Interactive Procedure Research Articles

Safety performance evaluation of construction projects in Egypt

In Egypt, the construction industry employs about 20% of the total work force in the local market. The health and safety (H&S) performance evaluation is adopted mainly to control H&S risks in construction sites. As such, there is a need to measure the safety performance in construction sites in a way that is proactive rather than just relying on interactive procedures. The main goal of this study is to develop an indicator to evaluate safety performance on construction sites. This is achieved through two basic steps. First, factors that affect safety performance in construction projects are determined by reviewing literature and conducting personal interviews. A total of 47 factors were collected. Then, a questionnaire was conducted to determine the most important factors that affect the H&S of construction projects in Egypt. The incentives and safety training were among the most important factors. Second, an index to evaluate safety performance has been developed. The purpose of this evaluation is to create a determinate through which construction sites safety could be assessed. The proposed model will be a useful tool to assist project managers and safety inspectors to assess safety performance in construction sites and thus help build safety regulations.

The challenging reality of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine in Syria: a qualitative study.

Introduction: In Syria, specialist dentists undergo five years of undergraduate education and four years of postgraduate education. In the latter, students engage in treating complex cases as part of their professional training. This study aimed to obtain in-depth qualitative understanding of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine, Syria. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with eight postgraduate dental students at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine. The faculty has eight clinical departments; therefore, a single participant was purposively sampled from each department. The male-female ratio of the eight interviewed participants was 1:1. All interviews were conducted between 26 th April 2020 and 8 th January 2021. Data was analyzed inductively using reflective thematic analysis. Pragmatic saturation was discussed during the analysis and the authors made an interpretative judgement to stop data collection at the eighth interview. Results: Major themes which emerged covered different aspects of the clinical learning environment such as clinical training, social interaction and assessment procedures. Faculty's negligence of their teaching duties was one of the most recurrent themes. In clinical training and due to faculty inaccessibility, students had to rely on themselves or their senior peers in training. The social climate was perceived negatively and assessment was described as unfair and biased. Discussion: The findings of this study showcased the continuing deterioration of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University. It is hoped that these findings will encourage decision makers to introduce a comprehensive reform that addresses the curriculum, teaching practices and assessment procedures in clinical professional training.

Reorienting Islamic Education in Aceh: Paradigm and Strategies of Dayah Leaders in the Last Two Decades

This article aims to shed light on Abu's (a Dayah leader in Aceh) paradigm and strategy in reorienting Islamic education inside the dayah educational framework in the last two decades. Even now, the Acehnese people's socio-religious life still accepts and includes the traditional Islamic educational institution known as dayah. However, Dayah must adapt to the dynamics of the changing times to ensure its graduates to participate more fully in society. The Dayah in West-South and East-North coasts of Aceh are the subjects of this qualitative study using a multi-site case study. They are Dayah Asasul Islamiyah in East Aceh, Dayah Madinatuddiniyah Nurul Huda in North Aceh, Dayah Madinatuddiniyah Darul 'Ulumiddin in Southwest Aceh, and Dayah Darussalam Labuhan Haji in South Aceh. The research data was gathered through purposeful-snowballing in-depth interviewing techniques with a variety of informants, including Abu as the dayah's leader. After that, the data is processed using interactive analytic procedures, which include condensing, presenting, and concluding. According to the study's findings, Aceh's dayah leaders' (Abu) paradigm has shifted from being exclusive and orthodox to being inclusive and flexible during the dayah's current period of development. The Mua'dalah programme and the higher education programme Ma'had Aly were both implemented as part of Abu's strategy to reorient Islamic education in dayah, as well as the training of human resources to become educators,

Training behavior technicians to become behavior artists through the teaching interaction procedure

AbstractIn his 1985 lecture, Richard Foxx outlined several traits that distinguished behavior technicians from behavioral artists. He argued that these distinguishing factors made the difference in whether a behavior change proved successful or not. These features have added to the growing body of work around compassionate care in behavior analysis. This study demonstrates that Foxx's skills of behavioral artistry can be taught to a selection of three behavior technicians, demonstrating that technicians are able to learn the topographical behaviors of behavioral artistry through the teaching interaction procedure. A multiple baseline design across three participants was used. Data from this study demonstrates that all three participants showed improvement in their ability to engage in three components identified as part of Foxx's behavioral artistry.

