Changing Nature Research Articles

Arctic BRICS: институционально‐правовое измерение взаимодействия России и неарктических государств в Арктике

Introduction: the article examines the institutional and legal foundations of interaction between Russia and non‐Arctic states in the Arctic in the new geopolitical context. In connection with the changing nature of the interaction of the Arctic states within the framework of the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro‐ Arctic Council, it seems justified to develop a new institutional architecture for the interaction of states in the polar region. Purpose: to define new institutional and legal foundations of interaction between Russia and non‐Arctic states in the Arctic. The authors analyze the legal possibilities of using the BRICS format for cooperation among states in the Arctic region. Methods: general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, interpretation, formal logic; methods of historical‐and‐legal analysis, formal‐legal analysis, and legal modeling. Results: an analysis of the existing institutional and legal framework underlying the functioning of the BRICS confirmed the possibility of creating new areas of cooperation, including cooperation in the Arctic region, subject to the adoption of a Declaration on the establishment of an Arctic cooperation mechanism. On the basis of national and international legal acts studied, the authors make a conclusion about the involvement of non‐Arctic states in the Arctic agenda. States that are geographically remote from the Arctic region adopt strategic documents reflecting their intentions to participate in activities in the northern latitudes.

Combating terrorist threats in the Republic of Tajikistan

This study aims to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of measures to combat terrorist threats in the Republic of Tajikistan. The article examines not only the problem of terrorism in the region, but also assesses its impact on the development and stability of the state and society as a whole. In the context of global trends related to international terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking, special attention is paid to their impact on Central Asia and the post-Soviet space. The region is becoming vulnerable to such threats, and therefore effective cooperation between States and international organizations in combating these problems is important. The current problems are analyzed, including the changing nature of global terrorism and its spread, especially in Afghanistan. The growth of extremist organizations and drug trafficking is also being revealed, which poses serious challenges to Tajikistan's national security. The study analyzed data obtained from various sources, which made it possible to identify significant challenges and threats to which the Central Asian states are exposed. Special attention is paid to global processes and their impact on the security of the region, as well as internal factors determining the socio-political situation in the Republic of Tajikistan. The novelty of this study lies in the importance of collective counteraction to terrorist threats and their impact on the stability and development of the Republic of Tajikistan. Considering the problem not only from the point of view of internal security, but also in the context of global trends, the study reveals the relationship between terrorism and other problems such as extremism and drug trafficking.This study highlights the important role of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in ensuring the country's security and countering threats. The article also discusses issues of cooperation with neighboring states and international organizations in the field of combating terrorism, which is also a new and relevant aspect of the study. Special attention is paid to the relevance and importance of these issues for ensuring the stability and development of the states of the Central Asian region. In the context of the changing global situation and the increasing influence of terrorism and extremism, the article emphasizes the need to effectively respond to threats and take appropriate measures to ensure the security of the region as a whole.

Online Food Service Awareness and Perspective of Tertiary Institution Students: The Case of Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

This study assessed tertiary students’ awareness of the emergence of the online food delivery (OFD) services could be attributed to the changing nature of urban consumers. These consumers use food delivery services for a variety of reasons but, unsurprisingly, the most common reason seems to be the need for quick and convenient meals during or after a busy day. The study used the cross-sectional survey conducted in Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, using random sampling technique. A total of 245 undergraduate students at the university were assessed with a structured online questionnaire. The data collected data was analyzed using Microsoft excel and GraphPad. Results showed that a majority of the students use online food services for their food service needs, hence the study concluded that the majority of the students at the University are aware of online food service. It was recommended that the quality of service of the online food service system needs improvement by enhancing the efficiency of service as well as accessibility, which will enable more students to opt for the food service and delivery system.

Exploring the Root Causes of Child-Soldierhood in Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah Is Not Obliged and Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Conflicts usually turn upside down the norms of societies, and as such, young people lack references. Since family units and social tissues are severely damaged or even broken, children are left to themselves without any guidance and safety. So, the destruction of social entities is fully accompanied by the total demise of customarily living standards where children are protected and considered to be innocent and defenseless people. That being said, it can be argued that it is the changing nature of conflicts that has brought children into its core as indispensable fighters. Since most countries were wrecked internally in the last two centuries, this collapse set communities within these territories against one another, as no social component was spared of the wrath of war.

