Related Concepts Research Articles

The Divine Game Versus the Demonic Game

In Difference and Repetition1 Deleuze sets out to critique the regime of representation and common sense by developing a new conception of difference and repetition in which difference and repetition become liberated from the coherence and continuity of a self or I.2 Difference in itself means that difference has become independent not only from representation, but also from an enduring or coherent self. Difference in itself and repetition in itself are the becoming different and the repetition of a fractured or dissolved self, which Deleuze relates to both a larval subject3 and to a simulacrum.4 In Difference and Repetition Deleuze defines both the concepts of larval subject and simulacrum through the multiplicities and differential relations of the realm of the virtual.5 However, they are not the same. A simulacrum defines a condition in which an entity has become transformed into pure appearance in which nothing appears. A simulacrum is no longer an entity, but only the illusion of an entity.6 This is distinct from the larval subject because the larval subject is an embryonic entity, an entity in the process of formation.7 Through an analysis of the conceptual relation and distinction between larval subject and simulacrum in the first part of the essay, I will reinterpret Deleuze as a philosopher of indifference and the impossibility of repetition, which is a critique on the common idea that Deleuze’s Difference and Repetition is a philosophy of pure difference and pure repetition. Also, I will argue that Deleuze did not just develop a transcendental empiricism (a metaphysics of process), but a philosophy of the universal in itself (which is the collapse of metaphysics). The universal in itself emerges when experience collapses and when the self-determination of entities has become impossible.

A Theoretical Design Framework of Contemporary Vernacular Architecture Based on a Scoping Review of the Best Practices Worldwide

This paper reviews the development of vernacular architecture design and practices worldwide and then focuses on Chinese rural development. It explores the evolution of vernacular architecture and related concepts from a longitudinal perspective, and indicates the dynamic adaptability of vernacular architecture. A scoping review based on archival materials and secondary source literature of the last 10 years is conducted. As a result, 41 design factors have been collected. With a cross-comparative study with related publications, five intangible design factors and ten key tangible design factors are discussed to build a theoretical design framework, which finally provides a foundation for related design practices and further research.

Understanding migration power in international studies

Abstract Where and how does power operate in the governance of international migration? Migrants and refugees are increasingly used for strategic purposes in international politics, but scholarship on this matter has yet to engage thoroughly with the central International Relations concept of power. This article draws on the thinking of Michael Barnett and Raymond Duvall to propose a well-rounded picture of the multiple forms of power in, through or against migration that are mobilized by states and other international actors. We thus conceptualize migration power across two relational dimensions: the nature of the social relations between the actors involved (interactive or constitutive) and the specificity of such relations (direct or diffuse). This leads us to distinguish between four complementary types of migration power—compulsory, institutional, structural and productive—and to identify the main causal mechanisms through which they operate. We argue that power in international migration governance is diffuse, wielded by a wide range of actors, unevenly spread across its different dimensions, and yet, deeply asymmetrical in its distribution along intersecting axes: namely global North vs South, as well as state vs non-state. Beyond academia, the recognition of this complexity can encourage more reflexivity in policy-making and more sensitivity among practitioners.

Leading with Empathy: How Understanding Others Creates Connection and Drives Success

This article examines the role of empathy in effective leadership. Through a review of scholarly literature from fields such as psychology, management, and health sciences, the article defines empathy and distinguishes it from related concepts like sympathy. It explores how empathy involves understanding others' perspectives and experiences on an emotional level. The article then discusses four key strategies leaders can use to develop stronger empathy skills, such as active listening, perspective taking, emotional self-regulation, and storytelling. Drawing on empirical research, the potential organizational benefits of leader empathy are outlined, including increased employee trust, engagement, and well-being. Specific examples demonstrate how empathy has strengthened culture and driven performance outcomes in companies and other institutions. Finally, the article advocates for leaders to incorporate empathy more fully into their approaches to better connect with people and foster environments where individuals and teams can thrive.

