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A series of controlled studies found that consumers counter-normatively prefer something nearly complete over something complete. We call this phenomenon the "one-away effect" because we find that when consumers are, for example, one stamp away from completing a punch card loyalty program, they value the card more than a completed card. This is because their valuation of the one-away card is influenced by their anticipation of merely completing the card, which generates its own utility, apart from the card's end-reward (a free coffee). To wit, the prospective utility of performing the final action that fulfills completion increases consumers' valuation of the one-away card. Our findings suggest that consumers are motivated to complete goals, tasks, and sets not only to obtain their end-rewards, but also because merely completing things is intrinsically motivating and can be a goal in and of itself. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the one-away effect, as well as the general notion of mere completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jobs consist of bundles of tasks, with most jobs involving one or a few core tasks as well as supplementary tasks. In this article, the author argues that, keeping constant the number of supplementary tasks performed, the nature of these tasks can affect workers' productivity in their core task. The study uses quantitative and qualitative data to study tea pickers at a plantation in India. Using fine-grained personnel data on workers' task assignments and their daily productivity, the author finds that workers' productivity is affected by the extent to which their supplementary tasks are facilitative of their core task, when comparing workers performing the same number of supplementary tasks. Qualitative data suggest that one way in which performing a facilitative rather than a non-facilitative supplementary task could improve core task productivity is by temporarily boosting what the author calls "core task identification." This article contributes to scholarship on the design of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on six newsroom surveys, this article analyzes the history of digital German journalism. The surveys cover a period of 17 years (1997–2014). Periodizing the history of digital journalism into three phases, this article considers the interplay between journalism and journalism research. The results show how journalistic digital media define their role in the relationships between old media and the Internet, digital media and other outlets, and digital media and their audiences. Furthermore, the results substantiate how digital editorial staff define their journalistic identities regarding tasks, rules, and skills. During the first period (surveys conducted in 1997 and 2000), the view from old mass media to the Internet dominated, also in scholarship where the mass media paradigm was extended to the Internet. The second period (surveys conducted in 2006 and 2007) was characterized by clarifying the relationships between journalism and newly emerged outlets. These studies focused on how participative formats (such as Wikipedia and blogs) and search engines could be used for journalistic purposes without compromising quality. These new outlets were not regarded then as much of a threat. This attitude did not change during the third period (surveys conducted in 2010 and 2014). In this phase, too, the studies focused on how editorial staff utilized the ever-increasing number of social media. The six surveys' different research interests reveal that the reviewed journalism research primarily addressed changing demands in journalistic practice. Therefore, exogenous factors ("the sector") had a greater impact than endogenous factors (the "scholarship") on research interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Design Methods Results Conclusion Impact Patient or Public Contribution To assess the level of mental workload (MWL) of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in performing different human‐machine tasks and examine the predictors of the MWL.A cross‐sectional questionnaire study.Between January and February 2021, data were collected from ICU nurses (n = 427) at nine tertiary hospitals selected from five (east, west, south, north, central) regions in China through an electronic questionnaire, including sociodemographic questions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index, General Self‐Efficacy Scale, Difficulty‐assessing Index System of Nursing Operation Technique, and System Usability Scale. Descriptive statistics, t‐tests, one‐way ANOVA and multiple linear regression models were used.ICU nurses experienced a medium level of MWL (score 52.04 on a scale of 0–100) while performing human‐machine tasks. ICU nurses' MWL was notably higher in conducting first aid and life support tasks (using defibrillators or ventilators). Predictors of MWL were task difficulty, system usability, professional title, age, self‐efficacy, ICU category, and willingness to study emerging technology actively. Task difficulty and system usability were the strongest predictors of nearly all typical tasks.ICU nurses experience a medium MWL while performing human‐machine tasks, but higher mental, temporal, and effort are perceived compared to physical demands. The MWL varied significantly across different human‐machine tasks, among which are significantly higher: first aid and life support and information‐based human‐machine tasks. Task difficulty and system availability are decisive predictors of MWL.This is the first study to investigate the level of MWL of ICU nurses performing different representative human‐machine tasks and to explore its predictors, which provides a reference for future research. These findings suggest that healthcare organizations should pay attention to the MWL of ICU nurses and develop customized management strategies based on task characteristics to maintain a moderate level of MWL, thus enabling ICU nurses to perform human‐machine tasks better.No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we identify a process of "entrainment" around open source software (OSS) development release cycles to capture patterns of self-organized task allocation among developers. We conducted an abductive, computationally intensive study of eight OSS projects, using relational event modeling to analyze 1,169,489 actions covering 93 major software releases. The process of entrainment that we identify involves