Conceptual Schema Research Articles

Toward Production Design Metaphor: Implications of Situated Authorship and Meaning-Making

Abstract The task of production design is to create locations where cinematic events occur. Since the subjective experiences of the characters in the film are mainly observable externally, the entire film practice aims to express them through secondary means, for example by design and cinematography. The filmmaker can choose what she brings to the foreground from the character’s experience and what aspects she emphasizes. In the case of production design, it is possible to express metaphorical correlations through the spatialization process of cinematic events while anticipating the embodied situatedness of the camera and the eventual film viewer. The notion of situated authorship is discussed through iconic design examples from Gone With the Wind and The Birds, which have historically shaped the concept of production design practice. In the case study referring to my work as a designer, I intend to evaluate the schemas used in the spatialization process in the context of Embodied Simulation Theory (EST) and Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). Here, I propose the idea of a dynamic staging scenario that indicates how cinematic movement – especially the action of the scene and the movement of the camera onset – is considered in spatialization. With the discussion, I conduct a design analysis with which the properties of the space can be evaluated based on the concepts of image schema, primary metaphor, and conceptual metaphor.

The consequences of data dispersion in genomics: a comparative analysis of data sources for precision medicine

BackgroundGenomics-based clinical diagnosis has emerged as a novel medical approach to improve diagnosis and treatment. However, advances in sequencing techniques have increased the generation of genomics data dramatically. This has led to several data management problems, one of which is data dispersion (i.e., genomics data is scattered across hundreds of data repositories). In this context, geneticists try to remediate the above-mentioned problem by limiting the scope of their work to a single data source they know and trust. This work has studied the consequences of focusing on a single data source rather than considering the many different existing genomics data sources.MethodsThe analysis is based on the data associated with two groups of disorders (i.e., oncology and cardiology) accessible from six well-known genomic data sources (i.e., ClinVar, Ensembl, GWAS Catalog, LOVD, CIViC, and CardioDB). Two dimensions have been considered in this analysis, namely, completeness and concordance. Completeness has been evaluated at two levels. First, by analyzing the information provided by each data source with regard to a conceptual schema data model (i.e., the schema level). Second, by analyzing the DNA variations provided by each data source as related to any of the disorders selected (i.e., the data level). Concordance has been evaluated by comparing the consensus among the data sources regarding the clinical relevance of each variation and disorder.ResultsThe data sources with the highest completeness at the schema level are ClinVar, Ensembl, and CIViC. ClinVar has the highest completeness at the data level data source for the oncology and cardiology disorders. However, there are clinically relevant variations that are exclusive to other data sources, and they must be considered in order to provide the best clinical diagnosis. Although the information available in the data sources is predominantly concordant, discordance among the analyzed data exist. This can lead to inaccurate diagnoses.ConclusionPrecision medicine analyses using a single genomics data source leads to incomplete results. Also, there are concordance problems that threaten the correctness of the genomics-based diagnosis results.

Motion verbs and future constructions: the case of Hebrew omed le-V ‘standing (up) to-V’/‘(be) about to-V’

