Action Patterns Research Articles

Eudaimonic well-being: a socio-cultural perspective on narrative action

ABSTRACT This paper, inspired by Arendt’s thought on the narrative character of action, aims to understand how speech and action, performed in the context of new beginnings, reveal eudaimonic potential in the quest for well-being. Our qualitative study follows ethnographic/netnographic principles and highlights four patterns of narrative action that actualize eudaimonic well-being in the foundation of a new business and life project: integrating resources for new beginnings, mobilizing objects, activating like-minded communities, and unleashing authenticating technologies. Our contribution lies in introducing a socio-cultural glance into the field of eudaimonic well-being through which we emphasize the value of narrative action and purpose in the construction of a new beginning. In so doing, we highlight the virtuous interplay between authenticating acts, networked narratives, and networks of desire in social media in the pursuit of eudaimonic well-being.

The Mechanisms of miRNAs on Target Regulation and their Recent Advances in Atherosclerosis.

miRNAs are crucial regulators in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, while their regulation mechanisms were usually described as negatively regulating gene expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region(3'-UTR) of target gene miRNAs through seed sequence in tremendous studies. However, recent evidence indicated the existence of non-canonical mechanisms mediated by binding other molecules besides mRNAs. Additionally, accumulating evidence showed that functions of intracellular and intercellular miRNAs exhibited spatiotemporal patterns. Considering that detailed knowledge of the miRNA regulating mechanism is essential for understanding the roles and further clinical applications associated with their dysfunction and dysregulation, which is complicated and not fully clarified. Based on that, we summarized the recently reported regulation mechanisms of miRNAs, including recognitions, patterns of actions, and chemical modifications. And we also highlight the novel findings of miRNAs in atherosclerosis progression researches to provide new insights for non-coding RNA-based therapy in intractable diseases.

K čemu je antropologizace historie?

This contribution aims to review the axiomatic premises of neurophysiology, psychoanalysis and deconstructionism (in their most extreme forms), and to discuss correspondences and differences in the concepts of humanness on which they are based. This discussion will reveal the high degree of similarity in these underlying concepts. Both sociobiology and psychoanalysis in effect negate human free will to a great extent with their explanations of behaviour as the result of a limited repertoire of basic drives or biochemically regulated patterns. Deconstructionism, on the other hand, while seeming to reject this approach, is in fact ultimatey also grounded in psychoanalytical axioms. On this basis, the value of further pursuing these epistemological paths appears questionable. If work is oriented around recognising the limits of the explainable, in the sense of a classic hermeneutic circle, then it would seem more useful to return to more modest goals, which can only be realised within the context of comprehensive historical and cultural contextualisation. The processes in which human patterns of interpretation and action emerge and are transformed can be reduced neither to "unconscious" drives nor to the autonomous perception of the body by a subject, and nor can they be interpreted as mere de-materialised language.

Elucidation of a specific alginate lyase Aly7Rm: The products demonstrated the strict recognition of G residue at subsites ±2

An alginate lyase Aly7Rm with novel subsite specificity was cloned, expressed and characterized in this article. Aly7Rm was a G-specific alginate lyase, exhibiting optimum reaction conditions at 30 °C and pH 5.0. UPSEC-VWD-MS analysis revealed that Aly7Rm degraded polysaccharides in a random endo-acting manner. The main degradation products of alginate were trisaccharide to octasaccharide and those of PG were disaccharide to hexasaccharide. The product distribution was related to the specificity of enzyme and the structure of substrates. By utilizing the HPAEC-PAD/MS method, the structure of products was identified and the specificities of subsite were defined. Aly7Rm accommodated both G and M at subsites −1 and strictly recognized G at subsite −2 and +2. This is the first report on the alginate lyase exhibiting G specificity at subsites ±2, which shed light on the diversity in subsite specificity of alginate lyases. The Aly7Rm with clear action pattern could serve as an efficient tool in the specific degradation of alginate and targeted preparation of oligosaccharides.

