Abstract Objective Research Articles

‘Rhetoric’ in the design process: The role of prop-based virtual reality storytelling in user-centred product conceptual design

This paper explores how prop-based virtual reality storytelling (VR&P-ST) can enhance user-centred product conceptual design (UCPCD) by the perspective of ‘computing with things’. The study introduces the concept of ‘rhetoric’ and the framework of ‘epistemic objects’ to explore the value of VR&P-ST. The study provides VR&P-ST experience for designers through VR passive haptics and proposes ten hypotheses. Through data analysis, nine hypotheses were accepted, and one hypothesis was rejected. This study provides a new solution in the field of empathic methods of UCPCD. Additionally, this study verifies that VR&P-ST can improve the fidelity and historical perception of conceptual design objects and neutralize ambiguity as the ‘rhetoric’. These three characteristics make VR&P-ST have a positive impact on the designer’s engagement, which in turn improves the designer’s evaluation and experience of the design process to a certain extent, but it still has limitations.

, virtual reality embodying philosophical and conceptual heritage

ABSTRACT In this paper, we introduce the <Sunghaksipdo VR> project, which is based on Sunghaksipdo (聖學十圖). Known as the Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, Sunghaksipdo was a heritage created by Toegye, the Korean Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. While conveying philosophical concepts such as Li (理) and Gyung (敬) and their spiritual values of mindfulness from the heritage to VR, we have focused on reconnecting the original visual diagrams and texts into perceivable VR experiences. We approached this task through the following: (1) by constructing conceptual and philosophical VR space and environments based on the original diagrams, (2) by creating conceptual objects inside VR, and (3) by designing diverse user interactions with such virtual conceptual objects. Particularly the interactions allow the user’s embodied experience and performative engagement, which become a way of understanding the meaning of the philosophical message. While explaining these with diverse exemplary cases, we hope to show how new media and interactive VR technologies can be used to realize philosophical concepts and spiritual value. Through this, we hope to discuss how VR could be imagined as a tangible philosophy discovering the plane of immanence.

Shapes and frictions of synthetic data

Synthetic data are computer-generated data that mimic and substitute empirical observations without directly corresponding to real-world phenomena. Widely used in privacy protection, machine learning, and simulation, synthetic data is an emerging field only just beginning to be explored in the social sciences and critical data studies. However, recent developments, such as the use of synthetic data in the US Census and American Community Survey, make a reflection on the nature and implications of synthetic data urgent. While earlier work focused mostly on training data for machine-learning models, this paper presents a broad typology of synthetic data and discusses its frictions. The main argument presented is that the traditional representational model of data as symbolic references to corresponding physical or conceptual objects is insufficient for understanding and critically engaging with issues and implications of synthetic data. The paper discusses an alternative relational model, which defines data not through an object of reference but based on “who uses them, how and for which purposes”. The relational model is more productive for capturing the fact that synthetic data are defined through their purpose; their performance in a particular situation (such as training a machine learning model); and a context-dependent operationalization of evidence. The post-representational anything-goes epistemology of synthetic data can be productively challenged through a forensic approach that foregrounds the outliers, artifacts, and gaps in datasets as meaningful information.

Ways of Structuring Abstract Objects in German Engineering Discourse

The article is devoted to the study of the ways of structuring abstract objects in German engineering discourse. We argue the idea, that some non-material substances, described by means of language, are realized by a person as abstract objects which are described by a person using the experience of structuring geometric space. On the material of scientific texts, placed on specialized information portals, are traced the verbal regularities of abstract knowledge in the field of engineering communication through the use of direct and metaphorical spatial nominations. Using the method of conceptual modeling, it is concluded that the main ways of dividing abstract objects of science are segmentation and scaling. Segmentation implies the division of virtual space into parts (steps, phases, stages, segments), which are the stages of production or communication processes; scaling is the result of creating a system of divisions intended for determination of the manifestation level of any feature. The criteria for choosing language means of segmentation and scaling are: horizontal-vertical, static-dynamic, length-localization, part-whole, limited-unlimited.

