Frontier Line Research Articles

Temnikovskaya Zaseka: Border Service and Frontier Line in the Defense System of the “Ukraine” of the Russian State in the 16th – First Third of the 18th Century

Temnikovskaya Zaseka: Border Service and Frontier Line in the Defense System of the “Ukraine” of the Russian State in the 16th – First Third of the 18th Century

Multi-Objective Optimization of Adhesive Joint Strength and Elastic Modulus of Adhesive Epoxy with Active Learning.

Studying multiple properties of a material concurrently is essential for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of its behavior and performance. However, this approach presents certain challenges. For instance, simultaneous examination of various properties often necessitates extensive experimental resources, thereby increasing the overall cost and time required for research. Furthermore, the pursuit of desirable properties for one application may conflict with those needed for another, leading to trade-off scenarios. In this study, we focused on investigating adhesive joint strength and elastic modulus, both crucial properties directly impacting adhesive behavior. To determine elastic modulus, we employed a non-destructive indentation method for converting hardness measurements. Additionally, we introduced a specimen apparatus preparation method to ensure the fabrication of smooth surfaces and homogeneous polymeric specimens, free from voids and bubbles. Our experiments utilized a commercially available bisphenol A-based epoxy resin in combination with a Poly(propylene glycol) curing agent. We generated an initial dataset comprising experimental results from 32 conditions, which served as input for training a machine learning model. Subsequently, we used this model to predict outcomes for a total of 256 conditions. To address the high deviation in prediction results, we implemented active learning approaches, achieving a 50% reduction in deviation while maintaining model accuracy. Through our analysis, we observed a trade-off boundary (Pareto frontier line) between adhesive joint strength and elastic modulus. Leveraging Bayesian optimization, we successfully identified experimental conditions that surpassed this boundary, yielding an adhesive joint strength of 25.2 MPa and an elastic modulus of 182.5 MPa.

Beyond the Frontier Line: the Deported Southeastern Indigenous Nations as “Civilizers” of the Great Plains

Dans le sillage de l’Indian Removal Act de 1830, la déportation des nations autochtones du Sud-Est et la subséquente création du Territoire Indien (est de l’État actuel de l’Oklahoma) ont considérablement modifié le paysage géopolitique et culturel des Grandes Plaines. Les stratégies de survivance développées par les nations relocalisées pour s’approprier les terres allouées – qui appartenaient traditionnellement aux populations autochtones des Plaines – et pour maintenir l’intégrité de leurs peuples dans l’Ouest ont fait d’elles à la fois « des exilés et des pionniers ». Parce qu’elles étaient dans la même temps victimes de l’expansion impérialiste des États-Unis et colonisatrices de l’Ouest autochtone, l’exemple de leur migration complexifie l’approche binaire proposée par le concept de la colonisation de peuplement. S’étant stratégiquement positionnées dans le cadre du « progrès » américain à l’est du Mississippi, leur installation dans le Territoire Indien semble avoir déplacé plus à l’ouest la ligne non seulement géographique mais aussi culturelle de la Frontière.

How much organic carbon could the soil store? The carbon sequestration potential of Australian soil.

Soil is a huge carbon (C) reservoir, but where and how much extra C can be stored is unknown. Current methods to estimate the maximum amount of mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) stabilized in the fine fraction (clay + silt, ) fit through the MAOC versus clay + silt relationship, not their maxima, making their estimates more uncertain and unreliable. We need a function that 'envelopes' that relationship. Here, using 5089 observations, we estimated that the uppermost 30 cm of Australian soil holds 13 Gt (10-18 Gt) of MAOC. We then fitted frontier lines, by soil type, to the relationship between MAOC and the percentage of clay + silt to estimate the maximum amounts of MAOC that Australian soils could store in their current environments, and calculated the MAOC deficit, or C sequestration potential. We propagated the uncertainties from the frontier line fitting and mapped the estimates of these values over Australia using machine learning and kriging with external drift. The maps show regions where the soil is more in MAOC deficit and has greater sequestration potential. The modelling shows that the variation over the whole continent is determined mainly by climate, linked to vegetation and soil mineralogy. We find that the MAOC deficit in Australian soil is 40 Gt (25-60 Gt). The deficit in the vast rangelands is 20.84 Gt (13.97-29.70 Gt) and the deficit in cropping soil is 1.63 Gt (1.12-2.32 Gt). Management could increase C sequestration in these regions if the climate allowed it. Our findings provide new information on the C sequestration potential of Australian soils and highlight priority regions for soil management. Australia could benefit environmentally, socially and economically by unlocking even a tiny portion of its soil's C sequestration potential.

