Human Experience Research Articles

Framing water–energy–food–ecosystem (WEFE) nexus interactions in the Tana-Beles Sub-basin of Ethiopia

The water–energy–food–ecosystems (WEFE) provide vital resources that are essential to human existence. Exploring synergies and trade-offs in these systems has been of interest in recent years to increase economic gain while sustaining the environment. The Tana-Beles Sub-basin of Ethiopia is challenged by population density, climate change, and ecosystem degradation that requires a WEFE Nexus thinking. To understand the current WEFE nexus interactions in the basin, a systematic review of 102 scientific research articles published from 1991 to 2021 was undertaken. Additionally, the systematic review is complemented by spatial data analysis to identify synergies and trade-offs among the WEFE nexus indicators. The analysis revealed the dominance of food–water–ecosystem interdependencies in WEFE nexus research for the Tana-Beles Sub-basin. This dominance is driven by extensive food production activities, which lead to substantial water abstraction and hydrological alterations to meet the intensive water demands of crop cultivation. Simultaneously, the energy-ecosystem interactions are critical due to excessive biomass utilization that exceeds the biomass production potential of the area. Furthermore, the available vegetation cover of the area is very limited to supplement the growing fuel wood demands, which is exerting extreme land degradation and threatening the ecosystem in the sub-basin. This study identifies gaps in WEFE understanding, highlights specific challenges and opportunities within the basin, and calls for coordinated stakeholder action for sustainable resource management through a Nexus approach.

WSe2/chitosan-based wearable multi-functional platform for monitoring electrophysiological signals, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and body movements.

Acleanroom free optimized fabrication of a low-cost facile tungsten diselenide (WSe2) combined with chitosan-based hydrogel device is reportedfor multifunctional applications including tactile sensing, pulse rate monitoring, respiratory rate monitoring, human body movements detection, and human electrophysiological signal detection. Chitosan being a natural biodegradable, non-toxic compound serves as a substrate to the semiconducting WSe2 electrode which is synthesized using a single step hydrothermal technique. Elaborate characterization studies are performed to confirm the morphological, structural, and electrical properties of the fabricated chitosan/WSe2 device. Chitosan/WSe2 sensor with copper contacts on each side is put directly on skin to capture human body motions. The resistivity of the sample was calculated as 26 kΩ m-1. The device behaves as an ultrasensitive pressure sensor for tactile and arterial pulse sensing with response time of 0.9s and sensitivity of around 0.02kPa-1. It is also capable for strain sensing with a gauge factor of 54 which is significantly higher than similar other reported electrodes. The human body movements sensing can be attributed to the piezoresistive character of WSe2 that originates from its non-centrosymmetric structure. Further, the sensor is employed for monitoring respiratory rate which measures to 13 counts/min for healthy individual and electrophysiological signals like ECG and EOG which can be used later for detecting numerous pathological conditions in humans. Electrophysiological signal sensing is carried out using a bio-signal amplifier (Bio-Amp EXG Pill) connected to Arduino. The skin-friendly, low toxic WSe2/chitosan dry electrodes pave the way for replacing wet electrodes and find numerous applications in personalized healthcare.

Exosomal CircRNAs: A Future Star in Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently the third most common malignancy world-wide, with an increasing mortality rate and treatment resistance. Due to the lack of effective biomarkers and therapeutic targets, the early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer re-main suboptimal. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of non-coding RNAs with co-valent closed-loop structures that are well stabilized and conserved and are involved in multi-ple pathological conditions in humans. CircRNAs have been identified to be enriched and sta-ble in exosomes. In addition, there is growing proof that exosomal circRNAs that have been identified as oncogenes or tumor suppressors regulate CRC growth, migration, and sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Exosomal circRNAs represent promising candidates as di-agnostic biomarkers and anti-tumor targets. In this article, we explore recent studies on exo-somal circRNAs in CRC and describe their biological functions in colorectal cancer develop-ment, illustrating their potential as biomarkers and targeted therapeutic capabilities.

