Critical Outlook Research Articles

One Step Methanol-Mediated CO2 Conversion to Gasoline: Comprehensive Review and Critical Outlook

One Step Methanol-Mediated CO₂ Conversion to Gasoline: Comprehensive Review and Critical Outlook

Democratic Socialism of BP and its Imperatives in Nepal's Politics and Development: A Critical Outlook

This paper explores Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala’s interpretation of democratic socialism and its influence on Nepal’s political and developmental trajectory. Adopting a review-based methodology within a critical framework, the research delves into BP’s principles of democratic socialism, which aim to blend democratic governance with social fairness and economic equity. The study evaluates how these principles were reflected in development policies during the Nepali Congress leadership, noting both positive outcomes and limitations. Additionally, it addresses the substantial obstacles encountered in applying democratic socialism in Nepal, such as political instability, leadership crisis, economic constraints, and societal challenges. In conclusion, the paper assesses the ongoing significance and future prospects of democratic socialism in Nepal, advocating for its effective theorization and application through development strategies centered on the people, improved governance practices, and reinforced institutional structures to promote political morality and sustainable development.

Developing Cathode Films for Practical All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The development of all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) toward large-scale electrochemical energy storage is driven by the higher specific energies and lower cost in comparison with the state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. Yet, insufficient mechanistic understanding and quantitative parameters of the key components in sulfur-based cathode hinders the advancement of the ASSLSB technologies. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of electrode parameters, including specific capacity, voltage, S mass loading and S content toward establishing the specific energy (Wh kg-1) and energy density (Wh L-1) of the ASSLSBs. Additionally, this work critically evaluates the progress in enhancing lithium ion and electron percolation and mitigating electrochemical-mechanical degradation in sulfur-based cathodes. Last, a critical outlook on potential future research directions is provided to guide the rational design of high-performance sulfur-based cathodes toward practical ASSLSBs.

German language support in Austria: feasibility, effectiveness and legitimacy from the perspective of public administration

Education systems around the world have been grappling with the task of including multilingual students. To achieve this objective, multilingual students in Austria have been receiving parallel instruction in segregated classrooms since the 2018/19 school year. These measures have been the subject of criticism, particularly in terms of their practical feasibility due to limited space and staff resources, as well as their effectiveness in terms of students’ academic, linguistic, and socio-emotional development and their fundamental normative value (i.e. legitimacy). To add a new perspective, this study employs qualitative data to clarify public administration employees’ stances on the perceived feasibility, effectiveness, and legitimacy of German language support measures. The results of a reflexive thematic analysis reveal that most participants hold negative perceptions of perceived feasibility, particularly concerning spatial and personnel resources as well as class composition. Findings also indicate that participants convey a critical outlook on the effectiveness of the German language support measures in terms of students’ general academic progress and socio-emotional development. Interestingly, the findings suggest that, despite clear negative assessments, there exist conflicting and indecisive views pertaining to perceived legitimacy. The results presented in this study hold significant implications for research efforts that prioritize language and diversity considerations.

Ethical implications of Thai ChatGPT public discourses

ABSTRACT One of the interesting discourses that has occurred in Thailand as a result of ChatGPT is how the algorithm is exploited in a growing number of workshops and seminars aimed at teaching how to use, or to ‘prompt’, the algorithm so as to maximise its potential. On the one hand, the organisers of these workshops aim at profiting from the growing demand for ChatGPT. On the other, there is a sense among the Thai public that they must reap the benefit of the technology for their own purposes. This trend seems to be more prominent in Thailand than in the West, where ChatGPT is viewed more with critical outlook. In this paper, we critically examine the perception of ChatGPT in the Thai context, especially when ChatGPT is used as a topic in these workshops. We will also discuss how this situation should lead to a discussion of how ChatGPT should be regulated.

Bioinspired Stimuli-Responsive Materials for Soft Actuators.

