Interdisciplinary Area Research Articles

Nanozymes: a bibliometrics review.

As novel multifunctional materials that merge enzyme-like capabilities with the distinctive traits of nanomaterials, nanozymes have made significant strides in interdisciplinary research areas spanning materials science, bioscience, and beyond. This article, for the first time, employed bibliometric methods to conduct an in-depth statistical analysis of the global nanozymes research and demonstrate research progress, hotspots and trends. Drawing on data from the Web of Science Core Collection database, we comprehensively retrieved the publications from 2004 to 2024. The burgeoning interest in nanozymes research across various nations indicated a growing and widespread trend. This article further systematically elaborated the enzyme-like activities, matrix, multifunctional properties, catalytic mechanisms and various applications of nanozymes, and the field encounters challenges. Despite notable progress, and requires deeper exploration guide the future research directions. This field harbors broad potential for future developments, promising to impact various aspects of technology and society.

Identification of fractional-order transfer functionsand nonzero initial conditions using exponentiallymodulated signals

Abstract A new methodology that uses exponentially modulated signals with arbitrary excitation waveforms for the identification of fractional order transfer functions is proposed. In contrast to previous approaches where initial conditions were not considered and the system was required to be at rest for the identification procedure, the current contribution extends the formulation to the case where the system has non-zero initial conditions, dispensing with the need to place it at a resting state. This generalization is important in feedback instrumentation and metrology applications where the measurement or control process may not be disrupted to perform identification. Moreover, the procedure has a broader scope of applications because it structurally contemplates the case when the model presents derivatives in the input. Full identification of the system parameters as well as the fractional exponents associated with the model dynamics are achieved through a grid search procedure with resolution adjustable by the user. Two simulation examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The first example is concerned with the effect of measurement noise at the observed system output, whereas the second involves the identification of the impedance of a three-dimensional RC network model. These types of RC networks
have dynamics capturing complex phenomena with emergent responses and are ideal for emulating the complex dynamics encountered across physical sciences and in particular interdisciplinary subject areas such as biomedical engineering.

Engineering the Coordination Environment in the Silver(I)- and Ruthenium(II)-N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes in Instigating the Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

The quest for cost-efficient and high-performance electrocatalysts towards electrocatalytic water splitting is a key and an interdisciplinary area of study. Considerable progress is being driven by developments in the field of energy research. In a fundamental study, we have synthesized NHC precursors (6 and 7) and corresponding metal-NHC complexes of silver(I)- (8 and 9) and ruthenium(II)- (10 and 11) of a N-heterocyclic carbene-based ligand type incorporating coumarins. These NHC precursors and metal-NHC complexes were characterized through various analytical and spectral techniques. The silver(I)-NHC complexes 8 and 9 displayed a linear coordination geometry with a center of inversion, which is evidenced by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Both the series of complexes were assessed for their efficacies in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results demonstrated that attributed to its peculiar coordination geometry, high electrical conductivity the silver(I)- and ruthenium(II)-NHC complexes exhibited exemplary electrocatalytic activity. Activities of the hydrogen evolution reaction on two differently modified electrode substrates with metal-NHC complexes have been studied. To attain the benchmark HER current density of 10 mA cm-2, in 1.0 M KOH, an overpotential of -375 to -527 mV vs RHE was required for the metal-NHC complexes. Based on the analysis of the Tafel slope values, the rate-determining step was the adsorption of hydrogen as investigated in the potential window. The molecular electrocatalyst 10 presented a superior stability and maintained the electrocatalytic activity for a duration of 18 h with complex 8 and 24 h with respect to complex 10 in 1.0 M KOH. Apace with these studies, hydrogen oxidation studies were examined in 0.5 M H2SO4 by a substantial current density at the platinum ring electrode. This research offers feasible guidance for developing organometallic-based molecular electrocatalysts with good electrocatalytic performance.

Disposisi, Kehendak Bebas, dan Kontingensi

This article discusses the long-standing philosophical challenge of integrating disposition, free will, and contingency. We place the above three realities into a coherent theoretical framework. Various disciplines have extensively studied the concepts of disposition, free will, and contingency. Nevertheless, their complex interrelationships still need to be more adequately explored. The result is a persistent dichotomy that gives rise to debates about causation, agency, and the reality of modalities. Thus, this article proposes a new framework called triadic relations to explain the mutual dependencies and emergent properties of the interaction of these fundamental ideas. The article uses a systematic synthesis approach of recent developments in dispositional essentialism, compatibilist theories of free will, and the metaphysics of the modal. We aim to show how dispositions provide the ontological foundation for free will and contingent possibilities. After all, free will operation actualizes specific potentials and introduces original novelty. This method offers an exciting resolution to the compatibilist libertarian debate by providing a new perspective on mental causation, moral responsibility, and the nature of contingency. Our findings suggest a dynamic ontology that transcends traditional philosophical categories. The findings redefine metaphysics, philosophy of mind, ethics, and interdisciplinary areas. Triadic relations emerge as a new paradigm for reconceptualizing the structure of reality and human agency to reshape the landscape of philosophical inquiry.