This paper focuses on the constructionalization and grammaticalization path of the Hebrew construction omed le-V ‘standing (up) to-V’/‘about to-V’ as denoting ‘near future’. The investigation will be a diachronic and historical one, from biblical to contemporary Hebrew, stage by stage, and will discuss the evolution of the omed le-V ‘standing (up) to-V’ construction from a posture verb within a motion verb construction V1 to V2 into a ‘near future construction’. i.e., We will focus on the affinity of the meaning of the motion verb with the type of future it comes to denote and we will claim that the evolution of the omed le-V construction is based on three main sources: 1. Literal omed ‘standing up’ meaning is the basis of the near future grammaticalization: standing up from a sedentary posture marks the beginning of involvement in a certain upcoming action, thus perfect as the source conceptual schema for immediacy marking. 2. The shift from spatial to temporal motion maps spatial image schemas onto timelines that correlate with temporal domains. 3. The intrinsic future-orientation of a goal action gave rise to a pragmatic (metonymic) inference from purpose to futurity, later conventionalizing as futurity. Thus, the construction omed le-V ‘standing (up) to-V/about to-V’ shifted from the literal ‘standing up in order to perform an action’ to the near future ‘about to-V’ meaning via the conditioned or interdependent temporal relation of the standing (up) action and its consecutive goal action in real-world scenarios. Lastly, a comparison to two other Hebrew motion verb-based future constructions will be conducted: the constructions holex le-V ‘walking/going to-V’ and ba le-V ‘coming to-V’. The former will be claimed to denote an ‘undefined’ future (either near or distant) and the latter: an ‘unfulfilled future’ (an action that was about to be conducted but wasn't conducted or wasn't conducted on time). This will shed additional light on the evolution of posture and motion verb constructions into future marking constructions. Our conclusions will also be supported by the results of a questionnaire examining the future realization (either ‘near’, ‘undefined’ or ‘unfulfilled’) of the three constructions among native speakers of Hebrew.

Service and Care in the Johannine and Akan Conceptual Schemas: Inculturation Hermeneutics

The Johannine and Akan ideologies pertaining to communal existence place significant emphasis on the cultivation of values such as reciprocal service and care. Nevertheless, upon careful examination of the Akan conceptual framework, it becomes apparent that these principles are espoused and upheld due to Akan belief in the indispensable nature of interdependence of human beings. This belief stems from their recognition of the inherent insufficiency of the human being which consequently gives rise to imperfect expressions of service and nurturing. Thus, the study aims to provide a biblical response to these challenges by employing Ukpong’s inculturation hermeneutics. This approach presents a framework for interpretation that enables an exploration of sociocultural matters in a manner that not only enhances the comprehension of the biblical text but also permits the text to function as a discerning evaluation of the Akan culture and propose possible remedies for its sociocultural challenges. The findings reveal that the Akan concepts foster a form of reciprocal care that is propelled by individual motivations and also service that is incentivised by rewards. Consequently, this paper proposes that the Akan believers must emulate the servanthood of Jesus and see reciprocal care as a response to divine instruction. This pursuit should be undertaken with the intention of fostering a sense of familial unity, rather than with the anticipation of receiving equivalent treatment in return. This article makes a valuable contribution to the field of African Biblical Hermeneutics and the ongoing discourse surrounding the integration of the New Testament into the African cultural framework. Keywords: Inculturation Hermeneutics, Johannine Concept of Service and Care, Akan Proverbs

Refining the Experiential Component of Schema Therapy for Traumatised Populations: a New Continuum of Experiential Techniques

The schema therapy model is a potential new viable alternative for trauma-focused psychotherapy. This is because it employed a series of integrative and experiential techniques to resolve the unconscious impacts of past traumatic experiences. Additionally, its unique concepts of Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) and Schema Modes provided a new explanation for understanding trauma impacts. However, as schema therapy was not designed for trauma work, it does have certain limitations in its techniques, especially in its experiential component. In this theoretical paper, the identified limitations of the experiential techniques in schema therapy were addressed through assimilative integrating art therapy, dream-work and psychodynamic techniques. A new continuum of experiential techniques was created and integrated into schema therapy. This newly integrated schema therapy was named ‘trauma-focused schema therapy’ (Tf-ST). The six steps of assimilative integration were illustrated.

The alternative model of personality disorders or early maladaptive schemas? Usefulness for understanding borderline features in a non-clinical adult sample

