Critical Position Research Articles

Clinical and Psychological Characteristics of Patients after First-Episode Psychosis with Cognitive, Emotional, and Volitional Deficiencies: Comparative Analysis

This research featured 139 patients (60 men, 79 women) after the first-episode psychosis. All patients demonstrated cognitive and/or emotional deficiency. The research objective was to compare clinical, sociodemographic, psychosocial, and individual characteristics. The expert clinical assessment revealed three groups. Group I included 29 patients with negative symptoms in the cognitive sphere; group II consisted of 46 people with negative symptoms in the emotional and volitional sphere; group III included 64 people with no pronounced deficiencies. The authors employed the method of clinical psychological interview and various pathopsychological non-standard methods to study the cognitive activity of the patients. The list of psychometric methods included the Beck’s Depression Inventory, a coping behavior questionnaire, a short version of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and the Suicide Risk Assessment Scale. The data obtained were processed using SPSS v. 25.0 and Excel 2010. The three groups demonstrated the following statistically significant differences: diagnosis, critical attitude to one’s own condition, and continuity of psychiatric care (clinical characteristics); social adaptation problems (psychosocial characteristics); association and motivation (cognitive activity); suicidal risk (emotions, personality, and behavior). The MMPI and the coping behavior test also showed differences from the test norm, as well as between the groups. A comparative analysis of clinical and psychological characteristics in patients after the first-episode psychosis makes it possible to develop a correct psychorehabilitation program, prevent deficit symptoms, and improve social functioning.

Philosophy and Sociology of Law by Bogdan Kistyakovski

The article tries to explore the importance of the work «Philosophy and sociology of the law» by Bogdan Kistyakovsky for the political science and theory. The article shows the positioning of the intelligentsia in Kyiv as part of Russian Empire, its critical attitude to the ideas of Ukrainophilism. The author stresses the political proximity of Bogdan Kistyakovsky to the political party of constitutional democrats (cadets). In his work Kistyakovsky tried to show the advantages of the rule of law, the possibility of its establishment in the Russia of that time. The article considers the contribution of the «Philosophy and sociology of the law» to the evolution of generalized scientific knowledge, the methods he proposed for improving the humanities and social sciences.

A new algorithm of critical control rod position search in MC code

Delayed Material Replacement algorithm is used in control rod movement simulation. Then, critical control rod position search is studied in Monte Carlo criticality calculation. Support Vector Regression algorithm is used in fitting neutron absorption as a function of rod positions. Fission iteration batches are reorganized as blocks in order to avoid fission source perturbation caused by control rod movement. The keff result in AP1000 reactor calculation shows discrepancy less than 20 pcm, though stable fluctuations are found in rod position values during fission iteration.

Rational design of monomeric IL37 variants guided by stability and dynamical analyses of IL37 dimers

IL37 plays important roles in the regulation of innate immunity and its oligomeric status is critical to these roles. In its monomeric state, IL37 can effectively inhibit the inflammatory response of IL18 by binding to IL18Rα, a capacity lost in its dimeric form, underlining the pivotal role of the oligomeric status of IL37 in its anti-inflammatory action. Until now, two IL37 dimer structures have been deposited in PDB, reflecting a substantial difference in their dimer interfaces. Given this discrepancy, we analyzed the PDB structures of the IL37 dimer (PDB IDs: 6ncu, 5hn1) along with a AF2-multimer prediction by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Results showed that the 5hn1 and AF2-predicted dimers have the same interface and stably maintained their conformations throughout simulations, while the recent IL37 dimer (PDB ID: 6ncu) with a different interface did not, proposing a possible issue with the recent IL37 dimer structure (6ncu). Next, focusing on the stable dimer structures, we have identified five critical positions of V71/Y85/I86/E89/S114, three new positions compared to the literature, that would reduce dimer stability without affecting the monomer structure. Two quintuple mutants were tested by MD simulations and showed partial or complete dissociation of the dimer. Overall, the insights gained from this study reinforce the validity of the 5hn1 and AF2 multimer structures, while also advancing our understanding of the IL37 dimer interface through the generation of monomer-locked IL37 variants.

