Blurred Lines Research Articles

The Accelerator State

China is creating an “accelerator state” through a multi-layered system to identify and fast track the growth of high-tech SMEs in strategic sectors. Certified high-tech SMEs enjoy unique advantages, most notably privileged access to public and private financing. An analysis of the “Little Giants” program—a central feature of the accelerator state—proves that selected firms are indeed benefiting from enhanced financing. The study also reveals flaws in its selection process. The implications for foreign actors are significant. The accelerator state aims to replace imports in key value chains, which poses a direct challenge to foreign firms. The blurred lines between state support and market forces in the scheme also make it more difficult for foreign governments to track distortionary practices and enforce fair competition.

Founder’s Syndrome

Why would establishing a business resemble starting a religion? When group relations start to break down, why might it feel like a cult? This article examines the blurred lines between religion and business through a focus on the small-scale action of individuals trying to start something that has both economic and spiritual aspects but does not neatly fit into either category. Ethnographically situated in participant observation fieldwork in Sedona, Arizona in 2013, this article focuses on an individual kung fu practitioner and teacher trying to establish a school for martial arts. A close examination of the failure of this attempt, and how many of the students became alienated in the process, leads to an analysis of structural similarities between new religions and startups. In the US, social groups that exist in capitalism will inevitably have economic aspects; those that are also religious face a double bind of this reality with cultural norms derived from a Protestant separation of economics and religion. This article seeks an analytic route beyond this double bind through examining how the corporate form of spiritual seminars shares structural similarities with startups.

Dual-Use “New Space”: US Experience

The article explores the growing involvement of private space companies in military activities, with a primary focus on the United States. It delves into the specific contributions of private entities to national defense missions, particularly in the militarization of outer space. The authors analyze the strategic interests of government agencies in integrating non-state actors to enhance space capabilities, such as communication, Earth observation, situational awareness, and in-orbit servicing. The paper also assesses the potential implications of these trends for international security, highlighting the complexities that arise from the blurred lines between civil and military space operations. It points to the creation of the U.S. Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR), an initiative aimed at enhancing defense through commercial space partnerships, and discusses the operational and strategic challenges of managing vast satellite constellations. Additionally, the article reflects on the security risks posed by the militarization of commercial space infrastructure, examining the potential consequences for geopolitical stability and the future of space conflict management. Finally, it suggests that further research and regulatory measures are necessary to mitigate the military threats linked to the New Space

It’s not just about jobs: The significance of employment quality for participation in political violence and protests in selected Arab Mediterranean countries

It is often proposed that the young unemployed are more likely to engage in political violence, conflicts, and protests. One problem in studying the unemployed – especially in the Global South – are the blurred lines between the unemployed, the employed, and those working in the informal sector. Further, the employed are a heterogeneous group so employment quality might also play an important role. To tackle these issues, this study uses a new quantitative dataset, which covers youth in five Middle Eastern and North African countries: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. These data provide considerably more fine-grained information about the employment situations of the respondents than the datasets previously used. The study investigates separately two forms of political participation: in political violence and in demonstrations. The regression analyses show that there is no clear difference between the young unemployed and the young employed in their likelihood to participate in the studied political activities. However, some features related to employment matter. Those whose employment status is ambiguous are substantially more likely to participate in demonstrations and political violence than the employed. Among those who work, those who are dissatisfied with their work and those who work fewer hours participate more often in these activities. Income on its own does not seem to have an effect; however, those who have more assets are more likely to participate, and compared to those who feel themselves middle income, those feeling rich or poor are more likely to engage in political violence and demonstrations. The results suggest that instead of thinking in terms of a dichotomy of the employed and unemployed, more emphasis should be placed on understanding the variety of employment situations and employment quality and their impact on political instability.

Back to the Roots of Sports Management: 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Organizing Committee of Olympic Games

This research aims to compare the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games (OG), which continued their activities in parallel with the ideologies of the two superpowers of the Cold War, the USA, and the USSR, with public and private sector sports management approaches. The research model is a comparative case study. The findings were reached by single and cross analysing the data sources, including OCOG's official reports. Moscow and Los Angeles OCOG activities were compared under organizational structure, facilities, financing, and expenditures headings. Despite the blurred lines of intersectoral distinction, Moscow OCOG (OCOG-80) stands out as a distinctively dominant example of the public sector and Los Angeles OCOG (LAOOC) LAOOC as a distinctively dominant example of the private sector sport management approach. Despite the contrasting approaches, both OCOGs have completed realizing an OG from the planning stage to the closing ceremony. The activities of the sports organizations that achieved this success by meeting the expectations of the state and the system to which they belonged demonstrated the importance of focusing on the positive effects on sports management success of the right people taking the steps that meet the needs, rather than a superiority comparison between the requirements of the private or public sector.