Real-Time Malware Detection on IoT Devices using Behavior-Based Analysis and Neural Networks

IoT devices' constrained processing capabilities and malware's changing nature make traditional signature-based methods for malware detection ineffective. The focus of our suggested approach, in contrast, is on real-time analysis of IoT device behaviour patterns to find anomalies that might be signs of malicious activity. We can spot differences from typical behaviour on devices by continuously observing how they behave. These differences could indicate the existence of malware. We use deep neural networks to handle and analyse the enormous quantity of data produced by IoT devices in order to do this. Specifically, we use recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). These neural networks learn the anticipated behaviours of various IoT devices and their applications through training on historical data. They quickly detect unexpected behaviours that can be a sign of malware infestations or other harmful actions by comparing incoming data streams to these learned patterns in real-time. By reaching high detection rates while preserving low false-positive rates, our experimental results show the efficiency of the suggested approach. We can greatly improve the security posture of IoT devices or gateways by integrating this real-time malware detection technology into them, defending against new attacks in the ever-changing IoT landscape. By protecting the privacy and integrity of IoT-enabled environments, our research will help to mitigate the escalating cybersecurity challenges faced by IoT devices.

Exploring New Lines of Inquiry: A Practitioner–Scholar Inquiry of How Professional Organizations Have Evolved and Continue to Shape the Community Engagement Field

The community engagement field has evolved in the last decade, indicated in one way by significant shifts in professional organizations that support service-learning and community engagement. As practitioner–scholars, we critically reflect on the changing nature of the field, interrogating how it is evolving and how the organizations are as well. We engage in practitioner–scholar inquiry, questioning how the many professional organizations push and pull community engagement professionals, and explore pivot points, shared values, common thematic approaches, and opportunities for collaboration. Through the practitioner–scholar inquiry framework of experiences, practice, and context (Green, 2023), we engage in group critical reflection discussions with leaders across 12 professional organizations, including thematic analysis of the responses, and mapping distinct themes. Our critical reflection analyses suggest strategies for moving forward to build the community engagement field.

Проблема формирования многополярного мира и «осевое время» истории (к 140-летию со дня рождения К. Ясперса)

The contemporary history of the 20th and early 21st centuries turned out to be saturated and even oversaturated with major geopolitical events of military, economic, political, and cultural nature. In accordance with the well-known law of the transition of quantitative changes into qualitative ones, it is quite appropriate to speak of the changing nature of world history itself, an active process of transformation of its value bases. The institutionalization of new values gives rise not only to a conflict between the old and the new (tradition and innovation), but also between the bearers of such values, which is eloquently evidenced by the escalating confrontation between the collective West and other centers of world development. Such turning points in history can stretch for tens and hundreds of years both in its diachronic-ontological space and in the real geopolitical dimension. In the mid-20th century an interesting idea of “axial time” by the German philosopher K. Jaspers appeared within the framework of the philosophy of history. The relevance of this idea in modern conditions, as well as the possibilities of its theoretical and subject-practical use, are of considerable interest for modern humanitarian science. The article attempts to rethink the true meaning of Jaspers’ philosophical views on the historical process, the mechanism of history and historical time on the basis of a comparative analysis of this idea.

The Long Run Impact of Exchange Rate and Inflation on GDP: A Panel Data Approach Consistent with Data from Brazil, Russia, India, China, And South Africa (BRICS)

The study seeks to address current discrepancies, providing valuable knowledge for decision-makers, fostering economic stability and expansion, informing global economic trends, assisting in business risk mitigation, and contributing to academic advancement through methodological innovation, with a focus on the changing nature of global economic dynamics. The purpose of this study is to assess how inflation and currency exchange rates affect the GDPs of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) nations between 1998 and 2022 We employed a fixed-effect panel data model using EViews software to conduct a thorough regression analysis on the influence of exchange rates and inflation on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the BRICS nations. The World Development Indicators website provides data that shows that, in contrast to predictions, exchange rates have no appreciable impact on GDP. Nonetheless, during the given time frame, inflation turns out to be a noteworthy and positively connected element impacting these countries' economic growth. This research contributes to the current understanding by uncovering the complex interconnections between exchange rates, inflation, and GDP in BRICS economies. Our findings highlight the necessity of customized economic strategies that recognise the distinct functions of inflation and currency rates in influencing the long-term growth patterns of individual countries.