Actualization Of Catholic Religious Education Values In Realizing Religious Tolerance Among Catholic Students In The City Of Sorong

The type of this research is qualitative-descriptive. Thirty schools located in the city of Sorong, covering primary to secondary education levels, were selected as the research locations. Approximately 35 Catholic religion teachers participated as research informants. Interview, observation, and documentation study techniques were used as methods to collect data. This research aims to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the Catholic Religious Education (PAK) learning process in schools. The researchers then attempted to explore further how schools continuously strive to improve the quality of implementing Catholic Religious Education in schools for fostering attitudes and behaviors of religious tolerance in schools. Through the Catholic Religious Education learning model, students are able to: First, adopt a critical attitude towards various issues related to racism, fanaticism, ethnicity, and repressive aspects in society. Second, conduct studies on various issues stemming from diverse perspectives of religions and other beliefs, thereby fostering awareness of cultural diversity and peace. Third, develop cooperative learning skills and decision-making skills so that students are ready to become good citizens in terms of social and democratic aspects as well as tolerant.

A structural curve with reduced stress concentration and its elastic–plastic failure analysis

Stress concentration represents a significant concern in engineering failure analysis, influencing various failure mechanisms. Mitigating stress concentration requires the implementation of an efficient transition curve. However, traditional transition curve designs, including single-curvature, multi-curvature, elliptical, and streamlined types, prove to be suboptimal solutions. This study proposes an innovative transition curve scheme inspired by biological structures to mitigate inherent stress concentration at transition regions. Tensile tests are performed on specimens featuring various transition curve schemes to assess their mechanical performance and validate the superiority of the proposed scheme. Finite element simulation is employed to analyze stress distribution under tension and bending for the various schemes. Digital Image Correlation experiments were performed to validate the numerical simulations. Results demonstrate that the proposed scheme enhances load-bearing capacity, narrows the range of high-stress and yield regions, and optimizes force flow. By incorporating critical position and limit values of the transition curve, the proposed scheme effectively disperses stress, reducing the stress concentration factor to below 1.03. This design methodology can be applied to develop transition curves for shaft shoulders and variable section parts, thereby enhancing safety, structural stability, and durability. Ultimately, this scheme extends the lifespan of the structure.

Initial Upper Paleolithic in the Zagros Mountains

The Iranian Plateau and the Zagros Mountain chain, located at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia, occupy a critical geographical position in out-of-Africa scenarios, sitting astride a major dispersal corridor into southern and central Asia. Yet, the region’s role in human population expansions remains under-investigated. Here, we present findings from new excavations at Pebdeh Cave, a site located in the southern zone of the Zagros Mountains. Pebdeh contained a well-defined layer dating to ∼42–40,000 years ago (ka), with Levallois elements alongside laminar reduction. This transitional feature in the Zagros was not dated and recorded before, and, given its similarity to Western and Central Asian industries with respect to chronology and technological features, we define it here as the Zagros Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP). Although Late Middle Paleolithic and Early Upper Paleolithic technologies have been identified in the Zagros in the time period ranging between 50 and 40 ka, suggesting the presence of Neanderthals and modern humans in the mountainous region, the overall abrupt and constrained chronology of the IUP at Pebdeh, together with the penecontemporaneous appearance of other Upper Paleolithic sites in the Zagros Mountains, is compatible with a population expansion of Homo sapiens rather than an autochthonous development.

Collaborative target assignment problem for large-scale UAV swarm based on two-stage greedy auction algorithm

This paper introduces a collaborative allocation model designed for multiple UAVs and diverse targets in maritime combat situations. The model incorporates factors such as distance, angle, interception rate, and recognition rate to comprehensively represent the UAVs' overall damage advantage against targets. Given the complexity of real-world environments and real-time demands, large-scale UAV swarm missions necessitate swift and effective responses. To address this, the paper proposes a Two-Stage Greedy Auction Algorithm, enabling the rapid and efficient completion of cooperative strike tasks within large-scale UAV swarms while preventing deadlock occurrences. In the initial allocation stage, the entropy weight method is utilized to assess task advantages, ensuring a rational allocation criterion for various metrics during the strike process. Subsequently, to enhance the overall effective strike rate within all constraints, a reassignment algorithm is designed based on effective strike benefit indices and the initial assignment result. Simulation results demonstrate the algorithm's quick and stable running time in small-scale and large-scale scenarios.

Vitalist Marxism: Georges Canguilhem and the Resistance of Life

Following Hannah Arendt’s insights into the affinities between Marxism and the philosophy of life, this article reconstructs a theoretical position that we propose to call ‘vitalist Marxism’. This position conceives of life not only as an essential foundation of the production process, but also as a critical resource for resistance to the capitalist logic of exploitation. We highlight the role Georges Canguilhem (1904–95) played in developing this position, in particular by depicting tools and machines as ‘organs of life’. Drawing on Canguilhem’s early writings as well as unpublished manuscripts, we show that this ‘organological’ understanding of technology was rooted in the increasingly anti-fascist reception of Marx in France during the 1930s. Against the background of today’s protests against climate destruction, racism, and anti-feminist violence, all of which invoke the defense of basic living conditions, we argue that the critical position of vitalist Marxism acquires remarkable topicality.

