Optimizing the allocation of technological resources of an air transport system in the presence of a schedule and fuzzy input data

The problem of optimal allocation of technological resources (operators) of a technical or organizational-technical system, designed to serve certain objects (operands) according to a given schedule, is considered. We take into account the necessity of incorporating, together with the main, preparatory and final operations, the possibility to select one or several operators for operand service into the service process, as well as the dependence of the operations duration on the factors characterized by uncertainty. Due to the supposed absence of statistics, expert-assigned indefinite values in the form of triangular fuzzy numbers are used. The optimization problem is formulated as a mathematical programming problem with a fuzzy criterion and clear-cut constraints, consisting in finding such a distribution of a given number of operators to serve each operand from a given set which minimizes the target function that takes into account deviations from the schedule (delay) with the service termination. Typical examples of systems for which the problem is relevant are the production complexes of air transport enterprises operating in conditions of uncertainty when it is necessary to ensure the regularity and safety of air transportation. A model example of solving the problem of allocating mobile refueling facilities at a hub airport, taking into account the peculiarities of its schedule, is presented. It is shown that the capabilities of standard personal computer software are sufficient for the solution.

«Moral depreciation» of personal computer software as one of factors in reducing labor productivity at enterprise

In this article, the author examines the issue of «moral depreciation» of personal computer software and shows how it can affect the productivity of an organization. The relevance of the chosen topic is due to the fact that in the modern economy, with the advent of new products on the IT market aimed at optimizing work processes, low labor productivity is still observed in many companies, thereby arousing the interest of various researchers to understand this situation. The aim of the study is to analyze the processes of updating PC software at Russian enterprises and to study its impact on labor productivity. The main content of the study is the analysis of statistical data in the field of information and communication technologies in the context of various categories and groups. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the use of special programs at enterprises, as well as to the issues of personnel training on the use of these programs in their activities. As a result of the analysis, the author highlights the main points that arise in modern Russian companies due to the «moral depreciation» of software products, and also shows how they can affect their productivity. In conclusion, recommendations are offered to improve the current situation

Self-Administered Tinnitus Pitch Matching versus a Conventional Audiometric Procedure

Objective: Obtaining an accurate tinnitus pitch match is an initial and critical requirement for tinnitus evaluation and treatment, particularly for applying tailor-made notched music training. We investigated whether computer-based self-administered tinnitus pitch matching (CSTPM) is comparable with a conventional audiometric procedure (CAP). Methods: In total, 82 patients (mean age 45.52 years; 42 females) with tonal tinnitus participated. The CAP was performed by the same audiologist using a 2-alternative forced choice method with a frequency range of 0.25-16 kHz. In the CSTPM, the subjects used personal computer software with a scrolling slider to select the sound closest to their tinnitus pitch. After each matching procedure, an octave challenge test was applied. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with the difference between the CSTPM and CAP. Results: The subjects' mean hearing threshold was 21.25 ± 17.61 dB HL; the mean tinnitus handicap inventory score was 35.56 ± 24.09. The mean pitches measured with the CSTPM and CAP were 6.29 ± 4.30 and 6.98 ± 5.33 kHz, respectively. In total, 57 (69.5%) subjects matched their tinnitus with less than half an octave difference between the procedures. The results of the 2 methods correlated significantly with each other (Pearson r = 0.793, p < 0.001). Octave confusion was a significant factor affecting the difference between the procedures (odds ratio 8.92, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The CSTPM appears to be as accurate as the standard audiological procedure, and may be used instead of the CAP when octave confusion is minimized.

Computer Users Perceptions of Indonesian Online Bussines Webpage Based on Human Computer Interface

Nowadays, in this era of information technology personal computer is common usage in office and home purposes. Most of personal computer software applications use US-English for its user interface and not all countries use the computer instruction using the language of the country concerned. In general, the problems caused by conditions like this one is creates a semantic gap. Indonesian is also experiencing these problems which there are still many Indonesian people that cannot understand in computer English instructions. This gap may increase intensifies globalization. However, the semantic gap also creates end users market opportunity for Indonesian computer application with appropriate terminology. With proper terminology, making computer software applications will target of non-advanced users. This paper researches on the potentials of an Indonesian online bussines web browser. A mocked-up clone of Mozilla Firefox 18.1 was made for the purpose of collecting questionnaire result from respondents. The respondents were computer course students which meet the criterions of non-advanced users. The test that was done states that simple straightforward translations should be adequate for most cases, although a standardization of terminologies is still required.

Software Based Methods to Harden Embedded Software at Run-Time: A Survey

Embedded Systems software reliability is increasingly important, therefore methods to harden existing software are needed. In general, hardening software against various failures is a necessity in modern computer systems. A lot of work has been published regarding many possible ways to achieve this non-functional requirement. Relevant topics include, e.g., test procedures, recommended development flows, and hardware measures like watchdog timers. One of these methods seems very promising to be software implemented in modern embedded systems: Control Flow Checking by signatures. Various authors have shown the effectiveness and feasibility of Control Flow Checking (CFC) by signatures for personal computer software. For instance it has been shown for standard computer-systems, that CFC is capable of reducing undetected control flow errors by at least one magnitude. This survey will focus on the applicability of such software hardening methods to embedded systems, while adhering mainly to software based approaches. Published methods will be summarized and compared. Furthermore methods to simplify derived control-flow graphs to essential states will be emphasized. Finally the possibility to apply run-time verification to the Control-flow Checking Software is considered.