Handling E-evidence in Egyptian and Comparative Legislation: A Comparative Analytical Study

This article aims to introduce e-evidence, describe its characteristics, examine its legal authenticity in Egyptian law, shed light on the requirements for the collection of e-evidence and its admissibility before the criminal judiciary, and highlight how e-evidence is criminally protected in Egyptian law along with the procedures for gathering and documenting it. The pervasive usage of technology in all spheres of life may be traced back to the significance of the research topic. We have come to the logical conclusion that it is improbable that a traditional or new crime would occur without leaving behind E-evidence that may be used to identify the offender thanks to the proliferation of electrical and technological equipment and the Internet. The research concluded that the effect of the changing nature of intangible forensic evidence on its reliability before the criminal courts, in a way that requires a precise legal regulation of this issue. The legislator defines a set of conditions for the procedures for collecting and documenting E-evidence to achieve the idea of its reliability and then produces its impact on the formation of the criminal judge's doctrine. It is recommended strengthening cooperation with international organizations to exchange information related to E-evidence.

The Impact of 21st Century in Education as a Learning Revolution

The study reveals to impact of 21st century education as a learning revolution. The research focus is directed at four sub variables; lesson planning; implementation of learning; learning assessment; and learning supervision. In this study, collecting data from various sources, the impact of 21st century education as a learning revolution are included in the category of several changes that must be made, such as: Planning the concept of conventional education; understanding education as an important part of efforts to create changes for better management of the life of the nation and state; Creating education that can adapt to the changing nature of globalization; Respond positively to the current changes in globalization and then direct them towards the concept of sustainable management, and create the concept of sustainable education. The results are expected to be input for other, regarding the real conditions in the field related to the impact of 21st century education as a learning revolution so that it can be taken into consideration in implementing the learning revolution in the 21st century. The impact of 21st century education in the learning revolution. This study is a literature review using a qualitative approach. Schools are part of the population in this study, and the sample uses a saturated sampling technique. Data were analyzed using a simple regression technique. The results of the study show that 90% of the impact of 21st century education influences the learning revolution. Positively changes in the flow of globalization then direct it to the concept of sustainable education management, thereby creating the concept of 21st century education.

A short survey of the capabilities of Next Generation firewalls

This article examines the history, types, capabilities, and advantages of next-generation firewall (NGFW) technology. Firewalls are an important tool for protecting network resources from various information security threats. With the development of technology and the changing nature of attacks, especially those involving artificial intelligence, firewalls have also evolved, acquiring new functions and capabilities. This work provides a short survey of the main types, capabilities and benefits of next-generation firewall (NGFW) technology, which is a modern solution for comprehensive network protection against complex and sophisticated security threats. The work also analyzes the distinct features of NGFW and differences between NGFW and previous generations of firewalls, as well as examples of NGFW from well-known vendors that dominate the market, such as Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet and Cisco. The article highlights the main trends, prospects for the development and implementation of NGFW, including the impact of artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud technologies and the Internet of Things, advantages and disadvantages, capabilities, important aspects, purpose and sphere of application. The article also addresses the significant impact this technology will have on network security. It is emphasized that the introduction of NGFW does not replace other security technologies and tools, but effectively expands the existing arsenal of countering new security threats (primarily as an instrument of proactive countermeasures and rapid response to complex network incidents). The article may be useful for students, researchers, and information security professionals who seek to expand their competencies related to the development of modern firewall technologies and their capabilities.

A Digital Humanities Approach to the Emergence of CULTURE as a Liquid Modern Word: Evidence From Synchronic and Diachronic Language Resources

As empirical approaches to the study of natural language based on digital technology, corpus linguistics and computational linguistics are two faces of the same coin, whosevalue lies in the attempt to integrate quantitative and qualitative aspects of linguistic analysis. This attempt has become all the more challenging in recent years as the language data at our disposal grows day by day. Indeed, the changing nature of language resources in the era of big data has inevitably also changed the research questions that it is possible to address (Hiltunen et al, 2017). The increase and variety of the data available has opened up new horizons, by empirically supporting research questions concerning social phenomena, or by providing new hints for tracking language change, as is the case with the novel discipline of Modern Diachronic Corpus-Assisted Language Change (Alessi & Partington, 2020). These new research areas are continually evolving and expanding also thanks to a growing number of easy-to-access resources and tools so that the fields of corpus linguistics, digital linguistics and digital humanities “overlap, intertwine and feed off each other when it comes to making use of the increasing variety of resources available for linguistic research today” (Nevalainen, Suhr and Taavitsainen, 2019, p.1).It is against this background that the present article reports on the preliminary results of a corpus-based investigation into the process that has transformed the very specific material meaning of the word “culture” into the extremely elusive, liquid concept we are familiar with today. The analysis starts from the findings of earlier investigation of the lexico-grammar profile of the world “culture” based on contemporary synchronic corpus resources and attempts further exploration of these findings on the basis of diachronic language resources, such as Google Books and the English Historical Book Collection.

