated into the Mekong Region by virtue of the building of parts of the Asian Highway Network across its territory and some opportunities arising from the planned single market of the ASEAN Economic Community which reaches a new phase in 2015. The vision is for Laos to become a bridge for economic development. However, it is not clear that the mere presence of infrastructure will be sufficient for Laotian companies and institutions to receive benefits on a substantial and sustainable basis. Principal difficulties are (i) underdeveloped public human resource capacities and institutional support systems, (ii) lack of industry clusters and facilities that can provide SMEs access to regional and global value chains and (iii) limited endowment of resources, logistics, finance and limited capabilities to meet market demand. This paper examines the conjunction between ability of Lao actors to participate in emergent economic activities and the country’s ability at government level to articulate its own developmental priorities and attempt to achieve these through negotiation with other states. This requires seeking to recalibrate hugely asymmetric relationships with China, Japan and Thailand, among others.

Does the Japanese employment system harm productivity performance?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of employment systems on productivity performance in Japanese companies from the perspective of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and sustainable human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach – In all, three employment models including employment indicators in addition to financial indicators are examined between 2006 and 2012 with 2,738 listed Japanese companies. This study verifies robustness of the results by testing multiple DEA measurements and conducting industrial analysis. Findings – The results indicate employment systems influence productivity performance in Japanese companies and the characteristics of Japanese employment systems harm productivity performance. In particular, higher liquidity of human resource is essential contrary to the philosophy of long-term employment. Furthermore, new initiatives such as promotion opportunities for women have not been successful up to now. Research limitations/implications – This study investigates limited aspects of HRM practices and employment systems in Japanese companies due to data availability. This study is designed to investigate mainly organizational outcome considering sustainability. More research is needed to identify comprehensive influence from Japanese employment system not only on corporate performance but also reduction of harm on a variety of stakeholders such as employee, community and government. Practical implications – These findings suggest that it is necessary for executives in Japanese companies to pay attention to their HRM practices under Japanese employment system, in particular, entry and exit of human resource and support systems for female employees. Originality/value – There are few studies that investigate the relationship between employment system and productivity performance in Japanese companies. This research provides empirical evidence for potential influence of the Japanese employment system.

Effects of mineral nutrition conditions on heat tolerance of chufa (Сyperus esculentus L.) plant communities to super optimal air temperatures in the BTLSS

The use of mineralized human wastes as a basis for nutrient solutions will increase the degree of material closure of bio-technical human life support systems. As stress tolerance of plants is determined, among other factors, by the conditions under which they have been grown before exposure to a stressor, the purpose of the study is to investigate the level of tolerance of chufa (Cyperus esculentus L.) plant communities grown in solutions based on mineralized human wastes to a damaging air temperature, 45°C. Experiments were performed with 30-day-old chufa plant communities grown hydroponically, on expanded clay aggregate, under artificial light, at 690μmolm−2s−1 PAR and at a temperature of 25°C. Plants were grown in Knop’s solution and solutions based on human wastes mineralized according to Yu.A. Kudenko’s method, which contained nitrogen either as ammonium and urea or as nitrates. The heat shock treatment lasted 20h at 690 and 1150μmolm−2s−1 PAR. Chufa heat tolerance was evaluated based on parameters of CO2 gas exchange, the state of its photosynthetic apparatus (PSA), and intensity of peroxidation of leaf lipids. Chufa plants grown in the solutions based on mineralized human wastes that contained ammonium and urea had lower heat tolerance than plants grown in standard mineral solutions. Heat tolerance of the plants grown in the solutions based on mineralized human wastes that mainly contained nitrate nitrogen was insignificantly different from the heat tolerance of the plants grown in standard mineral solutions. A PAR intensity increase from 690μmolm−2s−1 to 1150μmolm−2s−1 enhanced heat tolerance of chufa plant communities, irrespective of the conditions of mineral nutrition under which they had been grown.

Evaluation Study of the Administrative Status in Jordanian Museums from Visitor's Point of View (Jerash Archaeological Museum and the Jabal Al Qalla Museum)

The research depicts the current state of Human Resource Management (HRM) personnel, practices and support systems in micro (0–9 employees) and small (10–250 employees) sized enterprises. The authors’ hypothesis postulates that differences exist between micro and small firms in HRM personnel, practices and support systems. A survey was conducted in which respondents reported their perceptions and experiences. Data were analyzed using t-tests and chi-square tests to detect statistically significant differences between micro and small sized enterprises. The authors’ hypothesis was found to be invalid and the research findings suggested a higher level of sophistication and experience in HRM functions in micro and small enterprises than what was anticipated.

