"That's Something for Children"

Robotic systems are increasingly seen as possible technical aids against the background of demographic change and the associated pressures on care systems, with increasing numbers of care recipients and a decreasing number of trained caregivers. In human-computer interaction and computer-supported cooperative work, different design paradigms are currently being pursued to explore which features and appearances are favorable for meaningful interactions of humans with robotic systems. One such approach, labeled as "otherware", proposes to conceptualize robots beyond a naive anthropomorphism or zoomorphism, rather developing the idea of a figure that goes beyond the dichotomy between "being alive" and "being a technical artefact". We present an ethnographic study on the perceptions, attitudes, and practices of care attendants and nursing-home residents in their experimenting with off-the-shelf robotic cats and dogs. The three-week study shows specific appropriation practices of the robotic pets, and how the care attendants - partly together with the residents - define their experiences of the robotic pets, i.e., in which situations the robotic pets are considered either as living beings or as technology toys. The study provides practice-based insights into how possible uses of robotic pets could be meaningfully integrated into care practices, but also which ethical reflections were discussed during their use. Finally, this ethnographic study functioned as a collaborative learning process between researchers, care attendants, and residents, and thus also points out possible aspects that arose with regard to future learning spaces of professional and organizational development for dealing with innovative technologies in residential care contexts.

Should Oscar Pistorius be Allowed to Compete at the Olympic Games?

<p>On the 4th of August 2012 South African runner Oscar Pistorius became the first athlete to compete at the Olympic Games while running on prosthetic limbs. Pistorius is a double below the knee amputee who runs on carbon J-shaped fibre blades. He represents a fusion of humanity and technology that will become an increasingly pressing issue for the sporting arena in the coming years. In this essay I use Pistorius as a case study to investigate how decisions regarding the use of enhancement technologies in sport should be made. I argue that the key characteristic that should be assessed is whether Pistorius' prosthetic legs mean that he is competing in a different sport to able-bodied athletes when he runs. I contend that the best method for deciding whether or not Pistorius is competing in the same sport as able-bodied athletes is to adopt a balance of excellences view of sport (Devine, 2010). I use this model to show that the excellence of exploiting technical aids is far more important for Pistorius than it is for his able-bodied counterparts. From this I conclude that what Pistorius does when he runs is not comparable to able-bodied runners. Thus he should not be allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympic Games.</p>

Should Oscar Pistorius be Allowed to Compete at the Olympic Games?

<p>On the 4th of August 2012 South African runner Oscar Pistorius became the first athlete to compete at the Olympic Games while running on prosthetic limbs. Pistorius is a double below the knee amputee who runs on carbon J-shaped fibre blades. He represents a fusion of humanity and technology that will become an increasingly pressing issue for the sporting arena in the coming years. In this essay I use Pistorius as a case study to investigate how decisions regarding the use of enhancement technologies in sport should be made. I argue that the key characteristic that should be assessed is whether Pistorius' prosthetic legs mean that he is competing in a different sport to able-bodied athletes when he runs. I contend that the best method for deciding whether or not Pistorius is competing in the same sport as able-bodied athletes is to adopt a balance of excellences view of sport (Devine, 2010). I use this model to show that the excellence of exploiting technical aids is far more important for Pistorius than it is for his able-bodied counterparts. From this I conclude that what Pistorius does when he runs is not comparable to able-bodied runners. Thus he should not be allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympic Games.</p>

Attitudes of Czech College Students Toward Digital Literacy and Their Technical Aids in Times of COVID-19

At present, when the whole world is struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to address both the issue of flexibility when educating the younger generation and the issue of further professional education, which contributes to the development of competences that are directly relevant to life and everyday activities in the 21st century. The common denominator of these competences is digital competence. It is the aspect of education that is of primary and crucial importance for digital literacy development. This re-search study aims at establishing the availability of digital media and atti-tudes towards one’s own technical aids and digital literacy among students of two higher education institutions in the Czech Republic. Empirical research involved 1233 college students. The set research hypotheses were tested with a questionnaire-based survey using the Likert scale. A cluster analysis was conducted in the SPSS program. In view of the ordinal nature of data, the nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test conducted at significance levels of 5% and 1% in SPSS was applied to test the dependence of competence self-assessment on the specialization of the higher education institutions/ study level/ study form. The research has unequivocally proven that digital literacy is influenced by education, in terms of the specific study programme special-ization, study level and study form.

The Independence of Primary School Students in Learning Music at a Distance during Covid-19 Pandemic

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the primary school students were forced to study at a distance of two and a half months starting from mid-March 2020. There was a situation where students had to learn music independently more than they had done so far. The study aims to determine 2nd and 3rd grade students’ perspectives on independent distance learning of music during the Covid-19 pandemic. To achieve the aim of the study, previous researches on this issue were analysed, as well as an empirical study was carried out. The study involved 105 (N=105) primary school students in grades 2-3 and occurred in the second term of the 2019/2020 school year in a public primary school located in Riga. A questionnaire consisting of 20 statements was conducted to determine students’ perspectives on music distance learning independently. The twenty statements were divided into four groups: students’ independence, provision of technical aids, difficulties and attitude. The study revealed that the students’ skills to find and complete the tasks that are given by the teacher in the E-class are at a middle level. The students assessed their ability to learn to sing songs and perform music listening tasks independently at a high level. The students mostly used computers or mobile phones when they learned music at a distance. However, the majority of students faced a lack of technical aids. The study found out that complete music listening task was the easiest for the students, but a little harder was learning to sing songs. The most difficult part of learning for students was to complete a writing task because the possibility of printing it was limited. The students rated their attitude towards music distance learning independently at a middle level. Many students missed the presence of their teachers and longed for social activities in the classroom. The study concluded that there is a significant difference between 2nd and 3rd grade students’ skills to find independently the tasks sent by the teacher. Moreover, the 3rd grade students wanted to learn music independently at a distance more than the 2nd grade students did. The study provides evidence-based data on primary school students’ readiness to learn music independently at a distance.