Pedagogical boundary work: when the welfare state becomes entangled with family affairs

ABSTRACT In recent years, early interventions concerning children living in social housing areas have received increased political attention, resulting in a range of pedagogical strategies for identifying children and families at risk within Danish daycare institutions. Drawing on empirical material from a recent research project that was carried out in four Danish daycare centers, this article explores pedagogical work that moves beyond the physical and social boundaries of the daycare center and enters family life. Thus, Pedagogues do not solely focus on children’s learning and development, but also on the conditions that promote the well-being of both children and their families. When pedagogues support families in their conduct of everyday life, the welfare state is enacted in and through its relations, both in everyday life and across the division between private and public. The state becomes an ‘intimate state’, resulting in blurred lines and ‘in-between’ positions, as well as new action possibilities and risks for both parents and pedagogues.

Reflux, eosinophilic esophagitis, and celiac disease - the blurred lines.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a commonly recognized cause of dysphagia. Conversely, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and celiac disease are rarer and often overlooked as dysphagia culprits. Overlap between these conditions complicates diagnosis and delays appropriate treatment. This review aims to clarify the distinctive dysphagia characteristics in each condition, explore potential overlaps, and offer guidance on differentiation. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of dysphagia mechanisms in GERD, EoE, and celiac disease, particularly in characterizing disordered motility and dysphagia's natural history. While upper endoscopy, biopsies, and manometry remain crucial in dysphagia assessment, novel diagnostic tools are emerging. New insights highlight the significance of cytokine-induced mucosal injury in all three conditions, revealing potential connections where mucosal damage in one disorder may contribute to the development of others. GERD, EoE, and celiac disease can coexist and present with similar symptoms. Distinguishing between them often entails upper endoscopy, esophageal biopsies, pH testing, and celiac serologies. EoE should be considered when GERD patients fail proton pump inhibitor therapy or when celiac patients have persistent esophageal symptoms despite a gluten-free diet. Consider celiac disease if dysphagia accompanies iron deficiency anemia, malabsorptive diarrhea, or osteoporosis. Recognizing the potential overlap between these conditions is crucial for guiding clinical evaluation and therapy.

An ethics module on academic integrity and generative AI

AbstractThis article explores the intersection between academic integrity and generative AI (GenAI). It presents a tested framework for a versatile 3‐h module applicable to various disciplines. Since ChatGPT's emergence, GenAI's impact on academic integrity has raised concerns, challenged established norms, and blurred lines of authorship. Engaging students in this topic encourages critical reflection and ethical use of these technologies. This approach draws on experiential learning and student–faculty partnership approaches to activities and assessments, providing students with a platform to not only navigate the responsible application of GenAI in assignments but also foster a dialogue between students and faculty on crafting effective policies for GenAI use.

Paprika: Journey of Characters' Dissociative Psyches to Integration Through Freudian Analysis

Paprika is a film that intricately explores the boundaries between dreams and reality, drawing heavily on Freudian psychoanalytic theory. This paper examines how the film employs the characters' dreams to investigate their unconscious minds, reflecting hidden desires and internal conflicts. By focusing on three primary characters--Chiba Atsuko, Officer Konakawa, and the Chairman--the analysis highlights the film's portrayal of identity and self-discovery through the process of psychological integration. Chiba's dual persona, Paprika, exemplifies the dynamic interplay between the id, ego, and superego, while Konakawa's journey illustrates his reconciliation with his fragmented self. Conversely, the Chairman's quest for control symbolizes his illusion of freedom and ultimate failure to achieve integration. The paper argues that Paprika ultimately conveys a profound message about the necessity of integrating disparate aspects of the self to attain personal growth and healing, resonating with broader themes of mental health, creativity, and the blurred lines between virtual and real worlds.

