Поддержка принятия решений при управлении процессом проведения платежа в системе моментальных платежей

The paper discusses decision support in managing the payment process in the instant payment system. Instant payment system operates in the network of intermediaries payment systems. A review of current research publications is given. The making a payment task is considered as the task of finding a critical path in the digraph of the intermediaries payment systems network. The optimization function is the criterion for managing the payment process. The management criterion is to maximize the possible remuneration from the payment or minimize the time of the payment. The choice of management criteria is made by the decision maker, depending on the goals of the instant payment system and the state of the intermediaries payment systems network. The proposed algorithms and software of payment module of instant payments system. The developed algorithmic support consists of the payment module algorithm and the algorithm for finding the payment route based on the Ford algorithm for finding a critical path in the network schedule. The object-oriented programming language C # was used for the development of the Payment module. A numerical experiment was carried out, which showed the efficiency of the proposed approach to decision support in managing the payment process in the instant payment system. The results of the payment time correspond to the acceptable for the market payments borders. Remuneration received is a satisfactory financial result.Рассматривается поддержка принятия решений при управлении процессом проведения платежа в системе моментальных платежей. Приведен обзор современных публикаций на тему исследования. Система моментальных платежей функционирует в сети платежных систем посредников. За проведение платежа посредники платят вознаграждение рассматриваемой системе. Посредники получают более выгодные условия от провайдеров за больший объем проведенных через них платежей. Задача проведения платежа рассматривается как задача нахождения критического пути в орграфе сети платежных систем посредников. Платежи проводятся по оптимальному маршруту для каждого обслуживаемого провайдера. Функцией оптимизации является критерий управления процессом проведения платежа. Критерием управления выступает максимизация возможного вознаграждения от проведения платежа или минимизация времени проведения платежа. Выбор критерия управления производится ЛПР в зависимости от целей системы моментальных платежей и состояния сети систем платежей посредников. Предложено алгоритмическое и программное обеспечение модуля проведения платежа системы моментальных платежей. Разработанное алгоритмическое обеспечение состоит из алгоритма работы модуля проведения платежа и алгоритма нахождения маршрута проведения платежа, основанного на алгоритме Форда для нахождения критического пути в сетевом графике. Для разработки приложения «Модуль проведения платежа» был использован объектно-ориентированный язык программирования C#. Проведен численный эксперимент, показавший работоспособность предложенного подхода к поддержке принятия решений при управлении процессом проведения платежа в системе моментальных платежей. Полученные результаты времени проведения платежа соответствуют приемлемым для рынка платежей границам. Полученное вознаграждение является удовлетворительным финансовым результатом

Suggested approach for establishing a rehabilitation engineering information service for the state of California

An ever expanding body of rehabilitation engineering technology is developing in this country, but it rarely reaches the people for whom it is intended. The increasing concern of state and federal departments of rehabilitation for this technology lag was the stimulus for a series of problem-solving workshops held in California during 1977. As a result of the workshops, the recommendation emerged that the California Department of Rehabilitation take the lead in the development of a coordinated delivery system that would eventually serve the entire state and be a model for similar systems across the nation

User Interface Challenges of Banking ATM Systems in Nigeria

The use of banking automated teller machine (ATM) technological innovations have significant importance and benefits in Nigeria, but numerous investigations have shown that illiterate and semiliterate Nigerians do not perceive them as useful or easy-to-use. Developing easy-to-use banking ATM system interfaces is essential to accommodate over 40% illiterate and semiliterate Nigerians, who are potential users of banking ATM systems. The purpose of this study was to identify strategies software developers of banking ATM systems in Nigeria use to create easy-to-use banking ATM system interfaces for a variety of people with varying abilities and literacy levels. The technology acceptance model was adopted as the conceptual framework. The study\u27s population consisted of qualified and experienced developers of banking ATM system interfaces chosen from 1 organization in Enugu, Nigeria. The data collection process included semistructured, in-depth face-to-face interviews with 9 banking ATM system interface developers and the analysis of 11 documents: 5 from participant case organizations and 6 from nonparticipant case organizations. Member checking was used to increase the validity of the findings from the participants. Through methodological triangulation, 4 major themes emerged from the study: importance of user-centered design strategies, importance of user feedback as essential interface design, value of pictorial images and voice prompts, and importance of well-defined interface development process. The findings in this study may be beneficial for the future development of strategies to create easy-to-use ATM system interfaces for a variety of people with varying abilities and literacy levels and for other information technology systems that are user interface technology dependent

