Critical Concept Research Articles

The Illusion of Randomness: Evaluating Student Sampling Performance

Randomness is a critical concept in the study of statistics, both for everyday consumers of statistical information and producers of statistical analyses. However, students at all levels do not always hold concept images that translate to non-uniform or complex sampling contexts. In this article, we explore the way statistics students relate the idea of “drawing at random” to visual sampling tasks. We collected data from approximately 1,000 college students where students attempted to click 50 points at random from shapes that included optical illusions and distractions. One task included a disc, while another included a rectangle with highlighted sectors of unequal size. The survey we administered also included a number of questions and statements to determine which events that the participants identified as random or not. We used a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to identify how students' samples may or may not diverge from a truly random sample. Findings reveal challenges in perceiving and replicating randomness, particularly in the presence of optical illusions or constraints that interfere with a uniform or equiprobability assumption. The study highlights the complexity and difficulty in understanding randomness and correctly applying it in real-world scenarios, both among students in an introductory statistics course and among upper-level students enrolled in a statistics major.

Monetary Policy and Income Distribution: The Post-Keynesian and Sraffian Perspectives

ABSTRACT This paper examines the post-Keynesian and Sraffian perspectives on the relationship between monetary policy and income distribution, highlighting their endogenous demand-led money approach and rejection of the neutrality of interest rates, and monetary policy as tool of redistribution among social classes. Both approaches acknowledge that the central bank can influence interest rates and hence, the functional distribution of income. These shared ideas recognize the political nature of interest rates and the distributive impacts of monetary policy. Although all are crucial common points, some differences persist; PK theory often emphasizes the impact of monetary policy on rentiers vs. non-rentier classes, while Sraffians focus more on wage earners vs. non-wage earners. Further, while PK theorists advocate for alternative monetary policy rules, Sraffians favor discretionary policy tailored to each economy's unique institutional framework. The paper concludes by suggesting that these shared critical conceptions, despite minor differences, should stimulate collaborative efforts to further develop heterodox theories of monetary policy and income distribution.

Improving Primary School Students Critical Thinking Abilities with the Help of Online Media: Effective Learning Strategies in Elementary Schools

The lack of adequate emphasis on developing primary school students' critical thinking skills in the curriculum is a problem that requires special attention with the help of online media. Integrating critical thinking concepts into the curriculum can help elementary school students develop the analytical and evaluative skills necessary to understand social reality. The main aim of this research is to analyze the effectiveness of online learning methods, especially in the context of online media use among elementary school students. The research method used is mixed research which combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. The number of respondents was 98 elementary school students. Data collection techniques include surveys, interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 26.0 software to simplify and manage the data. The research results show that the majority of elementary school students have good analysis, synthesis, problem solving, and drawing conclusions skills, but there is still room for improvement. In conclusion, online media is effective in improving elementary school students' critical thinking skills. The implication is that collaboration between educators, educational institutions, and related parties is very necessary to support the optimal development of students' critical thinking skills.

Renewable Revolution: A Review of Strategic Flexibility in Future Power Systems

The global shift toward integrating renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, is revolutionizing the energy landscape, presenting both opportunities and challenges for power system operations. This paper delves into the critical concept of power system flexibility, emphasizing the importance of maintaining reliable service amidst unpredictable fluctuations in supply and demand. Given the intermittent nature of renewable energy, this paper explores key aspects of flexibility, including generation, demand-side, and grid flexibility, and their roles in sustaining grid stability. Various strategies to enhance flexibility in future power networks are examined, such as advanced energy storage technologies, demand response programs, grid expansion and interconnection, sophisticated forecasting methods, and adaptive power generation. Additionally, this paper underscores the pivotal role of market and regulatory reforms in facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources and enhancing grid adaptability. By analyzing the benefits, limitations, and future prospects of each strategy, this work provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving energy sector. It highlights the necessity of aligning regulatory frameworks with sustainability and climate goals to navigate the complexities of this transition effectively.

Situational privacy: theorizing privacy as communication and media practice

Abstract Under dataveillance as the “new normal,” datafied societies render privacy seemingly impossible. Communication and media privacy scholars foster relational and contextual perspectives to explore how agents and infrastructures could nevertheless maintain a certain degree of self-determined control over the flow of data. Situational privacy accesses this debate from an alternative practice-based perspective. Putting emphasis on the ongoing transformation of privacy, this contribution leverages recent empirical and theoretical thoughts of practice-based privacy research as well as conceptual work on the notion of the situation in social theory. Shifting the focus onto privacy breakdown, mundane criticism, and pragmatic measures of “good enough privacy,” it anchors privacy in everyday routines and situations. Situational privacy offers a communication and media perspective on privacy as a critical concept in transformation.

