Common Benefit Research Articles

A Franciscan Monetary Theory? Alexander Bonini and the Forms of Money at the End of the Middle Ages

ABSTRACT During the commercial revolution of the Middle Ages, the monetisation of economy gave rise to a series of cultural, legal and social challenges to the commonly accepted Aristotelian background. In this dynamic context, new forms of trade and contracts emerged, affecting not only commercial doctrines but also financial theories. In this framework, Franciscan economic speculation played a major role by analysing social realities with an entirely original pragmatism. Through his monetary reflection, Alexander Bonini not only gave a surprising explanation of the ‘forms of money’ but also praised the activity of the money-changers, considering their service (and related costs) fundamental to the realisation of a common benefit. His thought-provoking synthesis introduced many themes of the modern monetary doctrines. The article contains the first English translation of some crucial passages of the Bonini’s treatise On Usury (De Usuris).

Reflections on the spanish common interest and benefit companies through a comparative lense: an analysis of the Delaware and the French hybrid purpose companies

Reflections on the spanish common interest and benefit companies through a comparative lense: an analysis of the Delaware and the French hybrid purpose companies

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma with occult primary: a multicenter prospective cohort

Metastatic carcinoma of presumed renal origin (rCUP) has recently emerged as a new entity within the heterogeneous entity of Cancers of Unknown Primary (CUP) but their biological features and optimal therapeutic management remain unknown. We report the molecular characteristics and clinical outcome of a series of 25 rCUP prospectively identified within the French National Multidisciplinary Tumor Board for CUP. This cohort strongly suggests that rCUP share similarities with common RCC subtypes and benefit from renal-tailored systemic treatment. This study highlights the importance of integrating clinical and molecular data for optimal diagnosis and management of CUP.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among patients with cancer in Hawaii.

e24070 Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) involves medical products and practices that are not part of standard medical care. Various studies demonstrate potential benefits of CAM in alleviating certain side effects associated with cancer and cancer treatments. Our project aims to elucidate the prevalence, pattern of use, and proposed benefits of CAM among Hawaii residents with cancer. Methods: Our questionnaire based study recruited cancer patients from several outpatient oncology clinics across Oahu (n = 126). Patients were asked about CAM use and associated symptom benefit. Sociodemographic information was collected along with details about cancer type, treatment, and associated side effects. Participation was anonymous and optional. Results: At least one CAM therapy was used by 72/126 (57.1%) patients, while 54 (42.9%) did not use any CAM therapy. Among the CAM therapies, meditation and herbal supplements were most commonly used 26 (36.6%), followed by massage 25 (32.4%), and yoga 18 (25.4%). Stress reduction was the most common symptom benefit identified for various CAM therapies including meditation 13 (50%), herbal supplement 13 (50%), massage 13 (52%), and yoga 14 (77.8%). Anxiety reduction was another symptom benefit reported for meditation 13 (50%). Massage 13 (52%), CBD 14 (82.4%), and acupuncture 9 (64.3%) were also used for pain reduction. THC 12 (75%) and CBD 14 (82.4%) were used for sleep. Among the CAM users (n = 72), 52 (72.2%) did not speak to their clinician about CAM. We found that 107 (84.9%) patients experienced at least one side effect. The most common side effects experienced by patients were fatigue 81 (64.3%), hair loss 61 (48.4%), and constipation and/or diarrhea 57 (45.2%). The most commonly reported demographic information were the following: 95 (75.4%) female, 57 (45.2%) Asian, 33 (26.2%) 60-69 years old, 80 (63.5%) with breast cancer, and 33 (26.2%) with stage 4. Conclusions: We discovered that stress reduction is a symptom benefit associated with the most commonly used CAM therapies by cancer patients in Hawaii. Other symptom benefits involve anxiety, pain, and sleep. The modalities utilized were similar to nonpharmacologic therapies recommended by the NCCN guidelines for cancer survivorship, with the exception of herbal supplements. There is a lack of physician discussion regarding CAM use, which could impact the cancer burden in Hawaii. [Table: see text]