three task allocation mechanisms: (1) developer-issue inertia, (2) developer contribution frequency, and (3) issue popularity. Our analysis demonstrates that these mechanisms and the phases of the release cycle entrain each other. Before a major release, developers engage in a concentrated mobilization phase, whereby they democratize development activity and increasingly allocate community contributions to the set of issues related to the release. After a major release, the extended cleanup phase garners a greater share of development work from recently highly active developers and dilutes the activity of these developers across a wider range of issues. Our theorizing suggests that major releases constitute important events around which OSS communities self-organize and we characterize how this occurs. Our research contributes to theorizing on organizing in OSS communities by explaining how self-organizing task allocation interacts with release cycles through the mechanism of entrainment. We also contribute to the literature on entrainment by showing how it may unfold in the context of online peer production communities such as OSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article, based on the analysis of doctrinal sources, formulates the purpose, tasks and functions of control in this area. The author defined the general goal of control in the field of energy as a scientifically based result, the achievement of which is aimed at the control activity in the specified field, namely, ensuring the energy security of the state and compliance by all controlled objects with the current legislation during the production, transformation, transmission and distribution of energy. Among the tasks of state control in the field of energy in Ukraine, the following are outlined, including: ensuring the security of electricity and natural gas supply; ensuring reliable and uninterrupted supply of electricity and thermal energy, natural gas to consumers, which are necessary elements of human safety, life and health; protection of the rights and interests of consumers; identifying the actual state of affairs in the field of energy and providing objective information about the state of relevant social relations; provision of organizational or methodical assistance to the controlled structure in the elimination of detected violations; ensuring compliance with the requirements of the legislation in the fields of electric power, heat supply, and natural gas market of economic entities operating energy facilities in terms of the technical condition of energy facilities and networks, energy equipment, their operation and maintenance; ensuring compliance with financial and tax legislation, completeness and timeliness of tax payments to the budgets of the relevant levels; ensuring compliance with customs legislation, ensuring the protection of Ukraine's economic interests; compliance by controlled entities with environmental legislation and environmental safety requirements; ensuring compliance by economic entities in the field of energy with competition legislation and legislation on natural monopolies; etc. It is substantiated that the functions of state control in the field of energy are conditioned by the achievement of the goal and subordinated to the solution of specific tasks. Based on the above, such functions of state control in this area are outlined as: correction; preventive; informative; analytical; restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Studies - Educational Sciences is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mathematical modelling aims at contributing to the involvement of reality in mathematics education. As an example, geometric modelling can be implemented by the use of real objects in modelling tasks. Still, (geometric) modelling tasks can be a challenge for students, especially in the transfer from reality to mathematics, which is referred to as mathematization. Since the representation of a real object in tasks might differ, the question arises, which challenges can be observed when working in different task settings. In a study with 19 secondary school students, the task settings (1) outdoors at the real object, (2) indoors with photos of the real object, and (3) indoors with a 3D model of the real object are compared. Based on video recordings, differences concerning the students' challenges are examined. The results highlight challenges in estimating and measuring when working at the real object, scale and perspective when working with photos and the transfer between representation and object when working with 3D models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively carry out its economic activity, the enterprise needs to quickly respond to internal and external environmental changes, carrying out a strategic analysis. The effectiveness of such an analysis largely depends on the accountant's qualifications as the subject of its implementation. The article's purpose is to critically evaluate information sources, stages, and methods of strategic analysis, strengthening its theoretical and methodical support with the growing functional capabilities of the accountant. It was determined that the object of strategic analysis of the management process is the enterprise as an open management system and the forms and types of its activities. Strategic analysis helps create a system of main indicators of the enterprise's long-term development. The main tasks, information sources and strategic analysis stages were revealed. The strategic analysis methods, which are within the competence of a professional accountant, were critically evaluated. The article discusses the relationship between the functions of accounting and strategic analysis, given that both processes are performed by an accountant using many methods and professional judgment. It was established that qualitative strategic analysis is the key to effective enterprise strategic management. It is confirmed by the fact that the management strategy needs information about the strategic position of the enterprise, which is provided by accounting. An organizational and methodical mechanism for conducting strategic analysis by accountants of enterprises with an optimal set of methods and information sources was proposed. Combining accounting tools with traditional methods of strategic analysis (SWOT and GAP analysis) ensures obtaining conclusions for forming/adjusting the enterprise's development strategy in conditions of dynamic changes in the external and internal environment.