Neurosurrealism in the Service of Revolution: Aesthetic Features and Critical Potential of Neural Network Art

The rapid development of neural network technologies in recent years has given rise to the formation of many interdisciplinary research areas, including neural network aesthetics. The aesthetics of generative creativity today is studied not only in the context of the history of digital art, but also in comparison with the practices of other artistic trends and schools. Thus, the expression “neural surrealism”, which has become entrenched in popular discourse, undoubtedly refers to the aesthetics of classical surrealism, framed and fixed in Andre Breton’s program texts: neural network algorithms allow you to create images that seem both realistic and absurd due to unexpected combinations of objects, distorted proportions and presence of uncanny images. Although “neural surrealism” can be seen as a depoliticized and unbiased game of generated images in contrast to the surrealism of the 1920s and 30s, which was not merely an artistic movement but a radical social project, it appears that the very ability of neural networks to generate extraordinary and unpredictable images holds a certain critical potential. Using the methods of formal-stylistic and ideological-content analysis, the author of the article concludes that “neurosurrealism” in a sense continues the line of classical surrealism to undermine the automatism of perception and patterns of thinking. Generative algorithms become a kind of “exclusion production machines” that allow you to see reality from an unexpected angle. In addition, the very fact of using neural networks in art raises important questions about the nature of creativity, the limits of artificial intelligence and the future of man in the world of smart machines. Neurosurrealism problematizes well-established ideas about the originality and intentionality of artistic expression, which indicates the close connection of generative artistic practices with the aesthetics of classical surrealist creativity. The conducted research will be useful to specialists of a wide profile: media theorists, art historians, philosophers, cultural scientists, as well as developers and representatives of the creative industries.

Цифровой образовательный контент для современного урока: технология экспертизы качества

Widely and universally used e-learning systems (ELS) remain the subject of close attention of researchers. An integral and most important part of the ELS is digital educational content. This is a key element for both distance and full-time education, and in recent years it has been widely used not only in higher education, but also in general education. Assessing the quality of educational content for the expert community is a delicate issue, the complexity of which is due to the examinator subjectivity. Modern automation tools, developed within the framework of the artificial intelligence paradigm, which have already demonstrated the ability to solve various problems, allow us to approach this issue from a new position. The purpose of the article is to present the results of a preliminary study of approaches to increasing the accuracy and objectivity of the examination of the quality of digital educational content through partial automation of expert procedures. The leading research methods are analysis, examination, modeling, ascertaining experiment, description. As a result, a theoretical justification for automating the examination of the quality of digital educational content as a new interdisciplinary scientific research area is presented, tasks are set, goals and methods are defined, and the first results obtained within this area are presented. It is shown that the development goal will be the formation of an expanded description of the process of examination of the quality of digital educational content, including proposals for expert procedures implemented only by automation means, description of the examination information model and interpretation of the results of automatic examination. The novelty of the results obtained lies in the formation of the theoretical foundations for automatic analysis of the digital educational content quality. This will form a fundamentally new quality of assessment procedures in relation to electronic means of teaching and education, based on objective and measurable qualitative characteristics and indicators, formalized stages (processes) of examination, and quantitatively qualified assessment results.

Artificial neural networks in economics: mathematical tool, model or methodology?

The purpose of this article is to assess the current interaction between artificial intelligence (AI) and economic science and to identify promising interdisciplinary areas of research that can significantly influence the methodology of understanding economic phenomena. To achieve this goal, the vague and partly even mystical term AI was replaced with а more scientific term «artificial neural networks» (ANN). The article uses methods of scientometric, epistemological and comparative analysis of the processes of ANN penetration into economics and other academic disciplines. The authors reveal the epistemological commonality and difference between AI and ANN and justify the shift in epistemological focus in research from general AI to ANN. The paper systematizes the use of ANN in economics: 1) ANN as a mathematical tool for solving economic problems; 2) ANN as a model of economic phenomena; 3) ANN as a methodology for understanding economic patterns. It shows the interaction of economics with neurosciences which occurs in two significantly different directions: from neurobiology, i.e. real nerve networks in living organisms, and, on the other hand, from ANN theory. The first direction is associated with neuroeconomics, the second has not yet been articulated, but shows an exponential growth in publications and is associated primarily with forming a new economic paradigm. The ANN paradigm in economics (and not only in economics) changes both the subject of cognition, introducing radically new forms/types of evidence and new research methods, and the object of cognition, changing the focus of study from individual economic behavior to the collective economic behavior of mega-subjects.