Enhancers associated with unstable RNAs are rare in plants

Unstable transcripts have emerged as markers of active enhancers in vertebrates and shown to be involved in many cellular processes and medical disorders. However, their prevalence and role in plants is largely unexplored. Here, we comprehensively captured all actively initiating (nascent) transcripts across diverse crops and other plants using capped small (cs)RNA sequencing. We discovered that unstable transcripts are rare in plants, unlike in vertebrates, and when present, often originate from promoters. In addition, many ‘distal’ elements in plants initiate tissue-specific stable transcripts and are likely bona fide promoters of as-yet-unannotated genes or non-coding RNAs, cautioning against using reference genome annotations to infer putative enhancer sites. To investigate enhancer function, we integrated data from self-transcribing active regulatory region (STARR) sequencing. We found that annotated promoters and other regions that initiate stable transcripts, but not those marked by unstable or bidirectional unstable transcripts, showed stronger enhancer activity in this assay. Our findings underscore the blurred line between promoters and enhancers and suggest that cis-regulatory elements can encompass diverse structures and mechanisms in eukaryotes, including humans.

Competition concerns with foundation models: a new feast for big tech?

ABSTRACT The paper explores how Generative AI intersects with Competition Law, focusing on Foundation Models (FMs) and Large Language Models (LLMs). It examines industry dynamics and identifies key competition issues like entry barriers, tying, leveraging, and acquisitions. It highlights the supply chain's importance and looks at how FMs are integrated into search software, chatbots, and productivity tools, particularly noting entry barriers such as computing power and data collection. It suggests that FMs might require new approaches to market delineation, possibly creating a separate relevant market for data. The paper also discusses various cases pertaining to tying and leveraging and highlights the difficulty in proving tying due to the blurred lines between traditional search engines and AI chatbots. It illustrates how competition assessments for acquisitions may require changes due to data being a highly flexible commodity for the industry. The paper concludes by calling for increased scrutiny and regulation for the industry.

Personality Rights and Real Person Fictions: Do The Real Person Get a Say?

In this rapidly evolving world individuals have found various ways to express themselves and share that part of them with the world. In this modern age anyone with smart device and an internet connect can become a celebrity and with the same items anyone can create fictional works that are based on those and other celebrities. These creations are generally referred to as Real Person Fictions (RPFs). RPFs can bem short stories, poems, artworks and even full length novels. These works help creators practice their craft, bond with a community and break the bounds of reality but what happens if this right of the author to express themselves starts interfering with the real person’s right to publicity and privacy? Celebrities have expressed the implication of harmful portrayals in these RPFs which have had real life implications. The growing trend of commercializing RPFs on a big scale adds an incentive to look into this issueand address it as a bud. The concept of personality right is well established in India however the lack of codification of the same has led to contradictory judgments and blurred lines of boundaries. In this regard this article attempts to address the issue of personalityright or the right to publicity when it comes to real person fictions. This paper is divided in three parts. The first part deals with definition of real person fictions and how it differs from the existing classifications of fictional creations. The second part analyzes the efficiency of existing Indian laws when it comes to governing RPFs and the implication of the same. The third chapter provides informed suggestions for an enactment to govern personality right in India.

Ethnic Grocery Retailing and Health: A Case Study of Chinese and South Asian Immigrants in Toronto

This article investigates whether shopping at ethnic grocery retailers and the level of access to these stores relate to healthy eating and associated health outcomes among Chinese and South Asian immigrants in Toronto, Canada. Based on an online survey of 600 immigrants’ grocery behaviors and a location database of ethnic and mainstream grocery stores in Toronto, a series of accessibility measure scores were generated and linked to the survey data. Using a combination of logistic regression and chi-square analysis, this study finds that access to and the frequency of shopping at ethnic grocers are not significant factors explaining fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption or obesity levels among Chinese and South Asian immigrants. The research underlines the blurred lines between ethnic and mainstream grocery stores, with major retail chains increasingly catering to the growing ethnic market in Toronto. Although access and frequency of shopping were not significant, a set of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individuals were found to have significant relationships with healthy eating and obesity level outcomes. Further geographic research is needed to understand the spatial dynamics of ethnic grocery shopping behaviors related to immigrant well-being, including social and mental health, community life, and affirming cultural identity.