Violence and War in Rawi Hage’s DeNiro’s Game and Cockroach

Violence is a complex and broad concept and phenomenon that has been present throughout history. In fact, it is almost impossible to fully grasp the real reasons or motives behind acts of violence as they are varied. Violence has been quite influential in human evolution and existence; it is prevalent not only in real life but also in different narratives. The latter could be media, cinema, or literature, as they are efficient means that could represent a variety of topics, issues, and phenomena, and the topic of violence is no exception. In this regard, this paper attempts to scrutinize the various aspects of violence and crime driven by war in Rawi Hage’s two novels, DeNiro’s Game and Cockroach, focusing on physical violence that is legitimized by war and psychological violence that is a result of the former, providing a textual analysis that considers thematic and character analysis. The novel's context is the Lebanese society during the cruel Lebanese Civil War that left its people struggling for their lives even after the war stopped. This paper attempts to consider the brutality of violence during wartime and its consequences in the long run, which transcend the actual physical abuse and harm to the psychological one that causes trauma and mental disturbance. The latter have driven war-witnesses, the characters, to a totally endless circle of suffering and mental struggle on a daily basis.

CAN AUTOMATIC POETRY GENERATION INFUSE VALUES? UNVEILING INSIGHTS THROUGH CONTENT ANALYSIS OF GENERATED POETRY

This research examines the value underlying poetry created by artificial intelligence (AI), aiming to uncover the complex interaction of religious, philosophical, ethical, and aesthetic values presented in poetry. Eighteen poems generated by three different AI platforms were analyzed using the content analysis method to identify their social values. The results of this research demonstrate the presence of (1) religious values by revealing the AI’s ability to explore traditional and cultural barriers, highlighting themes of spirituality and faith, (2) philosophical values through the exploration of questions of human existence and the nature of reality, showing the AI's capacity to engage with deep existential themes, (3) ethical values by promoting concepts of unity, fairness, and justice, reflecting deeper humanistic perspectives and societal ideals, and (4) aesthetic values by showcasing an interest in the influence of technology and a profound admiration for the natural world's wonders, integrating modern innovation with timeless beauty. In conclusion, AI-generated poetry successfully captures a broad spectrum of human values, enriching literary traditions and intellectual discussions. This intersection of AI and poetry not only highlights technological advancements in creative fields but also opens new avenues for exploring how machines can contribute to cultural and artistic expressions, fostering a deeper understanding of the human condition and societal values.

Hans Jonas’s image theory

ABSTRACT This essay explores Jonas’s multifaceted and rich enquiries into the notion of image. In particular, it argues that reflecting on the “image” helps Jonas clarify the unique condition of human existence, where the twine of thought and being reveals a paradoxical (and yet crucial) relationship between time and eternity, change and permanence, immanence and transcendence. The employ of the interpretative device provided by the image enables a nuanced understanding of the human complexity which goes beyond the partial and reductive descriptions of relativistic immanentism, on the one hand, and immutable transcendence, on the other. By commenting upon its anthropological, aesthetic, and ethical significance, we propose that the study of Jonas’s thoughts on the image not only offers valuable insights into the philosophical understanding of such a fascinating object, but also sheds a new and interesting light on the unity of his oeuvre.

The ecospiritual approach for the advancement of social work: a concept and practice of ‘interconnectedness’ in Won Buddhism

ABSTRACT In the context of today’s globalized world, marked by heightened awareness of interconnected social challenges, this paper explores the integration of ecospiritual approach into social work practice and education. Recognizing spirituality as a universal aspect of human experience, the authors advocate for a spiritually sensitive approach to social work, emphasizing the search for meaning, purpose, and connectedness. Central to this discussion is the ecospiritual approach, which challenges Western paradigms of individualism and capitalism by embracing interconnectedness and interdependent relationships. This approach is exemplified through the exploration of Buddhism, African spiritual philosophy, and Won Buddhism, particularly focusing on concepts of Interbeing, Ubuntu, and the Fourfold Grace. This paper highlights the relevance of the Fourfold Grace and gratitude practices in Won Buddhism for building the ecospiritual framework into practice, emphasizing their potential to enhance knowledge and practice integrity in the field. The overarching goal is to promote collective awareness and commitment, advanced practices toward the advancement of social work, social justice, and a sustainable well-being society. The future directions in this paper share thoughtful visions and hopes.