Introduction to Fourier analysis using IT tools of Laboratory of Technical Aids of Teaching IF UJ.

The general aim of this article is to present didactic aspects of familiarizing students with the Fourier analysis. This didactic process issues through the use of IT tools of Laboratory of Technical Aids of Teaching is discussed. There are four separate computer stations, differing in software, where students learn step by step: composing signals from single harmonics, visualization through images of rotating vectors of harmonic signal composition, operation of a virtual generator of a given number of harmonics and elements of the CMA Coach system in the context of signal analysis. The applied didactic methods are aimed at students of biophysics for whom the Fourier analysis is of practical importance.

Sole will and joint will of spouses: a comparative approach (permissible aspect)

The research is aimed at structuring doctrinal developments on the stated topic, comparing them with the related Russian and foreign practices and formulating their own scientific position. The subject of the research is the legal relationship arising in connection with a) the right to make a sole will and b) the determination by the spouses subject to the joint will of the corresponding rights and obligations for a heir. In the course of the study, the dialectical method, general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, analogy as well as the systemic method were used; special legal methods were used, in particular, the comparative approach. The problem of civil law regulation of the institution of will, and in particular of the joint will of spouses, with the comparative legal method was analysed. As a result, the authors, on the basis of an analysis of the current domestic and foreign civil legislation, have developed ways to solve the identified problems by making appropriate changes to the civil legislation. In particular, the concept of a classic will has been formulated and substantiated. It was established that the mandatory provision concerning the loss of effect of a joint will in the event of a marriage being declared invalid after the death of one of the spouses violates the legitimate interests of a bona fide spouse, and therefore it was proposed to supplement the civil legislation with provisions that would allow the court to keep such a will in force. It has been substantiated that the Russian legislator needs to supplement the legal structure of the institution under research by allowing to draw up a joint will of spouses in extraordinary circumstances. The novelty of the research lies in the proposal to amend the articles of the current civil legislation in order to secure the possibility of making a sole will with electronic or any other technical aids.

Validez y confiabilidad de la escala de actividad física para adultos con discapacidad física PASIPD-C

Objetivo: Desarrollar adaptación transcultural y estimación de propiedades escalares (validez apariencia, confiabilidad -consistencia interna- y validez de constructo) de la Escala de Actividad Física para Discapacidad Física (PASIPD). Metodología: Investigación no-experimental observacional, descriptivo-correlacional. La muestra fue de 47 personas con edad promedio de 32.3±11.5 años; 51.1% mujeres vs 48.9% de hombres, de Bogotá, con condiciones crónicas de discapacidad física. Se revisó léxico y redacción de ítems de escala PASIPD adaptándolos a contexto colombiano. Se realizó validación de apariencia (validez facial), posteriormente se piloteó con 21 adultos en condición de discapacidad. Luego, se hizo aplicación de PASIPD-C en ligas y entidades promotoras de actividad física. Análisis se realizó con IBM-SPSS statistic 22. Resultados: No hubo diferencias significativas (p>.05) en el gasto metabólico estimado entre grupos etarios (F=.342; p=.795), discapacidad congénita vs adquirida (F=2.58; p=.115), tiempo de presentar discapacidad (F=2.702; p=.058) y uso de ayudas técnicas (F=.095; p=.910). Respecto a confiabilidad, Alpha de Cronbach de 0,721, consistencia interna alta. El análisis factorial de componentes principales arrojó una medida de Káiser-Meyer-Olkin de adecuación muestral de .56 que con la prueba de esfericidad de Bartlett significativa al dar una p <.001. Abstract. Objective: To develop cross-cultural adaptation and estimation of scalar properties (appearance validity, reliability -internal consistency- and construct validity) of the Scale of Physical Activity for Physical Disability (PASIPD). Methodology: Non-experimental observational, descriptive-correlational research. The sample consisted of 47 people with an average age of 32.3 ± 11.5 years; 51.1% women vs 48.9% of men, from Bogotá, with chronic conditions of physical disability. The vocabulary and writing of the PASIPD scale items were revised, adapting them to the Colombian context. Appearance validation (facial validity) was performed, later it was piloted with 21 adults with disabilities. Then, PASIPD-C was applied in leagues and entities promoting physical activity. Analysis was performed with IBM-SPSS statistic 22. Results: There were no significant differences (p> .05) in the estimated metabolic output between age groups (F = .342; p = .795), congenital vs acquired disability (F = 2.58; p = .115), time to present disability (F = 2.702; p = .058) and use of technical aids (F = .095; p = .910). Regarding reliability, Cronbach's Alpha of 0.721, high internal consistency. The factor analysis of principal components yielded a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sample adequacy of .56, which with the Bartlett test of sphericity was significant by giving a p <.001.

Control Strategies and Daily Affect

Adjusting strategies to manage daily goal pursuit with new functional limitations may impact not only the affect of patients, but also that of their partners. Associations between patients’ control strategies and both partners’ affect were examined at the onset of patients’ incontinence following prostatectomy. Eight-day diary data from 180 heterosexual couples were used to fit two-level models. In patients, investing personal resources to keep up goal pursuit despite incontinence (selective primary control) was associated with better affect, particularly when incontinence was pronounced. Yet, partners’ decreased negative affect coincided with patients’ asking for help and using technical aids (compensatory primary control) when the incontinence was severe. Patients and partners may benefit from different control strategies used by patients, especially when their functional limitations are pronounced.