Special Apps Research Articles

A Technology System to Help People With Intellectual Disability and Blindness Find Room Destinations During Indoor Traveling: Case Series Study.

People with severe or profound intellectual disability and visual impairment tend to have serious problems in orientation and mobility and need assistance for their indoor traveling. The use of technology solutions may be critically important to help them curb those problems and achieve a level of independence. This study aimed to assess a new technology system to help people with severe to profound intellectual disability and blindness find room destinations during indoor traveling. A total of 7 adults were included in the study. The technology system entailed a barcode reader, a series of barcodes marking the room entrances, a smartphone, and a special app that controlled the presentation of different messages (instructions) for the participants. The messages varied depending on whether the participants were (1) in an area between room entrances, (2) in correspondence with a room entrance to bypass, or (3) in correspondence with a room entrance representing the destination to enter. The intervention with the technology system was implemented according to a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants. Sessions included 7 traveling trials, in each of which the participants were to reach and enter a specific room (1 of the 7 or 9 available) to deliver an object they had carried (transported) during their traveling. The participants' mean frequency of traveling trials completed correctly was between zero and 2 per session during the baseline (without the system). Their mean frequency increased to between about 6 and nearly 7 per session during the intervention (with the system). The findings suggest that the new technology system might be a useful support tool for people with severe to profound intellectual disability and blindness.

A Developer-Oriented Framework for Assessing Power Consumption in Mobile Applications: Android Energy Smells Case Study

Currently, people spend a lot of time using their mobile devices. With such ubiquity of mobile devices in our daily life, battery capacity and quality are of utmost importance. Running software applications (called apps) are one of the major factors influencing the power consumption in mobile devices. In order to meet user needs, mobile apps are becoming inherently complex and resource greedy. Therefore, fulfilling these requirements at the pace imposed by the market may degrade software construction quality and insert so-called energy code smells: bad patterns in the source code of an app that indicate a deeper problem and adversely affect power consumption. This work proposes a developer-oriented framework for identifying and fixing patterns via analyzing different application code flavors in a user-driven test scenario. A special app was designed in order to validate the Android implementation of the proposed methodology. The study results have shown significant improvement regarding energy efficiency after correcting one or more energy code smells, with a 4 to 30 percent decrease in battery drain. Additionally, the power consumption signature term is defined in the context of mobile applications. This paper presents a developer-oriented framework for assessing power consumption in mobile applications. Our key contributions include identifying significant energy code smells, demonstrating their impact on power consumption, and providing a toolset for developers to improve energy efficiency.

The Role of Platforms as Intermediaries under Simplified Tax Regimes: The Example of the Russian Professional Income Tax Regime

This article outlines the features of the Russian Professional Income Tax Regime and the role of the special app, the My Tax App, and intermediaries in respect of the regime. The app is used to automate and simplify the tax reporting process. Such platforms and tailor-made digital solutions, coupled with legislative support, play a significant role in tax compliance. Implementation of the app, however, has raised certain compliance, privacy and data protection concerns, as well as other policy issues that must be addressed.

The effectiveness of special apps for online piano lessons

ABSTRACT The paper examines the effectiveness of special apps for online piano lessons and measures the apps’ impact compared to the control group that studied without the use of additional software. The study involved 350 students. The effect of Skoove and Simply Piano apps on the learning of piano skills has been analyzed. First-year students from small control group A received the lowest scores, with the mean score of 72.4. Students from small groups B, who used Skoove app, received the mean score of 78.9, which is 8.2% higher compared to the control group. Students from small groups C, who used Simply Piano app, had the mean score of 78.3, which was 7.5% higher compared to the control group. Among fifth-year students, the lowest scores were also obtained by small groups A, with the mean score of 74.7. Small groups B and C performed better: 81.5, or 8.3% higher score than in the control group, and 81.4, or 8.2% higher than the control group. These data reveal the effectiveness of apps for online piano lessons. Attention should be drawn to the fact that both apps were approximately equally effective among students.