Examining Soft and Hard Attributes of Health Care Service Quality and Their Impacts on Patient Satisfaction and Loyalty.

Many studies have confirmed the influences of various service quality dimensions on patient satisfaction and loyalty, but no existing theoretical model accounts for variation in how different types of patients evaluate service quality's soft and hard attributes. This research gap may cause problems for administrators needing to decide how to distribute resources appropriately across multiple departments. Therefore, this study establishes a theoretical model of the differences between inpatients' and outpatients' evaluations of hard and soft qualities and compares such evaluations' influences on patient satisfaction and loyalty. Also, to supplement statistical analysis and respond to scholars' calls for more mixed-methods studies of health care quality, this research incorporates analysis of online reviews to provide a holistic, close to real-time picture of patients' service experience perceptions. This study's survey sample comprised 292 inpatients and 137 outpatients from a Taiwanese hospital. We used partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypothetical model and importance-performance map analysis to identify factors that were significant to the service process but performed poorly. Finally, we used a text-mining technique to scrape 536 reviews posted on Google Maps, and Leximancer Portal to perform automated content and sentiment analyses on those data, as a means of mapping the critical concepts and themes that influenced patient experiences. This study's analyses support the ideas that both hard and soft qualities are critical dimensions of service quality, and that each has different influences on inpatients' and outpatients' satisfaction and loyalty. Specifically, the sampled inpatients strongly valued the hard qualities of the hospital but were not satisfied with it. On the other hand, soft qualities attracted outpatients' attention and influenced their satisfaction and loyalty. In addition, content analysis revealed that soft qualities were the main reason patients left comments, whether positive or negative. Waiting time emerged as another critical element in triggering patients' unfavorable reviews. Patient population type, whether inpatient or outpatient, has been found to impact perceptions of service quality within health care institutions. As such, health care administrators should be cognizant of this phenomenon and make informed and tailored decisions when addressing quality within their respective services. Emphasis on the development of both interpersonal and professional skills among health care personnel may prove beneficial in enhancing the patient experience and ultimately fostering positive online reviews.

Ethical Dimensions of Digital Phenotyping Within the Context of Mental Healthcare

AbstractDigital phenotyping (DP) refers to the emerging field within digital (mental) health that involves the collection of data from individual’s digital devices (smartphones, wearable, Internet usage, etc.) to monitor and analyse their behaviours, activities and health-related patterns. That such ‘digital footprint’ data can be mined for behavioural insights is an intriguing idea, which has motivated an increasing amount of research activity, particularly in the field of digital mental health. Whilst of potentially revolutionary utility in (mental) healthcare, the idea of DP also raises a set of rich sociotechnical, ethical and philosophical considerations, and a cottage industry of sociotechnical and ethical critiques of DP has emerged, particularly within the humanities. Within this scene of early empirical investigation in the health/behavioural sciences on the one hand and general conceptual critiques from the humanities on the other, in this paper we instead explore a case for the potential utility of DP in circumstances of clinical mental health practice and examine its ethical dimensions in this context. After providing an explicatory framework for DP and making a case for it within this framework, we subsequently examine the ethical pros and cons of three topics pertaining to DP in clinical practice, namely (1) issues in psychometric assessment/testing, (2) the role and responsibilities of mental health practitioners with regard to DP technology, and (3) the value DP can afford clients in terms of self-awareness/empowerment and strengthening the therapeutic alliance with their clinician.

Research Trends In Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis: A Bibliometric Analysis

This research aims to understand the evolution and development of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) research with a focus on multimodality. CDA is an interdisciplinary approach that explores the use of language and discourse in reproducing, reinforcing, and being closely linked to social relations, power, and ideology. From the initial understanding introduced by Norman Fairclough in the 1980s, CDA has become an important tool for analyzing power structures and social constructions in various contexts, including media, politics, education, and popular culture. CDA has undergone significant transformations along with complex changes in the social and political world. This research aims to map the latest trends and developments in CDA studies, with a special focus on aspects of multimodality. The data collection process is carried out by data mining process in Scopus using keywords and search limitations per category Subject area; Doc.type; Pub.stage; Source type; Language. The document data collected were 303 Scopus indexed documents. By involving bibliometric methods through the Vosviewer tool, the data was visualized and analyzed. The results of the study found that the development of CDA research in the aspect of multimodality has increased in number every year. The study of CDA in terms of multimodality began in 1993 and began to experience an increase in the number of studies from 2013 to 2023. The scope of keywords that emerged was six clusters. Each cluster of keywords reflects special attention to the scope in the study of critical discourse analysis and multimodality, including the diversity of research themes, the intersection of media and social aspects, the importance of visual and multimodal analysis, the connection with the local context, and the application of critical theories and concepts.