Cyberbullying and traditional bullying in relation with adolescents’ perception of parenting

This study investigates the relation between parenting and involvement in cyberbullying. We predicted that cyberbullies and cyberbully-victims report less responsiveness and de manding reactions from their parents than victims and youthswho are not involved in cyberbullying. Furthermore, we predicted that youths with neglectful parents cyberbully the most often and youth with authoritative parents cyberbully the least. The same differences were predicted for traditional bullying. behavio and for youth involved in both forms of bullying behavior. Participants were made up to 1200 youths from 10-14 years old. They responded to a survey measuring cyberbullying and traditional bullying with questions based on the sub-scales from the Bully?Victim Questionnaire, and parenting with an adjusated version of the Parenting Style Questionnaire. Most results confirm out predictions. Results on authoritative, autoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting styles suggest that for bullies, demanding actions are an important dimension of thier behavior and for victims, responsiveness is an important dimension of their behavior

Accessibility of E-government Services for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries- The Case of Ghana

Several benefits have been attributed to E-government, including the potential to promote independence and belongingness for persons with disabilities (PWD) by enhancing participatory and inclusive governance. Hitherto, government services that required several and long journeys followed by long queues waiting for service at government offices can now be accessed online irrespective of the geographical location via E-government services. As a result, developing countries like Ghana continue to commit resources to the implementation of E-government to harness the associated benefits. Accessibility has been acknowledged, by both practitioners and those in academia, as a key consideration to prevent disparities among citizens which may put PWD at risk of exclusion. However, providing solutions to accessibility challenges for PWD has consistently proven difficult in most E-government implementation projects in developing countries. Therefore, this study investigates the accessibility of Egovernment services for PWD in Ghana with the aim of identifying how key E-government stakeholders perceive accessibility and the contextual drivers that lead to the exclusion of PWD in the development of E-government services. Also, this study seeks to understand if and how these stakeholders and contextual drivers reinforce the exclusionary process. The study employed an interpretive, inductive approach, with sensitising concepts from Egovernment accessibility literature, and the social exclusion framework. Multiple data collection methods were used, namely; observations as a preliminary step to obtaining a better understanding of how the visually impaired use ICTs; interviews as the primary data collection technique from 37 participants; and document analysis. The study involved 3 groups of participants: the visually impaired, E-government web developers and government officers. Data analysis was carried out in two phases- firstly thematic analysis was used to report on perceptions of government officers and developers on accessibility and the experiences of PWD. Contextual drivers impeding accessibility and affecting accessibility experience of PWD were also derived from the thematic analysis. Secondly, E-government and disability policy documents mentioned in interview discussions were analysed using content analysis. The findings of the content analysis were used to validate, clarify and to conduct post-interview checking. The findings show that government officers and developers play a key role in the development of E-government services. Whilst Government officers and developers were identified as powerful agents whose practices determined the accessibility of services that were developed; PWD were side-lined and not involved in the E-government development project. Also, perceptions of government officers and developers on accessibility vary from those of PWD. While government officers and developers believe that with little assistance from third parties PWD can access E-government services, PWD perceive accessibility should offer them the independence to retrieve government information and engage in electronic transactions of their choice. Evidently, accessibility perceptions of E-government implementers differ from that of PWD. Further, the findings show that exclusion of PWD from E-government services is as a result of the intertwining of several contextual drivers, including political, socio-cultural, technological and personal. Political, socio-cultural and technological drivers influence the perceptions and practices of government officers and developers and determine their responses to the accessibility needs of PWD. Personal drivers limit the capabilities of PWD to access Egovernment services and impact on their accessibility experiences. Contextual drivers independently facilitate the exclusion of PWD; however, their interactions with government officers and developers shape their perceptions and constitute crucial exclusionary forces. These exclusionary forces when fed into the development of E-government services reinforce the exclusion of PWD. Given that personal drivers limit the capabilities of PWD, their inabilities to act as change agents reinforce their exclusion. Moreover, power differentials among stakeholders play a vital role in the exclusionary process. The study contributes to better understanding of influences on the E-government development process, how services become inaccessible and the accessibility challenges PWD face. Practically, the study has several implications on the development and implementation of E-government services in developing countries like Ghana. For example, the findings are useful to inform the political leadership on policies and structures to put in place to enhance the accessibility of Egovernment services for PWD