Examination of Tourists’ Culinary Experience: Revisiting the Experience Economy in the Case of Hue Cuisine

This research aims to examine a scale to measure the culinary experience of tourists through the case of Hue cuisine in Vietnam. It could help address the issue of measurement inconsistency in culinary experience research. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 20 domestic tourists and then through surveys with 433 tourists. Using factor analysis methods, the research revealed that tourists’ culinary experience was measured by a second-order scale encompassing three interrelated dimensions. They included educational experience, escapist experience, and entersthetic experience. This culinary experience scale was found to be reliable, convergent, discriminant, and nomologically valid. The newly developed scale of culinary experience could be utilized in similar tourism contexts where the local food is unique and tasty. In addition, the research enhances tourism professionals' understanding of the significance of tourists' culinary experience. Consequently, they could improve tourists' experiences through a range of activities, such as telling stories about the local food, creating food check-in venues, and organizing local food games or contests. In terms of theoretical contribution, this research enhances the understanding of customer experience in the tourism context by validating a new second-order scale of culinary experience. The research also provides empirical evidence to demonstrate the multi-dimensional, collective, and changing nature of tourists’ culinary experience, using the Experience Economy perspective.

Evolving Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients: A Comparative Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Variant Waves in a Romanian Hospital Setting.

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the clinical manifestations and outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a single Romanian center during four pandemic waves determined by different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). A retrospective study on 9049 consecutive hospitalized adult patients was performed between 27 February 2020 and 31 March 2023. The study interval was divided into waves based on national data on SARS-CoV-2 VOCs' circulation. Multivariate logistic regression models were built, predicting death and complications as functions of comorbidities, therapy, wave, severity form, and vaccination status, and adjusted for ages ≥65 years. Pulmonary (pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum, pulmonary embolism) and extrapulmonary complications (liver injury, acute kidney injury, ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke, myocardial infarction, and gastrointestinal bleeding) were present, more frequently in ICU hospitalized patients and with differences between waves. The highest in-hospital mortality was found in patients presenting pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum. All of the evaluated risk factors were significantly associated with death, except for obesity and the Omicron wave. Our study highlights the changing nature of COVID-19 and acknowledges the impacts of viral mutations on disease outcomes. For all four waves, COVID-19 was a severe disease with a high risk of poor outcomes.

Efficient SDN-based Task offloading in fog-assisted cloud environment

A distributed computing model called "fog computing" provides cloud-like services which is closer to end devices, and is rapidly gaining popularity. It offers cloud-like computing including storage capabilities, but with less latency and bandwidth requirements, thereby improving the computation capabilities of IoT devices and mobile nodes. In addition, fog computing offers advantages such as support for context awareness, scalability, dependability, and node mobility. Fog computing is frequently used to offload tasks from end devices' applications, enabling quicker execution utilizing the fog nodes' capabilities. Because of the changing nature of the fog environment, task offloading is challenging and the multiple QoS criteria that depend on the type of application being used. This article proposes an SDN-based offloading technique to optimize the task offloading technique for scheduling and processing activities generated by the Internet of Space Things (IoST) devices. The proposed technique utilizes Software-Defined Networking (SDN) optimization to dynamically manage network resources and to facilitate the deployment and execution of offloaded tasks. To model the system which computes the optimal virtual machines (VM) to be allocated in the fog network in order to actively process the offloaded tasks, the GI/G/r queueing model is utilised. This approach minimizes the delay-sensitive task queue and minimises the necessary number of VMs while minimising the waiting time for the fog layer. The findings of the simulation are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Where Have All the IPOs Gone? Trade Liberalization and the Changing Nature of U.S. Public Corporations

Abstract I show that a tariff policy change that increased trade with China led to a decline in U.S. public listing rates and elevated industry concentration. Consistent with heterogeneous firm models of trade, the shock impeded the entry and performance of small domestic manufacturers but did not adversely impact large multinationals. In addition, stock price reactions to the tariff policy change and threat of reversal imply that trade liberalization creates or destroys value depending on firm size. These findings suggest that recent trends in the U.S. public equity market are driven, in part, by fundamental changes in the global competitive landscape.