Breast Cancer Screening in Georgia: Choosing the Most Optimal and Cost-Effective Strategy

ObjectivesTo define the optimal and cost-effective breast cancer screening strategy for Georgia. MethodsWe used the Microsimulation Screening Analysis-Breast (MISCAN-Breast) model that has been adapted to the Georgian situation to evaluate 736 mammography screening strategies varied by interval (biennial and triennial), starting ages (40-60 years), stopping ages (64-84 years), and screening modality (with and without clinical breast examination [CBE]). Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and additional cost (healthcare perspective) compared with no screening per 1000 women were calculated with 3% discount. Major uncertainties (eg, costs) are addressed as sensitivity analyses. ResultsStrategies using a combination of mammography and CBE yielded in substantially higher costs with minimal differences in outcomes compared with mammography-only strategies. The current screening strategy, biennial mammography screening from the age of 40 until 70 years with CBE, is close to the frontier line but requires high additional cost given the QALY gains (€16 218/QALY), well above the willingness-to-pay threshold of €12 720. The optimal strategy in Georgia would be triennial mammography-only screening from age 45 to 66 years with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €12 507. ConclusionsBiennial screening strategies are resource-intensive strategies and may not be feasible for Georgia. By switching to triennial mammography-only strategy from the age of 45 until 66 years, it is possible to offer screening to more eligible women while still gaining substantial screening benefits. This is to address capacity issues which is a common barrier for many Eastern European countries.

Measuring performance of farmer producer organisations using data envelopment analysis

PurposeFarmers producer organisations (FPOs) play the most crucial role in the agriculture supply chain system, aiming to redress the balance between farming and marketing activities of agricultural produce. The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of FPOs using data envelopment analysis (usually referred to as DEA) on 34 FPO units selected from the state of Rajasthan.Design/methodology/approachOne of the most commonly used techniques to examine business performance is the application of DEA. The application of DEA requires the selection of inputs and outputs. This study takes three inputs and three outputs based on the insights drawn from the field survey. While the input variables consist of total assets, paid-up capital and the number of economic activities, the three output variables are turnover, net profit and number of members benefitted. Broadly, these variables encapsulate the operational performance of the business units.FindingsThis study’s findings reveal that the estimated relative efficiency score of the input-oriented CCR (Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes) model ranges from 0.06 to 1. Interestingly, only one FPO has reported a relative efficiency (RE) score of one, whereas the remaining FPOs fall below the efficiency frontier. However, 15 FPOs report an RE score of one in the output-oriented CCR approach. Considering the estimates obtained in the input- and output-oriented BCC (Banker, Charnes and Cooper) models, this study found that about 20% of the FPOs report an efficiency score greater than 0.80. Moreover, three FPOs are on the frontier line. An examination of the scale efficiency score in the input-oriented model, 45% of the FPOs have an efficiency score greater than 0.80, whereas almost all FPOs achieve a scale efficiency score greater than 0.80 in the output-oriented model. Overall, the results imply that the FPOs should place greater emphasis on the efficient utilisation of the inputs to enhance the overall business performance and productivity.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study provide vital insights into the specific inputs and outputs that determine the performance efficiency of FPOs and identify the potential areas for improving the existing inefficient FPOs.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the repository of the existing empirical studies in three distinct ways. First, the authors hardly found any previous studies that quantitatively assess the business performance of FPOs using the DEA technique. Second, the effort to identify the slacks associated with each input and output variable in input- and output-oriented models gives insights on improvable areas for inefficient FPOs. Third, the authors attempt to demystify the empirical obfuscations by highlighting the major challenges FPOs face in the state of Rajasthan.

