Teamwork as an interactive educational technology at pedagogical universities

A significant shift is taking place at higher educational institutions and emphasizes group or teamwork during the academic process. This article introduces incorporating teamwork into pedagogical courses. The application of the teamwork pedagogy is relevant due to a strong necessity to find a successful educational technology of professional teachers' competencies development required by the modern international labor market. Sufficient results have been achieved with the use of theoretical and empirical research methods as analysis, generalization, and systematization of scientific papers, observation, reflectivity, and social intelligence diagnosis, pedagogical modeling, questioning, and collecting data. The scientific novelty of the theoretical part is highlighted through the importance of applying teamwork as a more successful educational technology, proving effective tools, and strategies for designing the new teamwork-based educational process of master's degree students in Pedagogy. On the practical side, this new pedagogy has been applied in two universities, and it is concluded that teamwork can enhance problem-solving and creativity, generates understanding, support, commitment, acceptance, and bring out the best of the future university teacher.

Depression and anxiety of cancer patients during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic seriously affects the mood, sleep and induce patients' stress in an oncological environment. To date there is no data available on cancer patients under the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on anxiety and depression status. Methods: A survey of 421 patients treated in an oncology center was conducted. The survey included Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire to evaluate the influence of pandemic on the cancer patients' status of anxiety and depression. Results: More than half of cancer patients (50.7%) during the COVID-19 pandemic had symptoms of anxiety, whereas the incidence of depression was 46.8%. Living alone contributes to a higher risk of depression (P=0.026) and anxiety (P=0.031). Moreover, patients having an acquaintance or a relative infected with COVID-19 were more susceptible to suffer severe anxiety (P=0.028).Conclusions: Half of cancer patients are more likely to show increased incidence of depression and anxiety. There is a strong necessity to detect and treat depression and anxiety in cancer patients to increase the quality of life and reduce mortality. During this challenging time, the oncology community faces extraordinary issues to enhance the mental health for people with cancer.

Improving the Maintenance of Railway Switches through Proactive Approach

A strong necessity for faster mass transport with high capacities and frequent runs has put pressure on railway infrastructure. These changes require an improvement in the maintenance activities that need to be planned carefully to reduce as much as possible their impacts on the actual use of the infrastructure. As a consequence, it is crucial to continuously monitor the technical equipment of the railroad tracks in the most efficient way. Railway switches operate in harsh environmental conditions. However, their reliability requirements are high due to safety and economic factors. Their maintenance depends on the data collected and the decisions on due corrective actions. The more frequent the data collection, the shorter the decision cycle; and the more intuitive the data visualization, the better the confidence in the system. This paper presents some tangible results, where the MANTIS concepts were applied to the use-case of railway switches to introduce continuous monitoring and proactive maintenance of the railroad tracks. The presented results include the measurement method; the analysis of the measured data; the profiling and modelling of the physical behaviour of the switch, including the recognized need to have separate models per season; and the visualization of the gathered data.

Performance – Based Budgeting – an option or a necessity

The paper aims to present the concept of Performance – Based Budgeting and its importance for the economic development of a country. Performance – Based Budgeting is applied since decades ago in countries like Sweden or USA, whilst the others may learn from the good practices examples offered by the two. The present research highlights the advantages of implementing this concept, the suitable ways for implementing it, the obstacles that are often encountered and important recommendations for improving its use. The research was based on the literature review of the publications and the official data available in the studied field. The results of the paper contributes to implementing Performance – Based Budgeting in Romania but also to improving its implementation in other countries. Therefore, the paper offers solutions to stimulate a sustainable economic development of a country. The conclusion will reveal if Performance-Based Budgeting is an option among other concepts or a strong necessity for nowadays economic challenges.

Constraints and opportunities for entrepreneurship in Peru and Chile: A discussion about institutions and social networks in Latin America

Entrepreneurial activity involves many risks and challenges along its life cycle, even more when it is in its very beginning phase. New organizations have a strong necessity to find strategic and valuable resources to achieve their growth and survival while they are taking their first steps in business. In addition to this, countries’ entrepreneurship represents different opportunities like technological development or renewable energy innovations, but for Latin America it means a powerful engine for the economy, thousands of jobs and a reliable way to get rid of poverty. This paper aims to discuss how social networks can be a useful mechanism for entrepreneurs in Latin America to obtain valuable resources from external sources. The method employs a descriptive and exploratory focus, as well as an inductive approach for its conclusions. Results of the paper present different programs carried out by Chilean and Peruvian governments that promote entrepreneurial networks, and how these can be useful to the entrepreneurs’ business activities. Even when these programs need to extend their initiatives, covering a larger scope of entrepreneurs, the study concludes by focusing on the importance of networks promoted by these local institutions as a part of entrepreneurial initial operational phase under turbulent conditions, where valuable resource are scarce and the surrounding institutional environment is weak.

