Forecasting business innovative activity using indicators of innovative potential of personnel

The article highlights the results of studying and forecasting the innovative potential of personnel, which, when a number of conditions are met, is embodied in innovative activity characterized by the rates of rationalization efforts. Russian Railways, JSC is one of the first companies to develop a regulatory framework arranging the innovative activities and relations arising in the course of development and use of rationalization proposals, as well as formalizing the innovative activities of personnel, whose activity served as a factual basis of the research. There have been emphasized the significant components of the employees’ innovation activity, the development of which is the prerogative of the company. The purposeful activity of Russian Railways, JSC in training the employees for inclusion in the process of generating proposals was noted. The dynamics of the innovative proposals and their authors is analyzed. The change in the obtained economic effect per one innovative proposal has been investigated. Modeling the dependence of the used rationalization proposals on the number of authors who submitted proposals has been carried out. The assessment of the accuracy and adequacy of the constructed regression equation is given, the absence of cointegration of the considered time series is shown, which gives grounds to use the constructed model of dependence of indicators of the innovative potential of the company’s personnel for making forecasts. Point and interval forecasting of the factor attribute of the predictive model of the number of authors who submitted rationalization proposals was performed using the linear trend equation, the quality level of which as a whole, as well as the statistical significance of the equation parameters were assessed using Fisherʼs F-test and Studentʼs t-test. There has been proved the significance of forecasting the indicators of rationalization activity as indicators of the innovative activity of personnel in making managerial decisions by the company in relation to its intensification is shown; substantiated the need to take into account the structural and infrastructural components in the construction of predictive models.

Municipal policy as a priority area of legal policy in the context of reforming the territorial organisation of power and European integration of Ukraine

The present study investigates the problems of development and implementation of municipal policy in Ukraine. It was found that the essence of municipal policy of Ukraine, given the ongoing decentralisation reform, is that it is a relatively stable, organised, purposeful activity of public authorities and local governments, which aims to build a capable local government, adequate to the needs and interests of territorial communities. The study describes the elemental composition of municipal policy. The authors of this study established that its elemental composition includes: the concept of system-structural and organisational-functional organisation and activities of local authorities at different levels of administrative-territorial organisation; a coordinated system of regulations that govern the organisation and activity of local bodies of state executive power and local self-government, establish the scope and limits of their competence, determine the features of interaction and the procedure for resolving disputes between them; regulatory basis of resource provision of local self-government; legislative definition of a body or official in the structure of state executive bodies, which represents the interests of the state in the corresponding territory, has the right to exercise control powers, and constitutes a link between the territorial community, local governments and the system of state executive bodies; formally defined decision-making algorithm on issues relating to local self-government; system of monitoring the national municipal policy. The authors also identified the main blocks of issues under study, which require further use of a comprehensive scientific approach to their legislative solution

Analysis of Linguo-cultural Picture of LIE in Systemic Data

The article presents Lithuanian linguistic cultural image of LIE (MELAS) reconstructed from lexicographic data. The analysis of the lexicographic definitions of this lexeme in Lithuanian dictionaries (The Dictionary of Lithuanian Language, The Dictionary of Contemporary Lithuanian, the dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms and Lithuanian etymological sources) provides two views of the concept: synchronic and diachronic. The diachronic view shows the semantic development of the word, the specification of its meaning (the loss of the primary and the acquisition of new meanings). The synchronic view shows the basic meaning of the concept and its profiles in contemporary language. The research revealed that the basic meaning is LIE as a subject’s purposeful distortion of reality with the purpose of deception. The dominating aspects are: a subject’s purposeful activity and an object that a subject wants to deceive. Lexicographic data distinguished several profiles of LIE: (1) LIE as entertainment (when lie is used for joking, visual storytelling and has no negative purpose), (2) LIE as unethical issue (when lying is seen as negative, sinister activity) and (3) LIE as psychologically necessary element of life (when lie is seen as useful, helping to get out of difficult situations). The analysis is concluded with the cognitive definition of lie, providing its linguo-cultural view in Lithuanian.