PEMILIHAN PORTOFOLIO CRYPTOCURRENCY: (BITCOIN, YEARN.FINANCE, DOGECOIN, BINANCE COIN, CARDANO, DAN MONERO)

Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that can be used for transaction tools, using cryptography so that it is difficult to counterfeit. The crypto does not have a physical form, but can still be used as a digital asset. This study aims to determine an efficient portfolio of several cryptocurrencies by forming an Efficient Frontier Line. The efficient frontier line is formed by determining the risk and return of 6 cryptocurrencies, namely Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Yearn.finance, Binance Coin, Monero and Cardano. The technique used to select the sample is direct observation or observation of the prices of 6 cryptocurrencies for the period January-December 2021. In addition, literature studies through journals, news related to cryptocurrencies are also used. To form an efficient portfolio model, this study uses quantitative and qualitative analysis. The result of this study is that there are investment options for investors who like risk, choosing the proportion that maximizes profits with high risk. For investors who do not like high risk, they can choose the minimum proportion, and for moderate investors who can accept the risk of an equal proportion can choose a random proportion. Based on the results of the 3 proportions that will be chosen by investors, Bitcoin is one of the cryptocurrencies that is always chosen to invest because Bitcoin is a crypto that produces efficient returns and risks even though the risk in Bitcoin is quite high at certain returns.Keywords: Cryptocurrency, Risk, Return

GUARDA MUNICIPAL NA AREA DE FRONTEIRA COM SUA CONTRIBIÇÃO E A BUSCA DA VALORIZAÇÃO DA CLASSE

The objective of this work is the questioning about the public servant operating in the frontier line and its work qualities, having as manifesto the public safety professionals, especially the Municipal Guard of Corumbá state Mato Grosso do Sul, that has been contributing with the other forces of security in our municipality in this border area. Questionnaires were prepared within the institution of the Municipal Guard, as well as in other public security forces, focusing on institutional subsidies related to the quality of work of the public servant operating near the border - Corumbá-MS-BR / Bolivia. The tools used in this article are intended to map the fundamental questions of these public servants, obtaining the point of view of each worker on this journey in the border of our state of Sul-Mato-Grossense, having as experience in day to day work, uncovering the problems of the exercise of his position, as well as the institution that serves, with the purpose of collecting data on public security cases in this frontier area, with the merger of the current management. Through this study, it will be exposed how the servers in this border area work intensely, especially the Municipal Guard, which in turn, works in partnerships with other forces, subsidizing public safety in the region of Corumbá-MS, and with this, there is no increase in their salary but rather great work to be done by these servers in this border area. We trust that this study can improve the knowledge of executive managers as an amazing tool to be used in discussions of future laws and disciplinary rules for the servers established in the role of public security in this border region.

“Improve Their Condition While Making Them Useful”: Colonia General Conesa and the Dynamics of Settler Colonialism in Nineteenth-Century Argentina

Abstract In 1879, as the Argentine army prepared a military campaign against Indigenous groups in the Pampas and Patagonia, the national government created an Indigenous colony called Colonia General Conesa. Conesa's inhabitants were expected to build homes and cultivate crops under military watch and become “useful” Argentine citizens in the process. This short-lived assimilationist project, which the government abandoned three years later, illuminates the rapidly shifting dynamics of Argentine settler colonial ideology. Although Argentine officials initially saw Conesa as an expedient resolution to the nation's so-called “Indian question,” the dissolution of the southern frontier line in the early 1880s necessitated a shift toward new strategies that emphasized the complete physical and discursive erasure of the region's Indigenous peoples. Conesa's history, situated within the broader context of interethnic relations in Argentina's southern borderlands, sheds light on the development of Argentine settler colonialism and exemplifies how Indigenous people were written out of the nation's history.