Action pattern of Sulfolobus O-α-glycoligase for synthesis of highly water soluble resveratrol 3,4′-α-diglucoside

This study presents the enzymatic synthesis of resveratrol-3,4′-O-α-diglucoside (RDG) using a hyperactive O-α-glycoligase (MalA-D416R/Q450S) and α-glucopyranosyl fluoride as the donor substrate. The transglycosylation rate for resveratrol by MalA-D416R/Q450S was maximized in 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.5) containing 20 % DMSO at 45°C. Because the pKa of the 4′-OH group of resveratrol is lower than that of the 3-OH group, the 4′-OH group is more nucleophilic at the alkaline pH, leading to a preference for glycosylation at the 4′-OH site rather than the 3-OH site. This preference makes resveratrol 3-O-α-glucoside (R3G) as the more efficient acceptor than resveratrol 4′-O-α-glucoside (R4′G), resulting in negligible production of resveratrol 3-O-α-glucoside (R3G) due to its complete consumption in the second transglycosylation reaction when using a 2:1 ratio of donor to acceptor substrates. From a preparative scale reaction, R4′G and RDG were isolated with yields of 41.2 % and 43.3 %, respectively. The water solubility of RDG exceeded 1.67 M, which represents more than a 9,800-fold improvement compared to resveratrol. In a hydrolysis experiment using intestinal α-glycosidase from rat, the α-glucosides of resveratrol (R4′G and RDG) were completely deglycosylated to the aglycone.

A 'Problematic' Pattern of Power-system Functioning and its Association with psychopathological Symptoms.

Following the well-researched two-dimensional model of attachment-system functioning, based on the concepts of hyperactivation and deactivation, a two-dimensional model of the power behavioral system has recently been proposed. The power system is aimed at activating, organizing, and implementing action patterns that protect or restore a sense of power or dominance. Here, we tested predictions derived from the two-dimensional model of power-system functioning regarding the contribution of a 'problematic' high-high pattern, characterized by the coexistence of both hyperactivating and deactivating strategies, to psychopathological symptoms. A non-clinical sample of Italian adults (N = 385) completed the Power Behavioral System Scale together with self-report measures of anxiety and depression symptoms and difficulties in executive control. Multiple regression analyses showed that higher deactivation and hyperactivation scores, characteristic of the 'problematic' pattern, significantly predicted anxiety and depression symptoms as well as executive function difficulties. These results provide initial support for the pathogenic implications of the 'problematic' high-high pattern of power-system functioning.

I’d Kill to Belong! Comparing Brahmanical, Samurai, and Gentleman Masculinities in the Early Modern Period

The following article seeks to analyze concepts of masculine honor prevalent among men of high status in the early modern period in three differnt cultures. Comparisons of patriarchy and masculine honor prevalent among upper castes in Bengal, samurai in Japan, gentlemen in England form the basis of this study and it seeks to find common patterns in the social actions of these men. We find that marriage unions and the sexuality of the women of these status groups were highly regulated, along with the men often resorting to violence in order to preserve their honor. Masculine honor was a currency that allowed men to belong to exclusive status groups and these allowed them access to a world of privileges denied to their inferiors. Thus, its preservation and augmentation acquired paramount importance for the men of high status in these societies, making them literally kill in order to belong.

Effects of victim's body posture and attacker's gender on slashing attacks: a biomechanical study.