Gender-Based Violence: Typology and Solutions

There are a few solutions that could at least influence the decrease of GBVAW. One of them is raising awareness, informing people about their rights and opportunities to seek help and support is crucial. Victims of GBV often experience psychological problems which come together with stigma, shame and feeling of deserving the violence. Raising awareness could be done differently, using different platforms. The social media took its stand in solving important social issues. Celebrities, influencers, micro-influencers cover the topics of GBVAW and information on how to seek help. Undoubtedly, the work of NGOs and women shelters are important as never. Thus, Educational pages, just as other pragmatic apparatuses committed to handling lewd behavior, savagery as well as sexual orientation correspondence is a need. One of the ways to raise awareness and empower women and girls is to encourage victims to speak out and seek help both legal and psychological as well as the support of the family and friends. Therefore, one of the paramount importance is to erase the shame and stigma around the GBVAW. Undoubtedly, the legal framework shall support women in their intentions to seek help. Unfortunately, this became one of the most significant problems for several countries. In numerous states, enactment tending to sex based savagery against ladies is non-existent, deficient or ineffectively actualized. As well as seeking financing to sustain the women’s shelters and hotline. That became apparent during the lockdown, a lot of the women’s support centers had to close due to the shortage of financing. COVID-19 in addition to making a lot of harm to the state of GBVAW in the world at the same time brought new ideas to fight with it. Thus, during the lockdown, some of the police forces introduced special apps for reporting a GBVAW crime. Thus, an aggressor could not understand that a report had been made. This model of reporting is an excellent tool to seek help especially when a situation is highly dangerous.

A survey of mobile app use among university students with visual impairment in India

Mobile phones/devices are an important part of our daily lives for sighted people and those with visual impairment (VI) in India. This study explores how Indian university students use and perceive mobile apps and identify the challenges in their usage. A paper-based survey was administered for 124 college students who were legally blind. The survey had items relating to sociodemographic information, use of mobile devices and apps, and the use of apps specifically designed for persons with VI. Results show that, on average, the participants with VI have been using a mobile device for more than 5 years. Many participants used Android devices and free apps. In addition, they found that the mobile apps were user-friendly and accessible. Results also found that Facebook and WhatsApp are more frequently used. Participants had a high level of self-efficacy and positive attitudes toward special apps for VI. Android devices are popular in India because of lower cost compared to iOS devices. Results are discussed, and implications for practice are provided.

Online Consultation in the Covid Epoch in India

Abstract Introduction: Online consultation is the latest challenge in clinical medicine during the COVID pandemic. We utilized our preexisting electronic medical record, video calling, and online payment for online consultation. Methodology: Consultations between April 15, 2020, and July 31, 2020, were compared with a similar period in 2019 to see the change in the pattern of consultation. Results: Between April 15, 2020, and July 31, 2020, there were a total of 1597 appointments compared to 2945 in the previous year a 45% fall in 2020. In the current model, all patients had to compulsorily have an online consultation. Online consultation was first done for 1130 patients, of whom 396 had a physical consultation in the clinic. There were no online consultations in the previous year. The real-world problems with online consultations and how they were overcome are discussed. Analyzing the data month wise, there was a progressive increase in the appointments this year indicating better acceptance for online consultation increasing from 350 appointments in May to 628 in July 2020, which translated into 40% and 70% of 2019 appointments indicating better acceptance over time. Cancellations were 5.2% for online consultation and 2.2% for physical consultation in the clinic. The reasons for cancellations were also analyzed and the most common causes were inability to reach the patient on mobile and blood pressure not recordable nearby. 0.7% had to make an emergency visit before they could complete an online consultation. Conclusions: Simple method of online consultation can be implemented in any clinic. No special app is required. The number of patients undergoing consultation is increasing with every passing month. This should be a motivation for more physicians to start online consultation during the COVID Epoch.

MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF A VEHICLE DYNAMICS AT FRONTAL IMPACT INTO THE RIGID BARRIER USING A SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION TOOLBOX

The main objective of this paper is to create computer crash models (up to the level of the Kelvin model, where the coefficient of stiffness and damping is calculated by implementing appropriate numerical methods: Trust - Region, Lavenberg-Marquardt and so on) of measured real data that are obtained at the frontal impact of a vehicle into the rigid barrier. The process of modeling a vehicle crash can be done in two ways. One of them is related to CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) software including FEA. The other one (applied in this article) is based on the System Identification Toolbox, which contains MATLAB® functions, Simulink® blocks, and a special app for constructing models of dynamic systems from the measured input-output data.

AUTOMATED ROUTE SELECTION AND CALCULATION ALGORITHM OF DIVISION MARKET FOR SOFTWARE ADDITION MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS

The experience of the Joint forces operation shows the need to create ACS by the actions of JI units at the tactical level. This due is need to ensure the awareness of geographically distributed units, added forces and means, individual servicemen on the battlefield and a high level of efficiency in the management of units. The article discusses the basic principles of using special software applications for mobile communications, based on geographic information system (GIS) for planning the march of units and subdivisions. The expediency of using a mobile platform based on mobile communications as a software carrier is analyzed. Requirements for information systems based on GIS and software applications for mobile communications have been met in order to slow down the efficiency at the stage of planning the relocation of the unit. For this purpose, it is proposed to develop a software application based on the presented algorithm for calculating the march using GIS. The developed algorithm describes the sequence of actions to automate the process of choosing the optimal route on the map, the calculation of the march and its main parameters. The developed algorithm describes the sequence of actions to automate the process of choosing the optimal route on the map, the calculation of the march and its basic parameters. It’s proposed to use digital maps as cartographic services and technologies of Google Maps or Yandex Maps, which advantages are multi-layered and versatile. This approach could automate calculations, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the commander's decision on the choice of position area and planning the march. In future, it’s worth noting the expansion of the functionality of the software application to the level of mobile information and reference system of the unit commander by developing special app, as well as the use of known software utilities and information resources.

Flexible and Contextual Cloud Applications in Mobile Learning

<p class="0abstract">The aim of the article is to study the modern mobile learning system, to understand its advantages and disadvantages, and to determine the relationship between the concepts of digital learning. The goal of the study is to conduct an experiment on the implementation of a flexible mobile application for studying the "macroeconomics" by students of economic specialties and to compare the results obtained with the selected control group. A total of 20 sophomores (10 each from two universities: Sechenov University, Department of Economics and Management; and Azerbaijan State Economic University, Department of Economic Theory) were offered to study the course in macroeconomics using a mobile application during the semester (from September to December 2019). Students were selected from two universities for the scientific objectivity and from the second year of the bachelor's degree, since "macroeconomics" is studied in the early courses, regardless of the further, specific economic direction of the student. Students did not attend lectures and practical classes with a teacher; all training was performed with the help of an application. A control group of the same specialty and year (also 20 people) was selected to confirm or contradict the effectiveness of such a mobile application. The control group students studied "macroeconomics" in the traditional way, namely attending lectures and practical classes with a teacher, during this semester. As a result of the experiment, the study group students liked training with the application. Meanwhile, 70% of the students would not like to have such training for all disciplines, permanently. But students supported studying using a special mobile app as a supplement to the main format of teaching. During the final examination, held by the traditional method (a written exam - answers to 4 open questions and 10 multiple choice questions), the following results were obtained. Students, who were using m-learning, on average, got higher results by 0.2 points, according to the overall assessment, a 5-grade scale, and separately according to the test results more by 2 correct answers than students with the traditional education. Thus, this can be explained since students using mobile app practiced material in a form of game or case, which helped them to immerse themselves more in the problem and to assimilate the material. The results were compared with the research of other scientists.</p>

Posibility to fast react in order to identify the risk and make first claim assesment in case of a severe earthquake in Bucharest