Industry 5.0—A Human-Centric Solution

Staying at the top is getting tougher and more challenging due to the fast-growing and changing digital technologies and AI-based solutions. The world of technology, mass customization, and advanced manufacturing is experiencing a rapid transformation. Robots are becoming even more important as they can now be coupled with the human mind by means of brain–machine interface and advances in artificial intelligence. A strong necessity to increase productivity while not removing human workers from the manufacturing industry is imposing punishing challenges on the global economy. To counter these challenges, this article introduces the concept of Industry 5.0, where robots are intertwined with the human brain and work as collaborator instead of competitor. This article also outlines a number of key features and concerns that every manufacturer may have about Industry 5.0. In addition, it presents several developments achieved by researchers for use in Industry 5.0 applications and environments. Finally, the impact of Industry 5.0 on the manufacturing industry and overall economy is discussed from an economic and productivity point of view, where it is argued that Industry 5.0 will create more jobs than it will take away.

SAFETY OF ARTIFICIAL SUPERINTELLIGENCE

The paper analyses an important problem of cyber security from human safety perspective which is usually described as data and/or computer safety itself without mentioning the human. There are numerous scientific predictions of creation of artificial superintelligence, which could arise in the near future. That is why the strong necessity for protection of such a system from causing any farm arises. This paper reviews approaches and methods already presented for solving this problem in a single article, analyses its results and provides future research directions.

Single Nanoparticle Electrochemistry

Experimental techniques to monitor and visualize the behaviors of single nanoparticles have not only revealed the significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity of those individuals, which are hidden in ensemble methods, but more importantly, they have also enabled researchers to elucidate the origin of such heterogeneity. In pursuing the intrinsic structure-function relations of single nanoparticles, the recently developed stochastic collision approach demonstrated some early promise. However, it was later realized that the appropriate sizing of a single nanoparticle by an electrochemical method could be far more challenging than initially expected owing to the dynamic motion of nanoparticles in electrolytes and complex charge-transfer characteristics at electrode surfaces. This clearly indicates a strong necessity to integrate single nanoparticle electrochemistry with high-resolution optical microscopy. Hence, this review aims to give a timely update of the latest progress for both electrochemically sensing and seeing single nanoparticles. A major focus is on collision-based measurements, where nanoparticles or single entities in solution impact on a collector electrode and the electrochemical response is recorded. These measurements are further enhanced with optical measurements in parallel. For completeness, advances in other related methods for single nanoparticle electrochemistry are also included.

Regional Development Discrepancies in the Eastern European Union Analysed through the Prism of Growth Determinants

The twenty-first century is characterised by major shifts in the global economic paradigms. Europe constantly diminishes its importance in the world slowly drifting towards the secondary roles in determining the progress of human civilisation. The European Union as the main integrational structure on the continent is set to offer Europe a global perspective and consolidate the member countries’ common influence in international relations. Several enlargement waves were undertaken comprising countries of different economic development level. The main mechanism of the European Union in enhancing the economic cohesion among the member states is the Regional policy. The largest portion of financing is allocated towards enhancing the economic potential of least developed EU regions. Considering this fact, the present research is set to analyse the inter-regional development discrepancies in the Eastern European countries i. e. Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria in the context of raising global competition and to identify the key economic growth determinants of the nations. The results underline that there is a strong necessity to empower the prerogatives of the EU to increase its ability to decide the issues related to discrepancies reduction, infrastructure investments and improvement of the regional business opportunities.

Modality, Semantics, and Consciousness

Here I present an overall assessment of how Chalmers and I differ on the argumentative route to any form of anti-Materialism. I reframe my objection to the semantic framework he appeals to in his argument and also present reasons for thinking that no choice to adopt one semantic framework over another can yield the metaphysical conclusions he wishes to draw. One basic problem I present is that, using a semantic argument to establish that some realm of phenomena is fundamental, seems to unjustifiably assume a link between the semantically fundamental and the metaphysically fundamental. I also criticize his appeal to modal rationalism as a basis for disallowing so-called “strong necessity.”