Exploring the research development trajectory and trends of green finance

Green finance refers to a financial action of balancing ecological protection and economic growth simultaneously with the goal of mitigating climate change. Given the rapid development of green finance, many related concepts have also emerged, such as sustainable finance, carbon finance, and environmental finance, but the boundaries between them remain blurred, potentially limiting the development of green finance. To foster green finance development, this research adopts the bibliometric method of main path analysis (MPA) to examine the research development trajectory from 3712 green finance-related papers. Based on the findings, this study categorizes the knowledge trajectory of green finance into three phases and seven recent hot sub-fields. It also proposes future research directions, including government information disclosure, financial institutions’ initiatives, and public engagement promotion, in order to provide a sustainable approach to facilitate green finance development.

Alone and together in domestic space: navigating spatial and conceptual relationship boundaries in Finnish small-scale communes

This article explores the ways residents of Finnish small-scale communes navigate boundaries between personal separateness and the group’s togetherness within a domestic space. Studies on communal living have shed light on the ambivalence in communal relations, where people choose to live together but simultaneously remain independent from one another. However, the ways space affects their navigations of this ambivalence have not yet been analysed in detail. Based on 31 semi-structured interviews with residents of Finnish small-scale communes, floor plans drawn by interviewees of their homes and two ethnographic fieldwork periods, I argue that navigations of the residents’ separateness and unity are deeply intertwined with spatial processes and that the sensory and embodied spatial connections complicate the possibilities of distinguishing the individual from the group. Communal dwellers navigated their mutual boundaries through their daily use of the spaces, which centred embodied acts, spatial orientations and sensory experiences.

Employing a Generalization of Open Sets Defined by Ideals to Initiate Novel Rough Approximation Spaces with a Chemical Application

A close similarity and analogy between rough set theory and topology is attributed to the corresponding behavior of lower and upper rough approximations with interior and closure topological operators, respectively. This relation motivates joint studies between topology and this theory. We endeavor by rough set theory to enlarge the knowledge we obtain from the information systems, for this reason, we apply the abstract concept of ideal structures to build new generalized approximation spaces with less vagueness. In the present work, we employ a novel type of nearly open sets in topology so-called ``${\mathcal{L}}$-${\theta\beta}_{\lambda}$-open" with an ideal structure to introduce novel approximation spaces satisfying the desired properties concerning shrinking the boundary region of uncertainty and expanding the domain of confirmed information. We set up the fundamentals of the proposed rough paradigms and demonstrate their superiority over the preceding paradigms induced by some nearly open sets. Two algorithms are furnished to illustrate the way of specifying the family of ${\mathcal{L}}$-${\theta\beta}_{\lambda}$-open sets and exploring whether a subset is ${\mathcal{L}}$-${\theta\beta}_{\lambda}$-definable or ${\mathcal{L}}$-${\theta\beta}_{\lambda}$-rough. Then, we put forward the concepts of rough membership relations and functions and uncover their core characterizations. Finally, we examine the proposed models to model a real situation in the Chemistry field and clarify how our models improve the outcomes of generalized approximation spaces over the previous models.

Discrete Joint Random Variables in Fréchet-Weibull Distribution: A Comprehensive Mathematical Framework with Simulations, Goodness-of-Fit Analysis, and Informed Decision-Making

This paper introduces a novel four-parameter discrete bivariate distribution, termed the bivariate discretized Fréchet–Weibull distribution (BDFWD), with marginals derived from the discretized Fréchet–Weibull distribution. Several statistical and reliability properties are thoroughly examined, including the joint cumulative distribution function, joint probability mass function, joint survival function, bivariate hazard rate function, and bivariate reversed hazard rate function, all presented in straightforward forms. Additionally, properties such as moments and their related concepts, the stress–strength model, total positivity of order 2, positive quadrant dependence, and the median are examined. The BDFWD is capable of modeling asymmetric dispersion data across various forms of hazard rate shapes and kurtosis. Following the introduction of the mathematical and statistical frameworks of the BDFWD, the maximum likelihood estimation approach is employed to estimate the model parameters. A simulation study is also conducted to investigate the behavior of the generated estimators. To demonstrate the capability and flexibility of the BDFWD, three distinct datasets are analyzed from various fields, including football score records, recurrence times to infection for kidney dialysis patients, and student marks from two internal examination statistical papers. The study confirms that the BDFWD outperforms competitive distributions in terms of efficiency across various discrete data applications.

