Social robots are unique as persuasive agents due to their embodiment, which increases their capacity to promote behavioral and motivational change [3],[4]. We therefore designed an interaction between a humanoid social desktop robot — QT (Fig. 1) — and older adults aimed at promoting positive life changes through guided self-reflective exercises. We focus on older adults as while much work has focused on using robots with this population to ameliorate loneliness and depressive symptoms through interactions with the technology (e.g., [2]), few studies have focused on using robots to increase feelings of fulfillment, value, and meaning in helping older adults thrive (and not just cope). However, research done with college students shows that robots can be used in positive psychology interventions to increase flourishing [1].

The paper discusses the relationship between assessment in teaching English as a foreign language and students’ competencies. The data collected by this research show that, in recent times, teachers and students are becoming aware that learning based only on the acquisition of facts will not adequately respond to the challenges they will face in the future. An environment in which the learning outcomes are transparently and directly linked to the students’ competencies enables them to take responsibility for their progress, not only during the official period of schooling but also during lifelong learning, which is very important. With this approach, learning outcomes and their connection with the necessary competencies to achieve learning outcomes become the basis for redefining qualifications and curricula in general and professional education. The transparent connection of learning outcomes and necessary competencies to achieve learning outcomes, as well as the shift of focus from teachers to students, enables students to find their way of improving competencies and taking responsibility for their learning. Learning outcomes are best understood by viewing them as a series of valuable processes and opportunities that can be applied in different ways in different areas of teaching and learning. The emphasis is on defining the learning outcomes so that we use the students’ experience and pay less attention to the content of the subjects of a specific curriculum. The data from this research indicate that learning outcomes impact assessment if they are adequately linked to competencies. Students can monitor their progress and take responsibility for it. The primary outcome of this research is that assessment aligned with progress in students’ competencies and their connection to learning outcomes will certainly improve learning.

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Background: The scientific researchers have the role of interacting through published articles in scientific journals or presentations at scientific and professional conferences were they can affect the practices that can make achievements to society and country. or worldwide. For this reason, scientists are encouraged after completing the project and finalizing their research investigation to publish scientific work outcomes in professional and scientific journals. Objective: The aim of this article was to describe scientometric and bibliometric indexes and explaine its importance for its evaluation and measuring quality assessment of published papers in scientific journals deposited in scientific indexed databases. Also, author criticaly analized advantages and disadvantages of current bibliometric portals for creating the list of universities and its accademic staff by counts of deposited articles in databases and number of its citations. Methods: The author searched the most influential online databases and analyzed deposited papers by scientometric/bibliometric indexes, and used a descriptive method to review important facts about scientometrics experiences in scientific and academic practice. The author used facts deposited on the main international portals for analyzing number of citations of deposited scientific papers on Scopus and Google Scholar platform - h-Index and i10-Index and number of citations as basic data fot created top list of most citated scientists in almost of all countries in the world. . Results and Discussion: Bibliometric methods are used for quantitative analysis of written materials. Citation provides guidelines for scientific work because it stimulates scientists to deal with the most current research areas and organizes scientific articles at the world level or shapes and directs them. Citation is influenced by: article quality, understanding of the article, language in which the article is written, loyalty to a group of researchers, article type, etc. Some indicators used in evaluating scientific work are Impact factor (IF); Citation of the article; Journal citations; Number and order of authors, etc. The index factor of influence depends on the quality of the journal, the language in which it was printed, the area it covers, and the journal distribution system. Finaly, three portals and its plaforms (Webometrics, "AD Scientific Index" and Stanford Bibliometric List) are not fully relevant for measuring quality assessment of universities and its academic staff, even as potentialy members of academies of sciences, like it used in the past. They need to improve in the future. In this article, we pointed out that h-Index and Google Scholar indexes for present valuable measures to determine scientific excellence. These criteria should be necessary for quality assessment of the scientific curriculum of scientists and their published papers in journals when experts of indexed databases like Medline, PMC, Scopus, etc., do reviews during the evaluation of applied journals for potentially including indexed databases. Conclusion: Current academies and academicians can propose criteria how improve indexing scientific papers with the consultation of scientific bodies and experts at universities in one country, selected regions, or worldwide. Only quality research with exact results offers the scientific community new information about the examined problem and the researcher’s personal satisfaction, and opening opportunities to receive critical reviews of those who have insight into the research.

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Energy has an effective role in economic growth and development of societies. This paper is studying the impact of climate factors on performance of solar power plant using machine learning techniques for underlying relationship among factors that impact solar energy production and for forecasting monthly energy production. In this context this work provides two machine learning methods: Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for forecasting energy production and Decision Tree (DC) useful in understanding the relationships in energy production data. Both structures have horizontal irradiation, sunlight duration, average monthly air temperature, average maximal air temperature, average minimal air temperature and average monthly wind speed as inputs parameters and the energy production as output. Results have shown that used machine learning models perform effectively, ANN predicted the energy production of the PV power plant with a correlation coefficient (R) higher than 0.97. The results can help stakeholders in determining energy policy planning in order to overcome uncertainties associated with renewable energy resources.

Multi-material design was developed as a modern design concept for lightweight structures (Lightweight design - LW) which aims to integrate different types of materials into one structure. The main problem when joining sheets made of different, i.e. dissimilar materials, primarily steel and aluminum alloys, are the different mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the materials being joined. Through this paper, the state of the art will be analyzed when it comes to modern technologies for joining steel and aluminum alloys sheets. The term "modern joining technique" refers to all innovative joining technologies that have been developed or have seen significant application in the last few years.