Introduction and objective: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD) is currently under empirical verification for its usefulness and diagnostic accuracy. At the same time, numerous studies based on Young’s concept of maladaptive schemas are underway. The aim of the research was to compare the possibilities of explaining the severity of borderline features using both models. Materials and methods: The results obtained from 565 healthy adults, with women accounting for slightly more than 52%, aged 18–81 years (M = 37 years) were analysed. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders – Personality Questionnaire (items for borderline personality disorder) (SCID-II, BPD part), Young Schema Questionnaire – Short Form (YSQ-S3) and Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), Brief Form were used. Results: Regression analysis demonstrated that schemas account for about 39%, and personality traits for 53% of borderline trait variability, and their combined use increases this percentage to 55%. Structural modelling, in turn, indicated that only three schema domains are relevant for explaining borderline traits, but only indirectly. The direct effect schemas have on the personality dimensions from the AMPD model (only Impaired Autonomy has a significant direct effect on borderline). Contrary to the assumptions of the AMPD model, Negative Affectivity holds the slightest importance for the severity of borderline, while the greatest effect strength characterises Psychoticism. Conclusions: The dimensions of an alternative personality model have a direct relationship with BPD traits. The schemas explain personality traits (AMPD) but not the severity of the disorder itself.

Rethinking GLAMs as commons: a conceptual framework

In this paper, we reflect on ‘new commons’ theory and elaborate on the ontology of memory institutions with the aim to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for ‘commons-oriented’ GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums). In doing so, we propose an alternative for governing and managing cultural heritage against a backdrop of limited public funding and pressures for developing memory institutions into more inclusive, participatory and ‘entrepreneurial’ organisations. Our theoretical analysis is grounded in the review of the extant literature, including both the ‘Ostromian’ and ‘Autonomist’ schools of thought, drawing particularly on the new commons (urban, digital, cultural/heritage commons) to inform our framework. The conceptual schema we present here is adapted to fit with the idiosyncrasies of the sector, describing the functioning of commoning practices in GLAMs. Such a framework is critical for navigating future research and devising workable solutions to address current challenges for memory institutions in Europe.

Improved Sharing and Linkage of Taxonomic Data with the Taxon Concept Standard (TCS)

The term ‘taxonomic backbone’ is often used to indicate the compromise taxonomies that form the taxonomic backbone of systems like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA). However, the term can also be seen in the broader sense as the entire expansive and continually evolving body of taxonomic work that underpins all biodiversity data and the linkage of all the different concepts that are used in various parts of the world and by various groups of people. The Taxon Concept Schema (TCS; Hyam and Kennedy 2006), which was ratified as a TDWG standard in 2005, came forth from the need of providers of taxonomic information for a mechanism to exchange data with other providers and users. Additionally, there was the knowledge that taxon names make poor identifiers for taxa and that more than names are needed for effective sharing and linking of biodiversity data. The same name can be associated with multiple taxon concepts or definitions, especially when a name has been around for a long time or is used in a heavily revised group. In order for others to know what a name means, people who use a name should also indicate which concept of that name is being used. Traditionally, the Latin ‘sensu’ or `sec.` have been used for this purpose; in TCS, an ‘according to’ property is used. The taxon concept, along with a language to relate different concepts, which is also in TCS, was later introduced to a systematic audience in an article by Franz and Peet (2009). Unfortunately, TCS has never enjoyed wide adoption and since Darwin Core (Wieczorek et al. 2012) was ratified in 2009, sharing of taxonomic information has mostly been done with the Darwin Core Taxon class. However, various issues with the Darwin Core Taxon class (e.g., Darwin Core and RDF/OWL Task Groups 2015) have made us look at TCS again and in 2020 the Taxonomic Names and Concepts Interest Group was formally renamed the TCS Maintenance Group. In 2021, a TCS 2 Task Group was established with the goal to update TCS to a Vocabulary Standard (like Darwin Core) that can be maintained under the TDWG Vocabulary Maintenance Specification (Vocabulary Maintenance Specification Task Group 2017). As it currently stands, TCS 2 (TCS 2 Task Group 2023) has two classes for dealing with taxonomy, the Taxon Concept and Taxon Relationship classes, and two classes for dealing with nomenclature, the Taxon Name and Nomenclatural Type classes. TCS 2 describes objects that are present and known in the domain and uses terms that are used in the domain (e.g., Greuter et al. 2011, Hawksworth 2010), so is easily understood by practitioners in the domain and other users of taxonomic information, as well as data specialists and developers. At the same time, it is in accordance with the OpenBiodiv Ontology (Senderov et al. 2018) and the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS; Miles and Bechhofer 2009). TCS 2 can be used to mark up taxon concepts of any type, including taxonomic treatments, checklists, field guides, as well as systems like the Catalogue of Life and AviBase. Once marked up as TCS, concepts of all types look the same and therefore a small standard of under 40 terms can be used to share and link all taxonomic information and to link to other types of biodiversity data, for example occurrence data or descriptive data.

