Independent Object Research Articles

The Concept of Digital Property in the Context of Doctrinal Disputes

The article analyzes in detail the points of view expressed in the doctrine on the legal nature of digital financial assets, digital currency, as well as critical comments regarding the category of “digital property” proposed by the author, which the author substantiated in a number of his other works. In the work, the author argues the legal position that digital financial assets and digital currency are independent objects of civil law, included in the group called “digital property.” The opponents’ arguments that digital financial assets cannot be considered as an independent object of civil law, since they are digitized securities — an object long known to civil law — are examined in detail. The author proves that the tokenization of “paper rights” has seriously changed their legal regime, which gives grounds for the conclusion that tokens for virtual securities (digital financial assets) are currently an independent object of civil law. Digital currency and digital financial assets are part of digital property. Digital property can become the subject of relative and absolute digital rights.

The Chemerpil gravimagnetic anomaly as a modern reflection of the unique Precambrian volcanic-plutonic magnetite-gold mineralisation structure of the Ukrainian Shield (Middle Bug area)

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of genesis and mineralogical potential of Chemerpol iron-magnetite structure, its difference from other similar objects of Central Bug area. As an independent geological-geophysical object it was established according to the data of gravimetric and magnetometric survey of medium scale as a complex localised maximum of subisometric shape with diameter of 1.7 km and area of 2.8 km2. In regional structural and tectonic terms, this maximum is confined to the Sinitsiv block of the Golovanovsk suture zone. As of today, the Chemerpol structure has been sufficiently investigated by mapping drilling and various geophysical methods at the level of the crystalline basement surface. Based on the obtained data, the main petrophysical complexes involved in its structure have been determined. The industrial and mineralogical potential of the Chemerpolska structure is estimated at 100 million tons of magnetite quartzites and carbonate formations, as well as 2 tons of exogenous gold in the weathering crust. No estimates have been made of the underlying gold deposits. Copper mineralisation, represented by the natural copper, chalcopyrite and chalcosine, has been identified in the weathering crust and crystalline basement. By structural and tectonic features, petrophysical and mineralogical diversity, the Chemerpolska structure can be attributed to local pipe volcanic-magmatic objects. Its closest well-studied geological analogues may be such Precambrian "stratified" iron-oxide-gold-copper deposits as Solobot and others of the Carajas ore district in Brazil. For geological verification of new conclusions about the peculiarities of the Chemerpol structure and its actual ore potential, it is necessary to continue its study based, first of all, on the data of targeted structural exploration drilling and deep seismic and electrical exploration methods. The economic efficiency of extraction of the main mineral components of the Chemerpolska structure - gold and magnetite iron - can be increased due to the accompanying use of non-metallic calcifiers for the manufacture of sintering flux, soil deoxidation, raw materials for road pavement.

Experimenting with a strong dual necessity approach to social progress

Different social progress indices assess well-being and development differently and thus reflect distinct conceptions of social progress. Broadly, these conceptions fall into two categories: ‘subjective’—the attitudes of individuals; and ‘objective’—external standards. Our starting point is a strong ‘dual necessity’ claim, namely that the two categories of conception have joint-special significance. Such a strong dual necessity conception, when operationalized, demands very low compensability/degree of substitution between the two independent indices, objective and subjective. Experimenting with this idea, we hypothesize that implementing low substitution empirically influences outcomes. Previous research presented this concept and exemplified initial empirical outcomes. The present work enhances and broadens this research by employing the constant elasticity of substitution (CES) function, which allows for the adjustment of substitution levels and comparison of resulting rankings. Furthermore, we demonstrate the results using two different well-known and commonly used indices: Human Development Index (HDI) and Sustainable Development Goals Index (SDGI). Our findings show that using a low substitution approach alters the social progress rankings of many countries in comparison to the original components’ rankings and to a high substitution combination of the two. This holds particularly true for countries in the middle of the original rankings. The paper’s original contribution is that it establishes the CES function as a useful device for implementing the idea of ‘dual necessity.’ Importantly, by experimenting with low substitution, and exemplifying its empirical significance with the CES function, the paper also contributes to further validating a strong dual necessity conception and justifies its own measurement. Such measurement should be of value to social scientists, practitioners and policymakers who care for balanced social progress: social progress that does not neglect either of the two aspects (subjective or objective).