Problems of teaching logic to law students

The problem of teaching logic to lawyers is, first of all, its abstract and formal nature, detached from legal practice. Therefore, secondly, the tendency to restrict or even remove logic from the curricula is provoked. This, thirdly, is followed by the lack of rationale for the majority of court decisions in Ukraine.&#x0D; The purpose of the article is to clarify the subject of legal logic - the main question from a range of problems, the solution of which will contribute to the improvement of the quality of training of lawyers.&#x0D; The conducted analysis of the research revealed sufficient validity of the subject of legal logic. The sphere of law has a strong-willed and competitive, contradictory character. This determines the need for a special, argumentative reasoning based on natural, not formalized language. It is formed in a practically directed dialogue, taking into account political, moral, etc. factors. At the same time, deductive incorrectness and incompleteness of the premises are possible, provided that the conclusion is rationally substantiated, sufficiently convincing, depending on the context of the legal discourse. Legal considerations suggest doubts about the identity of abstract and concrete objects and deviation from logical rules. This requires additional analytical procedures - interpretation and interpretation based on deductive and inductive models with opposite means and techniques.&#x0D; In conclusion, the author’s position is the expediency of interdisciplinary teaching of logic to lawyers in one course with two content modules: formal logic and legal logic. Another option is two relevant courses. The professional level of teaching should be provided, respectively, by professors-philosophers and professors-lawyers. The best are teachers with two relevant educations.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AS A FACTOR IN ENSURING ECONOMIC SECURITY OF ENTERPRISES

The subject of the research is the study of digital transformation as one of the factors of ensuring the economic security of enterprises. Methodology. The study uses general scientific methods, in particular theoretical generalisation, analysis and synthesis, statistical analysis and graphical methods for the visual presentation of research results. The aim is to analyse the role of digital transformation in ensuring the economic security of companies. Conclusion. Summing up the results, it is determined that the security of enterprises is a crucial element for their successful functioning and stability in the market. The impact of digitalisation on the economic security of enterprise is manifested through the positive impact of advanced digital technologies. Taking advantage of the digital economy leads to numerous positive aspects in business and contributes to achieving strategic goals and strengthening economic security. A conceptual model of the economic security of enterprises has been developed, in which digital transformation is a key tool, covering various aspects, including the conceptual apparatus, objectives, problem vision, subjects and objects of management. The model is aimed at creating conditions for sustainable development and maintaining the economic security of the enterprise at various stages of its life cycle. The programme for ensuring economic security within the framework of this model includes the stages of defining tasks, developing a scenario, implementing and evaluating efficiency. The mechanism of economic security is considered as a system of resources and interactions, with digital transformation as a central tool. Summarising the model and approach, the key aspects of ensuring the economic security of enterprises are revealed, taking into account the challenges and opportunities of the modern business environment. Digital technologies make it possible to increase the level of economic security, which in turn contributes to increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of individual companies, the economy as a whole and the standard of living of the population.

Study on the Changes of Immune Cells in the Evolution of Myelodysplastic Syndromes

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the differences of peripheral blood immune cells in healthy people, and patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients or acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and to investigate their correlations with International Prostate Symptom Score(IPSS), blasts and other factors in MDS patients. Methods: 55 patients with MDS(MDS group), 67 patients with AML(AML group) and 25 heathy people(healthy group) were selected as research objects from Dongzhimen Hospital Affiliated with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from January, 2012 to April, 2022 for this retrospective analysis. By comparing peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets count and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets percentage, we studied the expression of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, CD3+CD4+CD25+FoxP3+), B cells (CD19+) and NK cells (CD3-CD16+CD56+). The correlations between the different indexes and IPSS and blasts were analyzed. Results: (1) Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets count: There were differences among the three groups. Through pairwise comparison, MDS group had lower peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets count(P＜0.025), probably owing to the low peripheral blood lymphocyte count. (2)Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets percentage: The percentages of Treg cells, B cells and T cells varied among the three groups. Compared with the healthy group, the percentages of T cells ( P＜0.025) and Treg cells ( P＞0.025) in MDS group were higher, and the percentage of B cells ( P＜0.025) was lower. Compared with MDS group, the percentage of Treg cells ( P＜0.025) in AML group was higher and the proportion of B cells was lower ( P＜0.025). (3)Correlations with IPSS and blasts: The percentage of Treg cells was positively correlated with IPSS and blasts. Conclusion: Treg cells showed an increasing trend in turn by healthy people group, MDS group and AML group. The high expression of Treg cells may have great significance in prognosis and progression of MDS. Key words: Acute myeloid leukemia; Blasts; Immune cells; Myelodysplastic syndromes.