Explainable interactive evolutionary multiobjective optimization

We present a new approach to Interactive Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization (IEMO) guided by a preference elicitation procedure inspired by artificial intelligence and designed in line with decision psychology. For a conflicting nature of objectives, a solution optimizing all objectives simultaneously does not exist and thus the best compromise solution is searched for. In the interactive search, preference elicitation phases alternate with optimization phases. In the IEMO procedure proposed in this paper, during the preference elicitation phase, the Decision Maker (DM) gets a sample of solutions from the current population and is asked to indicate relatively good solutions in this sample. Using the Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (DRSA), this information is summarized by “if ..., then ... ” decision rules which represent DM’s preferences. They are used in the next optimization phases of the IEMO to influence the crossover so as to converge towards the part of the Pareto front containing the best compromise solution. Besides guiding the search process, the decision rules can be read as arguments explaining the DM’s preferences. In this way, the proposed method implements the postulate of transparency and explainability expected from interactive procedures. The DM has a chance to understand how their answers given in the preference elicitation phase are translated into guidelines for the algorithm in the optimization phase. This is a distinctive aspect of what we call eXplainable Interactive Multiobjective Evolutionary optimization Approach (XIMEA). The presented XIMEA-DRSA method implements this approach. From the viewpoint of behavioral psychology, the decision rules support the DM to construct and learn their preferences in the course of evolutionary optimization. To check the efficiency of XIMEA-DRSA, we performed several experiments on continuous as well as combinatorial test problems, assuming the existence of an artificial DM that iteratively provides its preferences according to a known value function. The results prove that XIMEA-DRSA is converging to the most interesting part of the Pareto front, similar to an evolutionary algorithm that optimizes the value function of the artificial DM and, therefore, the latter is used as a benchmark.

INTERACTION OF SUBJECTS OF FORENSIC EXPERT ACTIVITIES AND PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATION BODIES AND THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE IN MODERN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS IN UKRAINE

The article deals with the issues of interaction between the subjects engaged in the forensic expert activity and the bodies of pre-trial investigation and the prosecutor’s office in modern criminal proceedings in Ukraine. The existing problems in the mechanism of interaction between the subjects engaged in forensic expert activities and the bodies of pre-trial investigation and the prosecutor’s office in modern criminal proceedings of Ukraine are noted and ways to solve these problems are proposed. It is noted that despite the unprecedented challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in their activities during the armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine, the implementation of the main provisions of the Comprehensive Strategic Plan for Reforming Law Enforcement Agencies as part of the Security and Defense Sector of Ukraine for 2023-2027, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated May 11, 2023 No. 273/2023, largely depends on the effective operation of the system of forensic expert support of justice. The nature of procedural relations arising in connection with the appointment and conduct of forensic examinations in criminal proceedings implies active interaction of forensic experts and the entities that appointed the examination, and other persons. The state of organization of this interaction directly depends on the effectiveness of both forensic activities and the activities of criminal justice bodies. However, investigative error in the appointment and conduct of forensic examinations continues to be a typical phenomenon of criminal justice in Ukraine, which is caused by the shortcomings of the legal regulation of the interaction of pretrial investigation bodies and the prosecutor’s office with the subjects of forensic activity. Various approaches to determining the interaction between pre-trial investigation bodies and the prosecutor’s office and subjects of forensic activity are considered. It is indicated that it is carried out with the aim of the most rational use of special knowledge during criminal proceedings, in accordance with the law, according to certain principles, at different levels and in different forms. The main forms of interaction carried out by forensic expert institutions have been characterized, among which one is the main one conducting examinations on procedural decisions of pre-trial investigation bodies, prosecutor’s office, investigating magistrate, and court, since as a result of its use, an expert’s opinion appears as a source of evidence. Based on the analysis of the provisions of normative legal acts that determine the procedure for interaction between pre-trial investigation bodies, prosecutors and subjects of forensic expert activity in criminal proceedings, it is concluded that it is necessary at the level of law to regulate the issues of conducting such traditional types of forensic examinations as additional, repeated, comprehensive, as well as to determine the powers of heads of forensic institutions.