Conceptualism of Sculpture Films of the 1970s–1980s in the Experimental Field of “Expanded Cinema”

The aim of the article is to analyse conceptual foundations of sculpture films in the 1970s–1980s in the context of experiments with “cinema expansion”. Results. Sculpture films of the 1970s–1980s show signs of a tendency toward conceptualism inherent in postmodern art. In innovative experiments on the audiovisual art and sculpture synthesis, not only the updated artistic toolkit became basic, but the process of meaning creation with a mandatory appeal to the audience’s perception as well. All this was organically integrated into the general search of avant-garde directors, aimed at developing the technological and artistic possibilities of cinematography, which received a generalised name “expanded cinema” (G. Youngblood). W. Turnbull, A. Forbes, D. Ashton, R. Horn, V. Pye, G. Matta-Clark, L. Lijn, B. Flanagan, R. Smithson, G. Stevens, P. Dockley, D. Hall, D. Dye, E. McCall, L. Lye, J. Hilliard, T. Hill, and many others, can be considered the figures in this direction. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the conceptual foundations of sculpture films of the 1970s–1980s are systematically analysed in the context of avant-garde searches by masters in creating interdisciplinary arts, and in extended cinema as well. Conclusions. The analysis of projects significant for sculpture cinema in the 1970s–1980s reveals a few conceptual creative approaches: video documentation of the process of creating a sculpture, and presenting an audiovisual work as an independent art object; filming the transformation and destruction of sculpture works for the purpose of provocative statements on current topics; use of cinematographic equipment as a material for creating sculptures; expanded interpretation of the concept of “sculpture” as a form, the construction of which is not limited to solid materials or inanimate objects; fixation on film of kinetic sculptures, the contemplation of which is inseparable from the surrounding environment. A general conclusion is made that experiments with sculpture films contributed to the video art formation, and influenced the further development of media art.

HOI-V: One-stage human-object interaction detection based on multi-feature fusion in videos

Effective detection of Human-Object Interaction (HOI) is important for machine understanding of real-world scenarios. Nowadays, image-based HOI detection has been abundantly investigated, and recent one-stage methods strike a balance between accuracy and efficiency. However, it is difficult to predict temporal-aware interaction actions from static images since limited temporal context information is introduced. Meanwhile, due to the lack of early large-scale video HOI datasets and the high computational cost of spatial-temporal HOI model training, recent exploratory studies mostly follow a two-stage paradigm, but independent object detection and interaction recognition still suffer from computational redundancy and independent optimization. Therefore, inspired by the one-stage interaction point detection framework, a one-stage spatial-temporal HOI detection baseline is proposed in this paper, in which the short-term local motion features and long-term temporal context features are obtained by the proposed temporal differential excitation module (TDEM) and DLA-TSM backbone. Complementary visual features between multiple clips are then extracted by multi-feature fusion and fed into the parallel detection branches. Finally, a video dataset containing only actions with reduced data size (HOI-V) is constructed to motivate further research on end-to-end video HOI detection. Extensive experiments are also conducted to verify the validity of our proposed baseline.

Failure Probability-Based Optimal Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures Using Genetic Algorithms

Artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled several optimization techniques for structural design, including machine learning, evolutionary algorithms, as in the case of genetic algorithms, reinforced learning, deep learning, etc. Although the use of AI for weight optimization in steel and concrete buildings has been extensively studied in recent decades, multi-objective optimization for reinforced concrete (RC) and steel buildings remains challenging due to the difficulty in establishing independent objective functions and obtaining Pareto fronts. The well-known Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is an efficient genetic algorithm approach for multi-objective optimization. In this work, the NSGA-II approach is considered for the multi-objective structural optimization of three-dimensional RC buildings subjected to earthquakes. For the objective of this study, two function objectives are considered: minimizing total cost and the probability of structural failure, which are obtained via several nonlinear seismic analyses of the RC buildings. Beams and columns’ cross-sectional dimensions are selected as design variables, and the Mexican Building Code (MBC) specifications are imposed as design constraints. Pareto fronts are obtained for two RC-framed buildings located in Mexico City (soft soil sites), which demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of NSGA-II for structural optimization.