The sound of war: A comparison between Apocalypse Now (1979) and Farha (2021)

For a long time, filmmakers have used war movies as a potent tool for probing the human condition, the results of battle, and the psychological effects of war on individuals and communities. While Apocalypse Now (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola and Farha (2021) by the contemporary director Darin Sallam both explore the raw reality of battle, they were made decades apart. In this comparison, we will look at how both movies use sound to express the fright and tragedy of battle. This study examines the political context, setting, style of music, style of direction, and conclusion of two war films and finds many points of similarity between them. The argument made in this report is that regardless of the historical and contextual distinctions between the Vietnam War and the Palestinian Nakba, Apocalypse Now and Farha successfully portray the experiences of people and the long-lasting effects of war, surpassing the particular actual incidents they present.

Must we lose our biological connection to nature to endure changing times?

AbstractEarth has >8 billion people. Scholarly publications number nearly 7 million annually with >1 million in the life and biomedical sciences, and ≥52 professional journals specializing in conservation, ecology, or related disciplines. The challenges of applying ecological data to conservation and wildlife management can easily become overwhelming. Herein we offer reflective perspectives about the changing face of applied knowledge and engagement from our personal employment histories as ecologists working in agency, university, and non‐governmental organization (NGO) biologist positions. We suggest natural history will always be nature's glue, but knowledge steeped mostly in muddy boots and field biology are no longer the soup du jour of our profession. In many ways, new technologies have changed data collection and the scientific questions asked. Arguably, such change is not welcomed by all, but a change in overlap across decades is needed to sustain and improve upon how the planet's biological diversity can coexist with increasingly difficult human conditions. Given that 80% of the people in the United States live in urban areas, with similar numbers internationally, a future possibility may be an even greater divide between wild nature, ecological services, and enjoyment in the field. This is disturbing. Despite fundamental scientific insights that help understand critical components of the natural world, once society loses touch with nature, what will remain?

The Process of Becoming

Second language teacher education (SLTE) involves the process of becoming a professional. This professionalization is presented from a sociocognitive perspective, whereby SLTE is considered part of the innate, human condition of life-long learning and teaching. This adaptive, social process involves learning and socialization during the development of skills, knowledge, identities, norms and values associated with professional communities of practice. The sociocognitive tools of progressive alignment and affiliation are used to identify instances of evaluation that make visible professionalization from student-produced materials and interviews with 13 SLTE students. Results show that participant professionalization differed based on their perceptions and evaluations, often filtered through their real and imagined teaching contexts and past experiences. The context of schools, which is the physical, synchronic context of teaching, appeared more influential than the diachronic contexts of schooling. However, far from uncritical, top-down indoctrination, SLTE students projected their own unique perspectives into the learning environment, in a mutuality of socialization. Professionalization results from an ongoing process, influenced by personal, local, cultural, national, and social demands, along with changing demands for language acquisition.

Impact Assessment of Patient Experience Capacity-Building Program Using Kirkpatrick Model for Program Evaluation at a Regional Healthcare System.