Many new products and processes originate from projects. In two studies, the authors consider how a project's organizational design, as captured by its particular task configuration, impacts its ability to promote product and process innovation. Study 1 involves an analysis of panel data spanning 2001 through 2015 and involving 429 business-to-business projects in the construction industry. The authors test hypotheses regarding the role of project size, subcontractor diversity, and task configuration on product and process innovation. Their empirical tests show a pattern of nuanced effects on the two innovation types. A project's task configuration, as reflected in the general contractor's participation in project tasks, plays a coordination role that helps unlock a positive effect of project size on product innovation. At the same time, such participation impedes process innovation due to subcontractor concerns about information leakage. Study 2 bolsters the first study through a survey of 230 subcontractors in the U.S. construction industry to show how leakage concerns arise, their outcomes, and how they are mitigated. The authors also bolster their central study through (1) interviews with professional construction managers and (2) survey evidence across five industries. They draw on their findings to develop implications for innovation management, business-to-business marketing, and marketing organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This multi-method study of managers in a grocery chain identifies a novel mechanism by which threats of gender stereotypes undermine women's ability to be effective managers. I find that women managers face a task bind, a dilemma that managers experience as they try to disprove a negative group stereotype by doubling down on one set of tasks at the expense of other essential tasks. My analysis of interview, observational, and archival data reveals that, compared to men, women do more tasks in front of subordinates—in this setting, supervisory tasks "on the floor" of the store—in order to showcase their qualifications as managers. In doing so, they forgo attention to other tasks that are less public but no less important to being effective managers—in this setting, planning tasks in the office of the store. Neglecting office tasks ultimately undermines the profitability of women managers' departments. This study's identification of the task bind has implications for theory and practice related to stereotype threat and women leaders, showing how the threat of negative gender stereotypes, prompted here by concern about subordinates' perceptions, can affect managers' behaviors in ways that detract from the performance of managers themselves and that of their organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quest design is an important design aspect of video games. The current approach to quest design is dominated by a task-orientated paradigm in which a quest is viewed as a series of tasks to be completed as part of the narrative structure of the game. This paper presents an alternative paradigm that shifts away from the predominant task-based approach to quest design. Based on a study of existing quest models, a dual quest framework of singular and synergy quests is proposed. Within the frameworks, tasks become an intermediary step within the quest which is now focused on the transfiguration of the player character. This approach offers a practical design structure for both procedural and manual quest design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of JMD: Journal für Mathematik-Didaktik is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

В статье рассматриваются понятия естественно-научной грамотности, экологического образования и культуры; проанализирован опыт экологического образования на территории России, представлены методы, формы, приемы работы по экологическому образованию, определены особенности выбранных дидактических приемов в работе конкретных педагогов. Кратко представлен анализ экологической обстановки в Томске, выделены основные экологические проблемы. Экологические проблемы актуальны сегодня и подтверждают необходимость экологического образования подрастающего поколения. Подчеркивается важность формирования не только знаниевого, но и деятельностного компонента экологической культуры, чтобы постепенно сформировать поколение граждан, неравнодушных к проблемам окружающей среды. Анализ содержания учебно-методических комплектов по математике и окружающему миру показал, что имеются дефициты в данном направлении. Экологические задания в учебниках содержатся либо в недостаточном количестве, либо представлены бессистемно. Практически отсутствуют задания, направленные на формирование деятельностного компонента экологической культуры. На этапе эксперимента получены данные, подтверждающие актуальность экологического образования, выявлено, что у учащихся 4-го класса слабо сформирован когнитивный компонент экологической культуры. Выделены направления в работе по формированию экологической культуры на уроках математики и во внеурочной деятельности. Представлен опыт работы во внеурочной деятельности по созданию экологических проектов в начальной школе. На основе реальных данных о работе томских предприятий составлены и апробированы экологические задачи, направленные на формирование естественно-научной грамотности. Рассмотрены примеры заданий по формированию естественно-научной грамотности на основе краеведческого материала Томской области, которые затрагивают различные виды экологических проблем.

Researchers and practitioners in marketing, economics, and public policy often use preference elicitation tasks to forecast real-world behaviors. These tasks typically ask a series of similarly structured questions. The authors posit that every time a respondent answers an additional elicitation question, two things happen: (1) they provide information about some parameter(s) of interest, such as their time preference or the partworth for a product attribute, and (2) the respondent increasingly "adapts" to the task—that is, using task-specific decision processes specialized for this task that may or may not apply to other tasks. Importantly, adaptation comes at the cost of potential mismatch between the task-specific decision process and real-world processes that generate the target behaviors, such that asking more questions can reduce external validity. The authors used mouse and eye tracking to trace decision processes in time preference measurement and conjoint choice tasks. Respondents increasingly relied on task-specific decision processes as more questions were asked, leading to reduced external validity for both related tasks and real-world behaviors. Importantly, the external validity of measured preferences peaked after as few as seven questions in both types of tasks. When measuring preferences, less can be more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to the intuition that salespeople gravitate toward big-whale sales opportunities, in reality they often avoid them. To study this phenomenon, the authors integrate contingent decision-making and conservation-of-resources theories to develop and test a framework of salespeople's decision making when prospecting. Study 1 reveals that the performance impact of salesperson initial judgment of opportunity magnitude follows an inverted U-shape, indicating that salespeople's avoidance of large opportunities results from rational benefit–cost analyses due to their conservation of resources. Interestingly, salespeople use a calibration decision-making strategy (i.e., calculating expected benefits by accounting for conversion uncertainty) at the portfolio rather than prospect level, in solution- but not product-selling contexts. Ignoring this calibration effect can lead to under- or overestimation of conversion rates of up to 100%. Study 2 shows that salespeople's past performance success and experience bias this calibration. Simulations reveal that when high performers or inexperienced salespeople believe their portfolio magnitude is large and conversion uncertainty low, they are less concerned about resource conservation and improve their quota attainment by 50%. Study 3 confirms the theoretical mechanism. These findings shed new light on salespeople's decision making and suggest ways for sales professionals to improve effectiveness when prospecting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to introduce the task-based approach to language learning and teaching. It