Problems of interaction in the investigation of corruption crimes in the field of official activity and professional activity related to the provision of public services

Modern realities and the state of the criminogenic situation in the country require fundamentally new approaches to the interaction of law enforcement agencies. Today, the interaction of the investigator with other bodies and units is more and more actively carried out at all possible levels, departmental, interdepartmental, international. Interaction in the detection and investigation of criminal offences is a rather complex and comprehensive form that involves a number of interrelated procedural and operational search actions and measures aimed at maximising the achievement of the goals of the criminal process. Cooperation in the investigation of crimes, in particular in the field of official activity, is one of the methods of combating crime, which consists in the coordination and combination in order and on the basis of the law, the efforts of several persons, divisions, bodies, etc. in order to ensure the optimization of the pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses. The specified activity is objectively necessary and often begins from the moment of checking the received information about the commission of a crime. This activity by its nature is very complex, which finds its expression in its phasing. Among the latter, we suggest making a decision about the necessity and expediency of interaction, choosing the form and methods of interaction, procedural consolidation of the decision, direct interaction, and registration of the results of the indicated cooperation. However, the structural clarity of the interaction does not relieve it of the difficulties faced by its participants. This situation is mainly due to the lack of clear regulation of issues related to the organisation and implementation of cooperation in the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. In connection with this, it would be expedient to supplement the specified legal act with a separate section, which would define the concepts, principles, types, forms, methods and procedure of interaction during criminal proceedings.
 Having analysed the legal acts, the author concludes that there is no clear regulation of such interaction.

The Influence of Competence, Social Interaction and Work Procedures on Work Motivation and the Implications for the Quality of Work of Regional Revenue Agency Employees of Muara Enim Regency

The author conducted research with the aim of knowing and analyzing the effect of competence, social interaction and work procedures on work motivation and the implications for the quality of work of employees of the Regional Revenue Agency of Muara Enim Regency. The research method used in this study is a quantitative method using questionnaires distributed to respondents. Test the quality of the data by using the validity test, reliability test. Analysis using Structural Modeling Equation (SEM) from software statistic AMOS. The results of this research are descriptive in order to describe the respondents' perceptions of each variable, it can be concluded that: Respondents' perceptions of employee competency variables at the Muara Enim Regency Regional Revenue Agency are relatively good. Respondents' perceptions of the Social Interaction variable of employees at the Regional Revenue Agency of Muara Enim Regency are relatively good. Respondents' perceptions of the Employee Work Procedure variable at the Muara Enim District Revenue Agency were relatively good. Respondents' perceptions of the employee work motivation variable at the Regional Revenue Agency of Muara Enim Regency are relatively good. Respondents' perceptions of the employee's work quality variable at the Muara Enim District Revenue Agency are relatively good. Factors that influence the work motivation of employees at the Muara Enim District Revenue Agency are competence and work procedures. Factors that influence the quality of work of employees at the Muara Enim District Revenue Agency are social interactions. The variable of work motivation is not a mediating/intervening variable that is good for competence, social interaction and work procedures on the quality of work at the Muara Enim District Revenue Agency.

KESIAPSIAGAAN PESAWAT ANGKUT C-130 UNTUK PENANGGULANGAN BENCANA ALAM

The involvement of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in the task of humanitarian operations is very strategic. Among other things, this task was carried out by Squadron 31, namely by providing heavy and long-distance transportation equipment. Preparedness in humanitarian operations by providing 130 Hercules aircraft is an important aspect that supports the success of humanitarian operations. Research purposes. Analyzing the Preparedness of the 31 Squadron at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in the Provision of C-130 Transport Aircraft for Natural Disaster Management in Indonesia.Research methods using a descriptive qualitative approach with the selection of data sources using purposive sampling. Analysis of data from interviews, observations and documentation studies. Constructive analysis techniques with interactive procedures. Improvements to an effective humanitarian logistics management system to support the availability of spare parts in adequate and timely quantities for Squadron 31. Organizing training and education for aircraft crews for disaster management in accordance with the qualification standards of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as well as internationally involving the Indonesian Air Force and the Air Force and BNPB.