人的支援の効果的活用に向けたコーディネート組織の役割

The purpose of this study is to clarify the roles of coordinating organization of human support in rural area. Through this research of "Midori no Furusato Supporters", the following 3 points became clear: 1）Actual conditions of the Matching of green earth center, 2）Actual conditions of the Supporting of green earth center, 3）Potential usefulness and problems of green earth center. In conclusion, for the effective inflection of human support, the roles of coordinating organization is: In initial phase, (1) :Supporting the construction of system of use, (2): Supplying of outside supporters based on a certain level In continuation phase, (3): Encouraging area to get outside supporter on their own, (4): Reviewing the system of use to match the existing human support system During all phases, (5): Accumulating human network and information as the hub, (6): Supporting in case of emergency

115 人の意思と機械の判断を融合する操作支援システム(OS1-3 人を支援するメカトロニクス(3),OS1 人を支援するメカトロニクス)

115 人の意思と機械の判断を融合する操作支援システム(OS1-3 人を支援するメカトロニクス(3),OS1 人を支援するメカトロニクス)

Development of Estimating Equation of Machine Operational Skill by Utilizing Eye Movement Measurement and Analysis of Stress and Fatigue

For an establishment of a skill evaluation method for human support systems, development of an estimating equation of the machine operational skill is presented. Factors of the eye movement such as frequency, velocity, and moving distance of saccade were computed using the developed eye gaze measurement system, and the eye movement features were determined from these factors. The estimating equation was derived through an outlier test (to eliminate nonstandard data) and a principal component analysis (to find dominant components). Using a cooperative carrying task (cc-task) simulator, the eye movement and operational data of the machine operators were recorded, and effectiveness of the derived estimating equation was investigated. As a result, it was confirmed that the estimating equation was effective strongly against actual simple skill levels (r=0.56–0.84). In addition, effects of internal condition such as fatigue and stress on the estimating equation were analyzed. Using heart rate (HR) and coefficient of variation of R-R interval (Cvrri). Correlation analysis between these biosignal indexes and the estimating equation of operational skill found that the equation reflected effects of stress and fatigue, although the equation could estimate the skill level adequately.