Possible Worlds as Propositions

Abstract Realists about possible worlds typically identify possible worlds with abstract objects, such as propositions or properties. However, they face a significant objection due to Lewis (1986), to the effect that there is no way to explain how possible worlds-as-abstract objects represent possibilities. In this paper, I describe a response to this objection on behalf of realists. The response is to identify possible worlds with propositions, but to deny that propositions are abstract objects, or indeed objects at all. Instead, I argue that realists should follow Prior (1971) and others in treating higher-order quantification (e.g. quantification into predicate or sentence position) as a genuine form of quantification in its own right, and so in particular, not to be analysed in terms of first-order quantification over abstract objects. I argue that from this ‘higher-orderist’ perspective, there is a relatively straightforward answer to the question of how possible worlds-as-propositions succeed in representing possibilities.

Type Realism Reconsidered

Abstract Realism about types is the view that types are abstract and repeatable objects. Although type realists seem to agree that types, unlike properties, are objects in their own right, they argue that there is a metaphysically intimate tie between the existence conditions of types and properties. In particular, most type realists believe that types are, in a certain sense, determined by the properties that underlie them. I argue that this is a mistake, especially for those type realists who believe that social and cultural types such as works of music and fiction or words are artifacts. I offer an alternative version of type realism where social and cultural types are dependent objects that should be understood in analogy with concrete artifacts.

LDS-CNN: a deep learning framework for drug-target interactions prediction based on large-scale drug screening.

Drug-target interaction (DTI) is a vital drug design strategy that plays a significant role in many processes of complex diseases and cellular events. In the face of challenges such as extensive protein data and experimental costs, it is suggested to apply bioinformatics approaches to exploit potential interactions to design new targeted medications. Different data and interaction types bring difficulties to study involving incompatible and heterology formats. The analysis of drug-target interactions in a comprehensive and unified model is a significant challenge. Here, we propose a general method for predicting interactions between small-molecule drugs and protein targets, Large-scale Drug target Screening Convolutional Neural Network (LDS-CNN), which used unified encoding to achieve the calculation of the different data formats in an integrated model to realize feature abstraction and potential object prediction. On 898,412 interaction data involving 1683 small-molecule compounds and 14,350 human proteins from 8.8 billion records, the proposed method achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96, an area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) of 0.95, and an accuracy of 90.13%. The experimental results illustrated that the proposed method attained high accuracy on the test set, indicating its high predictive ability in drug-target interaction prediction. LDS-CNN is effective for the prediction of large-scale datasets and datasets composed of data with different formats. In this study, we propose a DTI prediction method to solve the problems of unified encoding of large-scale data in multiple formats. It provides a feasible way to efficiently abstract the features among different types of drug-related data, thus reducing experimental costs and time consumption. The proposed method can be used to identify potential drug targets and candidates for the treatment of complex diseases. This work provides a reference for DTI to process large-scale data and different formats with deep learning methods and provides certain suggestions for future research.