An insight into the creep-fatigue damage localization in welded joints based on crystal plasticity finite element method

In the present work, a numerical simulation based on the crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) method is conducted to capture the different mechanical responses and damage in different micro areas of the P92 steel welded joint at 650 °C. A robust Matlab-Abaqus-Python interactive parameter optimization procedure is proposed to identify the constitutive parameters for heat affected zone (HAZ). Good agreement between experimental and simulated stress–strain curves verifies the accuracy of the present approach. Three fatigue indicator parameters are incorporated into the CPFE to capture the damage distribution under low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) loadings. The damage accumulation at grain boundaries is observed in the FE simulation. The damage captured by the simulation under both LCF and CFI loadings shifted from HAZ to base zone.

Guided analysis of ambient ionization mass spectrometry data with the MQ_Assistant.

Ambient ionization mass spectrometry (AIMS) delivers realistic data from samples in their native state. In addition, AIMS methods reduce time and costs for sample preparation and have less environmental impact. However, AIMS data are often complex and require substantial processing before interpretation. We developed an interactive R script for guided mass spectrometry (MS) data processing. The "MQ_Assistant" is based on MALDIquant, a popular R package for MS data processing. In each step, the user can try and preview the effect of chosen parameters before deciding on the values with the best result and proceeding to the next stage. The outcome of the MQ_Assistant is a feature matrix that can be further analyzed in R and statistics tools such as MetaboAnalyst. Using 360 AIMS example spectra, we demonstrate the step-by-step processing for creating a feature matrix. In addition, we show how to visualize the results of three biological replicates of a plant-microbe interaction between Arabidopsis and Trichoderma as a heatmap using R and upload them to MetaboAnalyst. The final parameter set can be saved for reuse in MALDIquant workflows of similar data. The MQ_Assistant helps novices and experienced users to develop workflows for (AI)MS data processing. The interactive procedure supports the quick finding of appropriate settings. These parameters can be exported and reused in future projects. The stepwise operation with visual feedback also suggests the use of the MQ_Assistant in education.

Development of iron-based composite materials through electromagnetic radiations in a domestic microwave oven

Microwave hybrid heating, a novel technique, is used to develop iron-based alloy (SS316), SS316+10EWAC1004 (nickel-based), and SS316+10EWAC1004+5Cr7C3 composite castings. The domestic microwave having a frequency of 2.45 × 103 MHz and a power of 0.9 kW, is used with a variable exposure time of microwave radiations. The microwave interaction procedure with the metallic powder is discussed to optimize the exposure time and temperature. A microstructure study of developed castings revealed the uniform melting of matrix and EWAC1004 with an identical dispersion of Cr7C3. The X-ray diffraction results revealed various intermetallic (Ni3Fe, Ni2Si, Cr2Ni3, MoNi4, Fe3Si, Fe2Si, CrFeNi) and hard carbides (Fe3C, Cr3C2, Cr23C6) phases. The maximum average micro-hardness is for the SS316+10EWAC1004+5Cr7C3 composite, followed by SS316+10EWAC1004. The established composite casting had a hardness of around 2 times that of the commercial SS316. The maximum density of 97% was found for Iron-based SS316-based. The grain size of microwave-processed SS316, SS316+10EWAC, and SS316+10EWAC +5Cr7C3 specimens is found to be 21 ± 4 µm, 18 ± 3 µm, and 17 ± 2 µm, respectively. It has been observed that reinforced phases hinder grain growth, and hence grain size reduces significantly. In comparison, commercial SS316 had a grain size of 31 ± 6 µm. The ASTM B-276 standard is used to determine pores that are of the order of 1.98%.