Academic engagement and management of personalised active learning in higher education digital ecosystems

AbstractThe flexible, changing, and uncertain nature of present-day society requires its citizens have new personal, professional, and social competences which exceed the traditional knowledge-based, academic skills imparted in higher education. This study aims to identify those factors associated with active methodologies that predict university students’ learning achievements in a digital ecosystem and thus, optimize the learning-teaching process. The teaching management tool Learning Analytics in Higher Education (LAHE) has been applied to a 200-student non-probabilistic incidental sample spread over 5 different university courses, enabling a personalized learning-teaching process tailored to the needs of each group and /or student. Based on a pre-experimental design without a control group, an analysis through decision trees based on educational data mining has been undertaken on the predictive potential of the active methodologies employed, and their effects on students’ learning achievements. The criterion variable of the study was the final exam grade, and the explanatory variables included student characteristics, indicators of the teaching–learning process and non-cognitive factors. Results show that factors associated with active methodologies correctly predict a significant portion of the learning achieved by students. More specifically, the factors that have the greatest impact on learning are those related to academic engagement and to a student continuous learning process.

Leveraging ChatGPT for Rethinking Plagiarism, Digital Literacy, and the Ethics of Co-Authorship in Higher Education

Within higher education, technology has consistently influenced the writing process; however, no technology has composed and shaped the message in the same way as Large Language Model-based artificial intelligence tools. Despite the rapid adoption of generative AI tools in higher education contexts, ethical best practices for using LLMs for technology-enhanced learning experiences within higher education are still evolving. To further examine AI-based co-authorship, the ChatGPT 3.5-generated position paper featured in this article’s second section argues for redefinitions of plagiarism and co-authorship in higher education and presents implications for teaching students the necessary digital literacy skills for navigating responsible, ethical AI use. The final section of this paper presents a human-generated comparative reflection of various composing processes and technologies used to create this article and the significance of these composing processes on the craft of writing. This paper aims advance ongoing discussions about the changing nature of authorship in technology-enhanced education.

The Discursive Construction of ‘Good Parenting’ by Romanian Parenting Influencers

This article analyzes promotional and educational content published online by newly emerged parenting influencers in Romania to endorse parenting education programs, workshops, seminars, or books. The paper aims to investigate how these programs construct ‘good parenting’ practices at a discursive level, what (de)legitimation strategies they use to promote products or services, and how they shape power relations between experts and parents. The study uses a multidimensional thematic, critical, and pragmatic discourse analysis approach. The results show that, through discursive strategies, influencers portray ‘good parenting’ as an anxiety and value-driven process. This approach is rooted in a parental determinist view that emphasizes the influence of parental actions on children’s health and well-being. On the other hand, parenting expert influencers depict the ‘good parent’ as a ‘conscious parent’ (a parent that is both child-conscious, and attentive to their own needs and emotions) who should reform old parenting practices to ensure a secure relationship with their children and correct old parenting mistakes. The paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the changing nature of parental culture in post-industrial countries, with a particular focus on Romania.

Hearing Loss and Disorders: The Repercussions of Climate Change.

Climate change is considered to be the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century, and its effects are accelerating. Extensive research has clearly demonstrated its increasing impact across the continuum of health conditions. Despite this, there has been limited attention to the ramifications of climate change on hearing loss and hearing disorders. This lack of consideration is somewhat surprising as the environment itself and its changing nature have a substantial effect on hearing. Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. To address this issue, this tutorial provides a general introduction to climate change and its three major elements (pollution, infectious diseases, and extreme weather events) and their effects on health. The substantial consequences of climate change for the incidence, development, and exacerbation of hearing loss and disorders are clearly described and detailed. The challenge of responding to this very real and escalating threat to hearing requires a combination of prevention, advocacy, and education. These three roles place audiologists in the perfect position to take action on the far-reaching effects of climate change on hearing loss and disorders. To respond to this challenge and to fulfill these roles, several strategies, ranging from the individual level to the global level, are delineated for audiologists to incorporate into their practice.