Measuring Efficiencies of Dairy Buffalo Farms in the Philippines Using Data Envelopment Analysis

This study aimed to measure the efficiency scores of 75 dairy buffalo farms in the province of Nueva Ecija, Central Luzon, Philippines, using an input-oriented, variable-return-to-scale Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. The farmer-informants or decision-making units (DMUs) were categorized as smallholders, family modules, and semi-commercial in operations. Personal interviews using structured questionnaires were done to gather various information on the socio-economic and management practices of the DMUs. Output in the form of volume and value of milk produced and inputs such as quantities and costs of biologics, feeds, forage, and labor were also collected and evaluated among individual DMUs. The efficiency scores were computed using PIM-DEA software, which identified fully efficient DMUs lying on the frontier line (scores of 1.0) and those enveloped by it (inefficient DMUs with scores of less than 1.0). The overall mean Technical Efficiency (TE), Allocative Efficiency (AE), and Economic Efficiency (EE) scores among the DMUs were 0.80, 0.81, and 0.65, respectively. Most of the inefficient DMUs were in the smallholder category. In sum, smallholder DMUs classified under low and moderate TE clusters should reduce their inputs by 53.31% and 40.01%, respectively, to become fully efficient. Likewise, higher lambda values among efficient peer DMUs indicate the best practice frontiers that the inefficient peer DMUs can benchmark with. Extension and advisory services can help promote the best management practices of the frontiers to improve the TE, AE, and EE of the inefficient DMUs.

Investment risk management specifics in ESG investing: CEE stock markets examining

One of the most dynamic trends in the development of the modern market of financial investments is ESG investing. Investing which is based on the inclusion of Environmental, Social and Governance criteria into consideration. In this case, there is an actual problem of analysis mapping ESG criteria with investment risk management. This article considers specific features of inclusion ESG assessments into investment risk management. For this purpose, the S&P Global system of ESG scores was used. The assessments of market risk for both direct and portfolio investments were considered. The dichotomy between the approaches of diversification and prioritization based on ESG criteria had been identified. The article offers expansion of portfolio risk management within the framework of a three-criteria optimization model (risk, return, and ESG score based criteria). The article justifies the investment decision on the basis of construction of an effective set of pair “risk – ESG score” which provides an analogue of the classical frontier line in modern portfolio theory. The implementation of this approach was carried out to the companies included into stock index baskets of three Central and Eastern European (CEE) stock markets: Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.
 JEL classіfіcatіon: G11

Roman frontier crossing Mocanului Valley

Several years ago, within Limes Transalutanus Project (2014-2017), we dealt with several segments of the Roman limes in Teleorman County. Briefly, that meant aerial and terrestrial survey, geologic sampling and geophysics, in most of the cases. The old renditions of the frontier line, as being a rampart without a ditch, were intriguing and unusual, thus they had to be checked in the field, including by test digging. One spot chosen for a complex investigation was located several kilometres south of Roşiorii de Vede, along Mocanului Valley, where the most common traits of a Roman border (a tower, the frontier palisade and segments of the road) were present and relatively well preserved. The test excavation confirmed the fact that the frontier obstacle was made by a large palisade and the defensive ditch was missing. The Roman road has been also sectioned, having the expected width and bulgy shape, being made, however, entirely of clay, as the stone is absent in the plain. The watchtower is rather large, relatively far from the palisade, and had been strongly burned, as well as the palisade. Such objectives, located in a close range, illustrate the typical parts of a late frontier setup.

Cartography in dispute: the frontiers of Brazil in Abbé Raynal’s Histoire des Deux Indes

This article analyzes the frontier line(s) of Brazil proposed by the Portuguese ambassadors (D. Vicente de Sousa Coutinho, D. Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, and Luís de Sousa Coutinho, the Viscount of Balsemão), drawn on maps and documents sent to Abbé Raynal when he was preparing the 1780 edition of his famous Histoire des Deux Indes. This was accompanied by an Atlas de Toutes les Parties Connues du Globe Terrestre, produced by the French geographer Rigobert Bonne. The objective is, in light of the Treaty of Santo Ildefonso, to compare the lines defended by the ambassadors and those which Raynal and Bonne drew on the map of South America in the Atlas, analyzing the geopolitical impacts.