Review of Polarized Light‐Spin/Dipole Interactions: Fundamental Physics and Application in Circularly Polarized Detecting

AbstractCircularly polarized light (CPL) has attracted great attention due to its unique electromagnetic vector, which possesses potential practical applications in optical imaging, biometrics, and other interdisciplinary areas. At present, many materials with spontaneous CPL emitting have been extensively studied and reviewed for the generation of CPL. For the detection of CPL, mainly concentrate on the technical problems, that is, how to combine circularly polarized optical active materials with device structures to meet detection needs. Essentially, the resolution of CPL depends on the interaction between CPL and matter, Herein, the interactive modes including polarized light‐spin and light‐dipole (or charge) interactions in devices are summarized. Also, direct and indirect interactions of polarized light‐spin are presented. Meanwhile, the progress of light‐spin/dipole interaction dependence of CPL detectors is analyzed based on artificial structures of photoconductors, photodiodes, and photo field effect transistors. It is hoped that the review can broaden the bridge between the fundamental photon‐spin‐dipole interaction and CPL detectors with high performance, and then deepen the understanding of CPL detection and promote the development of CPL detectors.

Kulturowe aspekty dark web

The article contains a review of research on the cultural aspects of the Dark Web. A semi-systematic literature review was used for this purpose, as such an approach enables the reviewing of a multi- or interdisciplinary research area. Scopus, an international and multidisciplinary database indexing academic publications, was the source of bibliographic data. It turned out that there is a relatively short history of research on the cultural aspects of the Dark Web. The first publications on the topic only appeared in the Scopus database in 2005, and it continues to be a niche area of research, with the annual number of indexed publications around a few dozen. The author distinguished the following groups of issues that researchers deal with: (1) motivations among Dark Web users for making use of this part of the internet; (2) the impact of the Dark Web’s existence and the anonymity it provides on human behaviour; (3) the specificity of trading activity on “dark markets”; (4) steps taken by illegal traders to gain a reputation and customer trust; (5) communication practices on discussion forums; (6) the freedom to disseminate information; and (7) the methodology for studying communities on “dark networks”.

Introduction: Gender and (Auto)pathography from a Transnational Perspective

‘Medical Humanities’ (MH), the critical enclave of this cluster, is an interdisciplinary area of knowledge which examines human health and illness using the tools and insights of creative arts and humanities. MH endeavors to comprehend the diverse spectrum of physical and mental ailments by drawing from literature and various forms of artistic expression. The boom of MH both in the United States and Europe is manifested by the increase of this field of studies in undergraduate and graduate programs, professional training opportunities, career paths, conferences, and articles in prestigious academic journals, such as Medical Humanities, Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, Journal of Medical Humanities, Literature and Medicine, or Arts and Health, among others. By consulting Scopus (http://www.scopus.com), the preeminent abstract and citation database for peer-reviewed research literature and conducting a search for 'Medical Humanities' spanning from 1970 to 2023, the findings in the 'Documents by Year' section (totaling 21,461 entries) reveal a consistent and steady upward trajectory. Commencing with a solitary document in 1971, the inaugural year recorded, the count surged to 54 in 1980, escalated to 498 in 2010, and surged to 1,581 in 2020, culminating in 2,417 entries by 2023. Furthermore, upon delving into the 'Documents by Subject Area', the analysis indicates that a significant majority of scholarly articles concerning MH originate from authors entrenched in the Health Sciences field (including Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Neuroscience, Health professionals, Genetics), while only 15.9 percent stem from scholars within the Arts and Humanities domain. Hence, the authors of these articles, all affiliated with a research group located in Spain, envisioned the importance of enriching this field through their humanistic perspective, stemming from their roles as university professors and literature researchers.

English Studies from Global to Nepali Context: Critical Debates, Challenges and Possibilities

This paper aims to present an analysis of the critical debates in the area of English Studies emerged from the time of its initiation and still going on, various challenges that this discipline has undergone, and its future prospects. Based on library research method, the analysis of the relevant online and physical library materials related to English Studies has been conducted. The findings show how English Studies has undergone the critical debates like whether English is the subject of colonial domination or socially progressive project, whether it has to give privileges to literary studies or creative writing, and whether it has to adopt a single standarised form of English or world Englishes. In addition to it, it shows that despite undergoing a number of critical debates and challenges due to either the ongoing process of departmentalisation or the African abolitionist movements, English Studies has become refined, updated and interdisciplinary area of study. Proper redesign and reformulation of English courses, incorporation of local art, culture and literature, adoption of new technology and vocational aspects etcetera could make it more relevant, effective and impactful in the days to come.