The Role of the Law in Critical Theory: An Engagement with Hardt and Negri’s Commonwealth

AbstractThis paper discusses the role of Law and Legal Thinking in Critical Theory with specific reference to the arguments that Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri offer in their book Commonwealth. The core idea is that Critical Theory is no less radical, but much more concrete, when it is performing not only an external, but also an internal critique of the Law. It shows that the role of the law in critical theory emerges as a problem when the latter claims that ‘there is no outside’ and that ‘the legal base of the system structures our lives.’ It then discusses optimistic and pessimistic strategies to overcome the problem, and argue for a demanding strategy which consist in articulating the external and the internal critique of the law. To make this point, the paper goes back to the epistemic context in which critical attitudes are deployed (the ‘Conflict of the Faculties’), describes the four theoretical moves constitutive of the historical moment in which, at the end of the 18th Century, modern law as we know it was conceived of and founded; and sketches the key moments of the history of the internal critique of the law. It then illustrates the demanding strategy with examples taken from the field of Intellectual Property, and concludes that the Law is malleable and open enough to allow the thinking and practicing of radical alternatives from within the legal system and also that alternatives spoken in the language of the law are no less radical, but certainly, more concrete than others.

Experience of violence and attitudes of staff members towards coercion in psychiatric settings: observational study.

Among important dimensions related to the use of coercive measures, professionals' attitude towards coercion is of particular interest. Little is known about how experiences of violence in the workplace might influence these attitudes. The present study aimed to investigate potential correlates of attitudes towards coercion, especially experiences of violence in the workplace. Mental health professionals were contacted through an online survey to assess their attitudes towards coercion using the Staff Attitude to Coercion Scale (SACS). The three subscales of the SACS (critical, pragmatic and positive attitudes) were analysed in a multivariate multiple linear regression, using a set of covariates including experiences of violence in the workplace. We hypothesised that experience of violence in the workplace would correlate with less critical attitudes of staff members towards coercion. A total of 423 professionals were included in the regression analysis. Age, professional category, feeling of insecurity, having witnessed or used coercion, and the emotional burden associated with coercive measures had a joint significant effect on the three SACS subscales. A feeling of insecurity, but not the experience of violence, was associated with a less critical, more positive appraisal of coercive measures. The emotional burden related to the use of coercion was associated with a more critical attitude. The present results highlight the importance of considering staff members' training and well-being regarding their feelings of insecurity when addressing attitudes towards coercion. The experience of patients should be integrated into staff training and coercion reduction programmes.

The concept of “document” in the epistemological system of knowledge: A methodological discourse in the philosophy of science

Transformational changes in the modern scientific environment are conditioned by the information and technological development of all branches, among which document science has undergone significant changes due to digitalisation and the development of e-documenting, which leads to changes in the object of research and the expansion of interdisciplinary tasks and indicates the transition of the philosophy of science to a new stage of development. In the process of objectifying the conceptual search of philosophers of science, there was an evolution from relatively simple systems in the classical period to complex systems in the non-classical period and to complex systems that self-develop. The purpose of this study is to clarify the epistemological essence of the concept of “document” through the methodological prism of the theories of the philosophy of science. In the research process, general scientific methods and special methods of philosophy, documentation science, archival science, information science, and social communication were used. The synergy of general scientific and specialised methods, along with philosophical methodology, allowed for a comprehensive exploration of the concept of “document” as a sociocultural phenomenon, analysis of the philosophical characteristics of the document, and identification of interdisciplinary connections. Emphasis has been placed on positivist achievements, which have contributed not only to the activation of the search for and establishment of the informativeness of documents and their quantitative increase but also to the theoretical study of carriers of information from the past. Such processes have enriched knowledge about documents, contributing to the expansion of their methodological and epistemological boundaries. It should be noted that the post-positivist stage has caused philosophical discussions between representatives of the “historical school” and “critical rationalism”. The structure-forming functions of scientific knowledge and the sociologisation of the examination of the scientific information space, based on the methodology of the philosophy of science, have led to the acquisition of modern characteristics by document science, the development of complex interdisciplinary connections that ensure the integrity of the study of the document phenomenon. Thanks to the methodology of the philosophy of science in the research, the ideas of the unity of scientific knowledge, the epistemological and philosophical methodological determinism of document science, and the integral significance of philosophy in constructing a holistic scientific picture of the world have been revealed. The conceptual and terminological toolkits and mechanisms for introducing the philosophical concepts of determinism, causality, space, and time into the documentary discourse have been defined. Such modern trends in the development of the philosophy of science and an interdisciplinary approach to the scientific and theoretical substantiation of document science issues will contribute to the development of the discussion on documentation science issues and will lead to the emergence of new theoretical and methodological developments in the field of social communications