CONCEPT OF THE WORLD TECHNOLOGICAL FRONTIER: METHODOLOGY, PROBLEMS AND INTERPRETATIONS

The article is devoted to the implementation of nonparameterized method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to the world’s economy as an array of countries with different levels of technological activity. The main purposes of this research are as follows: systematical presentation of methodological foundations of international technology frontier concept, presentation of the main controversial problems of this concept, presentation of the possible future development tendencies. Both the research itself and presented research materials are based on geometrical approach – plane geometry with the elements of projective geometry. This has allowed us to obtain important theoretical results.
 Firstly, the possibility of “subsequent” usage of DEA method to any data that remain after the exclusion of points with the highest relative efficiency has been illustrated. In relation to the subject at hand this has made it possible to offer the concept of world’s technological frontier with different subtypes. Countries within specific frontier form sequential groups from the most efficient to the least efficient ones.
 Secondly, the foundations of a new international technological frontier model (ITF model) of virtual countries have been presented. This model functions are the following: after determining the countries with the highest efficiency level, the frontier line modifies itself in a way that allows all country-leaders to move from an angular position to an intermediate position on the modified ITF section. These new sections named “national leaders’ sections” are interpreted as specific production functions that reflect conditions of ITF “neighboring” countries. Virtual countries instead of the real ones become angular points in the model. Based on the model of virtual countries, the known paradoxes, such as the paradox of equal efficiency of lateral frontier sections (which is immanent to any model based on the classical DEA method) and the paradox of technological regression arising from the intersection of ITF lines of different periods, are solved.
 Thirdly, based on the simultaneous analysis of countries’ states on two sections – the “capital and labor intensity” section and the section of manufacturing function parameters – the method of ITF composition as an envelopment of national manufacturing functions has been created. Comparative analysis of ITF models created with the help of this method and the ITF models based on traditional method of national technological state envelopments has been made.

Diabetes induces macrophage dysfunction through cytoplasmic dsDNA/AIM2 associated pyroptosis.

Diabetes is emerging as a severe global health problem that threatens health and increases socioeconomic burden. Periodontal impairment is one of its well-recognized complications. The destruction of the periodontal defense barrier makes it easier for periodontal pathogens to invade in, triggering a greater inflammatory response, and causing secondary impairment. Macrophages are the major immune cells in periodontium, forming the frontier line of local innate immune barrier. Here, we explored the periodontal impairments and functional changes of macrophages under the diabetic and aging conditions. Besides, we further explored the molecular mechanism of how hyperglycemia and aging contribute to this pathogenesis. To test this, we used young and aged mice to build diabetic mice, and metformin treatment was applied to a group of them. We demonstrated that under hyperglycemia conditions, macrophage functions, such as inflammatory cytokines secretion, phagocytosis, chemotaxis, and immune response, were disturbed. Simultaneously, this condition elevated the local senescent cell burden and induced secretion of senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Meanwhile, we found that expressions of Gasdermin D (GSDMD) and caspase-1 were up-regulated in diabetic conditions, suggesting that the local senescent burden and systemic proinflammatory state during diabetes were accompanied by the initiation of pyroptosis. Furthermore, we found that the changes in aged condition were similar to those in diabetes, suggesting a hyperglycemia-induced pre-aging state. In addition, we show that metformin treatment alleviated and remarkably reversed these functional abnormalities. Our data demonstrated that diabetes initiated macrophage pyroptosis, which further triggered macrophage function impairments and gingival destructions. This pathogenesis could be reversed by metformin.

The international legal status of Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a territory lying in North-Western Africa. It borders Morocco in the north, Algeria in the north-east, Mauritania in the east and in the south, and its north-western coast borders the Atlantic Ocean. The country was colonized by the Kingdom of Spain following the decisions of the Berlin conference held in 1884. After World War 2, it was a Spanish province. When it won the independence in 1956, Morocco demanded that Western Sahara should be “liberated”, claiming that the territory belonged to it. In 1963,following the passing of the information by Spain, on the basis of Article 73 letter e) of the Charter of the United Nations, the UN entered Western Sahara in the list of areas which were not governed independently. On 14 April 1976, Morocco and Mauritania signed a convention on establishing their frontier line, on the power of which they executed a division of the territory of Western Sahara. Nowadays the western – the larger – part of Western Sahara’s territory is controlled by Morocco. The main aim of this article is to provide an answer to the question of the present condition of the international legal status of Western Sahara.