Exploring Transnational Identity and Borders in Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines

In contemporary Indian literature, post-independent writers grapple with the complexities of identity and nationhood amidst historical legacies such as partition, migration, displacement, and violence. These issues delve into the primal origins of people and their subsequent diasporic experiences, which challenge their cultural and societal identities. This paper aims to delve into the theme of transcending national identity in Amitav Ghosh’s novel, The Shadow Lines. Through the novel, Ghosh interrogates the construction of borders and national identities, probing the boundaries between people and the geographical landscapes they inhabit. Set against the backdrop of significant historical events like the freedom movement in Bengal, the Second World War, and the partition of India in 1947, the narrative spans three generations across three distinct cities—Calcutta, Dhaka, and London. The characters navigate diverse horizons, shaped by memories of traumatic historical events and nationalist struggles. Their journey from ‘Going Away’ to ‘Coming Home’ is marked by blurred lines between nations and families, symbolized as ‘Shadow Lines,’ transcending temporal and spatial borders in their diasporic experiences. Additionally, the paper delves into the intricacies of individual identity and the inner and outward conflicts arising from geographical dislocation and cultural disparities depicted in the novel.

The Illusion of Control: Living with Digital Others

The text explores the theme of controlling technology—specifically, the development and deployment of artificial intelligence and generative models like large language models. It reflects on the challenges of maintaining control in the face of technological advancements, drawing parallels with historical attempts to control industrialization. The narrative emphasizes the multifaceted nature of control, extending beyond technical functioning to encompass societal, ethical, and environmental dimensions. The discussion delves into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, considering the competition among major corporations and the societal impact of technologies like ChatGPT. It explores the illusion of control and its consequences, questioning the effectiveness of safety measures in the context of rapidly advancing technologies. The text also addresses anthropomorphism, the blurred lines between human and machine agency, and the potential loss of control in the face of the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Finally, it contrasts the modern world’s reliance on a transcendental framework with the enchanted universe of our ancestors. It raises questions about the erosion of transcendental bearings in the face of technological advancements and the potential for a redefined relationship with digital entities. The text concludes by suggesting that embracing uncertainty and reimagining control as a coevolutionary process may pave the way for living harmoniously with the digital Others in an uncertain and collectively imagined future.

An Ethical Analysis of Therapy for Severe Congenital Kidney and Urinary Tract Anomalies.

Technological advancements before and after delivery have greatly altered the counseling of pregnant patients facing a fetal diagnosis of severe oligohydramnios or anhydramnios secondary to congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract. Once considered a nearly uniformly lethal abnormality, long-term survival may now be possible secondary to prenatal innovations aimed at restoring the amniotic fluid volume and the availability of more advanced neonatal dialysis techniques. However, these available therapies are far from perfect. The procedures are onerous for pregnant patients without a guarantee of success, and families must prepare themselves for the complex life-long medical care that will be necessary for surviving individuals. Multidisciplinary counseling is imperative to help pregnant individuals understand the complexity of these conditions and assist them in exercising their right to informed decision-making. Moreover, as with any developing field of medicine, providers must contend with ethical questions related to the treatment options, including questions regarding patient-hood, distributive justice, and the blurred lines between research, innovation, and standard care. These ethical questions are best addressed in a multidisciplinary fashion with consideration of multiple points of view from various subspecialties. Only by seeing the entirety of the picture can we hope to best counsel patients about these highly complex situations and help navigate the most appropriate care path.

OnlyFans: How Models Negotiate Fan Interaction

OnlyFans is a social media platform that allows individuals to sell subscription access to content and interact with subscribers. While open to all forms of creators, OnlyFans has become synonymous with pornographic and erotic content, particularly during its growth over the Covid-19 pandemic. Models on OnlyFans are paid by fans to provide an experience which is tailored to the fantasy of the fan. This study employed a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis to examine the complexities of creator-fan interactions, the challenges faced by models, and their strategies in managing those interactions. Seven Ireland-based OnlyFans models (87.5% cis-women), participated in semi-structured interviews via social media. Findings identified four key challenge domains: boundaries, exposure, impression management, and interaction. Models strategised in a number of ways, such as clarifying boundaries, protecting identities, managing impressions, and confining fan interactions to the platform itself. However, the ambiguous nature of the roles in this fan-model dynamic, often culminated in blurred lines between fantasy and reality, leading to boundary violations and problematic fan-model relationships. This dynamic has striking parallels with the challenges experienced between influencers and celebrities with their fans, emphasizing the universal nature of this digital interaction phenomenon. The findings bear significant implications for a broad range of individuals, including potential and active OnlyFans models, celebrities and influencers navigating fandoms, researchers exploring online interactions, and mental health professionals assisting clients in these contexts. This study acknowledges its limitation in exploring only the models’ perspective, urging future research to incorporate fan perspectives of this dynamic.

