Search

High-immersion virtual reality (VR) technology is often associated with gaming. Yet, it is increasingly popular in educational contexts due to its potential to engage and motivate learners. Prior to VR technology integration in the classroom, the acceptance or resistance toward VR needs to be explored. This paper reports the results obtained from a large-scale (N = 20,876) survey on teachers' attitudes toward the use of VR for education. The survey explored the relationships between the teachers' VR integration level and their instructional approaches, as well as the frequency of VR use. Furthermore, the survey yielded answers on the relationship between the availability of information technology (IT) personnel and the frequency of VR use. Overall, teachers had moderately positive perceptions of the use of VR in education. There was no strong correlation between instructional approaches and the level of VR integration, but lower levels of VR integration were associated with more traditional teaching approaches. The results revealed a positive correlation between the level of VR integration and the frequency of VR use. However, the VR frequency use had a weak correlation with the availability of IT personnel.

Purpose: This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the present state and trends of smart education research. It addresses the need to have a systematic review of smart education to depict its research landscape in view of the growing volume of related publications. Design/methodology/approach: A bibliometric analysis of publications on smart education published in 2011 to 2020 was conducted, covering their patterns and trends in terms of collaboration, key publications, major topics and trends. A total of 1,317 publications with 29,317 cited references were collected from the Web of Science and Scopus for the bibliometric analysis. Findings: Research on smart education has been widely published in various sources. The most frequently cited references are all theoretical or discussion articles. Researchers in the USA, China, South Korea, India and Russia have been most active in research collaborations. However, international collaborations have remained infrequent except for those involving the USA. The research on smart education broadly covered smart technologies as well as teaching and learning. The emerging topics have addressed areas such as the Internet of Things, big data, flipped learning and gamification. Originality/value: This study depicts the intellectual landscape of smart education research, and illustrated the evolution and emerging trends in the field. The results highlight its latest developments and research needs, and suggest future work related to research collaborations on a larger scale and more studies on smart pedagogies.

This paper focuses on methodologies of serious games deployment and evaluation. Particularly, this study will present a specific category of serious games that are based on Collaborative Virtual Environments and they aim to support Collaborative Learning. We call these serious games Collaborative Virtual Educational Games (CVEG). The paper aims to analyze the deployment and evaluation process, through the study of relevant bibliography, and by doing so to reveal the existing research gap, which fails to evaluate the threefold nature--game, collaboration, and software--of CVEG. The proposed framework aims to support the design, deployment, and evaluation of a CVEG, by incorporating two consecutive and recurrent cycles, each consisting of distinct phases. Furthermore, each phase is designed to address specific goals. Finally, the paper presents four case studies, applying the proposed theoretical methodology for designing, deploying and evaluating a pragmatic CVEG.

This paper is focused on virtual campuses, i.e. virtual worlds representing real educational institutions that are based on the metaphor of a university and provide users with different learning tools. More specifically, the idea of integrating a virtual campus into the context of a virtual city is suggested. Such a virtual city, where students live and work, can extend the possibilities of a virtual campus in supporting learning and socializing. This paper provides a description and analysis of an empirical case study that was performed to test and develop these ideas. Based on the results of the study, a set of guidelines for designing a virtual campus in a city context is presented. (Contains 15 figures.)