Abstract Insurer’s reaction in case of a severe event, in Romania, especially in Bucharest is well known that is more than difficult, mainly due to the existing resources that need to be appointed in a short time to a high number of reported cases. The lack of a clear plan to react, at the national level, by all authorities is showing that Romania is not prepared properly to react in case of an earthquake similar with the one in 1977. Romanian authorities in the insurance industry strive to find a fast and smooth process, to inspect the claims in due time, but the reality shows that this plan is not linked to reality, and, as it is currently described as project by PAID will definitively fail to it purpose. Current legislative framework and procedures shows that the process of handling a claim in case of a big volume of files will be more than difficult even could lead to a blockage in the system. The authors’ research follows the importance that claim inspection, identification of risk and claim file opening should have a total different process even a disruptive one via an online solution or special app. The research is starting from a plan of PAID which is mentioning that all resources available in the insurance companies to be combined and managed through a special command force under PAID supervision. The main finding of the research is that the Romanian insurance market need a totally different approach in order to assess the claims and in the same time the fact that currently discussed project, initiated by PAID cannot be applied in the existing environment due to many conflicts even with the EU legislation. A new modern solution to provide to the clients best services in the promised time is required to exist and to be applied in the moment of the event.

A special app to communicate with patients

A special app to communicate with patients

A special app to communicate with patients

A special app to communicate with patients

ПРОБЛЕМА СТВОРЕННЯ ІДЕАЛЬНОЇ ПЛАТФОРМИ ДЛЯ ВАРІАТИВНИХ ЕКРАННИХ ТВОРІВ

Variable cinema for a long time existed without an interactive component. Modern technologies do not restrict artists in the form of interactivity. But the appearance of a menu with the ability to choose in any form poses a threat of an additional pause in the development of the plot.Therefore, the authors of such films will stand or the problem of "masking" the point of choice with the help of artistic techniques that include it in the context of the picture, or creating for the viewer the form of choice far from the standard menu.The creation of a variable film involves the availability of a software-hardware platform that would allow the viewer to make choices and, after processing his result, show what he was chosen.Functionally, this platform consists of:A server that records all the pre-created elements of the variation, and which can cast out any sound element or video from the movie options;Variable processor - a block of processing information from the user (viewer) and the construction of the appropriate version of the film;a device for playing sound and video;devices for feedback from the user (viewer);communication channels for connecting the system.In the course of the development and evolution of the variational cinema, the needs of the authors of the variational projects may vary. Therefore, the critical requirement for an ideal software and hardware platform is the modularity of the whole system.Server requirements. The server must adapt to the bandwidth of the communication channels and promptly produce images and sound without causing delays when switching between the options of a picture or menu items.Variation processor requirements. Quickly process information. In addition to the basic functionality at the organization level of the button menu, the processor should enable script creator to create special menu types. What should be in these scripts is the ability to use different types of incoming signals from the user.There are no special creative requirements to the device for playing sound and video.Feedback device requirements. It should get the user's response, translate it into a signal that the processor can process. Such devices can be as diverse as the TVs or tablets, as well as the means of special constructions.Requirements for communication channels. It is important that all system activity takes place in real time, accordingly, communication channels should be designed for the platform to function without delays.The general requirement for an ideal platform is openness and accessibility from both the film's authors and the audience.In such an ideal platform, it is possible to implement all types and subtypes of variability as already tested for today, and those whose time has not yet come.Among the one-design platforms worthy of attention are those that were used for more popular films.The HBO “Mosaic” is available for viewing through a special app on iOS or Android, or for stationary computers.Optional version of the “Halcyon” project requires a virtual reality headset.Platform "Star Wars. Secrets of the Empire" is a very complex hardware complex, which includes both set and devices of virtual reality, and a very complex computer graphics station.There are currently not many universal access platforms.Viewing variable projects using a DVD player imposes serious limitations on the function of the server. The menu function is quite limited, but sufficient for the minimum needs of the cinema. There is an undiscovered potential in the form of different angles of vision that can be stored on a disk.However, another platform - the interactive YouTube - seems more promising. The overall functionality of annotations that add YouTube interactivity is not very different from the DVD menu, but this approach is easier to find in the viewer's search, and cheaper because the authors do not have to spend on printing and distributing DVDs.Nevertheless, today, for a variable project that has some resource potential, the most attractive option is to create its own site. This, relatively cheap method, allows you to add the project's own variational functionality, make it appropriate stylistic design, and provide user with the necessary information.An important step towards the development of high-budget projects is the development by UNLTD and Made with Unity platform for the TRINITY - first virtual reality variable show. In the future, this platform should be suitable for creating other similar shows.