Interactive mold design for paediatric lower airway manikin manufacturing: a feasibility study

According to previous research, shore 40 A casting silicone is currently one of the more suitable materials for simulating the physical behavior of the airways in medicine simulation. This is essential to attain high-fidelity manikins that can perfectly mimic the simulated anatomic region, not just geometrically, but also in terms of haptic feedback. Due to the geometrical complexity of the tracheo-bronchial tree, mold design is a difficult and time-consuming process. An interactive modeling procedure for modeling mold parts for tracheo-bronchial tree casting is proposed in this paper, with the purpose of reducing modeling time without compromising quality. Following the definition of a standard modeling procedure, this was implemented in the Matlab language by using an IGES and STL editing toolbox. By using the interactive procedure it is possible to reduce the time required for virtual modeling from several hours to less than 1 min. Given this preliminary result, the proposed procedure will be further tested and developed in the near future, with the possibility of automating other lower airway modeling steps, such as vent generation and mounting holes/pins.

Exploring Gaze-assisted and Hand-based Region Selection in Augmented Reality

Region selection is a fundamental task in interactive systems. In 2D user interfaces, users typically use a rectangle selection tool to formulate a region using a mouse or touchpad. Region selection in 3D spaces, especially in Augmented Reality (AR) Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) is different and challenging because users need to select an intended region via freehand mid-air gestures or eye-based actions that are touchless interactions. In this work, we aim to fill in the gap in the design of region selection techniques in AR HMDs. We first analyzed and discretized the interaction procedure of region selection and explored design possibilities for each step. We then developed four techniques for region selection in AR HMDs, which leveraged users' hand and gaze for unimodal or multimodal interaction. The techniques were evaluated via a user study with a controlled region selection task. The findings led to three design recommendations and two proof-of-concept application examples.

End-to-end BIM-based optimization for dual-objective road alignment design with driving safety and construction cost efficiency

Road alignment design is crucial to ensure driving safety. The application of BIM technology increases efficiency and reliability in the road design process. However, it is challenging to consider multiple factors in BIM-based road alignment design. This study proposed an optimization design framework considering driving safety and road construction costs using BIM. A fast and reliable parameterization method was developed for road alignment. The BIM technique was used for modeling and earthworks statistics. The automated driving simulation was performed using MATLAB to quantify driving safety, and NSGA-II was used to solve the optimal alignment. The entire data interaction procedure is end-to-end. The framework was applied to the design project of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville highway. The proposed optimization method results show a combined improvement of 6.6% compared to the expert design results.

The challenging reality of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine in Syria: a qualitative study

Introduction: In Syria, specialist dentists undergo five years of undergraduate education and four years of postgraduate education. In the latter, students engage in treating complex cases as part of their professional training. This study aimed to obtain in-depth qualitative understanding of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine, Syria. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with eight postgraduate dental students at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine. The faculty has eight clinical departments; therefore, a single participant was purposively sampled from each department. The male-female ratio of the eight interviewed participants was 1:1. Data was analyzed inductively using reflective thematic analysis. Pragmatic saturation was discussed during the analysis and the authors made an interpretative judgement to stop data collection at the eighth interview. Results: Major themes which emerged covered different aspects of the clinical learning environment such as clinical training, social interaction and assessment procedures. Faculty’s negligence of their teaching duties was one of the most recurrent themes. In clinical training and due to faculty inaccessibility, students had to rely on themselves or their senior peers in training. The social climate was perceived negatively and assessment was described as unfair and biased. Discussion: The findings of this study showcased the continuing deterioration of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University. It is hoped that these findings will encourage decision makers to introduce a comprehensive reform that addresses the curriculum, teaching practices and assessment procedures in clinical professional training.