Building the Australian National Species List

The Australian National Species List (AuNSL) is a unified, nationally accepted, taxonomy for the native and naturalised biota of Australia. It is derived from a set of taxon-focussed resources including the Australian Plant Name Index and Australian Plant Census, the Australian Faunal Directory, and similar lists of fungi, lichens and bryophytes. These resources share a common infrastructure, contribute to the single national taxonomy (AuNSL), but retain their independent curation practices and online presentation. The AuNSL is now the core national infrastructure providing names and taxonomy for significant biodiversity data infrastructures including the Atlas of Living Australia, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, the Biodiversity Data Repository, and the Species Profile and Threats Database. As the go-to resource for names and taxonomy for Australia’s unique biodiversity, the AuNSL must be constantly updated to reflect taxonomic and nomenclatural change. For some taxonomic groups, the AuNSL is substantially complete, and the incorporation of new taxa and other novelties occurs with little time lag. For other taxonomic groups the data are patchy and updates sporadic. Like similar projects, the AuNSL would benefit from improvements to taxonomic data publishing and sharing. Such improvements have the potential to enable automated, real-time ingestion for new taxonomic and nomenclatural data, allowing curator time to be re-directed to backfilling the historical data from a dispersed and complex literature. Ideally, the AuNSL will be able to benefit from advances in automated approaches to processing the historical data, including via the sharing of standardised representations of such data. Here we outline the AuNSL data model, editor functionality, and describe our approach to sharing our data via existing and emerging standards such as Darwin Core and Taxon Concept Schema (TCS2). We then describe what we, as consumers of taxonomic data from published works, really need from publishers of new, and reprocessed historical data. In brief, we need structured taxonomic data conforming to an adequate standard.

The Catalogue of Life Data Package (CoLDP) and the Taxon Concept Standard (TCS): A Comparison

The Catalogue of Life Data Package (CoLDP; Catalogue of Life 2022) is the preferred mechanism for getting data in and out of the ChecklistBank. A CoLDP is a ZIP file containing files with delimiter-separated values, similar to the Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A; Global Biodiversity Information Facility 2023), but does not enforce the DwC-A star schema requiring a single Core file and zero or more Extension files. This makes it preferable for exchanging taxonomic data in tabular format as taxonomic data contains at least three different types of objects—taxa, names and references—that are all interlinked. TCS (currently still Taxon Concept Schema) is the TDWG (Biodiversity Information Standards) standard for dealing with taxonomic data specifically. An effort is currently underway (TCS 2 Task Group 2023) to free TCS from its XML schema and turn it into a TDWG vocabulary standard that is maintainable under the TDWG Vocabulary Maintenance Specification (VMS; Vocabulary Maintenance Specification Task Group 2017). For a domain standard like TCS, it is essential that it supports an important warehouse of taxonomic information like ChecklistBank and an exchange format like CoLDP. Therefore, as part of the Implementation Experience Report that has to accompany a major update to an existing TDWG standard, a comparison has been undertaken between TCS and the data model behind CoLDP. While some of the terms CoLDP uses are different from the ones used by TCS, the two specifications are completely compatible. This presentation will highlight some of the key similarities and differences. It is heartening to see that different groups of people independently chose to make the same departure from the existing specification. As TCS will be maintainable—and, in fact, still has to undergo public review—and CoLDP presumably can evolve as well, there are opportunities for TCS and CoLDP to come even closer together than they already are.