Verification of Adjoint Solution Commutativity with the New OpenNode Nodal Diffusion Code

This paper presents in-depth exploration and verification of the OpenNode nodal diffusion code, a robust tool designed for multigroup neutron diffusion simulations under steady-state conditions. Leveraging the Nodal Expansion Method with a quartic polynomial and moments weighting method, OpenNode demonstrates exceptional accuracy in approximating nodal surface fluxes, further enhanced by the Quadratic Transverse Leakage approximation. The critical concept of commutativity between adjoint and forward solutions is thoroughly investigated, serving as a benchmark for the code’s reliability in predicting system responses, determining single-point reactor kinetics parameters, and facilitating perturbation analyses. The paper meticulously details OpenNode’s methodology for adjoint neutron flux computation, unraveling its rigorous approach through transposition operations and intricate mathematical transformations. Noteworthy features, including support for second and fourth polynomial orders; versatile computation modes; different mesh points; and seamless integration with Python, PyQt5, and Blender, underscore OpenNode’s adaptability. Results from comprehensive analysis of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional International Atomic Energy Agency core benchmark problem showcase OpenNode’s prowess. The code excels in reactor geometry visualizations, benchmark parameters, and neutronic analysis, with a particular emphasis on commutativity verification against various benchmarked codes. The precision of OpenNode is further demonstrated in power distribution analyses, revealing remarkable proximity to reference values and symmetrical power distribution patterns.

Unlocking Trust in AI Decision-Making: The Crucial Role of Confidence, Transparency, and User Perception

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of decision-making processes across a spectrum of applications, from autonomous vehicles and healthcare diagnostics to financial forecasting and customer service. As AI systems increasingly take on roles that directly impact human lives and societal structures, the issue of trust in their decision-making capabilities assumes paramount importance. Confidence, as a measurable attribute within AI systems, plays a pivotal role in shaping this trust dynamic. This abstract is drawn from the conference "AI Decision-Making: The Role of Confidence," which explores the multifaceted dimensions of confidence in AI decision-making and its profound implications for accuracy and trust calibration. Researchers, practitioners, and industry experts converge to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding this critical concept.

Stealth Nanocarriers in Cancer Therapy: a Comprehensive Review of Design, Functionality, and Clinical Applications.

Nanotechnology has significantly transformed cancer treatment by introducing innovative methods for delivering drugs effectively. This literature review provided an in-depth analysis of the role of nanocarriers in cancer therapy, with a particular focus on the critical concept of the 'stealth effect.' The stealth effect refers to the ability of nanocarriers to evade the immune system and overcome physiological barriers. The review investigated the design and composition of various nanocarriers, such as liposomes, micelles, and inorganic nanoparticles, highlighting the importance of surface modifications and functionalization. The complex interaction between the immune system, opsonization, phagocytosis, and the protein corona was examined to understand the stealth effect. The review carefully evaluated strategies to enhance the stealth effect, including surface coating with polymers, biomimetic camouflage, and targeting ligands. The in vivo behavior of stealth nanocarriers and their impact on pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and toxicity were also systematically examined. Additionally, the review presented clinical applications, case studies of approved nanocarrier-based cancer therapies, and emerging formulations in clinical trials. Future directions and obstacles in the field, such as advancements in nanocarrier engineering, personalized nanomedicine, regulatory considerations, and ethical implications, were discussed in detail. The review concluded by summarizing key findings and emphasizing the transformative potential of stealth nanocarriers in revolutionizing cancer therapy. This review enhanced the comprehension of nanocarrier-based cancer therapies and their potential impact by providing insights into advanced studies, clinical applications, and regulatory considerations.

Can repetitive mechanical motion cause structural damage to axons?

Biological structures have evolved to very efficiently generate, transmit, and withstand mechanical forces. These biological examples have inspired mechanical engineers for centuries and led to the development of critical insights and concepts. However, progress in mechanical engineering also raises new questions about biological structures. The past decades have seen the increasing study of failure of engineered structures due to repetitive loading, and its origin in processes such as materials fatigue. Repetitive loading is also experienced by some neurons, for example in the peripheral nervous system. This perspective, after briefly introducing the engineering concept of mechanical fatigue, aims to discuss the potential effects based on our knowledge of cellular responses to mechanical stresses. A particular focus of our discussion are the effects of mechanical stress on axons and their cytoskeletal structures. Furthermore, we highlight the difficulty of imaging these structures and the promise of new microscopy techniques. The identification of repair mechanisms and paradigms underlying long-term stability is an exciting and emerging topic in biology as well as a potential source of inspiration for engineers.