Sharp force injury has been and will remain to be a major cause of violent death; however, scientific evaluations on the impact of body posture of the victim and gender of the perpetrator on sharp force injury have been scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical characteristics found in individuals (male and female) when using a Chinese kitchen knife to slash the neck of a dummy while it was in the standing and supine positions. This work offers a solid basis for forensic identifications, criminal investigations, and court trials. A total of 12 male and 12 female college students participated in this study. Kinematic, kinetic, and surface electromyography (sEMG) data were evaluated when slashing the neck of a dummy while it was in the standing and supine positions using a Chinese kitchen knife. When slashing the neck of a standing dummy, participants showed shorter contact time (19.5%) and slower shoulder velocities (30.9%) as well as higher hip velocity (26.0%) and increased root mean square (RMS) and integral electromyography (iEMG) for the anterior deltoid (51.3% and 51.2%, respectively) compared to those while the dummy was in the supine position (all p < 0.05), regardless of gender. When slashing a dummy's neck while it was in standing and supine positions, male participants showed higher shoulder, elbow, and wrist velocities (22.6%, 22.7%, and 24.4%, respectively) and higher slashing velocity (19.8%), slashing force (24.2%), and energy (46.2%) than female participants (all p < 0.05). In addition, male participants showed shorter contact time (17.8%), and the values of RMS and iEMG of the anterior deltoid, biceps brachii, extensor carpi radialis longus, and flexor carpi ulnaris were less than those of female participants (98.9%, 47.3%, 65.6%, and 33.4% for RMS and 115.1%, 59.4%, 80.1%, and 47.8% for iEMG, respectively). There was no difference in slashing speed, slashing force, and energy when using a Chinese kitchen knife to slash the dummy's neck while it was in different body postures (standing and supine), suggesting a similar level of injury severity. However, there were significant differences in slashing action patterns between the two body postures, with longer contact time, smaller hip velocity, greater shoulder velocity, and less muscle activation level of the deltoid exertion when slashing the dummy's neck in the supine position. Gender may have a greater effect on the severity of slashing, and the gender difference may be partly related to the body weight difference. The findings from this study may provide quantitative indicators and references for analyzing the motive behind the crime, as well as for case reconstruction, and for the court's conviction and sentencing processes.

Heedful proactivity: How individual tactical considerations contribute to pre‐screening of innovative ideas in the hierarchy

Purposefully fostering creativity and innovation through stimulating proactivity requires grappling with an apparent trade‐off. On the one hand, organization members need some autonomy to initiate change. On the other hand, managers might want to steer initiatives and retain control over outcomes. The current paper advances recent work on how proactivity is enacted as a compromise between autonomy and control by studying the process through which bottom‐up ideas are shared in highly hierarchical organizations. Based on an abductive analysis of data from informants in 42 organizations, we develop the concept of pre‐screening, which denotes collective action patterns geared towards qualifying individuals' innovative ideas before they are made subject to formal decision making. We explain how proactive individuals' tactical considerations—informed by their holistic prospective thinking, risk hedging, temporal splitting, and a both/and approach to proactivity and hierarchy—influence the actions through which ideas are shared and who are approached first (e.g., supervisors vs. peers). We also exemplify how action patterns accomplishing idea sharing and pre‐screening are entangled with more mundane workplace routines. Overall, the paper sheds new light on ideas' journeys in the context of hierarchy and opens up multiple avenues for future research.

Joint Screening and Identification of Potential Targets of Nitazoxanide by Affinity Chromatography and Label-Free Techniques.

Nitazoxanide not only exhibits a broad spectrum of activities against various pathogens infecting animals and humans but also induces cellular autophagy. Currently, the pattern of action and subcellular targets of nitazoxanide-induced cellular autophagy are still unclear. To identify potential targets of nitazoxanide in mammalian cells, we developed an af-finity chromatography system using tizoxanide, a deacetyl derivative of nitazoxanide, as a ligand. Affinity chromatography was performed using VERO cell extracts on tizoxanide-biotin, and the isolated binding proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. Candidate target proteins ob-tained using affinity chromatography were co-analysed with the drug affinity response target sta-bility method. Fluorescent probes obtained by coupling rhodamine B to nitazoxanide were used for intracellular localisation of the binding targets. Solvent-induced protein precipitation profiling and thermal proteome profiling were used to further validate the binding proteins. The joint analysis of the drug affinity response target stability method and affinity chro-matography resulted in the screening of six possible candidate target proteins. Fluorescent probes localised the nitazoxanide-binding protein around the nuclear membrane. Molecular docking re-vealed that the binding proteins mainly formed hydrogen bonds with the nitro group of nitazoxa-nide. Solvent-induced protein precipitation profiling and thermal proteome profiling further vali-dated SEC61A, PSMD12, and PRKAG1 as potential target proteins of nitazoxanide. The data supports the idea that nitazoxanide is a multifunctional compound with multiple targets.

Dissociable Roles of the mPFC-to-VTA Pathway in the Control of Impulsive Action and Risk-Related Decision-Making in Roman High- and Low-Avoidance Rats.