Customized employment for transition-age youth in state vocational rehabilitation program PY2017 - PY2020: Analysis of service outcomes and related factors

BACKGROUND: Customized employment (CE) is positively correlated with competitive integrated employment (CIE) outcomes and potentially supports transition-age youth in achieving sustainable employment. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the employment outcomes and related factors for transition-age youth with disabilities who received CE services through state vocational rehabilitation agencies (SVRAs) and their vendors from program year 2017 to 2020. METHODS: Employing a combination of descriptive analysis, binary logistic and multiple regression, chi-square tests, and t-tests, the study investigates the demographics, potential barriers, and vocational rehabilitation (VR) services received by the research sample using the RSA-911 dataset. RESULTS: The sample comprised 672 individuals with a mean age of 22.30 years. The most prevalent barrier to employment among CE participants was long-term unemployment, while Supplemental Security Income (SSI) was the most common social security benefit. Furthermore, only 13.2% of transition-age youth achieved CIE status, compared to 30.1% of adults. The key predictors of employment outcomes, including CIE status, weekly earnings, and working hours were identified. CONCLUSION: The research reveals significant differences in employment outcomes between transition-age youth and adult VR consumers. These insights emphasize the necessity for SVRAs to consider a range of factors, including demographics, potential employment barriers, and the effects of various VR services, to increase the CE service effectiveness for transition-age youth.

Genome-wide characterization of MATE family members in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris Linn.) and their expression profiles in response to abiotic stress

Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family plays an important role in the detoxification process of plants under various stresses. Nevertheless, a comprehensive study on MATE family members has thus far not been performed in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris Linn.), limiting our understanding of its functions in common bean acclimation to stressful environments. In this study, a total of 56 PvMATEs members with uneven distribution on all chromosomes were identified from the common bean genome, with the most on chromosome 4 (10 members) and the least on chromosome 6 and 10 (1 members). Based on their orthologous relationship with those from Arabidopsis and rice, PvMATEs were classified into Clades I, II, III and Ⅳ, wherein 19, 15, 14, and 8 members were included, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) term and cis-regulatory element (CRE) analyses results indicated that the potential functions of PvMATEs were involved in hormonal response, developmental regulation and multiple stress response of common bean. The results of Phytozome and qRT-PCR analyze showed that the expression of PvMATEs in common bean are tissue specificity, with the most in root. Furthermore, 75 mM NaCl, 75 mM CuCl2, 0.35uM HgCl2, 16uM CdCl2, 4.38uM Benzo[c]-phenanthrene (C18H12) and 10 % PEG6000 treatments significantly up-regulated the expression levels of some PvMATEs in common bean roots, indicating that these genes are involved in multiple abiotic stresses respond of common bean. Taken together, these observations enriched our knowledge of MATE family in the common bean and benefit for breeding improved cultivars.

Tax Evasion in Chachapoyas: A Problem That the Ia Can Solve

In a changing business environment, tax evasion poses a crucial challenge that impacts public finances and competitive equity. This study focuses on applying artificial intelligence in the tax management of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Chachapoyas, Peru, between 2018 and 2022. The objective of this study is to investigate how the application of artificial intelligence in the tax management of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Chachapoyas, Peru, can contribute to greater tax equity and strengthen corporate social responsibility, thus fostering a fairer and more supportive tax environment in the community. The proposed methodology involves collecting and analyzing the financial statements of micro and small enterprises (MSEs), as well as conducting interviews and questionnaires with their owners. It will focus on five specific objectives ranging from the identification of the causes of tax evasion to the evaluation of MSEs' willingness to adopt technologies in their tax management. In conclusion, promoting the adoption of artificial intelligence could strengthen trust in the tax system, increase tax collection for the common benefit and support the sustainable development of local businesses, generating a positive impact on the community and society as a whole.