Biological species can walk, swim, fly, jump, and climb with fast response speeds and motion complexity. These remarkable functions are accomplished by means of soft actuation organisms, which are commonly composed of muscle tissue systems. To achieve the creation of their biomimetic artificial counterparts, various biomimetic stimuli-responsive materials have been synthesized and developed in recent decades. They can respond to various external stimuli in the form of structural or morphological transformations by actively or passively converting input energy into mechanical energy. They are the core element of soft actuators for typical smart devices like soft robots, artificial muscles, intelligent sensors and nanogenerators. Significant progress has been made in the development of bioinspired stimuli-responsive materials. However, these materials have not been comprehensively summarized with specific actuation mechanisms in the literature. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in biomimetic stimuli-responsive materials that are instrumental for soft actuators. Firstly, different stimuli-responsive principles for soft actuators are discussed, including fluidic, electrical, thermal, magnetic, light, and chemical stimuli. We further summarize the state-of-the-art stimuli-responsive materials for soft actuators and explore the advantages and disadvantages of using electroactive polymers, magnetic soft composites, photo-thermal responsive polymers, shape memory alloys and other responsive soft materials. Finally, we provide a critical outlook on the field of stimuli-responsive soft actuators and emphasize the challenges in the process of their implementation to various industries.

Modern approaches to global and governmental regulation of virtual assets: what to choose to support digital innovations?

The paper offers a critical outlook at modern approaches to supranational and governmental regulation of the circulation of virtual assets, which have already developed with confidence and which actually determine the conflict between generally global and national views on a very heterogeneous category – virtual assets. The purpose of this article is to summarize some key regulatory approaches spread globally – from global to state levels – regarding the circulation of virtual assets and their critical analysis from the point of view of supporting digital innovation in a national economy. The paper is a continuation of the ongoing wide-ranging expert and political debate about what government officials and presidents should be guided by in matters of circulation of virtual and, in particular, backed (secured) tokenized assets. The logic of the presentation and judgments in the paper is related to the step-by-step consideration of such issues: (1) the basic political approach of the International Monetary Fund and its discussion from a public-management point of view; (2) institutional and administrative risks for governments regarding the full implementation of the IMF’s 2023 policy recommendations on the regulation of virtual assets; (3) widespread standards for the prudent (prudential) circulation of virtual assets, which were developed by other authoritative supranational organizations; (4) an overview of key problems in the coordination of multi- and single-level approaches to the regulation of virtual assets; (5) highlighting 5 regulatory approaches in the ways and scope of governmental (national) regulation of virtual assets currently operating in the world; (6) author’s comparison and assessment of regulatory approaches; (7) assessment of Ukrainian prospects in supporting technological innovations in the field of circulation of virtual assets in the context of the adoption of the new law «On Virtual Assets» in 2023. The author makes the final conclusion that, generally, modern regulatory efforts of supranational and state regulators in the field of circulation of virtual assets are mostly focused on the problems of illegal financing, unfair competition and the integrity of new and old markets of financial assets, as well as focused on requirements for experience and financial stability of private service providers in the field of virtual assets. However, there is a growing understanding that regulators will arrive at a more or less single or multiple regulatory approach, which will be set at the supranational level, and this will only facilitate technological innovation. Such an approach will most likely be combined – based on regulatory flexibility and on the basis of principles (expected results).

Experimental and Theoretical Aspects of MXenes-Based Energy Storage and Energy Conversion Devices

Transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides (MXenes) have become an appealing framework for developing various energy applications. MXenes with van der Waals (vdW) interactions are facile, highly efficient, affordable, and self-assembled features that improve energy density. MXenes exhibit large surface area, high electric conductivity, and excellent electrochemical characteristics for various energy applications. This review summarizes and emphasizes the current developments in MXene with improved performance for energy storage or conversion devices, including supercapacitors (SCs), various types of rechargeable batteries (RBs), solar cells, and fuel cells. We discuss the crystal structures of MXenes properties of MXenes and briefly discuss them for different types of energy applications. Finally, the critical outlook and perspective for the MXene progress for applications in energy applications are also described.

Exploring the key triggers of euphemism: a critical outlook at how culture and society influence language

In the context of diplomatic language, euphemisms play an important role in international and intercultural communication. The use of polite and courteous language is crucial in maintaining amiable diplomatic relations between two or more countries. Euphemisms are words or expressions used instead of terms considered to be offensive, insulting or too harsh in a certain context. Although their use may seem a way of being polite or avoiding confrontation, they are triggered by different factors and influence human communication. The main triggers of euphemisms are considered to be political correctness, politeness, cultural taboos and dysphemisms. This article thoroughly explores the way in which the triads euphemism – political correctness – politeness (pragmatic perspective) and euphemism – taboo – dysphemism (semantic perspective) influence the use of euphemisms in the diplomatic context and the way they can help maintain positive diplomatic relations.

A Philosophical Search for Happiness: An Enigma or Reality?