Impulsive action and risk-related decision-making (RDM) are associated with various psychiatric disorders, including drug abuse. Both behavioral traits have also been linked to reduced frontocortical activity and alterations in dopamine function in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, despite direct projections from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the VTA, the specific role of the mPFC-to-VTA pathway in controlling impulsive action and RDM remains unexplored. We used positron emission tomography with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose to evaluate brain metabolic activity in Roman high- (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rats, which exhibit innate differences in impulsive action and RDM. Notably, we used a viral-based double dissociation chemogenetic strategy to isolate, for the first time to our knowledge, the role of the mPFC-to-VTA pathway in controlling these behaviors. We selectively activated the mPFC-to-VTA pathway in RHA rats and inhibited it in RLA rats, assessing the effects on impulsive action and RDM in the rat gambling task. Our results showed that RHA rats displayed higher impulsive action, less optimal decision-making, and lower cortical activity than RLA rats at baseline. Chemogenetic activation of the mPFC-to-VTA pathway reduced impulsive action in RHA rats, whereas chemogenetic inhibition had the opposite effect in RLA rats. However, these manipulations did not affect RDM. Thus, by specifically targeting the mPFC-to-VTA pathway in a phenotype-dependent way, we reverted innate patterns of impulsive action but not RDM. Our findings suggest a dissociable role of the mPFC-to-VTA pathway in impulsive action and RDM, highlighting its potential as a target for investigating impulsivity-related disorders.

ANALYSIS OF UZBEKISTAN'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA, RUSSIA, AND SOUTH KOREA: UTILIZING TEXT MINING BASED ON GDELT BIG DATA

GDELT (Global Dataset on Events, Language, and Tone), a comprehensive event dataset developed in 2013, provides quantifiable data on cooperative and conflictual relations between countries, as well as events related to specific phenomena. Its utility has been widely recognized, and it is actively used in international relations and foreign policy research. This study also utilizes GDELT data to introduce a method for analyzing the relationships between Uzbekistan and China, Russia, and South Korea through keyword correlation indicators derived from text mining, and to present the actual analysis results. By conducting a keyword correlation analysis based on event data between Uzbekistan and the three analyzed countries—China, Russia, and South Korea—it was possible to identify diplomatic action patterns through the correlation of core keywords such as "engage," "express intent," and "make" with keywords indicating specific actions. Uzbekistan’s foreign policy under the Mirziyoyev government has shown a diplomatic action pattern of seeking or participating in negotiations, expressing intentions for negotiation or cooperation, and pursuing meetings for negotiation and cooperation with the analyzed countries, while inviting or visiting counterpart countries as part of these processes. This demonstrates that Uzbekistan has actively worked towards establishing cooperative relations, which were set as the goal or direction of its foreign relations, named the “Good Neighbor Policy” by President Mirziyoyev. Such keyword correlation indicator analysis facilitates the explanation of cooperative relationships.

Speech action patterns of Indonesian at multi-language campus

This study aims to describe the types and functions of speech acts constructed by Indonesian Language and Literature Education students at the Teaching and Education Faculty, Universitas Jambi, who have multilingual backgrounds. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. Data were collected from 30 informants. Data was collected using free listening techniques in various settings on the campus, as well as recordings and field notes. Data were analyzed using the flow technique from Miles and Huberman through the steps of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The data validation technique used theory and method triangulation techniques. The results of the research can be seen in events of students of Indonesian Language and Literature Education, Teaching and Education Faculty, Universitas Jambi, which is multilingual, including speech acts; (1) commission, (2) assertive, (3) declarative, (4) expressive, and (5) directive. Likewise, the function of the speech act that is revealed is a function; (1) competitive, (2) fun, (3) cooperative, (4) contradictory. The students’ multilingual background in uncovering the types and functions of speech acts consists of speakers of the language; (1) Bugis, (2) Batak, (3) Malay Jambi, (4) Javanese, (5) Palembang, (6) Kerinci, and (7) Minangkabau. The speech patterns built by speakers of different mother tongues can be seen and the cultural background of each ethnicity is very influential. Their cultural different background brings about different styles of language. The language culture of Bugis, Batak, and Palembang speakers feels more assertive, and vulgar and shows a slightly harsh tone. Whereas, those with a cultural background in Minangkabau, Kerinci, Javanes, and Jambi Malay languages feel more relaxed and softer. This can be seen both in each type of speech act, as well as in terms of the expression of the function of the speech act. However, when they are faced with the reality of being multi-language, they are forced to use Bahasa Indonesia, and in turn, they become a reflection of patterns of speech acts in Bahasa Indonesia as well as a profile of Indonesian sociolinguistics.