The patient experience (PX) is central to improving the quality of healthcare services. We launched a PX capacity- and capability-building program at the Armed Forces Hospitals Taif Region, which is integral to our regional healthcare cluster transformation plans and is an initial step toward developing a culture of improvement in human experience in healthcare. A multidisciplinary PX committee recruited five frontline interprofessional PX heads, one from each of our regional healthcare hospitals. The Kirkpatrick model for program evaluation was used to assess the impact on four key levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. A pre-program competency assessment was conducted to evaluate the level of expertise across various PX competencies, and a program curriculum was developed accordingly. Participants underwent an intensive workshop-based PX capacity-building training program. A post-program competency assessment was performed along with a post-program survey. The PX-related activities led by interprofessional frontline PX heads at their respective hospitals' post-programs were tracked. The impact on the regional PX mean score across various settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and emergency settings, was measured using Press Ganey PX surveys. Our work is reported in accordance with the SQUIRE-EDU guidelines of the EQUATOR network. The PX capacity-building program led to a significant improvement in participants' expertise across various PX competencies. Significant improvements beyond the strategic targets were observed in the PX mean score in inpatient departments pre-program (83.31) vs. post-program (86.34), with a p-value of < 0.001 across the regional healthcare system. The PX capacity-building program is a first step toward major cultural change amid the healthcare cluster transformation in our regional healthcare system. The Kirkpatrick model helps evaluate the impact of PX capacity- and capability-building training programs comprehensively through an organizational approach. Sustainable improvements in PX over a long period through a capacity-building program alone remain challenging.

State of the Science in Behavior Therapy: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

The scope and burdens of mental health challenges in today’s world are staggering. Among the available psychological treatment approaches, cognitive and behavioral therapies, and their combinations, have garnered the strongest evidence base. That said, progress has not always been linear and most of the work is still head of us. Against this backdrop, Behavior Therapy has launched its State of the Science series—an exciting new journal feature offering a curated set of authoritative reviews of research in major areas of relevance to applied cognitive-behavioral science, written by distinguished scientists in each area and peer-reviewed. The vision for the Behavior Therapy State of the Science series is to launch with an initial set of articles that make up this special journal issue, with continued publication of additional State of the Science articles in future journal issues. This present article launches the State of the Science series, providing a brief summary of progress in cognitive and behavioral practice and related areas, as well as various missteps and harmful legacies that remind us that the state of the science for research focused on the human experience and alleviating human suffering is always in flux and evolving. The sixteen inaugural reviews in this special issue are then introduced one by one. Collectively, these State of the Science reviews take stock of what has been learned across key areas in the field, highlight critical knowledge gaps in need of research, and provide expert guidance for improving the effectiveness and reach of care, particularly for marginalized and underserved populations.

The Human Condition in the 21st Century: Body and Architectural Space in Contemporary Art

Architectural practices that sustain economic power structures often overlook the complexity of place, prioritizing rationality and utility for funding while perpetuating issues like climate crises and income inequality. In contrast, art offers critical perspectives unconstrained by immediate practicality. This research examines how contemporary artists understand and create space to reach a spatial design approach that activates subjects and fosters new connections between humans and non-humans. In the scope of this research, seven contemporary artists who produce artworks related to either the body or space have been chosen. The discourses of artists exploring the body-space relationships serve as primary sources. Two methods are employed: logical argumentation and analysis by analogy. The latter involves visualizing the analysis of textual discourses through messy word maps to extract insights from artists’ concepts and tactics. “Artist topographies” contribute to a collective “cognitive topography,” revealing commonalities around themes of exploitation, oppression, profit, borders, otherness, agency, and complexity. The conclusion presents suggestions for an alternative spatial design approach based on the discourses and cognitive topography.

Yoga for Health and Wellness: A Review

Yoga- The Sanskrit word for a bodily posture is asana. In a broad sense, asana refers to a particular position that can be kept for an extended amount of time while being calm and pleasant. Mind-Body Harmony-The yogic lifestyle emphasizes the integration of physical well-being and mental serenity. Benefits of the yogic lifestyle-A yogic lifestyle is highly beneficial for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. It expands your spiritual energy, brings balance, creates positivity, improves health, and increases your overall happiness. Health and Wellness-Health is one of the basic human needs and the good health is an important contribution for the quality of human life experience. Disciplined Life-When one examines the lives of all outstanding individuals, one thing becomes clear: they are all disciplined. Stress Reduction-Moving tension out the body, de-stressing, meditating and breath control reduces stress considerably. Self-Acceptance and Self Control-Focusing inward and realizing, through yoga that perfection is not the goal, self-acceptance takes over. Concentration and Memory-As little as 8 weeks of yoga can result in better concentration and more motivation. Conclusion-Yoga can help with mental and emotional well-being, including reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, and improving Concentration.