In philosophy happiness occupies a dominant position. From the beginning of philosophy, we find the scholarly engagement of philosophers in search of happiness for human being. It is actually a perennial search of mankind throughout history. My attempt in this paper is to become a part of that august journey. I will try to focus some points in my paper. At first, I will try to give an analytic presentation about the nature of happiness with references to different philosophers and philosophical schools. In this part I will attempt to find out the root causes of the changing patterns of happiness by maintaining a chronological order. In the next part I will try to depict some significant debates regarding the pursuit of happiness. The question of enigma and reality will be dealt here in a comparative fashion. And finally, I will try to give some recommendations and suggestions for a happy life.As this is a qualitative work, here I confine myself within some relevant textbooks of philosophy and recent research articles on the pursuit of happiness. Content analysis, comparative discussion with a critical outlook and philosophical speculation will be within the research methodology of the paper. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#71-72; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2022 P 129-151

A Critical Outlook on the Problems of Formation and Content of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Education

This research study was conducted to determine the formation and content problems of both gastronomy and culinary arts education programs in Turkey. In parallel with the purposes of the research study, first of all, the existing literature was reviewed in detail and a conceptual framework was drawn in line with the obtained information. The research data were collected by the interview technique, which has been frequently used in studies designed with a qualitative approach. In this context, a semi-structured interview form was applied to 39 academic staff members who acquired undergraduate and/or graduate-level education in the field of gastronomy and culinary arts on a voluntary basis, and statements that would have influenced the participants were avoided during the interview. As a result of the content analysis conducted on the obtained data, it was determined that the participants made 261 similar or different statements regarding their undergraduate and graduate education. The themes that contained the most statements in the research results were academic staff for undergraduate level education (n=56, 30%), curriculum (n=35, 19%), cost (n=31, 17%), academic staff for graduate level education (n=28, 38%), course contents (n=15, 20%), and student acceptance (n=14, 19%). Furthermore, the suggestion item for which the participants sent the most statements in the study was found to be the employment of academicians with gastronomy education (undergraduate, n=16; graduate, n=10).

GENDER STEREOTYPING MALICE: CAMOUFLAGING IN STOCK CHARACTERS AND ARCHETYPES

Archetype and stock/generic characters have exhibited an enormous presence in almost all ages, forms and genres of literary texts. The booming evolution of media forms over time caused these types of characters to transition to the newer and popularity-attaining media forms including theatre, cinema, games and most recently the meta-verse. As the norm goes, these characters in return have contributed immensely to the creative arts providing them with a stock medium of expression readily available for narration. However, these characters at the same time have contributed to both, the creation of new gender stereotypes and strengthening of the previously existing ones. Over time, these gender stereotypes have, in multiple ways, consciously or unconsciously contributed to the conditioning of the society at large through media consumption and have also rendered considerable impact on several important domains of human life including education, professional space, society and the people encompassing various disciplines. Modern Indian media, too inculcated these types of characters in their chosen narrations leading to a borrowing of the imbibed gender stereotypes as well. Witnessing shifts of trends, these characters too have undergone updates leading to a variety of changes and alterations with regard to gender stereotypes. However, these newer modifications are not yet so significant than the initial cultural impact of the same while accompanying with them is again a newer baggage of gender stereotypes. The present paper aims at understanding such prevalent gender stereotypes that have been nurtured, strengthened and formulated as a result of the archetype and stock/generic characters thereby enabling identification of such for a wider audience especially those linked to the educational space. Thus, nurturing the underlying aim of helping them (educational professionals) understand the influences hence generated through these recurring character types in multiple media. The paper favours a rather critical outlook upon the roles and impacts of such characters in gender stereotyping and/or their strengthening along with the key issues that they have given rise to considering the population and/or society at large. It aims at a thorough examination of selected and abundantly prevalent archetype stock/generic characters as such including the action hero, chosen one, Christ figure, dark lady, Damsel in distress, dumb blonde, folk hero and the French maid to name a few. It will facilitate an understanding of the sources, backing and flow of gender stereotypes as is lent through these characters. The paper seeks to examine these with regard to Indian Media citing examples ranging from literary works and motion pictures to internet media like memes and short videos. The present paper has employed qualitative approach. Under qualitative approach, it is narrative research examining the various imprints of such characters in various media and their role. The outcomes thus help not only understand, but also trace, segregate and relook towards the inculcation of gender stereotypes lent by these character types.

Innovation in gastrointestinal surgery: the evolution of minimally invasive surgery-a narrative review.