The Liver Frailty Index: a model for establishing organ-specific frailty metrics across all solid organ transplantation.

In this review, we discuss the development of the Liver Frailty Index (LFI) and how it may serve as a model for developing other organ-specific frailty indices. As the demand for solid organ transplants continues to increase, the transplantation community is enhancing its strategies for organ allocation to gain deeper insights into patient risk profiles and anticipated outcomes. Frailty has emerged as a critical concept in transplant care, offering valuable insights into adverse health outcomes. Standardizing frailty assessment across transplant programs could enhance prognostic accuracy and inform pretransplant interventions.The LFI comprises of three performance-based tests that each represents essential components of the multidimensional frailty construct. This composite metric provides insights beyond liver function and considers nonhepatic comorbid factors. Identifying common frailty principles among all transplant candidates and adopting the LFI methodology, which assesses fundamental frailty principles using liver-specific tools, could establish a foundational pool of shared core frailty principles. From this pool, organ-specific frailty indices could be derived, each equipped with the clinically relevant organ-specific tools to evaluate common core principles. Creating a standardized framework across all solid-organ transplants, with common principles and organ-specific measurements, would facilitate consistent frailty assessment, standardize the integration of the frailty construct into transplant decision-making, and enable center-level interventions to improve outcomes for patients with end-stage organ disease.

Artistic Resistance and Resilience in Sank, or the Patience of the Dead, by Aristide Tarnagda

Abstract Burkina Faso has faced a security crisis unlike any other in its history for the past eight years. The government has lost control of up to 35 % of the national territory, and there are as many as two million internally displaced persons living in the big cities. The emblematic figure of Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s president from 1984 to 1987, has soared beyond the local image of the “upright man” (the ideal to which the very name “Burkina Faso” refers) to that of a globally recognised icon of resistance against imperialism. Theatre artists are inspired to create theatrical performances that “represent” (or “face up”) this great figure, as the recent edition of the Ouagadougou-based biannual theatre festival called Les Récréâtrales invited them to do. This paper emphasises theatre’s contribution to efforts of artistic resilience and resistance in Burkina Faso. It addresses the question: How do Burkinabè artists produce acts of artistic resilience through performance? In other words, does the staging proposed by the Burkinabè playwright Aristide Tarnagda carry the seeds of hope for a Burkina Faso entirely liberated from terrorism? The theory of communication developed by J.L. Austin in How to Do Things With Words (1962) and Anne Ubersfeld’s (1982) semiotic analysis theory provide the key critical concepts of this study.

HARMONIZING INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEMS THROUGH THE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MODERN STATE

Sustainable development is a critical concept used to enhance global welfare. In this context, peremptory norms recognized within international law are integrated as general, universal, essential, and fundamental principles for societal benefit. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the role of sustainable development within international law and examine the contribution of norms to the formation of a modern legal state. The legal status of norms and capacity to embody universal values are clarified using descriptive analysis with a normative juridical approach and qualitative data. The results show that sustainable development has been developed as an indispensable paradigm, widely confirmed across legal frameworks. In addition, the integration as a universal norm within international law reflects the potential to influence legal systems globally. This depends on the balance of established sources such as treaties and customary practices. Moreover, this research contributes to legal scholarship by stating the role of international norms in advancing sustainable development.

Multihazard resilience and economic loss evaluation method for cable-stayed bridges under the combined effects of scour and earthquakes

Cable-stayed bridges (CSBs) commonly experience scour-induced foundation issues during their service life, impacting both structural seismic resilience and economic losses. Nonetheless, these aspects remain inadequately addressed in existing seismic codes. This paper presents a comprehensive probabilistic multihazard fragility, resilience, and economic loss evaluation method for CSBs influenced by scour and earthquakes. Numerical models with various scour depths considering epistemic uncertainties in loads, structural properties, and soil conditions are first established using the Latin-hypercube sampling (LHS) method. Incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) are then conducted on these models in cases with near-fault and far-field bidirectional ground motions, yielding probabilistic multihazard demand models and component- and system-level multihazard fragility surfaces for diverse limit states. Subsequently, resilience and economic losses are comparatively evaluated by integrating damage probabilities with corresponding uncertain functional recovery functions. Eventually, a rapid bridge traffic capacity evaluation method based on the critical traffic capacity surface concept is devised to effectively assess CSB open patterns under various peak ground accelerations (PGAs), scour depths, and repair times. The numerical results show apparent shifts in the nonmonotonic seismic fragility, resilience, and economic loss of the case CSB due to scour effects, with the rates of change reaching 31.4 %, 34 %, and 24.8 %, respectively, associated with a critical scour depth of 12 m at IM = 0.8 g. The developed analysis framework provides a reference for the life-cycle design and maintenance of CSBs affected by multihazard scour and earthquakes.