A Giza Pyramids Construction metaheuristic approach based on upper bound calculation for solving the network reliability problem

Network reliability optimization is an optimization problem that focuses on finding an optimal solution for a reliable network design. In network reliability optimization, the goal is to maximize network reliability so that the overall cost of the network is reduced at the same time. The discussion of the reliability of various systems in the field of industry and engineering is of great importance, that's why reliability optimization has received a lot of attention in recent decades. Since this problem is included in the category of NP-Hard problems, the use of soft computing methods will be highly effective in solving it. In this paper, an approach based on the Giza Pyramids Construction (GPC) metaheuristic algorithm is proposed to solve the network reliability problem. For this purpose, two independent single objective functions with constraints are defined, and then the reliability of the network is calculated through optimistic estimation using the upper bound method. In order to compare the performance, 12 types of diverse and complex network models have been generated and the proposed algorithm has been compared with 10 popular and state-of-the-art algorithms. Statistical analysis has been used to find significant differences in the performance of algorithms. Also, a real model of the university network has been generated, investigated, and solved as a case study. The results of experiments, statistical analysis, and observations show that the proposed algorithm has a better performance than other metaheuristic algorithms and the proposed approach in solving reliability is an effective and low-cost approach.

Changes in the Interpretation of the Criminal Law by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation: Factors, Consequences, Risks

Problem statement. The problems of the evolutionary interpretation of the criminal law in the scientific literature are practically not given attention. At the same time, the practice of significantly correcting the interpretative positions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation forces us to conceptualize this problem as an independent object of scientific analysis. Aims and objectives of the research. The purpose of the work is to develop the theory of interpretation of the criminal law by analyzing the factors influencing the change in the position of the highest court on the interpretation of the criminal law, as well as by investigating the mechanisms necessary to deter dynamic interpretation. Methods. The work is based primarily on the use of a documentary method of researching materials of judicial practice and a critical analysis of scientific literature. Results. Based on the study of the materials of the practice of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, practice-forming documents of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, current judicial practice and scientific sources, the following are presented: (a) factors influencing the dynamics of the position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the interpretation of criminal law; (b) factors allowing to predict changes in the dynamics of the legal position; (c) risks arising in connection with changes in acts of interpretation. Brief conclusions. The dynamics of the legal interpretation positions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is influenced by at least four groups of factors: the constitutional and legal meaning of criminal law regulations identified by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation; changes in the socio-political course implemented in the country; the needs of law enforcement practice changing under the influence of new criminal challenges; the development of scientific ideas about the content of criminal law. These factors, acting individually or together, may determine a change in the approach of the highest court to understanding the criminal law. However, such changes, no matter how necessary they are, must have an important quality of predictability so that the dynamics of the interpretation of the law does not undermine the beginning of stability of criminal law regulation. The risks of instability of legal regulation when changing the interpretation of the law must be overcome by a reliable monitoring and forecas­ting system so that these changes contribute to the development of law and the effective achievement of the objectives of the criminal law.

Kidney Sales and Disrespectful Demands: A Reply to Rippon.

Simon Rippon, revising an earlier argument against kidney sales, now claims that offers involving the performance of invasive acts, when extended to people under pressure, constitute a kind of rights violation, Impermissibly Disrespectful Demands. Since offers involving kidney sales so qualify, Rippon finds prima facie reason to prohibit them. The present article levels four independent objections to Rippon's argument: the account of Impermissibly Disrespectful Demands implausibly condemns kidney donation as much as kidney sales; the normative importance of having autonomous veto control over bodily incursions does not plausibly underwrite a right to not be extended invasive offers under pressure; Impermissibly Disrespectful Demands can easily be transformed into innocuous offers; and the prohibition has greater welfare costs than Rippon acknowledges.

Адаптационный фактор выживаемости растений при применении сапропелевых отложений

This work presents the results of experimental tests of the presented samples and associated variable combinations of soil mixtures. The purpose of the study was to determine the possibility of using sapropel deposits of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain as an element that increases growth characteristics and affects plant immunity. We selected the soil environment of the dry-steppe zone of light chestnut soils, the fertile potential of which is at low levels, but have the ability to respond easily and qualitatively to the introduction of reclamation components when creating favorable conditions. The research is aimed at stabilizing soil components through the use of sapropel deposits of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. According to the formation features, these deposits are distinguished from the entire zonality of the Lower Volga region, since The natural-territorial complex of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is an independent object and has a distinctive agrocenosis from the belonging zonality. The experimental studies carried out revealed certain plant parameters that were affected by certain components of the prepared soil samples. The use of sapropel deposits of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain in combination with light chestnut type soil showed the best research results (factor 1 and factor 2). In conditions of habitat oppression due to artificial infection of Fusarium avenaceum Fa- 1, meadow Bluegrass plants, namely the option with the introduction of the proposed sapropel deposits (AED), shows the best result. The survival rate of plants in this variant was 99%, whereas in the control it was 37%. The conducted research is updated, as it contributes to the search for methods of combating pathogenic organisms at the expense of the natural resource potential of the planet.