Improving NLP Accuracy with Stack-Propagation and Knowledge Distillation: A Joint Model for Intent Detection and Slot Filling

Intent detection and slot filling are fundamental tasks in Natural Language Understanding (NLU), constituting important components of intelligent question-answering systems. These tasks are closely interrelated, forming a core aspect of semantic understanding in natural language processing. In this paper, we propose an architecture using Stack-Propagation to improve the accuracy of NLU tasks. In stack propagation, we use a joint model that mainly incorporates token-level intent detection data with sentence word vectors as input for slot filling to capture intent semantic knowledge. Additionally, we use knowledge distillation (KD) to improve model efficiency and enhance the correlation between the two tasks. Our proposed framework significantly differs from existing joint models as it directly leverages intent information in the joint model and adopts token-level intent information for slot filling to ease error propagation. Furthermore, our model can explicitly incorporate intent information for slot filling with Stack-Propagation, making the interaction procedure more interpretable, while other models only interact with hidden states implicitly between the two tasks. We experimentally evaluated our model on two publicly available datasets, and the results demonstrate that it achieves state-of-the-art performance and outperforms previous methods by a significant margin, indicating its superiority in addressing the slot-filling and intent detection tasks. In future research, we will combine the stack-propagation frame with the KD module in the Transform model, which can boost our model performance to move forward a single step in the NLU task.

Pragmatic modifiers in teachers’ polite requests in EFL classroom interaction in Manggarai, Indonesia

This research mainly explores pragmatic modifiers in shaping teachers’ polite requests in English Foreign Language classroom interaction (henceforth: EFL). The research was designed qualitatively, employing non-participant observation and field-note methods. Audio-video recording and note-taking were used to obtain the data on the male and female teachers’ utterances during classroom interaction. The key apparatuses are a smartphone Vivo of Y21 and a digital voice recorder of 32 GB to capture natural-occurring data. The data were analysed through three interactive procedures of qualitative data analysis; data condensation, display, and conclusion drawing. The data interpretation was primarily drawn on the pragmatic theory of politeness, FTAs, and pragmatic modifiers. Part of the data was analysed from language and gender perspectives. The findings yielded that the male and female teachers applied internal and external pragmatic modifiers to enact polite requests in classroom interaction settings. The internal pragmatic modifiers cover downtoner, politeness marker, appreciative opening, and hedged performative opening. The external pragmatic modifiers include vocative, disarmer, and propitiator. There is a slight difference between male and female teachers in realising those types of pragmatic modifiers. It was partly related to the features of women’s language. However, such empirical evidence could not be directly generated for language and gender. The findings have implications for further investigations to probe the issue in depth.

ПРАВОВОЕ РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЕ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ НАЛОГОВОГО КОНТРОЛЯ В СИСТЕМЕ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ НАЛОГОВОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ

Tax control is an important support tool in the system of ensuring the financial security of the state, in particular, in the field of tax administration. The analysis of modern research and publications on the topic of topical issues of tax control, as a factor in the effectiveness of tax administration in the system of ensuring tax security, is in the constant attention of leading domestic and foreign scientists. Moreover, the modern tasks set for tax control are much larger than fixing the facts of non-compliance with tax laws, and include building such a tax administration model that minimizes the ability of the payer to violate the norms of the Tax Code of Russia. Digitization of tax control inevitably involves the introduction of information technologies into the activities of tax authorities, changes in the procedure for tax activities and interaction between participants in tax legal relations, which, of course, entails the improvement of legal regulation in the tax sphere.

Studies of molecular dissociation by means of restricted and unrestricted treatments within the doubly occupied configuration interaction framework

AbstractThis work studies the performance of doubly occupied configuration interaction treatments based on the determination of wave functions and on the direct variational evaluation of two‐electron reduced density matrices in both, restricted and unrestricted approaches. We describe potential energy curves and spin contamination curves predicted by these methods for ‐electron molecular systems in their electronic ground states, at internuclear distances lying in intervals from near equilibrium geometries to dissociation limits. The corresponding numerical determinations in terms of energies, expectation values of the ‐electron spin‐squared operator, local spins, and electronic populations of the dissociation products are compared with those provided by the full configuration interaction procedure. An analysis of these results allows us to assess the abilities of the restricted and unrestricted methodologies and to illuminate the advantages and shortcomings of each of these treatments.