Benefits of Using Data-Driven Lean Manufacturing in Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Units in Pakistan

The objective of the present study is to investigate the advantages of lean manufacturing in textile and apparel manufacturing facilities in Pakistan. This study examines the influence of lean manufacturing on the time-saving, process efficiency, and industry improvement. Modern organizations are employing lean manufacturing as a critical concept in their operations. There are numerous advantages to employing lean manufacturing; consequently, the textile industry is also transitioning to this methodology. The quantitative methodology employed in this investigation is employed to investigate the current subject matter. The study's data is gathered from the customers and employees of textile and apparel manufacturing units in Pakistan. In order to accumulate data from the respondents of the investigation, questionnaires were implemented. The study's findings suggest that lean manufacturing is significantly positively correlated with industry improvement, process efficiency, and time savings. These three factors are also essential for the success of an organization. This investigation also encompasses practical and managerial implications, future direction, and limitations.

Influence of Family Social Capital on the Psychological Well-Being of Working Women: Mediating Role of Self-Esteem and Moderating Role of Sense of Coherence

Family social capital (FSC) encompasses the positive relationships and effective functioning within a family that positively influences psychological well-being (PWB) of working women. This work investigates the complex relationship between well-being and FSC. Self-esteem (SE) and a sense of coherence (SOC) are critical concepts between working women’s FSC and well-being. The methodology of this cross-sectional study was carefully designed to explore complex relationships among multiple factors affecting the PWB of employed women in the Northern region of India. Three hundred fifteen usable questionnaires were obtained after a meticulous data cleansing process. The findings demonstrate that FSC enhances SE, which further positively influences PWB. Moreover, results shows that SE plays a significant role in mediating the relationship between FSC and well-being. The data also indicates a moderating role of SOC between FSC and well-being. The current study contributes significantly to the existing literature with theoretical implications by providing additional conceptual insights that can expand the overall understanding of FSC, particularly in the context of non-Western countries.

A paradigm shift in giftedness research: integrating critical realism’s ontology, epistemology, and methodology

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the integration of critical realist ontology, epistemology, and methodology into giftedness and gifted education research. Although there is no consensus about the complex nature of giftedness, a paradigmatic shift is underway, emphasizing the impact of contextual and social factors in shaping gifted performance. Despite this shift, the ontological, epistemological, and methodological stances are often overlooked, leading to an incomplete understanding of the complex interaction between individuals and their context and constraining the potential to offer realistic and functional interventions for gifted education. Critical realism enables us to explore complex interactions, generate hypotheses, identify causal mechanisms, advance theoretical frameworks, and construct functional interventions for policy practices with its ontological, epistemological, and methodological arguments. This work contributes to the field by showcasing how critical realism's core concepts and tenets can be applied to various aspects of giftedness and gifted education and suggesting multiple avenues for further research.

Psychoanalytic Exploration of Identity and Loss in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

This psychoanalytic exploration delves into the nuanced dimensions of identity and loss within Kiran Desai’s literary masterpiece, The Inheritance of Loss. By applying critical psychoanalytic concepts, this analysis navigates the novel’s characters’ intricate subconscious motivations and conflicts against cultural shifts and globalization. The study unveils profound psychological landscapes within the narrative by employing a methodology that combines close textual analysis with established psychoanalytic principles. The characters, such as Jemubhai and Biju, serve as focal points for exploring the depths of their internal struggles in response to external forces. Concepts like repression and symbolism become invaluable tools in deciphering layers of meaning embedded in the narrative, enriching our comprehension of their psyches. The Inheritance of Loss is a set of external events and a profound exploration of the human condition. Characters, shaped by their unconscious desires and conflicts, become mirrors reflecting the broader societal implications of cultural upheaval. The narrative becomes a testament to the intricacies of human existence amidst a rapidly changing world. This psychoanalytic analysis provides a key to unlocking the depths of Desai’s narrative, offering a richer interpretation of the novel’s characters and themes. By unraveling the psychological tapestry woven into the story, the study provides insights into the universal struggles of individuals facing the complexities of identity, loss, and cultural transformation. Through this exploration, The Inheritance of Loss transcends its narrative boundaries, inviting readers to contemplate the human psyche’s profound and often hidden dimensions.