ПОНЯТИЕ ДЕНЕЖНЫХ СРЕДСТВ

The article analyses various views on the nature of monetary means, including the position of the Constitutional Court. The article emphasises the fallacy of identifying monetary means with obligatory rights (claims) in general and rights under the bank account agreement in particular. It is proposed to consider monetary means as an independent object of rights regarding which absolute legal relations are formed.

AFO-SLAM: an improved visual SLAM in dynamic scenes using acceleration of feature extraction and object detection

Abstract In visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) systems, traditional methods often excel due to rigid environmental assumptions, but face challenges in dynamic environments. To address this, learning-based approaches have been introduced, but their expensive computing costs hinder real-time performance, especially on embedded mobile platforms. In this article, we propose a robust and real-time visual SLAM method towards dynamic environments using acceleration of feature extraction and object detection (AFO-SLAM). First, AFO-SLAM employs an independent object detection thread that utilizes YOLOv5 to extract semantic information and identify the bounding boxes of moving objects. To preserve the background points within these boxes, depth information is utilized to segment target foreground and background with only a single frame, with the points of the foreground area considered as dynamic points and then rejected. To optimize performance, CUDA program accelerates feature extraction preceding point removal. Finally, extensive evaluations are performed on both TUM RGB-D dataset and real scenes using a low-power embedded platform. Experimental results demonstrate that AFO-SLAM offers a balance between accuracy and real-time performance on embedded platforms, and enables the generation of dense point cloud maps in dynamic scenarios.

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus sunitinib for first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma: extended 8-year follow-up results of efficacy and safety from the phase III CheckMate 214 trial

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab (NIVO+IPI) has demonstrated superior overall survival (OS) and durable response benefits versus sunitinib (SUN) with long-term follow-up in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). We report updated analyses with 8 years of median follow-up from CheckMate214. Patients with aRCC (N= 1096) were randomized to NIVO 3 mg/kg plus IPI 1 mg/kg Q3W× four doses, followed by NIVO (3 mg/kg or 240 mg Q2W or 480 mg Q4W); or SUN (50 mg) once daily for 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off. The endpoints included OS, independent radiology review committee (IRRC)-assessed progression-free survival (PFS), and IRRC-assessed objective response rate (ORR) in intermediate/poor-risk (I/P; primary), intent-to-treat (ITT; secondary), and favorable-risk (FAV; exploratory) patients. With 8 years (99.1 months) of median follow-up, the hazard ratio [HR; 95% confidence interval (CI)] for OS with NIVO+IPI versus SUN was 0.72 (0.62-0.83) in ITT patients, 0.69 (0.59-0.81) in I/P patients, and 0.82 (0.60-1.13) in FAV patients. PFS probabilities at 90 months were 22.8% versus 10.8% (ITT), 25.4% versus 8.5% (I/P), and 12.7% versus 17.0% (FAV), respectively. ORR with NIVO+IPI versus SUN was 39.5% versus 33.0% (ITT), 42.4% versus 27.5% (I/P), and 29.6% versus 51.6% (FAV). Rates of complete response were higher with NIVO+IPI versus SUN in all International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) risk groups (ITT, 12.0% versus 3.5%; I/P, 11.8% versus 2.6%; FAV, 12.8% versus 6.5%). The median duration of response (95% CI) with NIVO+IPI versus SUN was 76.2 versus 25.1 months [59.1 months-not estimable (NE) versus 19.8-33.2 months] in ITT patients, 82.8 versus 19.8 months (54.1 months-NE versus 16.4-26.4 months) in I/P patients, and 61.5 versus 33.2 months (27.8 months-NE versus 24.8-51.4 months) in FAV patients. The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was consistent with previous reports. Exploratory post hoc analyses are reported for FAV patients, those receiving subsequent therapy based on their response status, clinical subpopulations, and adverse events over time. Superior survival, durable response benefits, and a manageable safety profile were maintained with NIVO+IPI versus SUN at 8 years, the longest phase III follow-up for a first-line checkpoint inhibitor combination therapy in aRCC.