Crowdsourcing Accessibility: Human-Powered Access Technologies

People with disabilities have always engaged the people around them in order to circumvent inaccessible situations, allowing them to live more independently and get things done in their everyday lives. Increasing connectivity is allowing this approach to be extended to wherever and whenever it is needed. Technology can leverage this human work force to accomplish tasks beyond the capabilities of computers, increasing how accessible the world is for people with disabilities. This article outlines the growth of online human support, outlines a number of projects in this space, and presents a set of challenges and opportunities for this work going forward

Patterns of Tactility and Sound:Collaboration through Sensory Textile Practice with the Visually Impaired at Macclesfield Museums

This practice-led research explores community engagement practices using textile practices of hand and digital printing, and hand weaving by a textile artist through a longitudinal case study with two museums in the historical silk town of Macclesfield, England. This research was undertaken by me as the artist-researcher together with a community of visually impaired participants who live locally to the museums. The community group experienced barriers in fully engaging with the museums. This study forms part of a wider debate on heritage sites collaborating with contemporary artists, community engaged textile practices within the museum context and the use of sensory encounters with archive objects to attract new audiences from diverse backgrounds such as disabled people. This research focuses on the two specific museum locations The Silk Museum and Paradise Mill. Visually impaired members of the charity called the East Cheshire Eye Society participated through creative practice community engagement events by exploring further into the archive unearthing hidden histories. This creative textile practice produced a catalogue of experimental artworks and two on-site art installations. My findings came through the documentation and analysis of ethnographic and autoethnographic methods of observations, reflections, and participants voices. Incorporating the senses of touch and sound into my textile practices brought about new connections of knowledge to place, and cultural identity. The museum and the textile artist acted as a conduit to resume the need to gather in a place and have social connection, with those interactions acting as a method of bonding to people and place. The considerations and sensibilities of working with the museum, the visually impaired and the exploration of materials is outlined as a note for future collaborations. The exhibitions raised awareness that the visually impaired can equally take part in the arts, raising the profile of the charity of those with sight loss showing that the unseen can be seen. The working with and making of silk textiles acted as a metaphor for the challenges and difficulties faced both in its contemporary construction with the visually impaired just as it was for the ninetieth century blind mill workers

A framework for the inclusion of students with visual impairments: a case of a Zimbabwe state university

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of students with visual impairments in a selected state university in Zimbabwe in order to develop a framework for their inclusion. The study was necessitated by the increased enrolment of students with visual impairments in universities worldwide in response to inclusion in education and the continuous search for the best placement model for students with disabilities. Studies conducted internationally show that students with visual impairments have unique learning needs which must be addressed if their inclusion in universities is to be successful. The study was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological and Bandura’s agentic theories, both of which stress the bi-directional relationship between an individual and the environment. The transformative paradigm which guided this study, lays emphasis on the need to improve the social situation of individuals with disabilities in order to bring about a more equitable society. Since the study intended to gain an understanding of how students with visual impairments interpret their experiences within a selected state university in Zimbabwe which practices inclusion, the qualitative case study design was used. Purposeful sampling was also used in the selection of both the university studied and the participants. Data generation methods employed included the semi-structured interview, photo-voice, document analysis and observation. Data generated were analysed following emergent themes that were used to answer the research questions. Findings revealed that the university started enrolling students with visual impairments in 2004 and has since established a Disability Resource Centre which is equipped with assistive devices and is manned by caring staff. Findings revealed a glaring absence of a university policy on inclusion. The guiding principles used did not clearly articulate issues of inclusion. The students’ positive experiences resulted from single rooms allocated to them and the support received from friends and caring staff. Negative experiences emanated from bureaucratic admission procedures, challenges of adjusting to university life in the absence of orientation and mobility training, financial challenges, hostile social environment and the students’ perceptions of themselves. The students suggested that the university should assist them with fees and expressed their wish to be consulted on matters that concern them. They xviii also suggested close co-operation between the administration and the Disability Resource Centre. The conclusion reached was that although the university was sensitive to issues of inclusion, there were still some deficiencies in the system that were impacting negatively on the inclusion of students with visual impairments. The study recommended a framework which shows the different committees and support systems which can be formed at different levels to facilitate the development of a comprehensive policy on inclusion and expedite its implementation. The involvement of students with visual impairments in the different committees was also recommended. This would afford them the chance to exercise their agentic resources and be involved in matters which concern them, rather than rely on decisions made by sighted individuals who might not possess adequate knowledge of what visual impairment entails

The information-seeking process of blind and visually impaired Grade 12 learners in selected South African schools for the blind