Smallholder farms in the sustainable food transition: A critical examination of the new Common Agricultural Policy

AbstractAlmost two thirds of working farms in the European Union are considered smallholder farms. These farms play a crucial role in local food production, rural development, maintaining agrobiodiversity, and promoting cultural heritage. Despite this, agricultural policies have consistently supported on‐farm intensification, specialisation, enlargement, and mechanisation of agricultural production. These policies have been in turn commonly justified through food security and agricultural efficiency arguments. Considering the European Union's Farm to Fork Strategy and the Green Deal's aims of transitioning towards sustainable food systems, this article presents a novel empirical analysis of the legal position of small farmers in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of 2023. This analysis outlines the critical but complex position of smallholder farmers in the National Strategic Plans of 10 Member States. The reformed CAP increasingly acknowledges the important role of smallholder farmers in moving towards sustainable food systems. However, in this article, we question the CAP's sufficiency for improving the legal position of smallholders, promoting (economic) viability and harnessing the sustainability potential of smallholder farms.

Young networked athletes and performance-enhancing substances: who are the actors in their network, and how do the actors shape athletes’ meaning-making?

Ambitious youth athletes continually strive to enhance their performance, and as they age, more people are involved in this process. Athletes are immersed in a network of actors who wield significant influence over their performance-enhancing endeavours, encompassing training, nutrition, and at times, the use of various performance-enhancing substances. Our study predominantly revolves around various permitted substances, primarily in the form of nutritional supplements of various kinds. Also relevant in this regard is anti-doping, as knowledge of and a critical attitude towards supplements are a central part in this preventative educational work. More specifically, in this study, we explore the actors that contribute to young athletes meaning-making of nutritional supplements and anti-doping and examine how the young athletes describe these actors’ contribution. Twenty-four athletes from private elite upper secondary sport schools (PEUSS) in Norway were interviewed, with a semi-structured approach to facilitate the various tales. Our analysis revealed seven actors/actor groups in athletes’ network. The actors/actor groups were diverse and contributed to athletes meaning-making in different ways. We argue that the diversity of actors illustrates the relevance of the networked athlete concept and that the concept should be further developed by interactionist perspectives.

Social inequalities portrayed in the occupational experiences of girls ahead of incarceration in Brazil

ABSTRACT Literature demonstrates that most girls incarcerated in juvenile justice institutions in Brazil come from socially vulnerable groups that face social inequality and racial and gender discrimination, which results in occupational inequities. This study aims to understand the daily lives of young Brazilian girls ahead of their incarceration based on their occupational experiences and clarify how these occupations express the deep social inequalities that mark their life trajectories. This cross-sectional qualitative exploratory study used oral history as the research method. Twelve young girls incarcerated at a juvenile justice institution in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 2020 were the study participants. The impact of gender and class issues on these young girls’ daily experiences and occupations point toward the oppressions and social inequalities to which they were exposed since childhood. Their life stories were marked by daily violations of their rights, such as the difficulty of accessing and staying in school, exploitation as child labor, the lack of leisure opportunities, exposure to various forms of violence, including sexual violence, and general vulnerability. The concept of occupation, read through the lens of intersectionality, makes it possible to understand the social inequalities that cross the daily lives of vulnerable populations, as well as provoking a critical and activist position in the area in the face of occupational injustices.

Factors affecting the use of artificial intelligence generated content by subject librarians: A qualitative study