A non-comparative, randomized, phase II trial of atezolizumab or atezolizumab plus tiragolumab for programmed death-ligand 1-positive recurrent cervical cancer (SKYSCRAPER-04)

ObjectiveTo evaluate tiragolumab (anti-TIGIT) and atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) as second- or third-line therapy for PD-L1-positive persistent/recurrent cervical cancer.MethodsIn the open-label, non-comparative, randomized phase II SKYSCRAPER-04 trial (NCT04300647), patients with PD-L1-positive (SP263...

Integration of Mathematics Culture and Mathematics Teaching in High School under the View of Flipped Classroom

The new curriculum standard suggests that mathematics culture should be integrated into mathematics teaching activities. With the support of information technology, how to better integrate mathematics culture and cultivate students' mathematics cultural literacy has attracted much attention. This paper applies theoretical research methods to explore the combination of mathematical culture with the flipped classroom for teaching mathematical culture. On the basis of clarifying the connotation and characteristics of both mathematics culture and the flipped classroom, and analyzing the current situation of mathematics culture teaching and flipped classroom teaching in high schools, this paper proposes strategies for integrating mathematics culture into high school mathematics teaching within the flipped classroom framework: 1. Creating high-quality microvideos for mathematics culture teaching; 2. Clearly defining students' objectives and tasks for independent pre-class learning; 3. Selecting teaching methods judiciously for effective in-class instruction; 4. Enhancing teachers' own mathematics cultural literacy through reflective evaluation. Through the above strategies, high-quality teaching micro-videos enhance students' interest in learning and their independent learning abilities. Clear independent learning objectives and tasks can effectively improve students' learning efficiency and help them construct their own knowledge. Appropriate teaching methods can stimulate students' interest in learning and improve the effectiveness of classroom assessments. With the help of the flipped classroom as a teaching mode, it can assist teachers and students in adjusting and improving their teaching and learning processes, and create a more interesting, diversified, and open learning environment. This environment fosters a deeper appreciation for mathematical culture among students. The aim is to better integrate mathematics culture knowledge and enhance students' mathematical literacy in personalized teaching.

Permafrost degradation is a legal matter

New topical problems of permafrost degradation are identified in the context of a new sphere of legal regulation, primarily in the Arctic countries, with an emphasis on the legal problems of Russia. The object of research in the article consists of various legal consequences of the said phenomenon, manifested on very sensitive ecosystems, human, industrial, transport land spaces, that is, outside the maritime spaces. The study is based primarily on an integrated legal approach and appropriate legal instruments to address the emerging economic and legal consequences of the degradation of permafrost. This approach makes it possible to substantiate the recognition as an independent object of regulation of the phenomenon of permafrost and the need to develop its own legal conceptual framework. This approach is justified at both the national and international levels, as well as in the analysis of specialized and modified law institutions of the Arctic States. The article applies the advantage of the comparative legal method of studying the legislation of the Arctic states, as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral methods of legal research. As a result, the need for a new independent scientific and applied integrated study of the legal problems of the degradation of permafrost can be considered. One of the conclusions of the work included the need to create international specialized legislation in the form of a model act. Research in the proposed format may determine the structure and content of future international legal regulation and the institutions that support it.

Generation of black-box adversarial attacks using many independent objective-based algorithm for testing the robustness of deep neural networks

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have become increasingly ubiquitous in our daily lives, finding applications in areas such as image recognition, voice recognition, and natural language processing. However, a growing concern revolves around the vulnerability of DNNs to adversarial examples—malicious inputs that can compromise the safety and accuracy of their outcomes. Existing studies predominantly fall into two categories: white-box and black-box techniques. White-box techniques require detailed internal information about the model, often focusing on gradient-based methods. In contrast, black-box techniques, which emulate real-world scenarios more closely, only rely on input–output knowledge. This study focuses specifically on black-box strategies, with key contributions from Single-Objective Variant of Differential Evolution (Pixel-SOO) and Multi-Objective Variant of Differential Evolution (Pixel-MOO) algorithms. While these approaches show promise, they suffer from drawbacks like long execution times and being unable to generate instances for adversarial purposes. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel archive-based Many Independent Objective (MIO) algorithm for using the first time in this context. Our proposed algorithm identifies the most vulnerable image pixels through the MIO algorithm, enabling efficient label flip attacks with minimized attempts. Furthermore, we balance exploration and exploitation by incorporating an adaptive parameter mechanism. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is assessed by employing VGG (VGG16 and VGG19) and ResNet (ResNet50, ResNet101, and ResNet152) architectures, both of which are convolutional neural network (CNN) models. The success criterion for the algorithms is to minimize the number of pixel changes while achieving high flip rates with a minimal number of requests to the network. A comprehensive analysis of the experimental results reveals that our algorithm consistently outperforms Pixel-SOO and Pixel-MOO, exhibiting an average speedup of three times compared to Pixel-SOO and seven times compared to Pixel-MOO. In most runs, adversarial attacks are generated with fewer pixel changes than Pixel-MOO and Pixel-SOO. In addition, our findings are openly accessible on GitHub to ensure transparency and reproducibility and encourage future research efforts.