comes in two parts: the first is theoretical and it provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for this approach; starting with its various definitions and their diversity according to the the point of view which each researcher looks at the concept of the task, and then distinguishing between the important terms task in this field, and explaining the subtle differences between them, they are: the task, the exercise the activity, and then explaining the characteristics of the task, and presenting the three stages that each task goes through, while explaining the role of both the teacher and the learner in each of these stages. The study addressed the criteria for task construction, outlined the fundamental principles for selection, and subsequently highlighted the primary obstacles associated with this form of education. In the second part of the study, three models of educational tasks were presented at different levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. These models Target speaking, writing, and reading comprehension skills. Then, it explains how to plan, prepare, and apply them among non-Arabic speakers. The significance of this study lies in its provision of an allencompassing theoretical framework for language learning and task-based teaching, especially considering the absence of both theoretical and applied Arabic studies. on this approach. From a practical perspective, it offers tangible models for linguistic tasks that can be utilized by Arabic teachers and curriculum designers. These models serve as valuable resources for teaching and curriculum development. The researcher suggests the necessity for additional experimental studies on this approach and emphasizes the importance of developing task-based educational curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in the twenty-first century has witnessed several changes, which have sparked tremendous changes in the teachers' standpoints and the conceptualizations of professionalism. In this context, this study explored the stakeholders' perceptions of EFL teacher professionalism. For this, the phenomenological research design was adopted. The study site was a Bachelor's Programme on a community campus in Nepal. The informants comprised the real stakeholders of the programme that comprised three EFL teachers, nine students, two administrators, and one member of the campus management committee. To collect the informants' lived experiences, the researcher used an unstructured interview in a naturalistic setting. The results revealed that EFL teachers' professionalism can be measured by their roles and skills; teacher-student relationships; and teachers as administrators and change agents. This implies that EFL teachers, like the teachers of other subjects, should be loyal, committed, accountable, and responsible as the success or failure of the autonomous programmes mainly depends on the teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an analytic framework related to the suggestions coaches provided to mathematics teachers as they engaged in content-focused coaching cycles. We analyzed 712 suggestions from nine coaches and 58 coaching conversations. Analysis focused on what the suggestion entailed and how suggestions were made. Most suggestions focused on revising or adding a task feature or asking questions to advance students’ thinking. Most suggestions were not contingent on what happened during the lesson and were specific and clear about content and timing, especially when focused on lesson design. The least specific suggestions were around making student thinking public, with suggestions about eliciting and pressing having the highest clarity. We found a strong relationship between suggestions about eliciting and pressing and a connection to mathematical goals or representations. We explain the framework for analytic categories for suggestions, describe findings, and connect categories to principles of content-focused coaching and ambitious teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational tasks and processes are preconditions for organizing professional learning teams but are often neglected in research. In nine schools, we examined which organizational tasks and processes were set up for lesson study, a form of a professional learning team, and in what way. Schools set up three organizational tasks and processes: recruiting participants, giving credit for time-investment, and scheduling meetings. Recruitment of participants was sometimes difficult when potential participants worked autonomously within their departments or teams. Credit for time-investment was often constrained as schools gave credit in a way that made lesson study an additional workload. Scheduling meetings was very challenging. The scheduled meetings were considered satisfactory in only one school. Here, the school leader collaborated and communicated with her teachers to plan useful and uninterrupted meetings in the timetable. Our results show that organizational work is not mundane and simple but complex and vital for embedding professional development in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to analyse personality disorders among patients in the early phase of psychotherapy as a source of variance in the quality of the emerging alliance. Methods: The sample consisted of 131 individual psychotherapy patients with borderline (BPD), narcissistic (NPD), dependent (DPD) and obsessive–compulsive (OCPD) personality disorders and 131 psychotherapists. Different sources of alliance estimation were included. Therapeutic alliance was operationalized on several dimensions. The hypothesis was tested using an independent samples one‐way analysis of variance. Results: The study revealed a significant effect of personality disorder type on early therapeutic alliance quality. BPD patients rated their early alliance the lowest compared to NPD, DPD and OCPD patients. This trend was dominant and replicated regardless of who rated the alliance and which dimension of alliance was estimated. Conclusions: NPD, DPD and OCPD patients have better initial therapeutic alliances than BPD patients, and their alliances do not differ significantly. BPD patients build weaker alliances, and what poses a challenge for them is not only developing a strong and close bond but also conceptualizing goals and reaching agreement on tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research Summary: Theory posits hierarchy as a response to coordination challenges and emphasizes organization size and the need to transfer knowledge as the mainspring of these challenges. This connection, however, is largely based on the quantity of knowledge to be transferred rather than its characteristics. Building on the knowledge‐based view, we propose that knowledge scope—the variety of knowledge across an organization's members—affects coordination costs and hierarchy expansion. Using an economy‐wide database from Brazil, we show that firms are more likely to expand their hierarchy when knowledge scope increases. This effect varies with firms' capacities to manage knowledge; firms whose employees perform more similar tasks or have shared experience at previous employers are less likely to expand hierarchy in response to increases in knowledge scope. Managerial Summary: Growing organizations often struggle to coordinate the work of their employees within their current organizational structures. We distinguish coordination problems generated by increased size from problems generated by expanding the variety of knowledge used and argue that both spur organizations to hire additional managers. Using a database of Brazilian startups, we show that a greater variety of knowledge used is associated with the expansion of hierarchy. Additionally, we find that organizations whose employees have more shared work experience have a greater ability to coordinate and thus delay the expansion of hierarchy. Overall, our results show the importance of the characteristics of an organization's knowledge base for organizational structure and suggest building teams with shared experience can enhance an organization's ability to adapt to coordination challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using households survey microdata from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, we characterize changes in employment and wages between the mid-2000s and the late-2010s emphasizing the gender dimension from the viewpoint of the task-based approach. We employ surveys