Over the past decade, industry relevance and connectedness have evolved into a key requirement for students and their parents, who increasingly perceive employability upon graduation as a critical factor in the degree selection process. Simultaneously, professional bodies emphasise the need for high levels of industry engagement as a condition for accreditation, which in turn further impacts on the "marketability" of a specific degree. However, many of the skills emphasised by potential employers and industry reference groups are more closely aligned with generic graduate attributes, rather than discipline specific knowledge and skills. This increasingly includes an emphasis on cultural awareness, excellent communication skills and the ability to work in dispersed, often even virtual teams. This observation is arguably particularly relevant within the business (degree) context, where workforces become increasingly multicultural, as traditional borders and limitations make way for transnational opportunities. This paper discusses the benefits and challenges associated with a third year student project that set out to combine the need for discipline specific knowledge, with the acquisition of versatile, culturally sensitive business skills. Students participating in the aptly titled "communications challenge" competed against their peers as part of multicultural teams, representing twelve countries, across five continents. The authors conclude that experiential learning opportunities like this global, real life client project may not necessarily be popular amongst the wider student cohort. Furthermore, the acquisition of discipline specific knowledge may be limited when compared to "traditional" teaching deliveries. However, projects like this provide a number of benefits, in particular in the context of capstone units that set out to prepare students for a diverse career in an increasingly global, multicultural and complex environment.

This paper uses data gathered from 953 students to investigate how far individuals' preferences for a particular learning style are associated with the perceived usefulness of e-learning. Our findings reveal the effect of individuals' learning styles as well as their gender and professional experience on the perceived usefulness of different forms of e-learning. The study's findings enhance our understanding of the usefulness of different e-learning tools from a learner perspective and thus have implications for curriculum design. The study also contributes to the empirical basis on the relevance of learning styles in the design of virtual learning environments. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The paper proposes an approach to the numerical stochastic modeling of the time series of the wind chill index and equivalent effective temperature at weather stations located in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The approach is based on the use of a specially designed stochastic weather generator. It is shown that the approach allows developing the models of the time series of bioclimatic indices that very accurately reproduce various statistical properties of real processes related, in particular, to their daily variations and specific features of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous studies using the WHOQOL measures have demonstrated that the relationship between individual items and the underlying quality of life (QoL) construct may differ between cultures. If unaccounted for, these differing relationships can lead to measurement bias which, in turn, can undermine the reliability of results.Methods: We used item response theory (IRT) to assess differential item functioning (DIF) in WHOQOL data from diverse language versions collected in UK, Zimbabwe, Russia, and India (total N = 1332). Data were fitted to the partial credit 'Rasch' model. We used four item banks previously derived from the WHOQOL-100 measure, which provided excellent measurement for physical, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life domains (40 items overall). Cross-cultural differential item functioning was assessed using analysis of variance for item residuals and post hoc Tukey tests. Simulated computer-adaptive tests (CATs) were conducted to assess the efficiency and precision of the four items banks.Results: Splitting item parameters by DIF results in four linked item banks without DIF or other breaches of IRT model assumptions. Simulated CATs were more precise and efficient than longer paper-based alternatives.Discussion: Assessing differential item functioning using item response theory can identify measurement invariance between cultures which, if uncontrolled, may undermine accurate comparisons in computer-adaptive testing assessments of QoL. We demonstrate how compensating for DIF using item anchoring allowed data from all four countries to be