Preferencje młodych użytkowników przestrzeni miejskiej Krakowa w zakresie wyboru alternatywnych form transportu

W dużych miastach obserwujemy rozwój transportu alternatywnego, towarzyszącego indywidualnemu transportowi samochodowemu, motocyklowemu, motorowerowemu i rowerowemu oraz zbiorowej komunikacji miejskiej i tradycyjnym przedsiębiorstwom taksówkowym. Do alternatywnych form transportu zaliczamy następujące usługi transportowe: zbliżone do usług taksówkowych, jednakże tańsze i odmienne w porównaniu z tradycyjnymi formami w sposobie realizacji zamówienia, które odbywają się przez aplikację, wynajem samochodów (będących własnością danego przedsiębiorstwa lub prywatnych właścicieli) na minuty lub godziny, co określamy mianem carsharingu, oraz wypożyczanie rowerów w ramach publicznego systemu wynajmu. Ze względu na specyfikę realizacji zamówienia, do czego potrzebny jest dostęp do komputera lub mobilnego urządzenia oraz internetu lub specjalnej aplikacji, z oferty firm świadczących usługi w ramach transportu alternatywnego korzystają najczęściej ludzie młodzi. Popularności tego transportu wśród przedstawicieli tego pokolenia sprzyja również wiele cech charakteryzujących młode pokolenie cyfrowe (sieci, Y). Przykładowe z tych cech to: pragnienie wolności, personalizacja, uważna obserwacja, czułość na wiarygodność i otwartość (wrażliwość?), pragnienie rozrywki, wspólne działania i nawiązywanie kontaktów, potrzeba prędkości, innowacyjność. Przytoczone badania zostały przeprowadzone wśród przedstawicieli młodszego pokolenia Y, czyli osób w wieku 19–24 lata. Ankietowani bardzo chętnie korzystają z transportu alternatywnego, w przyszłości również planują z niego korzystać i będą do tego zachęcać innych. Najważniejszymi powodami, które nimi kierują przy wyborze tego rodzaju transportu, są: dowolność w czasowym i przestrzennym korzystaniu z transportu, czyli fakt, że można z pojazdu skorzystać właściwie o dowolnej porze i w dowolnym miejscu. Natomiast czynnik finansowy ma dla nich pewne znaczenie, jednakże nie jest on decydujący wobec innych korzyści. Także czynniki ekologizacji i współpracy kolaboratywnej w kontekście wyboru transportu alternatywnego, na podstawie wypowiedzi badanych osób, nie zostały potwierdzone.

A Commit Messages-Based Bug Localization for Android Applications

Recently, there has been consistent growth in Android applications (apps). Under these circumstances, software maintenance for Android apps becomes an essential and important task. The core of software maintenance is to locate bugs in source files. Previous bug localization approaches mainly focus on open-source desktop software (e.g. Eclipse, Mozilla, GCC). Even though a few studies locate the bugs in the Android apps, they are dedicated to a special app named ZXing, without developing a general method to locate the bugs in Android apps by taking into account the unique characteristics of Android apps’ bug reports. Such characteristics include fewer number of historical bug reports, insufficient detailed description, etc. These characteristics hinder existing localization approaches from being directly delivered to Android apps, because lack of enough information degrades the performance of those localization approaches relying on historical bug reports. Commit messages include more informative data which can provide the details of reported bugs. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel information retrieval-based approach which utilizes commit messages to locate new bugs in Android apps. This approach not only considers the structured textual similarity between the given bug and the candidate source files, but also computes the unstructured textual similarities between the new bug and the commit messages linked to the corresponding source files. According to the experimental results on 10 popular open-source Android apps managed by GitHub, our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art bug localization methods that include BugLocator, BLUiR, and two-phase model.