To explore the factors affecting the use of artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) by subject librarians through understanding their perceptions of AIGC. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) and technology acceptance model (TAM) were used in semi-structured interviews to explore the external variables of perceived ease of use and perceived usability of AIGC application in subject librarians. The perceptions of subject librarians towards AIGC included performance, risk perceptions, ability enhancement, and affective attitude. Attentions were paid to AIGC's performances in providing customized services, optimizing collection resources and improving cost efficiency. The risk perception involved technical stability, data security, user acceptance and occupational risk, the ability enhancement involved the improvement of personal literacy, innovative ability, and self-confidence through the use of AIGC technology, and the affective attitudes included not only excitement and anticipation for the technical potential of AIGC, but also concerns and skepticism about it, and critical attitudes toward its application in academic settings and the ethical issues it may raise. TAM analysis on the factors affecting the use of AIGC by subject librarians indicates that the external influencing factors of perceived ease of use include personal literacy, innovative ability, self-confidence enhancement and affective attitude; the external influencing factors of perceived usability include precise service, collection resource optimization, cost-effectiveness, technological risk, user acceptance and occupational risk. These factors constitute a theoretical framework for understanding and promoting the acceptance and effective use of AIGC by subject librarians. TAM analysis combined with IPA exploration on the external variables of perceived ease of use and perceived usability of AIGC application can identify the key factors affecting subject librarians' perceptions of AIGC, propose strategies for optimizing librarians' roles, enhancing information recognition ability and privacy protection, thus providing guidance for effective use of AIGC in library.

The analysis of changes in land management indicators over 30 years considering the food security of the country

The overarching aim of ensuring the country's food security is providing of the country's population with wholesome, quality-assured and available agriproduct, raw materials and food in volumes that ensure rational food consumption criteria. One of the central objectives of ensuring food security, whether external and internal conditions change or not, is the sustainable development of agriproduct, raw materials and food, sufficient to provide food sovereignty predicated on the principle of research-backed planning. Using the example of some regions of the Russian Federation, a look-back study of agricultural land use and changes in land management activities over a 30-year period was carried out, and the measures for rational land use organization.

Heat transfer improvement and drag force reduction around three heated square cylinders controlled by partitions

Investigating the subject offers a pioneering approach to enhancing thermal performance and aerodynamic efficiency, unlocking novel strategies for optimizing energy utilization and air dynamics in engineering applications. In this research, a numerical study of airflow control coupled to heat transfer around several heated square cylinders is carried out at a fixed Reynolds number (Re=100). The effect of the positioning and length of the control partitions is examined. Numerical simulations are carried out using the lattice Boltzmann method with multiple relaxation times model. The obtained results reveal the existence of a critical position g=0 where a significant improvement in the Nusselt number is observed. This improvement amounts to 31.1% for the rear face of the top obstacle, 30.2% for the rear face of the central obstacle, and 36.65% for the rear face of the bottom obstacle compared to the uncontrolled case. Thus, a complete suppression of the vortex shedding is observed when the length of the partitions reaches a critical value (Lp=4D). Furthermore, a maximum percentage of drag reduction is achieved by around 6.03% for the central block and 16.67% for the two end blocks when the length of the control partitions reaches this critical value.

In Defence of Critical Rationalism

The early Greek philosophers invented the tradition of adopting critical attitude towards explanations that were robed in mythic garbs. They not only challenged the explanations of the ancients, they also criticized and falsified long standing traditions with empirical observations and tests. This attitude to knowledge is what Karl Popper described as critical rationalism. Critical rationalists believe that scientific theory or any other claim to knowledge can and should be rationally criticized and if they have empirical content can and should be subjected to tests which may falsify them. Claims to knowledge that are potentially falsifiable can be admitted to the body of empirical science while not foreclosing further falsification. But this kind of rationalism was faulted by some philosophers including Paul Feyerabend who argued that it may not be easy for science to grow by the rules of critical rationalism but that scientific knowledge will be better off with the method of ‘anything goes’. The objective of this paper was to critically evaluate some of the criticisms against critical rationalism to ascertain their validity or otherwise. The analytic method was used. The paper is of the view that the rejection of critical rationalism and the recommendation of anarchism for the growth of science is misplaced because lawlessness breeds neither growth nor knowledge. Keywords: Critical rationalism, Falsification, Anything-goes, Conjectures, Knowledge

The eyes have it! Functional field of view differences between visual search behavior and body-worn camera during a use of force response in active-duty police officers

ABSTRACT Although officer body-worn cameras (BWCs) have improved transparency of police interactions within the community, BWCs have a limited field of view, are subject to bias, and do not account for the factors that influence rapid decision-making by officers, including their visual attentional control and perceptual processes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the camera perspective of six critical incidents and position data from BWC compared to eye tracking and head movement data in a use-of-force scenario from 44 active-duty police officers. The analysis of gyroscope and accelerometer data demonstrated low correlations between eye cameras and BWC position data. Officers attended 80.5% of all critical incidents, whereas BWC view captured only 66.2%, especially missing key events (<48%). BWC footage did not account for the visual information and the behaviors of the suspect, potential threats, and bystanders who influence the officers' decision-making during the use of force encounters.