발명영재 교원 및 전문직 인식에 기반한 발명영재교육의 방향 탐색

이 연구의 목적은 발명영재교육의 문제점 개선과 확대 발전하기 위하여 발명영재 교원 및 전문직 인식에 기반한 발명영재교육의 발전 방안을 제언하고자 하는 것이다. 이를 위해 발명영재교육 체제와 운영 현황을 분석하고 발명영재학급 또는 영재교육원 소속의 발명영재 교원과 발명영재 관련 교육전문직을 대상으로 만족도와 발전방안 등에 대한 인식을 설문조사하였다. 연구의 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 발명영재교육에 대한 만족도는 전체적으로 보통(M=3.0)이상으로 인식하였다. 그러나 '교육 자료', '교원대상 연수프로그램', '지원기관의 인 물적 지원체제' 분야에서는 다소 낮은 만족도를 나타내고 있어 이에 대한 지원 확대가 필요하다. 둘째, 특허청과 한국발명진흥회는 발명영재교육의 발전과 효율성을 위하여 긍정적인 방향으로 이끌어줄 수 있는 구심점 역할의 연구 전문기관을 지정 또는 설립할 필요가 있다. 설문조사 결과, 발명영재교육 전문 연구기관에 대한 필요성과 기대감에 대한 인식이 높았다. 특히 전문 연구기관의 중점 요구분야는 '영재교육 방법 및 자료의 연구 개발', '교원 연수 자료의 연구 개발 및 연수 실시'이다. 셋째, 발명영재 교원 및 전문직은 현재 발명영재교육을 수혜하는 학생들이 9개의 발명영재의 특성을 어느 정도 가지고 있느냐 하는 질문에 대하여 발명 지식과 사고 영역의 '발명 지식'과 발명 태도 영역의 '기업가 정신' 은 다소 낮다고 응답하였다. 이는 발명영재 선발 모형에 대한 검토뿐만 아니라 낮게 나타난 특성을 배양할 수 있는 발명영재교육프로그램의 연구개발이 필요한 것으로 판단된다. The objective of this study is to suggest improvement plan for invention gifted education based on the awareness of teachers and professionals who related to the invention gifted education for the expansion and development of invention gifted education through improvement of relevant problems. To this end, invention gifted education system and its operational status were analyzed, and questionnaire survey on the awareness of the development plan and satisfaction level was conducted, targeting professionals related to the invention gifted education and teachers in charge of invention gifted education classes or gifted education center. The research results are as follows. First, the level of satisfaction on the invention gifted education was greater than normal (M=3.0) in general, but in the field of 'educational materials', 'teacher training programs' and 'human and material support system of support agencies', the level of satisfaction was relatively low, which requires expansion of the support. Second, it is necessary for Korean Intellectual Property Office and Korea Invention Promotion Association to designate and establish specialized research institution to play a key role in enhancing development and efficiency of invention gifted education. As a result of the questionnaire survey, it turned out that expectation and necessity of the specialized research agency was highly recognized. In particular, demand for 'research and development of gifted education method and materials' and 'research and development of teacher training materials and implementation of teacher training' was high among the key areas of the specialized research institution. Third, teachers and professionals related to the invention gifted education responded that 'invention knowledge' in the areas of invention knowledge and thinking and 'entrepreneurship' in the area of invention attitude was somewhat low toward the question on the level of the 9 characteristics of gifted students with invention talents which current beneficiaries of invention gifted education have, which leads to conclusion that review on the model for the selection of gifted children with invention talents as well as research and development of invention gifted education program to enhance characteristics with low levels is required. If long-term development plans and initiatives are deduced based on this, an effective framework for the invention gifted education will be established in the near future. In addition, it is expected that the differentiated political visions and goals will be established in connection with master plan for the promotion of gifted education.

Breastfeeding: A Clinical Imperative

Hospital breastfeeding initiation rates (75%) show that most mothers in the United States want to breastfeed and are trying to do so. Even from the very start, however, mothers may not be getting the breastfeeding support they need. Low breastfeeding rates at 3, 6, and 12 months illustrate that women face multiple additional barriers to maintaining breastfeeding. What can we do to help more mothers be more successful? As healthcare providers, we need to be believers that breastfeeding is worth the effort. Perhaps most important for us is to realize that human milk is not simply a food but rather a complex, human infant support system. We can then articulate to families the importance of breastfeeding as a clinical imperative, a preventer of acute and chronic illness and disease. It will take integration, normalization, and mainstreaming of breastfeeding into our culture for acceptance and growth of the practice. Once we assist families in making educated decisions about breastfeeding, we need to provide supportive environments in our hospitals, medical practices, workplaces, and communities that implement the best ways to support breastfeeding. Breast milk is worth the effort, and the time has come to be ardent supporters of mothers and infants and their breastfeeding intentions.

Selected Papers from iFAN 2010

The 2010 International Symposium on Intelligent Systems (iFAN2010) was held at Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan, in September 2010, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the 2010 Intelligent System Symposium (FAN2010). These two symposiums provided a fine opportunity for researchers to exchange ideas on basic theories and applications on intelligent systems and iFAN2010 was the first international symposium in the history of the FAN symposium. From more than 200 papers of FAN2010 and iFAN2010, papers of top quality were invited to this special issue. From 17 papers submitted, 13 outstanding papers have been selected for this special issue after fair and peer review process. As these two symposiums covered a wide variety of intelligence-related issues, this special issue also consists of various topics from basic theories such as machine learning, adaptive control, and optimization, to application-oriented studies such as medical image processing, human support systems, and land mine detection. This issue is expected to contribute much to research on intelligent systems. As the Editors of this special issue, we thank the contributors and reviewers for their time and cooperation. We look forward to actively participating to the next FAN2011, to be held at Kobe University, Hyogo, Japan, in September 2011, which we hope will be as successful and fruitful as the 2010 symposium.