The Preferential Protection of Incomplete Labor Relations and Its Future Legislative Approach

Incomplete labor relations are not a definite legal relationship, but a spectrum of relationships between labor relations and civil relations. The concept of incomplete labor relations was proposed in official documents by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other departments, but it still leaves many issues such as the path, principles, content, and measures of preferential protection to be further studied and explored. The article argues that the preferential protection of incomplete labor relations should choose the "Civil Law +" approach, focusing on protecting the rights related to the basic survival of workers and their basic social rights. At the same time, the content of the preferential protection is not one-size-fits-all, and should reflect differentiation according to specific situations. In the long run, the trend of incomplete labor relations is bound to grow, and it is inevitable that the dichotomy of labor relations will be broken. At the same time, the bundling of social security and labor relations also needs to be dismantled, and the social security system should be transformed into a public service that everyone can enjoy.

UKRAINIAN NATIONAL FACTOR IN GEORGE F. KENNAN’S STRATEGIC THINKING ON THE USSR

This article highlights G. Kennan’s strategic views on Ukraine, and his recommendations regarding the Ukrainian national factor in the U.S. strategy. These issues were studied against the background of Kennan's strategic thinking on the USSR, and development of “containment” strategy, mostly in 1946–1952. The conclusions emphasize that the ultimate goals of “containment” in Kennan’s interpretation were to make the USSR abandon expansionist foreign policy, and to change its concept of international relations by means short of war. He believed that the threat from the USSR existed as long as the totalitarian regime was in power, and advocated for gradual and peaceful changes in the USSR towards liberalization and modernization. He rejected the idea of its disintegration, and recognized the right to secede only for the Baltic republics. He did not recommend any policies, and did not support any activities to promote independence of Ukraine. But he did not object to the revival of national life of some peoples, including Ukrainians, and development views among them that would help change Soviet conduct. Kennan viewed the USSR as “Russia”, and believed that the U.S. should build its policy on cooperation with Russians. His personal sentiments, that is love for Russian people and Russian culture, also influenced his policy recommendations. For him, Ukrainians and Russians were too close ethnically, and their economic activities were tightly intertwined. Therefore, Ukraine's secession could cause a negative reaction and consequences for Russians. He predicted that sooner or later Russia would challenge an independent Ukraine, and Ukrainians would be forced to turn to the United States for military support. For these reasons, he viewed the future of Ukrainians in a federal union with Russians in the “new Russia”. Some Kennan's conclusions remain relevant today, and his strategic thinking on Russia and Ukraine continues to influence a significant number of U.S. political scientists and politicians.

Pleasure-inclusive sex education, sexual agency and sexual wellbeing in youth: A scoping review

Abstract Background A recent review study showed that pleasure-inclusive sex education can contribute to reducing sexual health risks such as unwanted pregnancy and STIs (Zaneva et al., 2022). Pleasure-inclusive sex education could also contribute to other measures of sexual wellbeing. In this study, we review the literature on associations between pleasure-incorporating sex education and sexual agency (including related concepts such as autonomy) and sexual wellbeing (part 1), and between sexual agency and sexual wellbeing (part 2). Methods We searched in 5 scientific databases using a wide scope of variables related to pleasure inclusive sex education, sexual agency, and various outcomes of sexual wellbeing, focusing on the last 2 decades. Forty-six articles were selected. Results In part 1 of the review we found that all studies reported associations between pleasure-based sex education and sexual agency or sexual wellbeing, but the literature is characterized by limitations and did not permit conclusions about the role of an added benefit of the pleasure component. In part 2 of the review study, we found positive associations between sexual agency (and related variables) and sexual wellbeing (including decreased levels of (re-)victimization). Conclusions Sexual agency may be related to increased sexual wellbeing, but it is still largely unclear whether pleasure-inclusive sex education can significantly contribute to this. There is a great need for high quality research, using innovative evaluation designs, taking into account the role of other important sources of sex education and other contextual factors. Key messages • A lot of work has been done, but the evidence that pleasure in sex ed ‘works’ for sexual wellbeing, is limited and indirect. • Great need for high quality research using novel and more realistic evaluation approaches.

