Novel Cartographical Designs for Blind and Partially Impaired Students in Kurdistan

It is understood that all human beings need information, including spatial (geospatial) information. It has to be noted that spatial and geospatial information helps people to enrich the knowledge about certain regions. In general, the knowledge is very significant for strengthening orientation ability, which, in turn, affects the level of intelligence. It is believed that the better a person can recognize geographical information the cleverer s/he is. Being able to have the spatial knowledge helps humans to fulfil their basic needs and find solutions to various problems. Present research uses Geographical Information System (GIS) to create paper maps, which can be transferred onto a touch display where the user can choose different keys and settings (such as colour, measurement, etc.) to represent different forms of data. The study aims to examine the effectiveness of digital interactive cartographical novel solutions in improving text and space memorization among visually impaired Kurdish students. The study’s purpose draws from the knowledge that Kurdistan learners and other demographic groups lack an effective multimodal communication map suited to contemporary society’s demands. The research seeks to fill the gap by presenting a strategy for developing interactive tactile maps for the target group to solve the growing problem of visual impairment in Kurdistan. Technologies associated with tactile maps are reviewed and the application of interactive tactile maps for populations, in addition to those who are visually impaired, is also considered. The obtained results are very useful for blind and low sighted users to communicate information through the assistive technologies on the map due to finding the geographical location easily.

Coordinative Abilities of Soccer Players: A Comparative Analysis

Background: The environment and lifestyle of most children has led to the reduction of their motor activity, as they live in small spaces and lack the proper playing conditions. Coordination is about controlling all the body parts while doing different activities of children. It is about making and maintaining connections between the brain and the muscles that control movement of the children. Objective: To compare the coordinative abilities between rural and urban male soccer players. Methodology: A group of sixty (N=60) male soccer players aged between 13-18 years were randomly allowed for this study from different club of north 24 parganas district, West Bengal. They were further divided into two groups of 30 each (i.e., N1=30; rural players and N2=30; urban players). The purposive sampling technique was used to attain the objectives of the study. Orientation ability, Differentiation ability, Reaction ability, Balance ability and Rhythm ability were the Coordinative abilities selected for the study. The independent sample t- test statistical technique was used to analyzed the significant difference of coordinative abilities between rural and urban male soccer players and the level of significance was set at 0.05 levels. Results: The results showed that there was significant difference between rural and urban male soccer players, in respect to their Coordinative abilities on the sub variables i.e. reaction ability, orientation ability and differentiation ability. However insignificant difference was found for rhythm ability. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the rural male soccer players were better in Orientation ability, Differentiation ability, Reaction ability and Balance ability in comparison to urban male soccer players.

CORRECTION OF LEARNING DISORDERS BY OPTIMIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ORIENTATION

Learning to read, write and calculate are proving to be some of the most significant cognitive processes in early education. The objective of this systematic review is to explore the associations between the psychomotor component and the academic achievement in writing, reading, and mathematics. An organized and methodical research of electronic databases was completed in order to determine significant studies. Twenty eligible articles were strictly evaluated, with extracted and summarized keywords. The two components of the psychomotor activity that influence reading were primarily the orientation ability and the fine motor skill, which is the one responsible for the correct spelling of “mirror-writing”. Differences in motor function were observed after intervention programmes. The results of all researchers have shown that there is a link between dysgraphia, dyslexia and the orientation ability or visual perception. Meanwhile, the role of cognitive and motor skills that underpinned mathematical performance was highlighted, and children who had a high capacity for spatial and visual orientation benefited from a better understanding and perception of geometric figures. However, the importance of students'''' spatial reasoning in relation to mathematics was identified, but only in terms of geometry. Poor quality of spatial notions has been found to be one of the causes of delay in the acquisition of reading, writing and mathematical calculation. The role of fine motor skills in the writing process was also noted, being of real importance in times when the child manipulates the writing tool and puts a word or a sentence on the page.