Modeling passenger comfort in turboprop aircraft using objective measures.

A quantitative comfort model will aid in evaluating comfort levels of various target groups before the actual flight of an airplane. However, constructing the model is always a challenge due to the complexity of the phenomenon. In this paper, we present quantitative comfort models to predict the (dis)comfort of passengers flying with turboprops based on objective measures. Ninety-seven participants took part in two experiments conducted during real flights, during which forty of them had environmental and personal factors recorded using (self-developed) measurement tools. The collected data were analyzed to model the relations between objective measures and subjective feelings. Two preliminary models based on gradient boosting regression were developed. The models were able to predict the changes in comfort and discomfort of individual passengers with an accuracy of 0.12±0.01 and 0.21±0.01 regarding normalized comfort and discomfort scores, respectively. Additionally, contributions of different factors were highlighted. The outcomes of the models show that we took a step forward in modeling the human comfort experience using objective measurements. Anthropometry (including age), seat positions, time duration, and row (noise) emerged as leading factors influencing the feeling of (dis)comfort in turboprop planes.

Assessing climate change-induced losses and damages to coastal ecosystem services: Empirical evidence from Manpura Island, Bangladesh

Under the on-going climate change, slow-onset events, such as sea-level rise and salinity intrusion, have a more pronounced effect on biodiversity and ecosystem services, which have fewer options for adaptation compared to human systems, resulting in losses and damages. People who rely on ecosystems are also experiencing substantial damages and irreversible losses. Therefore, accurately assessing the losses and damages to ecosystem services becomes crucial. To address this issue, this paper employs an analytical framework adopted from Geest et al. (2019) and conducts a case study on the effects of extreme and slow-onset events on a coastal island of Bangladesh to evaluate the current losses and damages to ecosystem services. The study estimates the economic losses and damages to individual households, specifically in terms of some provisioning services, such as rice and fish, ranging from US$28 to US$419 per household. Furthermore, the case study elucidates the diverse values that individuals attributed to ecosystem services in their everyday lives, as well as non-economic losses, damages, and harms that are rooted in human emotions and experiences. It highlights non-economic losses and damages such as the gradual decline of social unity, an increase in mental illness, long-term physical health consequences, increased feelings of insecurity, and the depletion of fertile topsoil. The research concludes that building human capital for ecosystem-based adaptation is crucial to mitigating these impacts. It emphasises the need of documenting losses and damages locally using web-based recordkeeping in order to take evidence-based action to address losses and damages.

How Humans Run Faster: The Neuromechanical Contributions of Functional Muscle Groups to Running at Different Speeds.

How the neuromechanics of the lower limb functional muscle groups change with running speed remains to be fully elucidated, with implications for our understanding of human locomotion, conditioning, and injury prevention. This study compared the neuromechanics (ground reaction and joint kinetics, kinematics and muscle activity) of middle-distance athletes running on an instrumented treadmill at six wide-ranging speeds (2.78-8.33 m·s-1). Ground reaction forces and kinematics were analyzed using inverse dynamics to calculate flexor and extensor joint torques, and positive and negative work done by these torques. Contributions of each functional muscle group to the total positive and negative work done by the limb during stance, swing, and the whole stride were quantified. During stance, the ankle plantar flexors were the major energy generator and absorber (>60%) at all speeds, but their contribution to whole stride energy generation and absorption declined with speed. Positive work by the hip extensors rose superlinearly with speed during stance (3-fold) and especially during swing (12-fold), becoming the biggest energy generator across the whole stride at >5 m·s-1. Knee flexor and extensor negative work also rose superlinearly with speed during swing, with the knee flexors becoming the greatest energy absorber over the whole stride at >7.22 m·s-1. Across speeds, plantar flexor peak moment and positive work accounted for 97% and 96% of the variance in step length, and swing hip extension peak moment and positive work accounted for 98% and 99% of the variance in step frequency. There were pronounced speed, phase (stance/swing), and work (positive/negative) dependent contributions of the different functional muscle groups during running, with extensive implications for conditioning and injury prevention.