Application of Private International Law in Space Travel at a Distance of Light Years Using Future Technologies

In particular, the article hints at the possibility of conflicts between states due to competition for resources in space, as well as the lack of full regulation of legal aspects in interstellar space. Particular attention is paid to the development of international treaties and mechanisms aimed at resolving these issues and ensuring peace and cooperation in outer space. Such documents can become the basis for creating a single legal space in outer space, where the rights and obligations of all entities will be clearly defined. The article concludes by emphasizing that the development of future space technologies requires a global approach to legal regulation to ensure security and stability in space, as well as the use of these new opportunities for the common benefit of all mankind. The article examines the topical issue of application of private international law to space travel over distances of light years using advanced technologies of the future. Travelling in space over such a vast distance is becoming increasingly realistic due to the development of astronomical research and technological progress. Legal aspects are an important aspect of such travel, as space activities raise numerous legal issues. Private international law defines the legal status of persons and objects in space representing different states. The application of this law requires resolving issues of jurisdiction, ownership, liability, and conflict resolution between different states and space actors. Future technologies, such as high-speed interstellar transportation and expanded habitat modules in space stations, introduce new challenges to the regulation of these issues. The article raises a lot of questions to which answers will still be found, and this process is a process that belongs to the future. At this stage, it is not known who else in the world would raise similar issues in the context of private international law, public international law, and international law in general.

Learning cooperative strategies in StarCraft through role-based monotonic value function factorization

<abstract><p>StarCraft is a popular real-time strategy game that has been widely used as a research platform for artificial intelligence. Micromanagement refers to the process of making each unit perform appropriate actions separately, depending on the current state in the the multi-agent system comprising all of the units, i.e., the fine-grained control of individual units for common benefit. Therefore, cooperation between different units is crucially important to improve the joint strategy. We have selected multi-agent deep reinforcement learning to tackle the problem of micromanagement. In this paper, we propose a method for learning cooperative strategies in StarCraft based on role-based montonic value function factorization (RoMIX). RoMIX learns roles based on the potential impact of each agent on the multi-agent task; it then represents the action value of a role in a mixed way based on monotonic value function factorization. The final value is calculated by accumulating the action value of all roles. The role-based learning improves the cooperation between agents on the team, allowing them to learn the joint strategy more quickly and efficiently. In addition, RoMIX can also reduce storage resources to a certain extent. Experiments show that RoMIX can not only solve easy tasks, but it can also learn better cooperation strategies for more complex and difficult tasks.</p></abstract>

Preferences and perceptions of MBBS students towards blended learning in medical education

Introduction: With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic there has been a rapid shift in the mode of delivering education. A swift transition from place-based offline classes to virtual online learning platforms has emerged during the pandemic. The present study explored the acceptance, perceptions and preferences of blended learning among medical undergraduate students. Methods: MBBS undergraduate students of second and final professional (Part I & II) phases from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, UP were enrolled in the study. We studied acceptance, perception and preferences regarding blended mode of learning of MBBS students using online Google Form. Semi structured questionnaire was drafted by the research team, based on thorough and critical review of pertinent literature and other similar survey tools. Each item was discussed separately and changes were made where required. Then, it was transformed to an online form through Google Forms. Results: Out of a total of 432 students, more than 3/4th of students (78.2%) believed that combined approach would lead to improvement in learning. Around half (53.6%) of the female students were relying predominantly on offline learning compared to 37.0% of male students (p = 0.004). Flexible schedule and personal convenience was reported as the most common benefit of online learning while lack of interaction with peers and connectivity issues were found to be the major disadvantages. Conclusion: Majority of the students echoed a positive attitude towards blended mode of teaching and learning. Medical education is largely demonstration and application based for acquiring skills. Therefore, a combined approach where the theoretical aspect of the curriculum is made online, might offer a more convenient, flexible and effective alternative way of teaching and learning. IMC J Med Sci. 2024; 18(1):009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.18.009 *Correspondence: Mohd. Yasir Zubair, Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email: yasmuhsin@gmail.com

Peran Komunikasi Dai Dalam Membangun Kesadaran Beragama Masyarakat Muslim di Desa Terang Bulan Kecamatan Aek Natas Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara

This research aims to determine the role of Dai communication in building religious awareness in Muslim communities in Terang Bulan Village, Aek Natas District, North Labuhanbatu Regency. The Role of Dai Communication in Building Religious Awareness of Muslim Communities in Terang Bulan Village, Aek Natas District, North Labuhanbatu Regency. This research will be carried out from June 2023 to July 2023 in Terang Bulan Village, Aek Natas District, North Labuhanbatu Regency. It consists of 4 informants selected according to predetermined criteria. The data sources used use primary and secondary data sources. Data collection was carried out by direct observation, interviews and documentation. Data analysis consists of four processes, namely data reduction, data display, data conclusion/verification. Then check the validation of the data in the research carried out. Triangulation in credibility testing is defined as checking data from various sources in various ways, and at various times. The results of the research are that the communication role of preachers in the village of Terang Bulan, Aek Natas sub-district, North Labuhanbatu district makes a lot of contributions to the community in terms of worship, religious harmony because every problem or thing that triggers heterogeneous religious awareness in Bright Bulan is immediately suppressed and discussed by the preachers. , a policy and decision is taken based on the common good and benefit to continue to live side by side well. The preachers in the light of the moon in Labuhanbatu are still role models for the Muslim community there. Every time there is a problem, they still ask questions and listen to what the preachers have to say. The technique used by the preacher is to provide understanding through policy actions in each problem and complete studies to continue to convey the truth of Islamic teachings as a medieval community and learn religious knowledge and then practice its teachings.
 Keywords: the role of Dai communication, Awareness, Religion

TTOBench—an Open-Source Library for Train Trajectory Optimization

Over the past few years, the field of train trajectory optimization has been enriched with numerous publications proposing novel solution algorithms, solving known practical problems or applying existing methods to academic and industrial applications. However, the data that were used in the numerical experiments - especially those related to the railway infrastructure - are rarely public, making the comparison of different algorithms or the reproduction of any results difficult if not impossible. In this work, we try to bridge this gap by introducing a library of track data with slope and speed limit information as a first step towards an open-source benchmark suite for train trajectory optimization. The collected items were either publicly available in some form or acquired by the digitalization of published figures. We encourage authors in the field to contribute to this library for the common benefit of the community.

Reconnecting Fire Culture of Aboriginal Communities with Contemporary Wildfire Risk Management

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the transition towards a new paradigm of wildfire risk management in Victoria that incorporates Aboriginal fire knowledge. We show the suitability of cultural burning in the transformed landscapes, and the challenges associated with its reintroduction for land management and bushfire risk reduction after the traumatic disruption of invasion and colonization. Methods of Environmental History and Regional Geography were combined with Traditional Ecological Knowledge to unravel the connections between past, present and future fire and land management practices. Our study area consists of Dja Dja Wurrung and Bangarang/Yorta Yorta Country in north-central Victoria. The results show (i) the ongoing socio-political process for building a renewed integrated fire and land management approach including cultural burning, and (ii) the opportunities of Aboriginal fire culture for restoring landscape resilience to wildfires. We conclude that both wildfire risk management and cultural burning need to change together to adapt to the new environmental context and collaborate for mutual and common benefit.

Volunter-led community-based exercise programme impact on health outcomes in patients with chronic pulmonary disease in New Zealand

Pulmonary rehabilitation improves the health of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Community-based maintenance programmes led by health professionals maintain these benefits; however, limited information is available on volunteer led community programmes. We investigated the impact of a post-rehabilitation volunteer-led programme on the health of people with COPD. Attendees (n = 19) and non-attendees (n = 24) completed questionnaires to assess anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), COPD symptoms (COPD Assessment Test), and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-3L-3L); a sit-to-stand test, and oxygen saturation before and after the programme, and 1–2 years later at follow-up. In addition, both attendees andnon-attendees completed a social connectedness questionnaire and participated in a qualitative interview at follow-up. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found at follow-up between attendees and non-attendees. Additionally, attendees’ depressive and COPD symptoms and all other health variables had returned to baseline (pre-rehabilitation) levels by follow-up. In contrast, qualitative analysis showed positive themes for attending the programme, with the most common benefit of engaging with others with COPD. Our findings suggest that the impact of COPD on health may be profound even in motivated and engaged people. Further research to develop optimal models for maintenance programmes would support effective practice in the community.