CAUSING HARM TO PHARMACEUTICAL ACTIVITY AS AN OBJECT OF CRIMINAL LAW PROTECTION

The article is devoted to the issue of causing harm to pharmaceutical activity as an object of criminal law protection. As the author notes, the current legislation regulating the procedure for pharmaceutical activity contains certain guidelines for determining harm to the specified social values or its individual fragments. In the opinion of the author, characterizing the formation of harm "within" pharmaceutical activity as an object of criminal law protection and its consideration in the composition of criminal offenses, it is necessary to determine the types of actions that affect pharmaceutical activity and lead to its violation – formation in it or in certain types of damage to its individual "components". The author consistently proves that the aspects of influence on pharmaceutical activity, which give the committed act the properties of public danger, should be associated with various indicators of damage caused to pharmaceutical activity as an independent object of criminal law protection.

Legal regime of a share in the charter capital of a limited liability company

Based on the analysis of Ukrainian legislation and legal doctrine, the article examines the legal regime of a share in the authorised capital of a limited liability company. The necessity of considering a share in the authorized capital in two senses is substantiated: economic and legal. According to the first meaning, such a share expresses a part of the value of the company’s property and gives a person the opportunity to dispose of the company's capital (assets). However, from a legal point of view, there is an insurmountable obstacle to this understanding – the status of a limited liability company as an independent participant in civil relations, which owns such property, and property separation is one of the features that characterises it. The opinion that a share in the authorised capital of a limited liability company does not coincide with the concepts of “corporate rights” or “property rights” is supported, it is an independent tradable object, but with a specific legal regime, in particular, it cannot be the object of other limited property rights, but it is such a share (and not corporate rights) that can be the object of property rights. It has been proved that: 1) the legal nature of a share should be characterised through the legal nature of the powers of a limited liability company participant; 2) such powers constitute a single and indivisible set of corporate rights which are recognised as a separate category of rights, along with obligatory and property rights; 3) the legal nature of corporate rights is of a comprehensive nature, which primarily consists of a combination of the principles of absoluteness and relativity; 4) the definition of a share only through the shareholder's rights is not justified, since the shareholder's rights are inextricably linked to his/her obligations; 5) a share as an object of civil rights is “other property”, not “property rights”.

High-quality use of representations in the mathematics classroom – a matter of the cultural perspective?

The teacher’s use of representations is a crucial aspect of instructional quality in mathematics education, given their pivotal role in facilitating mathematics learning. However, in our international research community, perspectives on what constitutes high-quality use of representations may vary. This cross-cultural study aims to explore whether the perspectives from Western literature, emphasizing the importance of explicit connections between symbolic and graphic representations, can be extended legitimately to the East Asian context. Using a situated approach, the study elicited norms of high-quality representation use from researchers in Germany and Taiwan. A total of 31 mathematics education professors from both countries evaluated the use of representations in three secondary mathematics classroom situations presented as text vignettes. The vignettes, designed by the German research team, each depicted a situation where from their perspective, a norm of high-quality representation use, specifically the explicit connection between symbolic and graphic representations, was violated. Qualitative analysis of the researchers' responses revealed that in each situation, at least half of the German researchers expected explicit connections between representations. Conversely, the majority of Taiwanese researchers only expected such connections in one situation, particularly when the graphic representation served as an independent learning objective rather than solely aiding conceptual understanding. These findings indicate easily unnoticed culture-specific differences regarding how a common aspect of instructional quality is expected to unfold in teaching.