A Survey on Multimodal Multiobjective Optimization Algorithm

With the diversification of industrial production and daily life needs, traditional single modal multi-objective optimization algorithms are no longer able to meet complex decision-making requirements. Multimodal multi-objective optimization algorithms (MMOPAs) provide decision- makers with more options by offering multiple feasible Pareto optimal solution sets. This article provides a detailed analysis of the research background and related concepts of multimodal multi-objective optimization algorithms. It analyzes the current development status of multimodal multi-objective optimization algorithms, introduces commonly used benchmark problems and evaluation indicators, and finally explaines future research directions.

Perception of antibiotics in Polish Internet during the infection season 2023/2024

Aim. Public health researchers have used the Internet for disease surveillance, the assessment of risk perception and behaviour changes during epidemics in the past. Cur- rently, investigations of antibiotics (ABx) mentions and the closely related concept of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the Internet are mostly limited to information retrieval as well as simple analysis of Google Trends and media narratives. Methods. To address these shortcomings, we perform media listening and analysis for monitoring of ABx perception in the Polish segment of the Internet during November and December 2023 with Brand24 – a comprehensive Internet analysis tool – based on 2668 mentions. Results. Although the scientific community is aware of the importance of AMR, it was not reflected by the general public perception. Real life examples of public engagement related to practical solutions – such as natural and alternative medicine, and ABx acqui- sition with special focus on children among others – dominated the Internet discourse. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate that while the interest in health topics in the general Polish population is high, it is often not matched by a sound biomedical literacy. A long-term patient engagement could be difficult, as they tend to think from an indi- vidual perspective (how to help myself/my family/my companion animal) rather than in the context of public health and one health.

CONCEPT OF CRISIS IN SCIENTIFIC DISCOURSE

The article examines the main approaches to the concept and content of crisis in scientific literature. The main trends in the development of the crisis and its contradictions are analyzed. It is emphasized that most crises and their understanding are the result of a combination of human errors, institutional «failures» and constant changes in the sphere of functioning of society and states. The main stages of the development of theoretical approaches regarding the concept and content of the crisis and its main derivatives are considered. It has been proven that he does not have a clear understanding of the concept and essence of the crisis; there are three main approaches to understanding the concept and content of crisis; there are several stages of development and formation of the concept and content of the crisis; for the most part, researchers give this phenomenon a positive or negative character. This is explained by the complex nature of these phenomena and insufficient attention for a long time. It is indicated that analyzing the existing definitions of the concept of «crisis», we can talk about three main approaches: a crisis is a stage of the life cycle of any system, that is, a form of its development; crisis is a turning point in the functioning of the system, which provokes any changes, regardless of the result; a crisis is a deterioration of one or more parameters of the system's functioning, which can even lead to its final disappearance. It is emphasized that the crisis is not a separate phenomenon, but a process unfolding as various factors and forces interact in an unpredictable manner; disruption of the usual daily rhythm of life; the emergence and increase of anxiety and stress in the population; potential and real threats to basic values and structural social systems. It has been proven that all views on the concept and meaning of «crisis» and related concepts are determined by the established framework of their interpretation, as well as by the theoretical and spatiotemporal relationship in which they are interpreted. The conducted research shows that in modern scientific literature there are many approaches to understanding the concepts of crisis and risk, sometimes they are even opposite to each other. In this regard, it is appropriate to generalize the existing approaches to these concepts. This will provide an opportunity to more comprehensively reveal the essence of the concepts and will help during the formation of crisis and risk management policy. The modern world is quite complex and dynamic, which leads to the appearance of an increasing number of various crises and risks. Only a thorough understanding and perception of the crisis will allow, if not to avoid them, then to get out of them with the least losses.