Becoming a Journalist: Experiences of Trainee Journalists in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Basing on reported experiences of trainee journalists at the University of Zimbabwe on completing their work-related industrial internship, we give unique perspectives into challenges and contradictions of “becoming” a journalist. We argue that the route to becoming a professional journalist involves imbibing a kaleidoscope of largely (Western) values along the way throughout the value chain of different socializing sites such as the university, the newsroom and broader subjective social experience. The study concludes that journalism training in Zimbabwe—and indeed in Africa—is firmly informed by the dominant liberal press theory, a development that is at variance with social, political and economic realities obtaining in a country that has not fully embraced the principles of democracy to the letter and spirit of its classical dictates. While scholars have tangentially inserted African texts into the curriculum, these are texts that are made to fit into extant conceptual schema that invariably also shape practice.

Distinguishing and interrelation of the notions “concept”, “scheme”, “metaphor”

The article proposes a methodological scheme, on the one hand, describing the process of the formation of a new reality, which can later be constituted as an object (cognition or ideal), on the other hand, including logical “stops” interpreted as schemes, concepts and metaphors. The author presents a point of view on the distinction between the scheme and the concept of A. P. Ogurtsov, as well as his study of the development of metaphor in political discourse. On the material of the reconstruction of Plato's “Feast” and some statements of philosophers, the concepts of schema, concept and metaphor are characterized. It is argued that within the framework of the Aristotelian and Cartesian traditions of thinking, metaphors can be eliminated, and in creativity they are an integral element of any work.

Cognitivism ageing: The Alzheimer conundrum as switched ontology & the potential for a new materialist dementia

Following recent regulatory approvals for anti-Alzheimer's monoclonal antibodies, this paper considers the contemporary role of cognitivism in defining the ontological commitments of dementia research, as well as movements away from cognitivism under the umbrella of 4E cognitive science. 4E cognitive theories, extending cognition into bodies, their environs, and active relations between the two, share potentially fruitful affinities with new materialisms which focus on the co-constitution of matter in intra-action. These semi-overlapping conceptual positions furnish some opportunity for an ontological alternative to longstanding cognitivist commitments, particularly to the isolated brain as a material catalyst for commercial interventions. After outlining mainstream cognitivism and its shortcomings, I explore 4E and new materialism as possibly transformative conceptual schemas for dementia research, a field for which cognitivist imaginings of cognitive decline in later life have profound and often regrettable ramifications. To realise this new materialist dementia, I sketch out a cognitive ontology based on Barad's agential realism. This facilitates a reassessment of the biggest conundrum in dementia research – the lack of neat correlation between (apparently material) neuropathology and (apparently immaterial) cognitive impairment – alongside the continued failure of efforts to develop effective interventions. It also gives social researchers working on cognitive decline in later life an opportunity to reappraise the nature of social science as a response to such phenomena. If cognition and cognitive ageing are reimagined as an emergent characteristic of intra-acting matter, then new materialist social science might be at least as conducive to salutogenic interventions as the neuropsychiatric technoscience that dominates the contemporary dementia research economy despite continual failures. I argue that a new materialist cognitive ontology could help us think beyond an ageing cognitivism and, by extension, beyond the Alzheimer conundrum.

PoliViews: A comprehensive and modular approach to the conceptual modeling of genomic data

The human genome complexity is captured by many signals, representing for instance DNA variations, the expression of gene activity, or DNA’s structural rearrangements; a rich set of data types and formats is used to record these signals. Conceptual models can support the description and explanation of the genome’s elaborate structure and behavior. Among others, the Conceptual Schema of the Human Genome (CSG) provides a concept-oriented, top-down representation of the genome behavior, which is independent of data formats. The Genomic Conceptual Model (GCM) provides instead a data-oriented, bottom-up representation, targeting a well-organized, unified description of these formats. In this research, we join the two approaches to achieve PoliViews, a comprehensive model that links (1) a concepts layer, describing genome elements and their conceptual connections, with (2) a data layer, describing datasets derived from genome sequencing with specific technologies. Their dynamic connection is established when specific genomic data types are chosen in the data layer, thereby triggering the selection of a view in the concepts layer. The benefit is mutual: data records can be semantically described by high-level concepts exploiting their links and, in turn, the continuously evolving abstract model can be extended thanks to the input provided by real datasets. PoliViews enables expressing queries that employ a holistic conceptual perspective on the genome, directly translated onto data-oriented terms and organization. Here, we demonstrate the approach by linking two major genomic data types, namely DNA variation and gene expression. For each type, we consider different eminent data sources; we describe their mapping with the corresponding view in the concepts layer, enabling an intra-data-type integration. Then, leveraging on the connections available in the concepts layer, we show how the distinct data types can be interoperated, enabling an inter-data-type integration. The PoliViews approach is shown through several examples of biological interest and can be further extended to any kind of genomic information.