Enactive behaviour settings: situating agency, normativity and transformation.

Behaviour settings are sociocultural places defined by three main ecological aspects: the affordances of material structures, typical patterns of skilful action and socially situated norms. These aspects explain the observed regularities of human behaviour associated with the material characteristics of places. However, the focus of ecological theories on how individual agents attune their actions to the pre-established order of behaviour settings neglects the agents' active role in sustaining or motivating transformations in this order. We therefore propose an alternative enactive approach to behaviour settings that accounts for the role of agents as active supporters and transformers of behaviour settings. Based on the enactive concepts of agency, normativity and dialectics, we argue that agents, as participants of behaviour settings, simultaneously respond to multiple normative dimensions (e.g. biological, sensorimotor and interactive). To sustain the order of behaviour settings, agents sometimes need to inhibit other normative responses of their bodies, which sometimes is detrimental to one or many aspects of their lives. Nonetheless, agents can collectively trigger the transformation of behaviour settings. This transformation can occur dialectically as tensions between two or more norms to which human bodies respond are resolved, even if new tensions arise and the process of changing behaviour setting continues. This article is part of the theme issue 'People, places, things and communities: expanding behaviour settings theory in the twenty-first century'.

Multi-granular spatial-temporal synchronous graph convolutional network for robust action recognition

Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) have shown great potential in skeleton-based human action recognition. However, due to the diversity and complexity, modeling human actions as general graphs and capturing discriminative spatial–temporal motion patterns is challenging. Besides, the inevitable interference, especially occlusion, impairs the robustness of existing methods that depend on complete skeletons. To solve these problems, we propose a Multi-Granular Spatial-Temporal Synchronous Graph Convolutional Network (MSS-GCN). Firstly, we investigate three partition strategies: attribute, activity, and mixed partition strategy to optimize the weight-sharing mechanism of GCNs, which facilitates the novel Extended Adaptive Graph Convolution (EAGC) module. Secondly, we elaborate on a Multi-sliced Spatial–temporal Graph (MSTG) for multi-granular action modeling. Thirdly, we present a Synchronized Slice Encoder (Syn-STE) to simultaneously embed spatial and temporal action patterns. Then, we design Multi-granular Spatial–temporal Encoders (Multi-STE) with multi-branch Syn-STE to generate multi-granular context. The extensive experiments verified that MSS-GCN is more robust and outperforms benchmarks on NTU-RGB+D, NTU-RGB+D 120, and NW-UCLA datasets.

Business model redesign through effectual action in times of crisis

ABSTRACT This paper explores why and how some small firms rapidly redesign their business models, while others wait for environmental turbulence to subside. Using multiple case studies, we analyzed changes made to 28 business models by 26 Australian firms, two months after the first COVID lockdown. We discover effectual action patterns utilized as firms redesigned their business models. Three key findings shed light on how effectuation drive entrepreneurial action, first we uncover how framing and entrepreneurial reframing plays a critical role in the contingency effectuation principle. Second our findings show that resources at hand is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for business model redesign. Third partnering, experimentation and affordable loss in combination is most strongly related to small firm business model innovation. Our proposed effectual action framework contributes to the effectuation literature, addressing calls to examine the underlying mechanisms and dynamics that explain effectual action and business model redesign.

Adverse effects of Ca2+ on soil structure in specific cation environments impacting macropore-crack transformation