The Preference of Inter-Organizational Trust on Corporate Benefit-Seeking Behaviors: A Mechanisms-Based and Policy-Capturing Analysis

In the realm of organizational cooperation, the choice of benefit behaviors has a profound impact on the sustainability of the collaboration. The influence of trust relationships on firms’ decisions regarding private versus common benefit behaviors has been a subject of debate among researchers. To address this debate, we propose and test an analytical framework that acknowledges the presence of two fundamental dimensions in partner relationships: calculative trust and relational trust. Through the utilization of a policy-capturing approach, we rigorously examine and validate our hypotheses at a mechanistic level. Our findings indicate that both calculative trust and relational trust increase the likelihood of firms adopting both private and common benefit behaviors. Furthermore, in terms of comparative choices between private and common benefit behaviors, calculative trust exerts a stronger influence on firms’ preference for private benefit, while relational trust has a stronger impact on firms’ preference for common benefit. Lastly, we discuss the theoretical and empirical implications arising from the results of this study.

The Nutslezing and the lantern: Public lectures with image projection organized by the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen in the first decades of the 20th century

Public lectures were a typical social event to nineteenth and twentieth century audiences in the Netherlands. Among these, the so-called Nutslezingen were particularly well-known, eliciting praise, criticism, and mockery. The wide use of term Nutslezing is confirmed by its inclusion in the Van Dale dictionary with defines it as “lecture for a department of ‘t Nut.” The Maatschappij tot Nut van ’t Algemeen, Society for the Common Benefit, was established in the Netherlands in 1784, and the Nutslezingen were one of their earliest and certainly the most recognizable of their activities. In 1900, by becoming a member of the recently founded Vereeniging tot het houden van Voordrachten met Lichtbeelden, Association for the Organization of Illustrated Lectures, the departments of ‘t Nut gained access to a collection of slide-sets and readings which they could use for their lectures. Using Frank Kessler’s concept of the educational magic lantern dispositif, this article will examine how the projection of lantern slides was incorporated in the Nutslezingen and how the historical stakeholders, audiences, speakers, local board members, and the national administration of ‘t Nut engaged with the technology, in theory and in practice.

An Analysis of the Channels for Accessing Economic Benefits in the Commons Governance Regime of Space Resources

On September 22, 2022, the world’s first transaction on space resources took place, highlighting the need for an international space mining regime. Although outer space is often considered global commons, there is a concern that the commons governance regime may hinder the commercial use of space resources. The current research does not provide an in-depth analysis of the incentive mechanism under the global commons governance regime, let alone the economic incentive mechanism. This paper explores how to construct the channels for accessing economic benefits in the commons governance regime of space resources. The channels will constitute a critical incentive mechanism for the regime, and they should conform to two principles closely related to the commons and incentives: the common benefit principle contained in international law and the 2B principle proposed by Ostrom. This paper summarizes the basic types of channels and their combinations and finds that the channels and their combinations in previous studies and the latest international instruments do not fully meet the requirements of the two principles. Based on the principles, this paper puts forward a new proposal, which integrates four existing channels and one new channel. Compared with previous research, the proposal suggested in this article has advantages in the following aspects: promoting the realization of the two principles, incentivizing diverse countries to accept commons governance of space resources, and encouraging space cooperation between spacefaring nations and non-spacefaring nations.

Optimal restoration for pollination services increases forest cover while doubling agricultural profits.