Image Schema as Means of Persuasion: Analysis of American Drama Movie Trailers

This study contributes to an understanding of the nature of achieving persuasion via cognitive semiotic means to the analysis of drama movie trailers. It aims at finding out how persuasion could be achieved through employing a cognitive multimodal analysis of movie trailers. The present study intends to analyze three drama movie trailers by applying Johnson’s (1987) image schema model. Johnson’s model is used to analyze the relation between the meanings of words presented in a trailer and how they are connected to contribute to the trailer’s meaning making and persuasive function. The analysis clarifies how movie producers integrate textual material to persuade audience to watch a movie. Results indicate that the prevailing image schema concept is IDENTITY (32.80%), followed by EXISTENCE (24.84%), and then FORCE (19.11%). LOCOMOTION, MULTIPLICITY/ UNITY, CONTAINMENT, and SPACE follow next with (8.92%), (5.42%), (4.78%), and (4.14%) respectively. Image schema patterns are found to aid in inferring details about the characters and the story events, which arouses the audience’s curiosity and thus enhances the promotive function of the trailer. In conclusion, image schema concepts employed in drama movie trailers contribute to the overall persuasive function of movie trailers, and to the audience’s understanding of the logic behind using such words.

Assessing the value of ontologically unpacking a conceptual model for human genomics

Although the knowledge about human genomics is available to all scientists, information about this scientific breakthrough can often be difficult to fully comprehend and share. A Conceptual Schema of the Human Genome was previously developed to assist in describing human genome-related knowledge, by representing a holistic view of the relevant concepts regarding its biology and underlying mechanisms. This model should become helpful for any researcher who works with human genomics data. We, therefore, perform the process of ontological unpacking on a portion of the model, to facilitate domain understanding and data exchange among heterogeneous systems. The ontological unpacking is a transformation of an input conceptual model into an enriched model based on a foundational ontology. The preliminary analysis and enrichment process are supported by the ontological conceptual modeling language OntoUML, which has been applied previously to complex models to gain ontological clarity. The value of the used method is first assessed from a theoretical point of view: the transformation results in significant, diverse modeling implications regarding the characterization of biological entities, the representation of their changes over time, and, more specifically, the description of chemical compounds. Since the ontological unpacking process is costly, an empirical evaluation is conducted to study the practical implications of applying it in a real learning setting. A particularly complex domain such as metabolic pathways is either described by adopting a traditional conceptual model or explained through an ontologically unpacked model obtained from a traditional model. Our research is evidence that including a strong ontological foundation in traditional conceptual models is useful. It contributes to designing models that convey biological domains better than the original models.

The image ratios for designing cute nonhuman anthropomorphic characters

Nonhuman anthropomorphic characters have found wide use in various entertainment media, particularly animations, comic books, and games, and the designs of these characters are becoming increasingly diverse. This study employed the baby schema concept to explore the eye, mouth, head, body, and limb designs and body proportions of nonhuman anthropomorphic characters, all of which influence their image styles. The study examined the appearances of popular, cute nonhuman characters to identify the design rationale for various image styles. The relationship between cute nonhuman characters and their images of cuteness was explored in two stages. First, the study conducted a focus group interview and cluster analysis to identify five popular styles of cuteness, namely, innocent, childlike, funny, energetic, and ridiculous. Subsequently, the study administered a questionnaire and obtained 200 valid responses. The results indicated that the five image styles feature unique eye and mouth characteristics and distinct head-to-body and limb proportions. The design rationale for each identified image style of nonhuman characters provides a reference for designing exceptional characters that exemplify various trends of cuteness, which, thereby, enables businesses to seize the market opportunities created by emerging entertainment media industries.