A Study of Human Support System and its Role in the Mountainous Regions

A Study of Human Support System and its Role in the Mountainous Regions

In Mind We Trust

The salutary effects of a mindfulness-based therapeutic container reveal that the human strengths of compassion, non-judgement, present-centeredness and empathy can create a healing environment for our community members. A therapist can invite both an intra-personal and inter-personal experience to enhance the ‘social feel’ of the relationship that is being co-created in the therapeutic moment. By staying attuned to being in the present and focused on the qualities of cultivating loving-kindness, the attunement moves toward a relationship built by trust, love and a heart that remains open to receive the gifts of communitymaking and communication. Therapeutic spaces, shaped by the continual process of mindfulness-based orientations, increase the potential for radical acceptance of both oneself and for the other person. Based on the research and literary review of mindfulness, this paper will serve to highlight how the human strengths of mindfulness will bolster the human support systems in mental health communities. To fully plant the seeds of a mindfulness-based approach in these mental health communities will create the space for human beings to show up in their natural world as the creative, awesome and profound beings that they truly are.

Effects of organizational support on components of virtual project teams

PurposeVirtual project teams are teams whose members use technology to varying degrees in working across locational, temporal, and relational boundaries to accomplish an interdependent task. Work in virtual project teams is a challenge for many organizations. Having studied the issue for several years, the authors propose in this paper to delve deeper into the question from the point of view of organizational support. More specifically, this paper seeks to focus on the organizational support systems and mechanisms provided by firms to their virtual project teams and their impacts on the components of these teams. The objective is to identify the structural factors and processes related to virtual teams that are affected by organizational support systems and mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports exploratory empirical case studies of two Canadian‐based international high‐tech companies. In‐depth interviews were conducted with managers with experience in virtual project team management.FindingsThe same organizational support systems and mechanisms were found to exist in both companies. Functional processes were found to be the virtual team components that were most affected by the implementation of support systems and mechanisms. They are followed by communicational processes, which were substantially supported by various support systems and mechanisms in Company A but less supported in Company B. To a lesser extent, the relational processes of both firms were also affected, while structural factors affecting virtual project teams were almost entirely unsupported.Practical implicationsVirtual project teams require various kinds of commitments by corporate management. For example, we find that top management supports virtual project teams by means of human resources (HR), resource allocation, coordination, and communication support systems. These support systems facilitate project coordination and monitoring, information exchange and access, trust building and cohesion between team members. These findings enable practitioners to better understand the effects of organizational support on the components of virtual teams, so that greater attention is paid to the configuration of these components and support systems can be better designed to improve virtual project team performance.Originality/valueOrganizational support is considered to have a strong impact on project success. Few publications have examined organizational support for virtual project teams, and even fewer have focused on its effects on such teams. This paper should contribute to fostering a better understanding of the effects of organizational support on the components of virtual project teams.

The Link Among Self-Esteem, Differentiation, and Spousal Intimacy in Deaf and Hearing Adults

Family, as the most important human support system, is the major component that clinicians can use to help people in their struggle to cope, adjust, and adapt to society. The ability to form a family and intimate relations with a spouse comprises a central measure of normative adult functioning and a critical stage of adult development. This study examined a personal component (self-esteem), an original family component (differentiation), and the capacity for spousal intimacy among 101 deaf adults (comprising about one fourth of the Israeli deaf population) and 57 normally hearing adults matched to the deaf sample according to age, gender, place of birth, and marital status. As expected, correlations emerged between higher levels of self-esteem, greater emotional differentiation from parents, and higher spousal intimacy within each group. Also, intergroup differences emerged, with deaf participants lower than their hearing peers both in self-esteem and ability for spousal intimacy. Contrary to expectations, differentiation from original family was similar in both groups. Results emphasized the significant contribution of self-esteem to adult functioning. Outcomes pinpoint the need for social workers and other clinicians to increase these clients' self-esteem to improve functioning.

Interaction Based Human Adaptive Conceptual Design Support System

This paper describes a human adaptive conceptual design system which designs the shape of a couple of Tableware. In the system, a framework of human adaptive approach is implemented based on the interaction between human and the system, by means of Interactive Evolutionary Computation. Users / beginner designers only carry out simple and subjective evaluation toward the automatically generated tableware shape by the system. The system re-generates the shape of tableware based on users' evaluation results, and presents users again. Repeating the interaction, users acquire satisfied design. The system uses rules of linguistic feature expression of the tableware's shape. Also, the system preserves rules, which are evaluated well by users, toward Database. Therefore, the users' own conceptual favorite shape features are preserved. These rules can be repeatedly applied in order to generate new kinds of tableware, which have the same concept.