Best for whom? An EU-specific insight into translation quality

Setting out from a quotation by Eugene Nida, this paper critically analyses the issue of translation quality in the peculiar context of EU institutions and bodies. While EU-specific translating is certainly acknowledged as a purposeful activity and generally takes into account the various parameters associated with functionalist theories of translation, other factors may intervene. In particular, attention is drawn to the risk that a single word or concept can take on different meanings in each of the institutional or cultural contexts comprising the European Union, and to the need to make sure that Europe’s words mean the same thing for any European citizen. Against this backdrop, the creation of EU-specific terminology is seen as an inherent step in the formation of new institutional or political concepts related to the activities or the practices of the European Union. Some examples of translation discrepancies are presented, along with their differing impact on the effectiveness of the legal or political message and the differing quality standards they seem to require in order to ensure interlingual consistency.

Modelling of Teaching for Pre-School Children with Mental Retardation

The article discusses the experience of using models in remedial work with children with mental retardation of preschool age in kindergarten conditions. Examples of outlines of lessons with this category of preschool children 6-7 years old are offered. The reactions of children to the introduction of models are illustrated. The aim of the article is to show that models are an effective technique for children with mental retardation to perceive cognitive material, because they stimulate children to independent voluntary purposeful activity. This is facilitated by the model algorithm, which includes generalized images that are familiar to children and do not cause them difficulties. We have taken into account that for children with mental retardation the operation "comparison" is one of the difficult ones, but through it the relations between objects and phenomena of the external world are learned. Comparison therefore plays an important role in cognition Comparison helps to generalise and systematise knowledge. The process of comparison is a necessary condition for generalisation. The model can help children with mental retardation to find similarities between objects, which for them is rather more difficult than finding differences.

Effect of home-based rehabilitation of purposeful activity-based electrical stimulation therapy for chronic stroke survivors: a crossover randomized controlled trial

Background: In this trial we combined the effect of purposeful activity and electrical stimulation therapy (PA-EST) to promote transition of severely hemiparetic upper limb to auxiliary upper limb in chronic stroke survivors in a single-case study. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of PA-EST on the upper limb motor function in a crossover randomized controlled trial. Methods: The study included eight stroke survivors (age: 63.1±10.9 years) who were receiving home-based visiting occupational therapy. The average time since stroke onset was 8.8±5.6 years. All participants had severely hemiparetic upper limb, with the Fugl–Meyer Assessment upper extremity (FMA-U) score of 21.3±8.5. Participants were randomly assigned to group A or B. Group A received PA-EST for 3 months (phase 1), followed by standard stretching and exercise for 3 months (phase 2), whereas group B had the inverse order of treatments. To avoid carry-over effect, 1-month washout period was provided between the phase 1 and 2. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was used for the analysis. The primary outcome was FMA-U, and the secondary outcomes were, Motor Activity Log (MAL; amount of use [AOU] and quality of movement [QOM]), and Goal attainment scale-light (GAS-light). Results: Repeated measures-ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between type of intervention and time for FMA-U (F = 16.303, P = 0.005), MAL AOU (F = 7.966, P = 0.026) and QOM (F = 6.408, P = 0.039), and GAS-light (F = 6.905, P = 0.034), where PA-EST was associated with significantly improved motor function and goal achievement compared with standard stretching. Conclusions: The PA-EST may have greater effects than stretch/exercise in the recovery of hand function as reflected in FMA-U, MAL, and GAS-light. Our results suggest that PA-EST is an important and useful home-based rehabilitation program for promoting the use of the severely hemiparetic upper limb in chronic stroke survivors.

CONTEMPLATION: THE RATIO OF CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS

"In psychological science, the concept of contemplation is not included in the most important categories of psychology, such as activity, consciousness, personality. The dictionary meanings of the term “contemplation” are ambiguous. In psychology, in addition to the categorical analysis of contemplation (S.L. Rubinstein) and its attribution to fundamental concepts (A.V. Brushlinsky), there are also interpretations of contemplation, which are synonymous to intuition (A. Bergson) and meditation (V.F. Petrenko, Han F. De Wit), insight (preconceptual thinking - T.K. Rulina), mystical states (W. James, P.S. Gurevich). Contemplation, unlike intuition, meditation and insight, does not have a previous reportable history. In our studies, contemplation is considered as an unconscious mental phenomenon that exists in the forms of a process, state, and also the properties of an individual (contemplative personality). Not coinciding with the processes of attention, memory, perception, thinking, etc., contemplation, however, is activated on their basis. The difference lies in the uncontrollability of this process, since its contents are not presented to consciousness. Therefore, contemplation is also different from dreams, experiences, intentions and other internally substantive mental phenomena. Despite the fact that consciousness does not have access to the content of contemplation (access-consciousness), the process itself is realized by man. In this we see the difference between contemplation as unconscious activity and Freudian understanding of the unconscious. Other differences are: involuntary entry and random exit from the state of contemplation; emotional equipotentiality of contemplation, i.e. the invariability of the emotional background of contemplation from the beginning to the exit from it. In ontogenesis, contemplation is most clearly represented in infancy, in youth, and in old age, as well as during periods of age and other life crises. Reminiscences of students record the age range from 11 to 17 years as the most saturated with contemplation; least at the age of 6-8 years (L.S. Akopian). Contemplation as an unconscious activity periodically replaces purposeful activity, contributing to the maturation, correction, transformation of the person’s life meanings in their micro-, meso- and macro-macro dimensions. Contemplation also fulfills the function of partially liberating oneself from an excess of affairs, concerns, plans, aspirations, and other forms of conscious activity. The development of practice-oriented forms of actualization of contemplation will expand the range of psychotherapeutic methods."