Marginal Trade-Offs for Improved Agro-Ecological Efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Today’s agricultural management decisions impact food security and sustainable ecosystems, even when operating with back-to-basic operations. In such endeavors, policymakers usually need a quantitative tool, such as trade-offs margins, to effectively adjust resource consumption or production. This paper applies the weighted slack-based measurement (SBM-DEA) program to 136 developing countries’ agricultural performance. First, it finds the current agricultural efficiency and then makes marginal trade-offs on desirable-output variables (such as crop yield and forest area) to see the effective changes in undesirable-output (such as methane and nitrous oxide emissions). The results show that choosing effective marginal trade-offs does not deteriorate the relative efficiency of the decision-making units (DMUs) below the efficient frontier line. Thus, such a method enables the decision-makers to determine the best marginal trade-off points to reach the optimal efficiencies and decide which output factor needs special brainstorming to design effective policy.

Attempt to discussion on Contact Zones during the Qing Dynasty -Focus on the Great walls as Boundary and Frontier line between China and Mongolia-

Attempt to discussion on Contact Zones during the Qing Dynasty -Focus on the Great walls as Boundary and Frontier line between China and Mongolia-

Trade-Offs for the Optimal Energy Efficiency of Road Transportation: Domestic Cases in Developing Countries

The increase in domestic transportation in developing countries may adversely affect the energy efficiency of road transportation due to effective productivity and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). When evaluating quantitatively the countries on the efficiency frontier, poor efficiency can still be seen sometimes due to the slack available in undesirable output measures. This paper uses desirable and undesirable output variables, such as passenger-kilometers (PKM), tones-kilometers (TKM), and carbon dioxide (CO2), to compute the weakly efficient decision-making units (DMUs). The data envelopment analysis (DEA) technology is used to assess the efficiencies of the decision-making units (DMUs), which are countries in our case. Then, the trade-off method with efficient binding surfaces is used to attain the optimal efficiencies of the weakly efficient DMUs. The marginal rates aid this trade-off analysis. Resultantly, such marginal trade-offs do not deteriorate the efficiency of the DMUs below the frontier line. We calculate the maximum change (margin) in a specific variable amount when another variable’s amount is changed. Thus, such a computation gives us different margins, with which each output variable can be a traded off to bring a DMU further toward the closest optimal point possible. The marginal trade-off can help the managers and policymakers in effective decision-making, and it is further recommended to address efficiency damages (by the undesired outputs).

Philosophical and Cultural Grounds of Destruction in the Texts of the Ukrainian Avant-Garde Artists

The destruction is a specific frontier line of all the milestones in the history of culture, science, philosophy, and art. As a mighty annihilating power, the destruction enables separation, decomposition of the one and the whole. The Avant-garde, in fact, is a certain spawn and, at the same time, a consequence of the destruction. The destruction is an ideology and essence of the new consciousness, in general, and the Avant-garde culture of the early 20th century, in particular. The destructive consciousness is a spawn of youth, carelessness, total lack of principles, and eclecticism of cultural processes. Any theoretical grounds provided by innovators and pretend for the absolute method in exploring and practice of the Art, are the acts of the Art by themselves which arise from its denial. The idea of innovation as such, and the integrity of destruction created a ground for the philosophic theorising, paradoxes, and utopian thinking in the contemporary post-Avant-garde culture, philosophy, and art. When projecting the Avant-garde destruction to the processes in the contemporary art, it is worth of mentioning that destroying the ordinary manner of thinking, provocation of philistines and public, and clear declaration of the Avant-garde aggressiveness in manifests, public speeches, and cultural events demonstrate the strongly marked signs of destruction: the avant-gardists see the destruction as a necessary step to the unlimited freedom of personality; according to the Avant-garde theory, the concept of ‘destruction’ means destroying the traditional conservative ideas about the man’s social roles; the fast movement towards absolute symbols, absolute ideas, and internal perfection, to the absolute itself was at a large scale caused by, and cause the destructiveness of the avant-gardists’ philosophic views. The destruction appears in a contemporary, still post-Avant-garde culture as a specific philosophic game, a theatre. Roles in this game were predetermined in the period of ‘domination’ of ideas and concepts of the classic Avant-garde art of the early 20th century. Paradoxically, the destruction became one of stages of establishing the Avant-garde, a simultaneous demonstration of utopia of its ideas, and finally its decline. The destruction, as an extermination of any glimpses of dissent, was later reflected in the dictatorship of culture of the Soviet period.Manuscript received 23.08.2020