Evaluation of esophagogastric anastomosis with additional mechanical anti-reflux barrier after proximal gastrectomy

The application of proximal gastrectomy for suitable upper gastric cancer and AEG patients is increasing along with the promotion of the concept and technology for function-preserving partial gastrectomy. The following problems such as postoperative reflux esophagitis and anastomotic stenosis naturally become the focus of academic field. Based on the understanding of the anti-reflux structure and function of the esophagogastric junction, scholars have successfully established some representative esophagogastric anastomosis methods with additional mechanical anti-reflux barrier, including gastric tube reconstruction, side overlap esophagogastrostomy, and double flap technique. Subsequently, a series of improved esophagogastric reconstruction methods have been derived. At present, the recognized ideal reconstruction method has not yet been established, and there are also misunderstandings in related concepts and cognition. Based on the literatures and the authors' own practical experience, this paper draws on the research results in the field of surgical treatment for reflux esophagitis, and discusses the theoretical basis, key details and anti-reflux effect of the above-mentioned digestive tract reconstruction methods after proximal gastrectomy, as well as the possible problems in the exploration of innovative surgical methods at home and abroad.

A Canadian Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner's Personal Reflection and Ongoing Questioning of Vicarious Trauma.

The objective of this article was to provide a first-person account of the vulnerable aspects of my life where I questioned if VT had influenced my thought processes and to uncover the potential health risks associated with exposure to patients' repeated stories of trauma. I questioned whether I was experiencing VT or other disorders such as burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder, or compassion fatigue. The scholarly literature was reviewed after my personal reflection to analyze my personal experiences and to gain clarity on how VT and/or other related concepts may impact the professional and personal lives of SANEs. Methods used to produce my personal stories have been done via self-reflection and journaling. Three stories that I believe may resemble VT are shared and analyzed vis-à-vis the literature. My personal vignettes are compared with signs and symptoms of VT and illustrate how they may manifest in the daily lives of SANEs. To date, researchers have neglected to explore concrete examples of the personal depth VT may exhibit in an individual's life. By disclosing and synthesizing my personal stories, I hope to encourage SANEs to be open about their experiences, spread awareness and prevention strategies regarding VT, and, ultimately, further enhance well-being and promote increased longevity in their careers.

Health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease: An evolutionary concept analysis

The concept of Health-Related Quality of life (HRQOL) of children and adolescents with Sickle cell disease (SCD) is not clearly understood due to the lack of available studies. This review aimed to elucidate various attributes and related concepts of HRQOL in children and adolescents with SCD using Rodgers' et al. (2018) concept analysis framework. A systematic search was performed to identify studies reporting the attributes, antecedents, consequences, surrogate terms, and related concepts of HRQOL in children and adolescents with SCD. The review included 75 articles, including 70 quantitative, two mixed-methods, and three qualitative studies. These were categorized into attributes, antecedents, consequences, surrogate terms, related concepts, and an exemplar of HRQOL in children and adolescents with SCD. The review identified nine important attributes. It includes multidimensional and dynamic concepts, acknowledging the illness, maintaining emotional balance and self-control, coping with the disease, pain management, stigma and discrimination, treatment burden, palliative care and personal resilience. The antecedents were knowledge and attitude toward the disease, self-efficacy, social support, spirituality and spiritual well-being, disease severity, access to healthcare, environmental factors, and financial considerations. The consequences were independence in personal life, improved physical health outcomes, psychological well-being, family and caregiver well-being, improved family, social and peer relationships and social interactions, improved school performance, and improved overall HRQOL and long-term outcomes. This analysis provides an overview of HRQOL concepts related to children and adolescents with SCD, guiding further research into nursing care and clinical practice.