from PIAAC-OECD to study the task content of jobs and create an index of routine task content (RTC) of occupations. We document five facts: (i) The proportion of routine tasks is currently higher for women than for men. (ii) The employment structure is considerably more biased towards high-RTC jobs in Latin America than in OECD countries, for both genders. (iii) There was an increase in the employment participation of low-RTC jobs during the period under study, mainly driven by movements in the occupational structure of women, especially the young and middle-aged. (iv) Wage gains were relatively higher in high-RTC occupations, with this pattern more pronounced for men than for women. (v) While there was a modest reduction in the gender wage gap, the decline was stronger in computer-intensive occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with ovarian cancer and their spousal caregivers report similarities in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and experiences throughout the cancer process. Previous research has reflected these shared experiences, demonstrating caregivers' capacity to accurately rate their patient-partner's HRQoL as a proxy. In response, this study examines associations between caregivers' perceptions of their patient-partner's HRQoL and their own caregiving responsibilities, consequences to well-being, and desired assistance from the healthcare system. This study will be beneficial when developing supports to assist caregivers throughout the cancer journey. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, spousal caregivers (N = 82) of patients with ovarian cancer completed measures on perceived patient HRQoL and caregiver experiences. Correlation analyses determined medical and sociodemographic covariates. A multivariate multiple regression was conducted using four proxy HRQoL functioning subscales and three factors of reported experiences as caregivers in cancer. Post-hoc univariate regression analyses were run on significant factors to assess the associations that exist. Results: Caregiver-perceived patient physical functioning was significantly associated with more caregiving tasks after controlling for education, age, and stage of ovarian cancer, but no other HRQoL functioning scale (i.e., role, emotional, social) was associated with caregiver experiences. Conclusion: The study provides a unique perspective into the caregiver experience by attending to interpersonal factors in relation to caregiver experiences. Results may be able to guide interventions aimed at supporting caregivers through the cancer process by offering more assistance with tasks as their partner's physical condition worsens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-Robot Collaboration, whereby human worker and robot perform tasks jointly, is becoming the new frontier in industry production. Unlike robots, continuous work leads to an accumulation of human fatigue, which is the main cause of decreased efficiency and deterioration of health. Characteristic differences between human and robot bring challenges to collaboration task scheduling. In this paper, we studied the task scheduling of a human-robot collaboration assembly cell to achieve a trade-off between job cycle and human fatigue. A task scheduling model integrated with micro-breaks inside job cycles was proposed to avoid human fatigue accumulation by taking advantage of the human-robot collaboration characteristics. Furthermore, the optimisation of task scheduling by taking the job cycle as the objective function and maximum human fatigue as a constraint was solved. The developed method is studied on a cable assembly inspired by an industry case. The results of the case study are presented to indicate the validity and practicability of the proposed model. It suggests that compared with the model of placing rest breaks between job cycles, the proposed model outperforms in job-cycle performance in most cases. Finally, there are some insights on the HRCAC which are obtained from the results of the case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared electromyography of five leg muscles during a single walking task (WALK) to a dual task (walking + cognitive task; COG) in 40 individuals (20 M and 20 F) using a wavelet analysis technique. It was hypothesized that muscle activation during the dual task would differ significantly from the walking task with respect to both timing (H1) and frequency (H2). The mean overall intensity for the COG trials was 4.1% lower for the tibialis anterior and 5.5% higher for the gastrocnemius medialis than in the WALK trials. The changes between the WALK and COG trials were short 50 ms bursts that occurred within 100 ms of heel strike in the tibialis anterior, and longer activation periods during the stance phase in the gastrocnemius medialis. No changes in overall intensity were observed in the peroneus longus, gastrocnemius lateralis, or soleus. Furthermore, no clear frequency bands within the signal could further characterize the overall changes in muscle activity during the COG task. This advances our understanding of how the division of attentional resources affects muscle activity in a healthy population of adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining the range of motion in repetitive movement tasks is a crucial point since it directly influences the movement rate. Ensuring the movement amplitude can be reliably maintained when motor function is assessed by measuring the maximum movement rate is therefore a key consideration. However, the performed range of motion during such tasks is often not reported. This study aimed to determine whether individuals are able to maintain an intended range of motion during a knee flexion/extension maximum movement rate task in the absence of tactile and visual feedback. Twelve healthy male individuals performed knee flexion/extension at maximum speed for eight 10-s blocks in a 45° arc between 45° and 90°. The range of motion was monitored using a marker system and the movement rate was measured. The performed range of motion was not significantly different from the 45° arc during the task despite a 13.47% decrease in movement rate from the start to the end of the task. Nevertheless, there was only anecdotal evidence of no difference from 45° in most blocks, while on the second and seventh blocks, there was anecdotal evidence of differences in the Bayesian one-sample test. There was also no significant shift in the maximum flexion/extension angles throughout the task. Healthy male individuals were thus able to perform a consistent average predefined knee range of motion in a maximum movement rate task despite decreases in movement rate. This was achieved without constraint-inducing devices during the task, using only basic equipment and verbal feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to create a model of patient-centered outcomes with respect to self-management tasks and skills of patients with a tracheostomy in their home setting. Methods A scoping review using four search engines was undertaken (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library) to identify studies relevant to this issue and published since 2000. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statements for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach of conducting and reporting a scoping review, and the Participants, Concept, Context (PCC) scheme were employed. The following elements of the framework synthesis study data were screened, and presented based on the self-management model of Lorig and Holman. Results 34 publications from 17 countries met the criteria for study inclusion: 24 quantitative, 8 qualitative and 2 mixed methods designs. Regarding the dimensions of self-management, 28 articles reported on “managing the therapeutic regimen”, 27 articles discussed “managing role and behavior changes”, and 16 articles explored “managing emotions”. A model of self-management of patients with tracheostomy was developed, which placed the patient in the center, since it is this individual who is completing the tasks and carrying out his or her skill sets. Conclusion This scoping review represents the first comprehensive overview and modeling of the complex self-management tasks and skills required of patients with tracheostomy in their home setting. The theoretical model can serve as a cornerstone for empirical intervention studies to better support this patient-centered outcome for this population in the future.