Implementation of Vector-Based Melody Extraction for Plagiarism Detection Using Szymkiewicz-Simpson Coefficient

Plagiarism is topical within the music industry. It is filled with circumstances such as the potential of massive losses coupled with a “false-positive” court ruling due to the blurred line of plagiarism factor. This research aims to solve the gray line of music plagiarism by exploring the potential of the Szymkiewicz-Simpson coefficient toward musical aspects of music. Melody and Rhythm are chosen as the main features to focus on in the research. MIDI files of music involved in court cases are used as data for the study, with limitations put on what cases can be used for the research. Using a threshold range of 0.1 to 0.25, detection accuracies for melodic plagiarism range from 45% to 60%, while rhythm plagiarism ranges from 60 to 65%. This shows that the algorithm of plagiarism detection has a tendency to detect non-plagiarism cases and is more effective towards rhythm plagiarism detection rather than melodic plagiarism detection against existing plagiarism cases.

Transfer learning and self-distillation for automated detection of schizophrenia using single-channel EEG and scalogram images.

Schizophrenia (SZ) has been acknowledged as a highly intricate mental disorder for a long time. In fact, individuals with SZ experience a blurred line between fantasy and reality, leading to a lack of awareness about their condition, which can pose significant challenges during the treatment process. Due to the importance of the issue, timely diagnosis of this illness can not only assist patients and their families in managing the condition but also enable early intervention, which may help prevent its advancement. EEG is a widely utilized technique for investigating mental disorders like SZ due to its non-invasive nature, affordability, and wide accessibility. In this study, our main goal is to develop an optimized system that can achieve automatic diagnosis of SZ with minimal input information. To optimize the system, we adopted a strategy of using single-channel EEG signals and integrated knowledge distillation and transfer learning techniques into the model. This approach was designed to improve the performance and efficiency of our proposed method for SZ diagnosis. Additionally, to leverage the pre-trained models effectively, we converted the EEG signals into images using Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT). This transformation allowed us to harness the capabilities of pre-trained models in the image domain, enabling automatic SZ detection with enhanced efficiency. To achieve a more robust estimate of the model's performance, we employed fivefold cross-validation. The accuracy achieved from the 5-s records of the EEG signal, along with the combination of self-distillation and VGG16 for the P4 channel, is 97.81. This indicates a high level of accuracy in diagnosing SZ using the proposed method.

Overview of Virtual Reality, Applications and Impact on Various Industries

In today's time, virtual reality is growing and developing very rapidly. This abstract will give us an overview of virtual reality. In the future, virtual reality will give us advantages in many areas such as hardware, software, applications, and societal impacts etc. In the context of hardware, we hope for advancements towards more compact designs, high-resolution virtual reality headsets with better user-friendly design and increased capability. Progress in haptic feedback systems and eye-tracking technology will provide users with a more immersive and natural experience. On the side of software, the future promises advanced graphics in virtual reality, realistic physics models, and better artificial intelligence-driven content creation. This will boost creativity among the blurred lines between quickly engaging and interactive virtual environments, blurring the boundaries between the physical world and virtual worlds. The growth of applications for Virtual Reality is certain across industries like education, healthcare, entertainment, and business. Virtual classrooms and virtual medical Involvements are Transforming education and healthcare respectively. Virtual Reality is also improving tourism experiences and remote workplaces. Offering solutions for bridging the gap between the virtual and real worlds, virtual reality presents challenges and opportunities to improve human experiences. In addition, there is a possibility of virtual reality having a deep social impact, Impacting the way we connect, learn, work, and entertain ourselves. Concerns about privacy may also arise with the rise of Virtual Reality, as our lives become more integrated, making it necessary to be thoughtful about control and security measures for daily life. Keywords Virtual Reality, applications, impact, industries, healthcare, education, entertainment, training, simulation, architecture, gaming, tourism, real estate, psychological therapy, rehabilitation, communication, social interaction, transportation, automotive, manufacturing, marketing, productivity, innovation, experiential learning, empathy, accessibility, human-computer interaction, future trends.