compared on a common metric, thus facilitating assessments which were both sensitive to cultural nuance and comparable between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orienteering problem (OP) is a routing problem, where the aim is to generate a path through set of nodes, which would maximize total score and would not exceed the budget. In this paper, we present an extension of classic OP-Orienteering Problem with Functional Profits (OPFP), where the score of a specific point depends on its characteristics, position in the route, and other points in the route. For solving OPFP, we developed an open-source framework for solving orienteering problems, which utilizes four core components of OP in its modular architecture. Fully-written in Go programming language our framework can be extended for solving different types of tasks with different algorithms; this was demonstrated by implementation of two popular algorithms for OP solving-Ant Colony Optimization and Recursive Greedy Algorithm. Computational efficiency of the framework was shown through solving four well-known OP types: classic Orienteering Problem (OP), Orienteering Problem with Compulsory Vertices (OPCV), Orienteering Problem with Time Windows (OPTW), and Time Dependent Orienteering Problem (TDOP) along with OPFP. Experiments were conducted on a large multi-source dataset for Saint Petersburg, Russia, containing data from Instagram, TripAdvisor, Foursquare and official touristic website. Our framework is able to construct touristic paths for different OP types within few seconds using dataset with thousands of points of interest., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This paper continues the research started in [4] that investigates the thundercloud with hail observed over Saint Petersburg on July 22, 2017. The results of numerical simulation of the cumulonimbus cloud using a small-dimensional model are presented. The spatiotemporal variations in the updraft velocity, liquid water content, ice water content, volume charge density, electric field strength, and other parameters are studied. Two cases are simulated and intercompared: without and with the heterogeneous cloud droplet freezing. It is shown that the formation of precipitation including hail occurs more intensively in the second case. Special attention is paid to the simulation of cloud electric structure, which was performed in combination with the modeling of its dynamics and microstructure. It is demonstrated that the most powerful cloud electrification processes occur due to the interaction between cloud and precipitation particles (hailstone–ice crystal, melting hailstone–cloud droplet, raindrop–cloud droplet). The dynamics of the cloud electric structure at different life stages is modeled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique has been widely adopted in many wireless communication systems due to its high data-rate transmission ability and robustness to the multipath fading channel. One of the major drawbacks of OFDM signal is the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). In this paper, a software reference model for OFDM is developed and verified for its functionality that can be adopted for wireless communication applications. Bit error rate (BER) and functionality of the developed OFDM model is analyzed for 16-QAM, 64-QAM, and 256 QAM. We present a technique to reduce the BER of the transmitted signals and hence reduce the PAPR by introducing sequences. We propose a reliable BER reducing method that consists in putting together a Golay sequence with the input sequence. This new method offers competitive performance as well as low BER compared to previously published methods. Computer simulation for a standard OFDM system shows BER reduction by comparison to the competitive methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Predtechenskii and Milinskii''s seminal work [Predtechenskii VM, Milinskii AI. Planning for foot traffic flow in buildings. Revised and updated edition. Moscow: Stoiizdat; 1969] in relation to pedestrian flows is well known. However, analysis of the experimental results and observations obtained from this series of experimental studies revealed the inherent statistical non-homogeneity of pedestrian flow speeds [Kholshevnikov VV. The study of human flows and methodology of evacuation standardisation. Moscow: MIFS; 1999]. As such, the results of these individual experiments cannot be integrated to produce a valid general expression V=f(D) for each type of pedestrian flow path, where V is the flow velocity and D is the flow density. This paper presents further pedestrian flow research conducted in Russia post 1969. In this paper pedestrian flow is treated as a stochastic process, i.e., that which might be observed in a series of experiments as a manifestation of the random function V=f(D). A fundamentally new