The present study aimed at exploring if the vocabulary recall of the advanced EFL learners could be enhanced by MI-oriented Thematic Vocabulary Instruction (TVI). To scrutinize the probable impact of the treatment on various intelligence groups, we selected a purposive homogeneous sample of 80 out of 118 advanced level learners and assigned them to four groups. The first experimental group (EG1) underwent TVI along with matching MI-based tasks, the second experimental group (EG2) received TVI with non-matching MI-oriented tasks, the third experimental group (EG3) had TVI but just did the coursebook exercises and the control group (CG) received conventional non-thematic instruction with coursebook exercises. 60 advanced words were taught for 10 sessions. The vocabulary recall test was administered with a three-week interval after the end of the treatment, requiring the participants to use the words in five paragraphs based on the given topic and the frequency counts showed the number of the new words. The results from ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests revealed that the EG1 members who had undergone TVI with MI-oriented tasks significantly outperformed their peers. Specifically, verbally intelligent learners had the highest and the intra-personally dominant ones had the lowest significant performances. The findings accentuate the significance of taking individual differences into account and offer a number of pedagogical implications for the teachers and administrative authorities.

We consider a partial disassembly line balancing problem with hazardous tasks whose successful completions are uncertain. When any hazardous task fails, it causes damages of the tasks on the workstation that it is performed on and all remaining tasks to be performed in the succeeding workstations. We attribute probabilities for the successful completion and failure of the hazardous tasks and aim to maximise the total expected net revenue. We formulate the problem as a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programme where the assignment of the tasks to the workstations is decided in the first-stage, before the resolution of the uncertainty. We give the formulation for one, two and three hazardous tasks, and then extend to the arbitrary number of hazardous tasks. Our numerical results reveal that proposed stochastic programming models return satisfactory performance and can solve instances with up to 73 tasks very quickly. We observe that the number of tasks, number of hazardous tasks and success probabilities are the most significant parameters that affect the performance. We quantify the value of capturing uncertainty using the expected objective values attained by the solution of the stochastic model and that of the expected value model, and obtain very satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been at the center of the debates on which approaches are most effective for structuring, planning, and implementing language courses. Several articles have focused on its effectiveness (Bryfonsky & McKay, 2017; Long, 2016; González-Lloret & Nielson, 2015), but few have shared specific implementation experiences in the classroom (Long, 2015; Torres & Seratini, 2016). The limited array of articles that address TBLT course creation focus on language courses for specific purposes, but little is known about the challenges and solutions found when designing and implementing a TBLT course that is part of a large general education language program. This article shares the authors’ experience in developing and teaching such a course. Based on these experiences, realistic and actionable examples are offered of how to surmount the challenges encountered when developing, integrating, and teaching a TBLT course in an otherwise traditional grammar-centric First-Year university language program at a large US university.