Teaching and Learning Electromagnetic Polarization Using Mobile Devices [Education Corner

The wide avai lability of smart handheld and mobile devices has provided educators with another opportunity to aid the teaching of electromagnetics (EM) courses with touchbased interactivity, allowing seamless teaching and learning. This article explores how mobile devices may be used to enhance students' grasp of EM polarization concepts through a special app designed to provide interactive visualization. It also helps instructors to effectively illustrate many wave polarization topics through various interactive features. By using the app, various polarizations can be better explained with two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) animations. Users are allowed to input various wave parameters to see, in real time, how they change the polarization ellipse and/or handedness.

A Survey on the Use of Mobile Applications for People who Are Visually Impaired

Introduction The literature indicates that few studies have been conducted with persons with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) concerning mobile application or “app” usage. The current study explores the use of mobile apps with this population globally. Methods A total of 259 participants with visual impairments completed an online survey. Descriptive statistics and bivariate tests were used to examine associations between demographic characteristics and mobile app use. Results The participants rated special apps as useful (95.4%) and accessible (91.1%) tools for individuals with visual impairments. More than 90% of the middle-aged adult group strongly agreed with the practicality of special apps, a significantly higher percentage than was observed in the young and old adult groups. In addition, the participants with low vision considered special apps less accessible than did those with blindness (p < .05). Discussion Results show that persons with visual impairments frequently use apps specifically designed for them to accomplish daily activities. Furthermore, this population is satisfied with mobile apps and would like to see improvements and new apps. Implications for practitioners Developers of apps for individuals with visual impairments need to refine and test the existing apps. Practitioners need to be knowledgeable about app usage so they can provide effective instruction to their students or clients. This study provides preliminary information regarding app usage among persons with visual impairments.

APP design of the oral medication voice prompts for the patients in the department of neurology and its application effect

Objective To design the APP of the oral medication dedicated voice prompts for the patients in the department of neurology and investigate the APP effects on the oral medication adherence of the patients in the department of neurology and their self-management efficiency. Methods Common oral medicine in the department of neurology was divided into 10 categories. Thirty species from each category which required special prompts were selected. According to the medication time, the medication method, precautions and adverse drug reactions, normative voice prompts of each drug were designed. Audio files were recorded using the computer recording software and the files were made into a special APP. Two hundred of patients hospitalized in the department of neurology in the author's hospital during January, 2016 to March, 2016 were selected and randomly divided into the observation group and the control group (100 patients for each group) .Patients in the two groups were cared with the oral medication routine nursing in the department of neurology. For the patients in the observation group, based on the routine nursing the APP of the oral medication dedicated voice prompts was implanted in the patients' smart phone to remind patients of taking medicine according to the requirements. The implementation of oral medication in the two groups was observed. Results The medication correctness, the medication compliance and the self-observation and handling capacity of adverse reactions in the patients in the observation group were all significantly higher than those in the control groups (P<0.05) . Conclusions The APP of the oral medication dedicated voice prompts can significantly improve the medication compliance, reduce the incidence of medication errors and increase the self-management efficacy of the patients in the department of neurology, which promotes the patients'early recovery. Key words: Smart phone; Voice prompts; APP; Medication compliance

The Case for Using Actigraphy Generated Sleep and Activity Endpoints in Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trials.

More and more people in the industrialised world use wearables and smartphones to monitor their health and fitness. These devices are often used in combination with special apps to monitor and document daily activities and sleep. It would appear to be a logical step to assess the relevance of these devices in drug development trials. In contrast to the consumer devices, the technology used in clinical trials needs to be validated and compliant with the relevant regulations. Even under these complex requirements, wearables offer a number of new opportunities to objectively capture clinically relevant outcome measures -potentially with lower burden for patients and site staff. As an example, we describe the use in Alzheimer's disease drug development studies. This is an indication where there have been a number of failures, in part due to the difficulties this patient population has in reliably completing existing tools. In addition rater scales add complexity due to inter- and intra-rater variability.