Enhancing Older Adults’ Well-Being and Quality of Life through Purposeful Activity: A Systematic Review of Intervention Studies

Background and Objectives Population aging represents a significant challenge for health and social care services. Older adults who engage in activities that offer a sense of purpose have significantly better physical and psychological health outcomes. However, age-related functional limitations and losses of social roles can present barriers to engaging in purposeful activity, especially for those older adults within the ‘oldest old’ age range (i.e. 80 years and over). This review aimed to determine the nature and effectiveness of purposeful activity interventions in older adults, aged ≥80 years, with respect to well-being and quality of life outcomes. Research Design and Methods Three databases were searched from their inception to April 2020. The search yielded 8,916 records, which resulted in eight eligible studies. Results The interventions were divided into two groups: (1) interventions that gave participants a specific functional role, such as volunteer or mentor (n=5); (2) interventions that supported participants to develop a new skill (n=3). The quality of the evidence was variable. The strongest evidence was for interventions that assigned a functional role, which appeared to be somewhat effective in improving well-being outcomes. Discussion and Implications There is preliminary evidence that purposeful activity interventions, particularly those that involved taking on a functional role, can improve well-being and quality of life outcomes in older adults aged 80 years and over. These findings have implications for professionals and carers to support older adults to access more purposeful social roles and create opportunities for helping and reciprocation.

The Methodology Of Teaching Physics Electromagnetism Lectures

In this article, we are talking about private teaching methods characteristic of teaching electrical engineering disciplines, electromagnetism and their application, in subordination to the goal of developmental education. Here are presented particular questions of the methodology for teaching sections of the course of general electrical engineering, features of the practical implementation of the technology of organizing and conducting laboratory-practical classes in electrical disciplines are considered. The importance of the systematic and purposeful activity of the teacher in conducting educational and methodological work, stimulating and motivating students to master subject knowledge is shown, attention is paid to the problem of forming the professional thinking of students in the learning process. independent work in the process of studying electrical engineering disciplines. The article is intended for teachers working in the field of physics, as well as for students of the specialty "physics".

Time out of cell and time in purposeful activity and adverse mental health outcomes amongst people in prison: a literature review

Purpose The purpose of this study is to synthesise the available peer-reviewed literature on the impact of time out of cell (TOOC) and time in purposeful activity (TIPA) on adverse mental outcomes amongst people in prison. Design/methodology/approach The outcomes of interest of this literature review were mental health, suicide, deliberate self-harm (DSH) and violence. Exposures of interest were TOOC, TIPA or a partial or indirect measure of either. In total, 14 studies were included. An abbreviated review methodology was used because of time constraints. Findings There was consistent evidence of an association between lower TOOC and TIPA and worse mental health and higher suicide risk. Limited evidence suggests a link between TOOC and DSH. No evidence was identified regarding the relationship between TOOC/TIPA and violence. Research limitations/implications A lack of longitudinal studies prevents conclusions regarding causality. Significant heterogeneity of mental health outcomes limits the comparability of studies. Practical implications These findings highlight the importance of considering the impact of TOOC and TIPA on adverse mental outcomes for prisoners when designing prison regimes, including during urgent adaptation of such regimes in response to Covid-19. They are likely to be of interest to practitioners and policymakers concerned with prison regime design. Originality/value This paper is the first to synthesise the existing literature on the impact of TOOC and TIPA on mental health outcomes.