Evolution of Business Models of Mining and Energy Sector Companies according to Current Market Trends

A business model is a “formula” for generating value in a company, and is considered a conceptual object that is part of a company’s intangible resources. It is a company’s unique recipe for sales, cost-effectiveness in operational terms as well as investment, and the financing of operations, both in the short and long term. Due to new challenges, such as sustainable development, faced by enterprises, as well as the new ways of creating and delivering value, such as the closed-loop economy, new concepts of business models are emerging. Presently, there are many different forms of decomposition of a company’s assets that will contribute to the process of creating more sustainable business models to ensure the achievement of cohesion in the financial, environmental and social areas. The purpose of this paper is to present the theoretical assumptions and practical solutions in the field of creating sustainable business models for enterprises by decomposing assets and changing their way of functioning to increase efficiency for stakeholders. The applied research method is based on statistical analysis, with the main focus on the analysis of the correlation between the prices of shares of a parent company and the prices of shares of a company separated from the existing structures.

Feasibility study on utilisation of discarded waste material as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate in concrete

Electronic waste, or Discarded waste. The electronic goods that have become unwanted, non-functional, or out-of-date, and have meritoriously grasped the end of their worthwhile lives are known as Discarded waste. Aluminium, bronze, gold, silver, resins, and ferrous metals are just a few of the valuable, reusable materials that can be found in waste that has been discarded. All across the world, discarded waste disposal is a routine occurrence. The usage of Discarded waste materials is only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to environmental and ecological challenges. Concrete is the most significant engineering material, and changing the concrete philosophy may be more achievable by adding or replacing some of the ingredients. The research of concrete employing E trash as a limited replacement for coarse clusters is presented in this work. For various substitutions of coarse aggregate with Discarded waste on M30 grade concrete, the compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength of concrete were investigated. The concrete gains higher compressive strength after 15 percent partial replacement of coarse aggregate with E trash at 7 and 28 days. The greatest optimum content of the discarded waste-replaced concrete occurs at 15% partial replacement of coarse aggregate accordingly as part of this project.

Examining the learning effects of concrete and abstract materials among university students using a two-dimensional approach.

The debate on using concrete versus abstract materials in learning mathematics has been longstanding. For decades, research has focused on the physical characteristics of materials when defining them as concrete or abstract. This study extends the field by proposing a two-dimensional classification, which defines materials as concrete or abstract based on the two dimensions of representation, namely object (i.e., appearance) and language (i.e., label). A total of 120 university students participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to learn the concept of modular arithmetic with one of four types of learning materials: concrete object labelled with concrete language, concrete object labelled with abstract language, abstract object labelled with concrete language and abstract object labelled with abstract language. They were also divided into high and low maths anxiety groups. Results showed that the students who learnt with abstract objects, regardless of the level of maths anxiety, outperformed their peers who learnt with concrete objects. However, for students with low maths anxiety only, those who learnt with materials labelled with abstract language showed better far-transfer performance compared with those who learnt with materials labelled with concrete language. The findings offer a new direction in the conceptualization of concrete and abstract learning materials by specifying the dimensions of representation.

ДИЗАЙН КООРДИНАТНЫХ УСТРОЙСТВ ДЛЯ КИБЕРСПОРТА НА ОСНОВЕ ВИЗУАЛЬНОГО ЯЗЫКА ПРИРОДНЫХ И ИНДУСТРИАЛЬНЫХ ЭЛЕМЕНТОВ УДМУРТИИ

Rethinking and styling the object of inspiration is one of the components of design to create new images and products. The visual language of an object is important for its uniqueness, recognizability and communication. A creative search for concepts can lead to original combinations, as in computer games. Currently, computer games and eSports are gaining quite active development. Imagery and conceptuality also did not leave this sphere. In the field of developing technology for convenient use of a computer, especially coordinate devices, there are many opportunities for creating conceptual object design. The object of the study is the features of the visual transformation of the natural and industrial elements of the environment of Udmurtia, which will subsequently become the basis for the design modeling of the artistic image of coordinate devices.&#x0D; The methodological basis of research and development is: semiotic modeling, graphical analysis, additive technologies, digital modeling, media technologies, photographic fixation. The formation of a visual language of creative sources for an object is one of the fundamentals in design engineering, since the adaptation of a visual image to an object forms the recognition of a product brand in the market.