Unit human capital resources (HCRs) are positively associated with unit performance and developing them is vital to sustaining unit performance. Yet, extant research has focused primarily on formal human resource methods of developing individual and group capacities (e.g., training) and given lesser attention to on-the-job mechanisms and processes impacting unit HCRs. We advance a theoretical framework featuring unit deployments, which reflect the formal or informal configuration of existing unit members' assignments to unit-relevant tasks at a point in time, as a powerful tool for unit HCR development. We first articulate how deployments can enhance unit HCR by increasing members' HCRs, cultivating members' social capital resources, and influencing unit emergence enabling states. We then introduce four types of unit HCR portfolios that differ in resource and coordination flexibility and highlight how units can use distinct deployment strategies to cultivate each type of portfolio. We conclude by detailing when each unit HCR portfolio will likely generate the greatest return for units under varying task dynamism and complexity conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to create a model of patient-centered outcomes with respect to self-management tasks and skills of patients with a tracheostomy in their home setting. Methods: A scoping review using four search engines was undertaken (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library) to identify studies relevant to this issue and published since 2000. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statements for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach of conducting and reporting a scoping review, and the Participants, Concept, Context (PCC) scheme were employed. The following elements of the framework synthesis study data were screened, and presented based on the self-management model of Lorig and Holman. Results: 34 publications from 17 countries met the criteria for study inclusion: 24 quantitative, 8 qualitative and 2 mixed methods designs. Regarding the dimensions of self-management, 28 articles reported on "managing the therapeutic regimen", 27 articles discussed "managing role and behavior changes", and 16 articles explored "managing emotions". A model of self-management of patients with tracheostomy was developed, which placed the patient in the center, since it is this individual who is completing the tasks and carrying out his or her skill sets. Conclusion: This scoping review represents the first comprehensive overview and modeling of the complex self-management tasks and skills required of patients with tracheostomy in their home setting. The theoretical model can serve as a cornerstone for empirical intervention studies to better support this patient-centered outcome for this population in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based in a case study, we seek to understand to what extent a teacher's participation in lesson studies influences her teaching practice. Data collection included participant observation (doing a research journal and audio/video recording), document collection (tasks and lesson plans) and interview. The results suggest that participating in several lesson studies, planning whole-class discussions from the students' answers, influenced the teachers' practice. She proposed a task that allowed students to make connections between representations, as in the lesson studies, and, in the whole-class discussion, she encouraged several students to participate and challenged them to go beyond the task, which she did not do in the lesson studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Preschoolers are being increasingly exposed to social robots. • Preschoolers can successfully participate in different tasks with a social robot. • Preschooler behavioural engagement was greater with a human instructor than a social robot. Young children are exposed to new digital technologies, such as social robots. Limited research exists on how children engage with social robots and their role in the preschool classroom. This study observed 35 English-speaking children (M age = 4.60 years) participating in two tasks (Simon Says and iPad drawing) under the guidance of a social robot or human instructor. Children's engagement was measured across behavioural, emotional, and verbal domains. Results showed higher behavioural and positive emotional engagement with a human instructor than a social robot instructor across both tasks. Children uttered more words with the human instructor than the social robot instructor for the iPad drawing task, although there were no differences for the Simon Says task. Children's engagement and utterances were positively correlated during the social robot and human instructor conditions. The findings suggest that child engagement was overall higher with a human than with a social robot and such differences may be important for teachers to consider when using social robots in the preschool classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing digital literacy and, more recently, digital citizenship is one of the objectives promoted by the major international organisations involved in the education sector. However, in order to integrate digital citizenship into education a thorough understanding of the intended outcomes is required. This is why a meta-analysis of recent texts was carried out. The paper presents the result of this literature review consisting in a structured compilation of all the defining elements that constitute our profile of citizens as users of languages and digital technology. We suggest a way in which to integrate digital citizenship education into language education and describe the socio-interactional pedagogical approach adopted in the context of two projects, elang citizen and Lingu@num. This approach is based on the execution of authentic tasks, referred to as real-world tasks. We also present the results of a questionnaire carried out by teachers who explored these tasks and reported that by engaging in them, language learners can experience authentic communication and action as citizens in the "digital wilds" beyond the classroom walls and develop both their language skills and their digital citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's world, English is becoming not just a means of communication, but also a necessary tool for learning and working. More and more often people are faced with the need to use English in everyday life, in particular, reading is used in: communication in social networks, working with documents, information search, cooperation with foreign partners, and travel. In addition, the English language expands the opportunities of the student, broadens the horizons, and forms the worldview and personal experience. Therefore, studying the process of reading formation is a relevant issue at this time. The purpose of this review article is to study the methodology, requirements, process, and factors of reading literacy formation in English classes. The object of the article is the success of literate reading formation. The results and conclusions of the article can be further used in other research on the tasks of students' reading literacy formation. The following research methods are used in the article: analysis and generalization of the scientific literature, researches of foreign scientists, observation, direct interpretation of the word, questionnaire survey. The practical significance of the research consists in the possibility of using the materials of the article, at the English language classes when introducing new tools, technologies, and methodologies, as well as at the seminars on the theory and methodology of teaching a foreign language in the secondary and higher pedagogical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, about half of the school-leavers – irrespective of their school-leaving certificate – start an apprenticeship instead of entering the labour market or university. Firms act as gatekeepers who influence which school-leavers start an apprenticeship. Previous studies have provided important information on the reasons firms train. By analysing tasks, I consider an additional characteristic that probably influences firms' training decisions. The aim of my study is twofold: I examine whether tasks performed in a firm first correlate with the decision to provide apprenticeship training and second with the school-leaving certificate of newly hired apprentices. I use the BIBB Establishment Panel on Training and Competence Development to estimate hybrid models with the task shares of firms as the main independent variables. The results suggest that firms' task composition affects their decisions concerning vocational education and training (VET). Firms with a high share of routine or manual tasks are more likely to be involved in VET. Moreover, high shares of manual and routine tasks are accompanied by a higher demand for apprentices with lower secondary certificates, and high shares of interactive tasks by a high demand for apprentices with the highest secondary school-leaving certificate (i.e. the Abitur). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow is an intrinsic motivational state associated with full task engagement, positive affect, and enhanced performance. While research has examined how different language tasks interact with flow experiences, no study has examined learner flow experiences in a wide range of tasks using an experience sampling method to determine how universal basic task features (e.g., modality, participant structure, information distribution, and targeted skills) interact with flow. The present study aims to respond to this gap in the research. Participants were 13 teachers and 327 students from 18 intact French L2 classes in a Canadian postsecondary school. Teachers selected and implemented an average of six tasks from their personal repertoires at random moments throughout the semester. Immediately following each task, learners anonymously completed a flow experience questionnaire (N = 1408; α = 0.91), and teachers a task description questionnaire containing 17 basic task features (N = 81). Statistical analyses show that 10 of the 17 variables significantly interacted with learners' flow experiences. The results not only validate a frequently used flow measurement and establish norms for future research but also outline a framework language teachers can use to evaluate and modify practices to improve learners' subjective classroom experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of how job insecurity affects workplace behaviors has been the source of debate in the academic literature as well as in the popular press. The current study leverages and expands ideas from the Conservation of Resources theory about resource investment to examine how and when job insecurity is associated with behaviors indicative of promotive or protective job preservation strategies aimed at social or task targets. We present two studies. The first study takes a longitudinal approach to examine the bidirectional relationships between job insecurity and job performance, counterproductive work behaviors, knowledge hiding, and self-presentation ingratiatory behavior. The second study examines job preservation motivation as a mechanism linking job insecurity to these work behaviors, and it considers specific elements of threats as moderators (i.e., perceived threat controllability, perceived threat proximity). Together these studies suggest that job insecurity is associated with strategic behavior when employees are facing proximal threats to their jobs; however, these efforts are rarely in the best interest of organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented article concerns the issue of the work of a probation officer in the context of the ethics of the profession from a theoretical and practical perspective. Probation officers are employees of common courts. They have psychological, legal, pedagogical or sociological education. The tasks entrusted to them relate to readaptation, rehabilitation, education and control, as well as documents administration and interactions in the environment of their charges. Direct contact with the client is emotionally difficult, and the problems that arise in the work of the probation officer concern all kinds of human affairs. A probation officer is a trustworthy person and should also be of impeccable character. Having qualities that allow him/her to practice his/her profession competently, a probation officer works in formal and informal areas, and therefore takes responsibility for the daily lives of his/her charges. A probation officer is required to be a competent and tolerant person, and to perform the assigned duties effectively. The probation officers' sphere of values may differ from the sphere of values of their clients, but it cannot be a permanent obstacle to working for their welfare. It is important that a probation officer is both a good person and a reliable specialist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: How do an organization's task requirements affect the ways in which it reacts to competitors' strategic investments? This study uses a novel measure of task requirements (Case Mix Index), to test the competitive and spillover effects of prior adoption on a focal organization's timing of adoption, while accounting for the underlying demand‐side drivers of adoption. Results of an empirical study of the adoption of robotic surgery systems by U.S. hospitals validate our measure as a predictor of the timing of adoption. Further, this measure moderates the effect of adoption by competitors, delaying investment in the technology for those hospitals most likely to adopt robotic surgery based on their patient population, while accelerating adoption for those with the lowest demand for the technology. Managerial Summary: When a nearby competitor adopts an important innovation, an organization may react by either imitating their strategy in order to stay competitive or deferring the choice to adopt the technology in order to differentiate and focus elsewhere. Which of these paths it decides to follow may be influenced by the type and difficulty of problems it handles for its customers (task requirements). Using the adoption of robotic surgery in the U.S. Hospital industry, we find that organizations that serve more difficult customer needs defer investment in response to a competitor's technology adoption, while those who address less difficult problems on average are likely to respond by accelerating adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: In this article, we explore the effects of managerial monitoring on the behavior of subordinates tasked with the search for alternatives in a complex environment. We argue that managerial monitoring will lead subordinates to exhibit more search than they would engage in otherwise as they try to impress their superiors by exerting more effort. We test and confirm our hypothesis in four laboratory studies with a total of 444 participants. Our findings show that search distance and duration are highly susceptible to managerial monitoring, whereas similar interventions from peers and subordinates are ineffective. Managerial Summary: A key task for employees is to find new solutions to corporate problems when and where they occur. But what determines how long these individuals search and how far they venture before settling on one solution eventually? And how can and should managers steer this process, particularly if they are as unknowing about potential solutions as their subordinates? Here, we show that leaders can bring their staff to explore complex solution spaces longer and more remotely by regularly appraising their subordinates' efforts. This is because employees will feel an enhanced need to demonstrate their industriousness to their bosses, and long and distant search is easily justified. Whether this increases corporate performance depends on the complexity of the solution space and the opportunity costs of search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been recommended in the new College English Curriculum Requirement in China (Ministry of Education, 2017) for students learning English as a foreign language. Teachers might not, however, implement these concepts in their classes. This study aims to investigate whether the concept of TBLT has made its way into EFL teachers’ theoretical beliefs and the degree to which TBLT is being put into practice. By using semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, this study investigated the beliefs and practices of three tertiary English teachers in China and their use of tasks in their language classes. The results show that although these teachers had positive attitudes toward TBLT, only some activities in their classes could be classified as tasks. The teachers’ use of tasks seemed to be influenced by web-based textbooks and their own reflective practices. This study provides recommendations for developing language teacher education programmes based on TBLT in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]