The traditional view of Na+ as harmful and Ca2+ as beneficial doesn't always apply in multi-cationic soil solutions. Initially, adding Ca2+ promotes Na+ leaching, reducing salinity, but excess Ca2+ becomes counterproductive. As Na+ leaches, the soil's Ca2+-Na+-Mg2+ mix shifts to Ca2+-K2+-Mg2+, Ca2+'s function changes, even causing the opposite effect. To investigate the complex mechanism of Ca2+ to Na+-Mg2+ and K+-Mg2+, we conducted an indoor soil column experiment using saline water (4 dS m−1) with different cation compositions [Na+-Ca2+-Mg2+ (NCM), Na+-Mg2+ (NM), K+-Ca2+-Mg2+ (KCM), K+-Mg2+ (KM)] and deionized water as the control (CK). The results showed that NM exhibited the highest crack volume, while KM had the greatest macropore volume, with NM having approximately 15 % more crack volume than KM. Notably, only NM displayed a more pronounced inclination towards pore anisotropy value of 0 when compared to CK. NCM and KCM had higher pore anisotropy values than NM and KM. KM and KCM had more cracks angled ranging from 45–90° than NM and NCM. KCM notably decreased transitional macropores < 5.5 mm in length compared to KM, with no significant difference (P > 0.05) observed in widths < 2.5 mm between KCM and KM. NM displayed the shallowest macropore distribution and the highest variability in macropore length among all treatments. Only NCM showed significantly reduced variability in both macropore length and width compared to CK. In summary, Ca2+ exhibited distinct action patterns on K+-Mg2+ and Na+-Mg2+. For specific soil types and cationic compositions, Ca2+ may not fully exert its amendment effects. However, Ca2+'s effect is soil-specific, necessitating comprehensive studies across varied soil types.

Human action recognition based on smart sensors

Abstract This paper focuses on human activity recognition using LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) for handling time series data issues. Because LSTM can better deal with the correlation and long-term correlation of time-series data, the model is utilized to build a human-computer interaction action recognition system. The experimental steps include the following: first, the bracelet sensor obtains the human body acceleration signal to obtain a data set containing a variety of motion postures and preprocesses the data. Then, LSTM is used to extract the features of the dataset, and the feature vector is utilized as the input to train the model iteratively. Finally, to improve the accuracy of recognition, a variety of machine learning models will be applied to compare the performance with the LSTM model. The experimental results indicate that the proposed model can better capture the acceleration changes of human motion in various life scenes, and can accurately distinguish various sudden action patterns of the human body in daily life. This also makes the human movement behavior recognition system proposed in this study more comprehensive.

The Process of Becoming Prefigurative: Fighting for Organizational Values to Transform Organizational Structures

This study analyzes how contemporary collectives that grow fast in scale organize their actions. We conducted a qualitative study of the largest contemporary social movement FridaysForFuture. Our findings reveal that the collective was calling others for change, but their own structures and values only become prefigurative over time. In the beginning, FFF set up hierarchical structures by orienting towards past patterns of actions. This was not a rational planned consideration but a quick response to the overwhelming increase in membership. However, as hierarchical structures have naturally emerged, the collective began to fight against the very same structures because they seemed to be unfitting their collective value “basic democracy.” Hence, they turned towards the future to imagine alternative patterns of actions, fighting against the initial hierarchical structure for a flatter heterarchy. Our findings contribute to research on collective action by highlighting the process of becoming prefigurative.

Pattern Mining-Based Warning Prioritization by Refining Abstract Syntax Tree

Static code analysis tools (SATs) are widely used to detect potential defects in software projects. However, the usability of SATs is seriously hindered by a large number of unactionable warnings. Currently, many warning prioritization approaches are proposed to improve the usability of SATs. These approaches mainly extract different warning features to capture the statistical or historical information of warnings, thereby ranking actionable warnings in front of unactionable warnings. Such features are extracted by extremely relying on domain knowledge. However, the precise domain knowledge is difficult to be acquired. Also, the domain knowledge obtained in a project cannot be directly applied to other projects due to different application scenarios among different projects. To address the above problem, we propose a pattern mining-based warning prioritization approach based on the warning-related Abstract Syntax Tree (AST). To automatically mine actionable warning patterns, our approach leverages an advanced technique to collect actionable warnings, designs an algorithm to extract the warning-related AST, and mines patterns from ASTs of all actionable warnings. To prioritize the newly reported warnings, our approach combines exact and fuzzing matching techniques to calculate the similarity score between patterns of the newly reported warnings and the mined actionable warning patterns. We compare our approach with four typical baselines on five open-source and large-scale Java projects. The results show that our approach outperforms four baselines and achieves the maximum MAP (0.76) and MRR (2.19). Besides, a case study on Defect4J dataset demonstrates that our approach can discover 83% of true defects in the top 10 warnings.