Assessing the harmonization of structured electronic health record data to reference terminologies and data completeness through data provenance

AbstractIntroduction(1) Assess the harmonization of structured electronic health record data (laboratory results and medications) to reference terminologies and characterize the severity of issues. (2) Identify issues of data completeness by comparing complementary data domains, stratifying by time, care setting, and provenance.MethodsQueries were distributed to 3 Data Partners (DP). Using harmonization queries, we examined the top 200 laboratory results and medications by volume, identifying outliers and computing summary statistics. The completeness queries looked at 4 conditions of interest and related clinical concepts. Counts were generated for each condition, stratified by year, encounter type, and provenance. We analyzed trends over time within and across DPs.ResultsWe found that the median number of codes associated with a given laboratory/medication name (and vice versa) generally met expectations, though there were DP‐specific issues that resulted in outliers. In addition, there were drastic differences in the percentage of patients with a given concept depending on provenance.ConclusionsThe harmonization queries surfaced several mapping errors, as well as issues with overly specific codes and records with “null” codes. The completeness queries demonstrated having access to multiple types of data provenance provides more robust results compared with any single provenance type. Harmonization errors between source data and reference terminologies may not be widespread but do exist within CDMs, affecting tens of thousands or even millions of records. Provenance information can help identify potential completeness issues with EHR data, but only if it is represented in the CDM and then populated by DPs.

Какая гендерная теория нужна российской социальной психологии

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective</strong>. The article problematizes the theoretical field of gender studies and the concept of “gender”, which are currently vulnerable in the socio-political context. The aim of the article is to determine the range of theories of Russian psychologists capable of solving topical issues in the field of gender social psychology outside of a politically conflicting discourse. <br><strong>Background</strong>. According to political theory, psychological knowledge can become a guide for political practice, this area of political science is called biopolitics. The constructivist theoretical field of gender studies belongs to the field of biopolitics; in Western gender theory, the deconstruction of gender is allowed not only as a social phenomenon, but also as a change in biological sex. Moreover, the possibility of deconstructing gender and sex is currently determined by political practice, not by psychological or psychiatric indications. The use of Western gender theory and the concept of “gender” in political conflicts pushes Russian social psychology to search for a theory based on the concepts of Russian psychologists focused on the analysis of the socio-psychological reality of gender relations. <br><strong>Results</strong>. The article emphasizes the impossibility of the reverse movement of science and the choice of the gender-role approach as outdated, not responding to the needs of modernity. Three theories are called productive and adequate to modern problems: the cultural-historical theory of L.S. Vygotsky, the subject-activity approach of S.L. Rubinstein, the theory of relations by V.N. Myasishchev. The concept of gender relations by I.S. Kletsina, one of the most popular modern concepts of gender in Russian psychology. <strong>Conclusions</strong>. Gender psychology is a new branch of social psychology, which turned out to be vulnerable to political initiatives in a period of socio-political instability. The search for new theoretical constructs and the educational activity of psychologists in the biopolitical field will help gender psychology overcome the crisis period.</p>

Development and Evaluation of an Out-of-Control Scale Measuring Global Contextual Stressors Across 20 Countries and Regions

Abstract: Stressful contexts like the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated remarkable socio-economic changes, exacerbating universal uncertainty and a pervasive loss of control. Improving mental health outcomes on the operational definition and measurement of related concepts. This study analyzed cross-sectional data from 20 countries and regions, collected between January 25 and November 10, 2021. Psychometric evaluation occurred in two stages: initially, item review and factor analysis with a 2,749 adult sample from Mainland of China and Hong Kong SAR; subsequently, confirmation of factor structure, measurement invariance testing, and advanced analyses with a 4,000 adult sample from 20 countries and regions. A six-item, single-factor structure was verified, confirming satisfactory factor loading, fit indices and consistency. Measurement invariance across geographies and groupings was also confirmed. Three Out-of-Control profiles representing low, medium, and high stress levels, were identified, with age, depression/anxiety symptoms, education, socio-economic status, and exposure to COVID-19-affected acquaintances significantly influencing affiliation. The item “I think I cannot control things that I previously could” was the most critical node. This newly validated scale represents a substantial advancement in measuring stress within the context of global health crises, thus enhancing comprehension of psychological responses. Continual evaluation of the scale’s effectiveness and accuracy is crucial.