Impact of a Multiobject-directed Spatial Orientation Ability on Air Traffic Conflict Detection Performance in Free Route Airspace

With a focus on psychometric assessment, the current study investigated the extent to which spatial orientation ability (SOA), as conceptualized in the spatial cognition and navigation literature, predicted air traffic conflict detection performance in a simulated free route airspace (FRA). Within a FRA, airspace users have the flexibility to plan flights by selecting preferred routes between predefined waypoints. Despite such benefits, FRA implementation can introduce conflicts that are geometrically complex, and of which would require a high level of SOA engagement. Based on a sample of 20 young adults who have the prospect to become air traffic controllers (ATCOs), we found that response time-based performance on a newly developed computerized spatial orientation test (SOT) predicted time to loss of minimum separation (tLMS)-based performance on a conflict detection task to a moderately large extent under scenarios with high air traffic density. We explained these findings in light of similar or overlapping mental processes that were most likely activated optimally under task conditions featuring approximately equal numbers of outcome-relevant stimuli. We also discussed the potential use of the new SOT in relation to the selection of prospective ATCOs who can demonstrate high levels of conflict detection performance in FRA during training simulations.

Side effects of the cough drug dextromethorphan, studied on ants as models

Dextromethorphan, the currently preferred cough drug, tested on ants used as biological models, decreased the food consumption of these insects, increased their sinuosity of movement, reduced their tactile (pain) perception, and impacted their social relationships. It did not affect the ants’ orientation ability, audacity, cognition, conditioning acquisition and memory. The ants did not adapt themselves to the side effects of dextromethorphan and became dependent on its consumption. The effect of the drug quickly and linearly decreased after weaning, becoming very weak after 4 – 6 hours and null after 10 – 12 hours. Dextromethorphan led to dependence, what can also occur in humans. Being safer than previously used cough drugs, dextromethorphan can be consumed for treating dry cough, but in order to prevent dependence, should be used only at therapeutic doses and during a limited time.

Examining the Formation of Integrative Readiness of Pre-Service Teachers to work in Inclusive Classrooms in Ukraine

The article addresses potential issues surrounding the development of the integrative readiness of pre-service teachers to work in inclusive classrooms in Ukraine. Integrative readiness is an open, dynamic, synergistic system functioning of cognitive, motivational, affective, and selective processes which is developed through the purposeful training of future teachers for work in inclusive, which is included in the educational social environment as a tool for acquiring productive knowledge, forming integrative skills. The structure of integrative readiness includes personality orientation; ability to perform their duties, professional competences; productive knowledge that the student receives from environmental information based on personal prior knowledge, skills, personal and professional qualities, and integrative skills that demonstrate the ability of an individual to make independent decisions and appropriate actions in unpredictable new situations. The levels of integrative readiness were investigated, covering the following interrelated stages: theoretical analysis, synthesis, comparison; modelling and technological design; generalization; observational; pedagogical experiment. A study was conducted. The research involved 285 pre-service teachers from the Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, enrolled in the Speciality 016: Special Education unit. A structural model of the formation of integrative readiness of future teachers for professional activity was developedwhich consisting of the following blocks: target, content and procedural, and resultant. The research finding reported that the effectiveness of corrective, developmental, and educational work in the educational inclusive space largely depended upon the quality of training of the pre-service teacher, and the use of active and interactive training.

Ethological and physiological side effects of oxybutynin studied on ants as models

Patients suffering from urinary incontinence are still nowadays mostly treated with oxybutynin. Using ants as models, we found that this drug decreased their food consumption, orientation ability, tactile perception, cognition and memory, induced restlessness and stress, impacted their social relationships and leaded to dependence. No adaptation occurred to these side effects. The action of oxybutynin quickly vanished in 10 hours. Most of these side effects corresponded to those observed in humans (on whom effects on food consumption, activity, cognition and anxiousness can be observed), and some others were observed in ants (impact on social relationships, dependence on the drug and absence of adaptation to its side effects). Ants appear thus to be valuable models for revealing side effects of a drug. On the basis of our results and of those reported in the literature, it can be concluded that patients treated with oxybutynin should be carefully monitored as for their risk of developing adverse effects, even unexpected ones. Novel, safer medicines, presenting a better balance between efficacy and safety should be researched.