MENTAL IMAGERY: METAPHORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTUAL SCHEMA “SEARCH FOR FREEDOM” (ON JOHN FOWLES’S NOVEL “THE COLLECTOR”)

The aim of the paper is to prove the hypothesis: the conceptual schema “Search for Freedom” verbally embodied into the text is formed on the basis of interpretation of conceptual structures represented by socio-cultural experience. “The Collector” is an existential allegory of the difficulty of living by the dictates of one's own conscience. The author examines the situation in the novel – the relationship between the Few and the Many which is complex and portrayed in clearly existential terms. In “The Collector” Fowles gives us two characters that represent a profound dichotomy of perspectives on life. Miranda quests for knowledge of the Self and attempts to define herself through her relationships with men. This quest for self definition leads to an existential awareness for Miranda. The result proved the fight between Ignorance and Artificiality against Honesty and Freedom. This is a struggle between Jealousy and Envy against the Purity of Creation. It is postulated the idea that the hymn of Freedom, which will never be a part of those who in the name of their particular interests do not see another man, or those for whom everything that is human becomes oddly strange since by enslaving the others they enslave themselves.

An improved measure of conforming tax avoidance

Purpose This study aims to propose a new conforming tax measure based on the work of Badertscher et al. (2019). Design/methodology/approach This study divides total tax avoidance/management (TM) into nonconforming and conforming portions through a regression. The residual of the regression is treated as the conforming tax measure. In addition, the new conforming tax measure is validated via three approaches. Then, this study examines the moderating effect of nonconforming earnings management (EM) on the relationship between conforming TM and firm performance. Findings The empirical results show that the model has stronger explanatory power than the model proposed by Badertscher et al. (2019). Additionally, the validation results show that the mean value of the conforming tax measure is lower in quasi-private corporations (financially constrained companies) than in matched public corporations (nonfinancially constrained companies), and firms under high market capital pressure are less motivated to engage in conforming tax practices. Furthermore, nonconforming EM positively moderates the conforming tax–ROA association, implying that nonconforming EM can reduce financial reporting costs resulting from conforming tax practices. Originality/value This study contributes to conforming tax research in the following ways. First, this study proposes a new conforming tax measure by substituting the cash book tax difference (BTD) for the BTD in the model of Badertscher et al. (2019) (“BKRW”). Second, this study demonstrates theoretically why the cash BTD should outperform the BTD in computing the BKRW conforming tax measure and confirm this empirically. Third, this study presents a three-way conceptual schema that divides corporations into two groups along each of three tax-relevant dimensions. The group of firms that use both conforming and nonconforming tax strategies have different characteristics compared to the other group. This study also validates the conforming tax measure across the two-group dichotomies.

Teaching Data Science through Storytelling: Improving Undergraduate Data Literacy

This study proposes and evaluates the OCEL.AI (Open Collaborative Experiential Learning. AI) paradigm that aims at broadening participation in data science education and enhancing undergraduate students’ data literacy. The core of the paradigm is the “Tell Stories” approach. This approach applies the 5W+1H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) conceptual schema of stories as a transdisciplinary language for data science education for STEM and non-STEM majors. Accordingly, this study reported findings from the OCEL.AI project that implemented and evaluated the paradigm. A field experiment, in addition to classroom observations, was conducted to compare the learning outcomes of students in data science competence, appreciation, career motivation, life-long willingness to learn, and self-efficacy in data science between the treatment group and the control group. The results showed that the OCEL.AI paradigm improved undergraduates’ data science competence and career motivation despite majors or gender.