random methodology to mathematically describe this function is presented. Corresponding computer simulation models “Analysis of Foot Traffic Flow Probability” (known by the Russian acronym ADLPV) [Kholshevnikov VV. Human flows in buildings, structures and on their adjoining territories. Doctor of science thesis. Moscow: MISI; 1983; Kholshevnikov VV, Nikonov SA, Levin YP. Human flows modelling and computations. In: The study of architecture design issues. Tomsk: TGU; 1983; Kholschevnikov VV, Nikonov SA, Shamgunov RN. Modelling and analysis of motion of foot traffic flows in buildings of different usage. Moscow Civil Engineering Institute; 1986; Kholshevnikov VV, Nikonov SA, Shamgunov RN. Modelling and analysis of pedestrian of pedestrian flow movement in various facilities. CIB W14/87/41987; Bradley D, Drysdale D, Molkov V, editors. Retrospective review of research on pedestrian flows modelling in Russia and perspectives for its development. In: Proceedings of the fourth international seminar “fire and explosion hazards”, Londonderry, UK, 8–12 September 2003. p. 907–16; Nikonov SA. A development of an arrangements concerning fire evacuation in public buildings on the basic of foot traffic flow modelling. PhD thesis, (Supervisor V.V. Kholshevnikov). Moscow: HFSETS; 1985; Isaevich II. A development of multi-variative analysis of design solution for subway stations and transfer knots based on foot traffic flow modelling. PhD thesis, (Supervisor V.V. Kholshevnikov). Moscow: MISI; 1990] and “Free Foot Traffic Flow” (known by the Russian acronym SDLP) [Kholshevnikov VV. Human flows in buildings, structures and on their adjoining territories. Doctor of science thesis. Moscow: MISI; 1983; Aibuev ZS-A. The formation of foot traffic flows on large industrial territories. PhD thesis, Moscow: Moscow Civil Engineering Institute; 1989; Nikonov SA. A development of an arrangements concerning fire evacuation in public buildings on the basic of foot traffic flow modelling. PhD thesis, (Supervisor V.V. Kholshevnikov). Moscow: HFSETS; 1985; Kholshevnikov VV, Shields TJ, Samoshyn DA. Foot traffic flows: background for modelling. Proceedings of the second international conference on pedestrian and evacuation dynamics, University of Greenwich, 2003, p. 420] are described. The high degree of correspondence between observed pedestrian flows and the output from these models has been sufficient for the models to be accepted by statutory authorities and used in building design and regulation in Russia [Building regulations. Fire safety of buildings and structures. SNiP II-2-80. Moscow: Stroizdat; 1981.; State Standard 12.1.0004—91 (GOST). Fire Safety. General requirements. Moscow, 1992; Building Regulations. Building accessibility for disabled people. SNiP 35-01-2000. Moscow: Stroizdat; 2000] for many years. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The first part of the study of the automated processing of personal data for the purpose of their anonymization and analysis is presented. This part is an overview and aims to analyze the state of research in this area and systematize the available results. Results of the analysis of a wide range of issues of anonymization are presented, which formed a systematic understanding of the state of research and substantiated the choice of direction for further study. First, definitions of the main terms and concepts used in connection with anonymization of personal data are formulated, including association with the legislation of the Russian Federation. The directions of research are grouped into four sections: anonymization methods, implementation issues, applications of anonymized data processing, and deanonymization issues. For each group of anonymization methods—randomization, grouping, data distribution and application control— descriptions of the main algorithms are given and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. Implementation issues concern such concepts as the usefulness of anonymized data, limitations of the applicability of universal algorithms, and the reliability in relation to maintaining the anonymity of personal data subjects. Among applications that have formed the demand for the processing anonymized data, medical, biological, and genetic research and law enforcement are discussed. In the final part, the most interesting facts of deanonymization are mentioned and a short review of mass media is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at the modern methods of navigation and motion control seminar that was held at Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences in Moscow, Russia on March 31, 2009 is presented. Topics include the methods for solving data processing and control's problems and the simulation, research, and training complexes of computer technologies. The seminar featured E. L. Akim, T. A. Baramidze, and M. N. Krasil'shchikov.