Minimally invasive (MI) surgery has revolutionised surgery, becoming the standard of care in many countries around the globe. Observed benefits over traditional open surgery include reduced pain, shorter hospital stay, and decreased recovery time. Gastrointestinal surgery in particular was an early adaptor to both laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Within this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery and a critical outlook on the evidence surrounding its effectiveness and safety. A literature review was conducted to identify relevant articles for the topic of this review. The literature search was performed using Medical Subject Heading terms on PubMed. The methodology for evidence synthesis was in line with the four steps for narrative reviews outlined in current literature. The key words used were minimally invasive, robotic, laparoscopic colorectal, colon, rectal surgery. The introduction of minimally surgery has revolutionised patient care. Despite the evidence supporting this technique in gastrointestinal surgery, several controversies remain. Here we discuss some of them; the lack of high level evidence regarding the oncological outcomes of TaTME and lack of supporting evidence for robotic colorectalrectal surgery and upper GI surgery. These controversies open pathways for future research opportunities with RCTs focusing on comparing robotic to laparoscopic with different primary outcomes including ergonomics and surgeon comfort.

A systematic review of biologically-informed deep learning models for cancer: fundamental trends for encoding and interpreting oncology data

BackgroundThere is an increasing interest in the use of Deep Learning (DL) based methods as a supporting analytical framework in oncology. However, most direct applications of DL will deliver models with limited transparency and explainability, which constrain their deployment in biomedical settings.MethodsThis systematic review discusses DL models used to support inference in cancer biology with a particular emphasis on multi-omics analysis. It focuses on how existing models address the need for better dialogue with prior knowledge, biological plausibility and interpretability, fundamental properties in the biomedical domain. For this, we retrieved and analyzed 42 studies focusing on emerging architectural and methodological advances, the encoding of biological domain knowledge and the integration of explainability methods.ResultsWe discuss the recent evolutionary arch of DL models in the direction of integrating prior biological relational and network knowledge to support better generalisation (e.g. pathways or Protein-Protein-Interaction networks) and interpretability. This represents a fundamental functional shift towards models which can integrate mechanistic and statistical inference aspects. We introduce a concept of bio-centric interpretability and according to its taxonomy, we discuss representational methodologies for the integration of domain prior knowledge in such models.ConclusionsThe paper provides a critical outlook into contemporary methods for explainability and interpretability used in DL for cancer. The analysis points in the direction of a convergence between encoding prior knowledge and improved interpretability. We introduce bio-centric interpretability which is an important step towards formalisation of biological interpretability of DL models and developing methods that are less problem- or application-specific.

The owl of Minerva and the dialectic of human freedom: A heterodox reading

In the preface to the Philosophy of Right, Hegel compares the philosopher’s work to the flight of the owl of Minerva: just as the latter begins only with the fall of dusk, so too is philosophy bound to ‘come on the scene’ too late to teach ‘what the world ought to be’. This well-known passage has been read in many quarters as a heavy, if not fatal blow to philosophy’s critical role. While some interpreters regard Hegel’s metaphor as an outright rejection of critical theory, others see it as a restriction of philosophy’s normative dimension. In this article, I argue against both of these interpretations. In my view, Hegel’s methodological indications are not incompatible with a critical outlook on received reality. What is more, they do not preclude the possibility of a radical critique of received reality. To show why, I argue that the Philosophy of Right is primarily aimed at a normative reconstruction of existing social and political arrangements, which entails both a retrospective and a prospective dimension. Moreover, I claim that this duality is one of the most original features of Hegel’s practical thought, and the key to its enduring political relevance.

Faux Semblants: A Critical Outlook on the Commercialization of Digital Art

Heralded by promises for the long-awaited economic empowerment of digital art and the paradigmatic shift of creative production, the art market’s fusion with blockchain technologies and the crypto economy has polarized opinions among artists, cultural workers, and economists. Its capricious dynamics and exuberance largely shroud the continuation of the art market’s ideology and the reinforcement of the disturbing political vectors of the crypto/blockchain complex. In this paper, I address several interrelated aspects of art tokenization in a compact and comprehensive critical framework that may be useful for a constructive discourse of contemporary digital art. By focusing on the core poetic principles of artmaking—which concern the historically informed autonomy of expression and socially responsible freedom of creative thinking—I identify some of the prospects for advancing digital art towards an ethically coherent and epistemologically relevant expressive stratum. The opening sections Introduction, Markets, and Contrivances outline the art market, its adoption of crypto technologies, and its influences on the production and expressive modes of digital art. Sections Ideologies and Myths describe the ideological and technical issues of the crypto economy, while Shams and Fallouts delve into the conceptual shortcomings and ethical, political, and creative consequences of the standard art tokenization rhetoric. The closing sections Options and Conclusion present the considerations for a productive assessment of blockchain technologies in digital art and summarize some of the alternative approaches for navigating and interfacing with the crypto art world.