Mule trains to mountain roads: the role of working mules in supporting resilient communities in the Himalayas

Working equids play a central role in mountainous communities, but their work often goes unnoticed by the wider world, with sparse documentation of their role, value, or welfare – a state which often extends to their human counterparts. Communities living in the remote Manaslu Valley, Nepal, face a number of uncertainties, including extreme weather events due to the seasonal monsoon and, more recently, the construction of a new road network. Using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and Equine Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) welfare assessments, we outline the specific role of pack mules in supporting the lives of local people, explain the nuanced links between human experience and mule welfare, and gain insight into how people living in this volatile environment manage uncertainty and risk. Mule work was felt to be the ‘only option’ for a sustainable livelihood for most mule owners although, in some cases, mules had enabled respondents to diversify their income. Mule owners with more husbandry experience did not own mules in more positive behavioural states, which may suggest a lack of generational knowledge and support networks. Short-term ongoing risks, such as the monsoon or unstable tracks, had a larger impact both financially and emotionally than the long-term but distant implications of the road construction. Mule owners must constantly balance the risk of working during the monsoon season, when conditions are treacherous but pay was higher, with losing valuable income but keeping themselves and their mules safe; they do, however, have a more mobile option for employment than non-owners. Mules enable a level of resilience and agility for communities living with constant uncertainty and change, which is only beginning to be recognised formally within the sustainable development sphere. Integration of animal welfare into the SDGs would allow humanitarian aid initiatives to strengthen support networks around working equids, which would greatly benefit the mules and humans alike.

Apresentação do Dossiê Temático - Martinho Lutero, um construtor da modernidade

The thematic dossier presented here brings together texts that result from conferences presented at the International Congress «A Builder of Modernity: Luther – Theses – 500 years», organized in 2017 to mark the 500th anniversary of what can be considered the symbolic starting date of the 16th-century reform movement. Comprising eight articles by recognized national and international researchers, this thematic dossier aims to contribute to an in-depth reflection on different dimensions of the Reformation movement, its consequences, and its current influence on the world, and to (re)visit Luther's thought as one of the builders of modernity. Besides its religious capital, in the form of knowledge and human experience, we cannot overlook the philosophical, literary, and aesthetic values that help us understand our contemporaneity.

Existentialist Philosophies of Anxiety: A Comparative Exploration of Kierkegaard and Heidegger

This academic essay delves into the intricate realm of existentialist philosophies concerning anxiety, examining the perspectives of two towering figures in philosophy: Sren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. Both of these existential philosophers have made a big deal out of the concept of anxiety and have a considerable understanding of it. From a particular perspective, it is possible that Heidegger drew on Kierkegaard's interpretation of the concept of anxiety. The objective of this analysis is to comprehensively scrutinize the philosophical underpinnings of anxiety, exploring how these thinkers conceived it in the context of the human experience. Furthermore, this essay examines the religious backgrounds of Kierkegaard and Heidegger, shedding light on the profound influence of their respective religious upbringings on their philosophical interpretations of anxiety. As contemporary society grapples with a multitude of anxieties, the insights of these philosophers remain pertinent, providing valuable perspectives on the nature of anxiety, freedom, and human existence. The essay also critiques part of modern psychological approaches to anxiety, revealing the enduring relevance of existentialist thought.