Pollinators are currently facing dramatic declines in abundance and richness across the globe. This can have profound impacts on agriculture, as 75% of globally common food crops benefit from pollination services. As many native bee species require natural areas for nesting, restoration efforts within croplands may be beneficial to support pollinators and enhance agricultural yields. Yet, restoration can be challenging to implement due to large upfront costs and the removal of land from production. Designing sustainable landscapes will require planning approaches that include the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of pollination services flowing from (restored) vegetation into crops. We present a novel planning framework to determine the best spatial arrangement for restoration in agricultural landscapes while accounting for yield improvements over 40 years following restoration. We explored a range of production and conservation goals using a coffee production landscape in Costa Rica as a case study. Our results show that strategic restoration can increase forest cover by approximately 20% while doubling collective landholder profits over 40 years, even when accounting for land taken out of production. We show that restoration can provide immense economic benefits in the long run, which may be pivotal to motivating local landholders to undertake conservation endeavours in pollinator-dependent croplands.

The Turmoil in the Moscow State at the Beginning of the XVII Century and Its Influence on the Transformation of the Foundations and Principles of Russian Statehood (Political Science Aspect)

The article gives the author’s interpretation of the nature and degree of influence of the events of the Time of Turmoil at the beginning of the XVII century in Russia on the evolution of the foundations and principles of Russian statehood. The author of the article notes that this problem, which is important for understanding the history of Russian statehood, has not yet received proper coverage and the necessary scientific study. Agreeing with the opinion of researchers who assess the events of the Turmoil as the first deep state crisis in the development of the country, the author of the article draws attention to the fact that modern publications do not take into account the fact that in many respects it was the tragedy of the Turmoil that predetermined many new phenomena in the state and public life of Russia, which ensured the country’s exit from the Turmoil and the restoration of state order. On the one hand, the masses, under the influence of the events of the Turmoil, began to assimilate new ideas about the relationship between the government and society that were not peculiar to them before, linking the concept of the state with the “land”, with the concept of “common benefit”. On the other hand, the Russian political elite was also forced to revise the previous methods of government and build their relations with citizens on the basis of taking into account public interests, common “zemstvo” benefits. The article substantiates the methodologically important position that it is from the events of the Turmoil that it is possible to start the formation of a new understanding of the state and state power in Russian society in their modern meaning. The author of the article leads to the idea that it was these changes in the consciousness of the masses and the behavior of the elite that became decisive for the country’s exit from the Turmoil, at the same time drawing a parallel with the Byzantine model of power, the stability of which in times of crisis was also explained by the presence of a unique state structure that connected the rigid monarchical vertical and the horizontal of developed self-government.

Человек эпохи перемен в контексте социально-экономической трансформации систем

The article is devoted to the current problem of preserving the human personality, man as a biosocial being in the context of the transformation of the socio-economic system. The purpose of the article is to identify the place and role of a person in a changing socio-economic system. In the course of the study, system analysis, deduction, induction, analogy, situational analysis and dialectics were used. It’s no secret that the measure of the development of the capitalist economic system is the monopolization of the economy, namely its concentration through the process of mergers and acquisitions of large national corporations, which is directly related to the circulation and the logic of capital itself. The insatiable thirst for the appropriation of someone else’s work on the part of the ruling class gives rise to infringement of a person’s freedom of choice and expression of his own thoughts. At one time, the outstanding Russian philosopher, logician and publicist Zinoviev A.A., contrasting capitalism and socialism, noted: “The Soviet system in its development is the pinnacle of history. The most perfect for domestic conditions.” Indeed, the Soviet Union was a major state in the world, which included 15 republics. All peoples worked closely together and economically interdependent on the principle of equality and common benefit for all. The Commonwealth has helped to achieve huge results. Science, technology, industry and agriculture were developing. It was under the Stalinist model of the economy that the idea of improving human life in all its manifestations was preserved, which cannot be said about the capitalist system, aimed only at exploiting man by man and the desire to increase his personal capital. This work is of scientific interest to a wide range of specialists and analysts. In addition, the information presented in the article can serve as a scientific basis for modeling and forecasting patterns, advantages and disadvantages of the development of the capitalist economic system within the historical paradigm.