Spinal tumor embolization: benefit for surgical resection.

The embolization of hypervascular spinal tumors preoperatively has shown to be a worthwhile adjunctive procedure to minimize the elevated risks associated with surgical resection, such as intraoperative blood loss and its associated complications. Resection of these hypervascular tumors is necessary for local tumor control, reduction in patient-reported pain, improved neurological functioning, and spinal stability. This adjunctive procedure has been associated with improved surgical outcomes and easier facilitation of surgical resection. As such, we provide a review of the current literature examining the employment of this technique. Specifically, this article (a) reviews the techniques of embolization, with anatomical considerations of the arterial framework of the spinal network; (b) relativizes and outlines the post-embolization management of spinal tumor resection; (c) provides a critical outlook on the reported benefit of preoperative embolization before surgical resection with support from clinical studies in the literature; and (d) discusses the efficacy and reliability of provocative testing and post-procedural management and follow-up. Ultimately, a thorough and updated review of preoperative spinal tumor embolization and its clinical benefits will summarize the current fund of knowledge and encourage future research toward continued improvements in patient outcomes for those needing to undergo surgical resection of spinal lesions.

Contra la desinformación en red: la necesidad de una mirada crítica y enfoque multidisciplinar

The battle against misinformation relies on three indispensable pillars: foundational education —starting from school—, a critical perspective, and an interdisciplinary approach. These components are paramount in comprehending its causes, development, and potential effects on public opinion. Basic education equips individuals with the necessary skills and facilitates contextualization of the issue, from past to present days, enabling differentiation among various types, degrees, and levels of misinformation based on underlying motives. Moreover, adopting a multidisciplinary and holistic perspective provides the right angle to apprehend the complexity of misinformation in its entirety. Additionally, a critical outlook is key to unraveling the intricacies of contemporary dilemmas such as the dissemination of misinformation regarding misinformation itself. It also offers insight into how rumors and fake news can become a lucrative business, not only for those spreading them but also for those claiming to combat them.

The Paintgrinder: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Karl Marx on a Horizon of Thought

This article undertakes a radical rereading of capitalist ideas in the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882). In both popular and academic appraisals, Emerson is an exponent of mainstream American values, moral and economic. We challenge such appraisals through a novel analysis of Emerson's brief contact with the work of Karl Marx and proceed to illustrate the subtlety of Emerson's engagement with the structure of capitalist labor. Using explanatory metaphors based on painterly labor, Emerson demonstrates how labor structures that are assumed to be products of capitalism were also discernable in cultural settings in the mid-nineteenth century, and that neglected lines of affinity exist between cultural and capitalist production. The result is a speculative new purview for the analysis of the social forms of the capitalist era, which indicates the shortcomings of what Michel Foucault termed a Marxian "horizon of thought" that governs the critical outlook of the humanities.

Recent Progress and Challenges of Bismuth‐Based Halide Perovskites for Emerging Optoelectronic Applications

AbstractRecently, metal halide perovskites have attracted extensive attentions owing to their superior optoelectronic properties in various device applications, such as solar cells, photodetectors, light‐emitting diodes, lasing, photocatalysis, etc. Up to now, the state‐of‐the‐art developments of perovskite‐based devices are most using the lead‐halide perovskite system. However, the presence of lead (Pb) in these devices, which is insidious bioaccumulative hazard to human bodies, and a poor stability against light, heat, and humidity hamper their practical applications and future commercialization. Therefore, the scientific community is searching for low‐toxicity and environmental‐friendly lead‐free perovskite‐type materials as a back‐up strategy. Among the possible Pb‐substitution strategies, the trivalent bismuth cation (Bi3+) possesses the same electronic configuration as Pb2+, and some emerging Bi‐based perovskites and derivatives are experimentally characterized, which exhibit comparable optoelectronic properties to the Pb‐based perovskites. In this review, a comprehensive overview of currently explored Bi‐based halide perovskites is reported, with an emphasis on their synthesis methods, structural diversity, photophysical properties, and their current and potential applications in various optoelectronic categories. Finally, this review is finished with a critical outlook into the current challenges and development prospects of Bi‐based halide perovskites toward the versatile optoelectronic applications.