All people seek information for various reasons sometime during their lifetime. How this process has been researched and documented by various researchers is covered in this thesis, showing how the insights and lessons from various Information Seeking Models in the literature have informed and enriched this study. These models provide a good understanding of the study field and frameworks to explain the different elements of the information seeking process. All available Information Seeking Models, however, are developed based on the assumption that information seeking is performed by people with sight. How applicable these Information Seeking Models are for people who are blind and/or visually impaired is not addressed in the research. There are a number of different realities for a blind and visually impaired person seeking information, e.g. the accessibility of the technology to access the information, the accessibility of the information once it is located, the availability of technologies to assist the blind and visually impaired person to enable him/her to seek information, the availability of other people to assist the blind and visually impaired person during the information seeking process are just some of the challenges not addressed by existing Information Seeking Models. The purpose of this study is therefore to give an overview of existing Information Seeking Models and then to focus on the two leading researchers in the field, i.e. C. Kuhlthau and T.D. Wilson. These models of the information seeking process were contextualised and assessed in relation with the information needs model of N. Moore who researched the information needs of blind and visually impaired people. Based on the work of the three researchers a survey instrument was developed to determine the information seeking process of Grade 12 learners at five South African Schools for the Blind. Since Grade 12 learners must decide about their future, after completing school, it was decided to research how Grade 12 learners seek information to assist them to decide about tertiary studies or work options. The study included learners who had not yet started the information seeking process in this regard. A research instrument was designed to collect data to investigate the information seeking processes of the Grade 12 learners in order to assess the extent to which they correlated with the Information Seeking Models of Kuhlthau (1991) and Wilson (1999). The qualitative research method was followed in this study which was located in a constructivist paradigm. Interviews were conducted with 43 learners at the five schools for the blind representing the total population of Grade 12 learners registered at the selected schools. The literature confirms that low population sizes are customary when researching blind and visually impaired people. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at the five schools. The findings of the interviews were analysed through a framework analysis. Thereafter, a gap analysis was conducted to determine to what extent the findings correlated to or differed from the Information Seeking Models. From this analysis seven components were identified as part of the design of the Inclusive Information Seeking Model applicable to blind and visually impaired Grade 12 learners, a major outcome of the study. A broader application of the model is suggested. This Inclusive Information Seeking Model will raise awareness and assist people working in an information environment to make the necessary provisions, to ensure that the information seeking process for blind and visually impaired people is as successful as possible with available resources

Enabling assemblages: a public transport system held together by embodied practices

Transantiago was a promise. Inaugurated in 2007, it was a system supposed to be a ‘world class’ solution to the public transport needs of Santiago de Chile. Order, regularity, and predictability were the core elements of its agenda, aimed at modernising the mobilities landscape of the city. However, Transantiago ended up encountering many issues that turned this pristine idea into a much messier outcome. Among them, the bodily diversity of actual passengers, and the practices with which they produced local orders, did not match Transantiago’s expectations of ‘standard shape’ users who follow a delocalised, abstract rational behaviour. This mismatch affected the experience of the users as well. Pressured by the need to travel using an overcrowded service on the one hand, and being directed by disciplinary devices on the other, the users of Transantiago became a frenetic tide that not all are able to navigate. Some users – those of older, slower, or more fragile bodily configurations – tend to be left behind, implicitly excluded, disabled, and rendered immobile. This thesis describes different instances of disabled and older people navigating the challenging spaces of Transantiago. Ethnographic work and video analysis reveal a complex scenario in which passengers and system encounter each other and actively produce a precarious order that is held together through ordinary practices. I argue that this holding together is achieved through a constant work of everyday mutual adjustment. Just as Transantiago continues to unfold different technologies that would enable the sorting of people, users adjust and repurpose materialities, learning how to make their bodies ‘fit’. In Santiago’s public transport, disabled and older users engage in everyday struggles in order to deal with lack of accessible spaces, coordinate with other passengers, and interact with restrictive, exclusionary devices. Led by modernistic ideals of universality and standardisation, Transantiago was conceived as a system that would provide a ‘one-size-fits-all’ transport service for the inhabitants of Santiago. In practice, however, Transantiago has faced the ‘trouble’ of dealing with differently-abled users, who are varied in shape and size, and who bring their own capacities with them in their encounter with the public transport. Conversely, passengers and staff unfold practices of coordination and adjustment that compensate for Transantiago’s shortcomings, propping it up through everyday interaction