Munchʼs “Scream” as a sense-giving object for the conceptual entity

A conceptual entity is a phenomenon that only exists in our thoughts as knowledge, linguistic, cultural, iconic, etc. All objects falling under this category are those that were created only by human intellect (power of eason or emotions). The article focuses on how a conceptual idea about the object chosen or given for in-depth discussion or study in an academic setting might be constructed and how the sense-giving potential of this object forms the conceptual entity. In this context, the object acts as a symbol for the idea and transforms into a sense-making tool that affects how linguistic or visual patterns manifest in the human mind. The articleʼs goal is to illustrate the problem of the expansion of every field of knowledge through the development of new concepts. This goal involves visual art as a reference point, notably Edvard Munchʼs Scream series becoming an object for idea generation. Practically, conceptualization strategies can make teaching a foreign language easier. The use of visual art images as nonverbal communication tools gives teachers a chance to improve studentsʼ discourse skills. The cognitive approach to understanding the scream image in the artwork enables us to connect it to symbolic qualities that heighten its emotional resonance and give it fundamentally indivisible characteristics. This article takes a cognitive approach to communication. Hence, teaching it involves developing mental representations of the conversational subject and its linguistic realizations. As the result, considering the object (image) as a conceptual phenomenon of visual culture gives the following sequence of causal modes of its cognition: stimulation – intentional stances and cognitive attitude – mentalization / presence of mental content – ideation / reasoning / presence of substantial content – conceptualization. All of these are either postures or processes in which a kind of object appears, depending on the psychodynamic or psychoemotional state of its meditator, more specifically: stimulus object – intentional object – mental object – ideative object – substantial object / semantic object – conceptual object. So, Munchʼs conception of the scream has not assumed a stable character, we are not inclined to consider the scream as a concept and leave it to us to designate it as a conceptual sense-given object. Future studies might focus on creating conceptual frameworks for the language learning process.

Онтологические модели пословиц как прецедентных текстов (на материале разноструктурных моделей в русском и чувашском языках)

This article presents an analysis of proverbs as precedent texts and their ontological (conceptual) models in the Russian and Chuvash languages as having different structures. The relevance of the work is due to the cognitive-pragmatic approach to the linguistic picture of the world of proverbs, as well as the need to determine the status of the ontological model of precedent texts of proverbs as a special structure of knowledge that characterizes the features of ethno-linguistic consciousness. Based on the material of Russian and Chuvash proverbs, a conceptual analysis of the precedent texts of proverbs is carried out. The basic models of the subject's cognitive decision-making strategy are distinguished: 1) cognitive setting for a low / high degree of argumentative impact: a) with the axiological dominant “gradation”; b) with a stereotypical dominant; c) with adaptive dominant; 2) cognitive attitude with the axiological component “positive – negative”. The identified types of axiological components of conceptual objects act as factors, grounds that ensure the use of proverbs as an argument, reflecting the values and traditions of the Russian and Chuvash cultural communities. Characteristic for acts of argumentation in which proverbs are used are such basic structures as one-sided argumentation and two-sided argumentation. In the discourse in the relationship of communicants in the languages under consideration, simple and complex speech acts with proverbs are used, which have the same pragmatic features, but differ in quantitative terms and communicative conditions of functioning. The structure of the precedent text of proverbs is presented as an ontology in the Protégé ontology editor system, since in modern research ontology is considered the leading paradigm of information content structuring.