This article analyses programmes of cash allowances for children and compares their effectiveness in combating child poverty in Russia and four European Union (EU) countries representing alternative family policy models – Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Using microsimulation models, this article estimates the potential gains if the Russian system were re-designed along the policy parameters of these countries and vice versa. The results confirm that the poverty impact of the programme design is smaller than that of the level of spending. Other conditions being equal, the best distributional outcomes for children are achieved by applying the mix of universal and means-tested child benefits, such as those employed by the United Kingdom and Belgium. At the same time, the Russian design of child allowances does not appear to be less effective in terms of its impact on child poverty when transferred to European countries in place of their current arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state-of-the-art in computer modeling of various aerospace applications is presented. The review is mainly based on results obtained at TsAGI and some other major centers of computer modeling in Russia. The importance of experimental validation of mathematical models and computer codes is discussed. A few examples of calculation results and their validation along with some existing challenges are presented. Based on the author aerodynamic background most of the examples are related to computational fluid dynamics. Some of the results, discussed in this paper, were presented at the scientific session of the Russian Academy of Sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wave drag is considered for downslope windstorms in Novorossiysk, on Novaya Zemlya, and in Pevek. The research is based on the results of numerical simulation with the WRF-ARW model. Special attention is paid to the evaluation of the contribution that wave processes make to the overall dynamics of the phenomenon (based on the ratio of wave and orographic drag) and to the specific features of wave drag for different downslope windstorms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of instrumental observations, the tsunami of 1963 generated in the vicinity of Urup in the Kuril Islands had the highest runup heights on the coasts of Sakhalin Island. It was generated by a strong earthquake which had a moment magnitude Mw 8.1. The present study summarizes the known observations of this event along the coasts of Sakhalin, in the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the prestent study includes the numerical simulation of this 1963 tsunami event in the framework of nonlinear shallow water theory. The results of the numerical calculations are in good agreement with the observational data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development and use of on system-dynamic tools in decision making with the support of modern control decision support systems (DSS). Topics include simulation model of a region based on system dynamics principles, the use of various scenarios of changing input factors to analyze the sensitivity of the Rostov region economy in Russia, and the scenarios determined the main risks and threats that affect the development of the region.

A coupled atmosphere-ocean model intended for the simulation of coupled circulation at time scales up to a season is developed. The semi-Lagrangian atmospheric general circulation model of the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, SLAV, is coupled with the sigma model of ocean general circulation developed at the Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences (INM RAS), INMOM. Using this coupled model, numerical experiments on ensemble modeling of the atmosphere and ocean circulation for up to 4 months are carried out using real initial data for all seasons of an annual cycle in 1989-2010. Results of these experiments are compared to the results of the SLAV model with the simple evolution of the sea surface temperature. A comparative analysis of seasonally averaged anomalies of atmospheric circulation shows prospects in applying the coupled model for forecasts. It is shown with the example of the El Niño phenomenon of 1997-1998 that the coupled model forecasts the seasonally averaged anomalies for the period of the nonstationary El Niño phase significantly better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision support systems in ill-structured dynamic situations are considered; the systems are based on modeling the expert knowledge represented as cognitive maps. Simulation systems for cognitive maps that have been developed in Russia are used as an example to overview implementation methods of the main functional subsystems in the decision support systems under consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology for a three-dimensional (3D) simulation of submicron SOI MOS transistors, taking into account a lithographic topology distortion, is presented. The peculiarities of constructing a 3D structure are considered. An efficient method for grid generation is proposed. The results of simulating O-type SOI MOS transistors with and without precorrection of topology are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation of seismotectonic tsunamis usually starts with specification of the initial elevation of the water surface in the tsunami source. The initial elevation is traditionally set equal to the vertical residual bottom deformation resulting from earthquakes. We discuss the imperfectness of the traditional approach and suggest an improved practical method of calculating the initial elevation from the solution of the 3D problem in the framework of potential theory. The method takes into account horizontal and vertical components of bottom deformation and bathymetry in the source area. Within the assumption of instant tsunami generation the suggested method represents the optimal way to specify the initial condition in the tsunami propagation problem. The tsunamis in the Central Kuril Islands on 15 November 2006 and 13 January 2007 are taken as examples to demonstrate the efficiency of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control and engineering tasks accomplished with the help of automated process simulation systems are described. The practical solution examples are cited. The UniSim Design system, providing modeling of all stages of production cycle, is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on mathematical physics concerning quasi-gasdynamic system of equations with general equations of state. It mentions that complex gas- and hydrodynamic processes which have been treated adequately and computer simulated have motivated the derivation of several various quasi-gasdynamic (QGD) and quasi-hydrodynamic systems of equations. It has written the equations of QGD for momentum, mass balance and total energy. It acknowledges that the study is backed up by Ministry for Education, Science of the Russian Federation and Russian Foundation for Basic Research.