Efficacy of different combinations of physiotherapy techniques compared to exercise and patient education in temporomandibular disorders: A randomized controlled study

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to investigate the efficacy of different types of physiotherapy approaches in individuals with cervical myofascial painful temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Methods Seventy-five participants with myofascial pain of jaw muscles and cervical myofascial pain were randomized into three groups: exercise group (E), low-level laser therapy group (LLLT), and manual pressure release group (MPR). All patients were assessed before treatment and after 12 sessions of treatment. Results Significant improvement was seen in all groups’ pressure pain threshold (PPT) values (p < 0.01). Some masticatory and neck muscles’ PPT changes in MRP and LLLT groups were significantly higher than the exercise group (p < 0.05). Conclusion Exercise therapy is an effective approach for treatment of TMDs. Additionally, LLLT combined with exercise and MPR combined with exercise have better effects than only exercise therapy. Multimodal treatment approaches should include exercise to achieve better results in clinical practice.

Representation of the Quantitative Aspect of Abstract Objects in the German Engineering Discourse (in the Compound Nouns)

The article describes the linguistic means of expressing the quantitative side of abstract objects in the German engineering discourse. Using the semantic-cognitive analysis the work explores the cognitive, nominative and communicative potential of complex nouns, which reflect the integrated knowledge of the abstract object of the engineering field and the way of comprehending its quantitative characteristics. The cognitive potential of such constructions lies in the possibility of segmenting reality and in the realization of syntheses of an abstract object and its attribute. The study showed the widespread use of the words with parametric sense: capacity / volume, the large number, degree; their use as a part of compound nouns indicates the person's awareness of abstracts as the essence that can be measured. The nominative value is characterized by the productivity of the described word-building model. The communicative significance consists in the possibility of operating with such noun constructions in real communication and in their specification through other verbal refinements.

Fitness of Custom 3D-Printed Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Furcation Defects: A Preliminary Investigation Using Pig Jaws

&lt;p&gt;Abstract (Word Count: 202) Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether 3D-printed (3DP) hydroxyapatite (HA)-based scaffolds can be customized to fit furcation defects. Materials and Methods: Two experimental degree II furcation defects were created in pig jaws, and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were taken before and after defect creation. Computer-aided design (CAD) models of scaffolds were produced by subtracting two CBCT images. For each defect, one 3DP resin block printed using a stereolithographic 3D printer served as the control, and three 3DP HA-based scaffolds were printed using an extrusion-based 3DP bioprinter. The resultant 3DP resin blocks and HA-based scaffolds were placed in the defects, and micro-CT images were taken to assess the fitness of the scaffolds. Results: Compared with the CAD models, the 3DP resin blocks and HA-based scaffolds showed approximately 90% and &gt; 80% volume stability, respectively. Regarding the furcation defects, the linear adaptation ratio was approximately 90% for the 3DP resin blocks and &gt; 70% for the 3DP HA-based scaffolds. The fitness of the 3DP HA-based scaffolds was inferior, with a notable depression in the central area. Conclusion: The 3DP HA-based scaffolds exhibited acceptable volume stability and fitness for the furcation defect and could be a potential strategy for promoting furcation defect regeneration.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Associative-verbal network of thymological assessment in the Russian language

The article is devoted to the analysis of reactions to the important in three associative dictionaries: "SEABASS – Russian regional associative database (Siberia and the Far East)", "Russian regional associative dictionary-thesaurus EVRAS" and "Russian associative Dictionary". The research material is valid, since the associative experiment is one of the reliable methods of psycholinguistics. Reactions explicitly expressing the idea of a person are excluded from consideration in connection with their consideration in the author's previous work. The relevance of the research is connected with insufficient development of scientific ideas about the category of ‘important’ in modern Russian linguistics. The description is based on the semantic gestalt method. The author identifies and describes the semantic groups formed by the reactions under consideration. Their analysis demonstrates the structure of the world, which is built by the category of importance. This world is not elementary and simple, it is multicomponent and complex. In it, a person is a subject with the ability to actively think and create abstract objects and names for them. A thinking subject uses an evaluation scale and can choose what is important to him (T-rank) and what is not (t-rank). This is one of the tools that a person uses to control their activities. Based on these conclusions, the author comes to the conclusion about the "human dimension" of the category "important" in the Russian language.