Global Ranking of Expertise about Russia

ABSTRACT Academic rankings rooted in bibliometric indicators have proliferated over the past few decades. Despite this trend, there have been few efforts to formulate rankings specifically for interdisciplinary and subdisciplinary areas. This paper introduces the Global Ranking of Expertise about Russia, focusing on organizations ranked by their contribution as a source of impactful knowledge about Russia. The ranking methodology is grounded in the quantity and impact of organizations’ publications within a sample of 29,826 articles spanning the 1990–2020 period. We present the results of an analysis that offers a list of organizations based on both the quantity and impact of their publications.

Power of photo-stress analysis in unravelling the mechanics of granular materials and its applications in interdisciplinary research

Granular materials, such as various grains and granulated powders, are essential in numerous industrial applications and natural processes, including the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and materials processing industries. They also play a significant role in geotechnical phenomena like the shear-driven collapses of embankments and landslides, which can lead to extensive damage and disruptions. Despite a significant surge in research activities and advancements in discrete element modelling (DEM) tools since the late 1970s, understanding the mechanical characteristics of granular materials remains complex. Experimental techniques such as photo stress analysis (PSA), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and X-ray tomography (XRT) offer valuable insights, yet there is still a lack of detailed information on how granular materials respond mechanically at the microscale under various loading conditions. This knowledge gap affects industrial product quality, equipment safety, production efficiency, operational costs, environmental compliance, and overall safety. In this paper, we initially focus on our scientific contributions to the development of photo stress analysis (PSA) in unravelling the load-transmission characteristics of granular materials of varying sizes and structures (two-dimensional and quasi-three-dimensional) under different mechanical loading environments and applications. Where relevant, discrete element modelling (DEM) complements PSA to enhance our understanding of granular mechanics. We then present the application of PSA to selected key interdisciplinary areas from our recent work, demonstrating the power of PSA. Despite current challenges in applying PSA to three-dimensional granular systems, the results reported here significantly advance our fundamental understanding of the particle-scale and micromechanical characteristics in granular mechanics and particulate engineering. This work highlights the potential of PSA in addressing various inter- and multidisciplinary research problems in the future.

Reconstructing Early Microbial Life.

For more than 3.5 billion years, life experienced dramatic environmental extremes on Earth. These include shifts from oxygen-less to overoxygenated atmospheres and cycling between hothouse conditions and global glaciations. Meanwhile, an ecological revolution took place. Earth evolved from one dominated by microbial life to one containing the plants and animals that are most familiar today. Many key cellular features evolved early in the history of life, collectively defining the nature of our biosphere and underpinning human survival. Recent advances in molecular and evolutionary biology have profoundly deepened our understanding of the origin and evolution of microbes across deep time. However, the incorporation of molecular genetics, population biology, and evolutionary biology approaches into the study of Precambrian biota remains a significant challenge. This review synthesizes our current knowledge of early microbial life with an emphasis on ancient metabolisms. It also outlines the foundations of an emerging interdisciplinary area that integrates microbiology, paleobiology, and evolutionary synthetic biology to reconstruct ancient biological innovations.

Citizen science as interdisciplinary working

Citizen science is a growing trend in involving the public in different types of collaboration with scientists. The growth of this activity has consequences for data collection, data analysis and the way in which science is carried out. It also has a potential impact on what, and how, citizen scientists learn about science when engaged in such activities. The purpose of this research is to explore the practices adopted by participants in citizen science projects, and in particular the influence on learning for the participants in these projects which rely on technology to support collaboration. The growth of citizen science projects is occurring at the same time as a growth of interest in informal learning and both are supported by technology enhanced learning. To make best use of the rapidly growing area of citizen science in the development of learning, it needs to be studied as a newly developing interdisciplinary area, with the consequence of unravelling the mechanisms by which interdisciplinary collaboration takes place in these settings, and the identification of conditions which encourage or thwart learning.

Use & Abuse of Personal Information, Part II: Robust Generation of Fake IDs for Privacy Experimentation

When personal information is shared across the Internet, we have limited confidence that the designated second party will safeguard it as we would prefer. Privacy policies offer insight into the best practices and intent of the organization, yet most are written so loosely that sharing with undefined third parties is to be anticipated. Tracking these sharing behaviors and identifying the source of unwanted content is exceedingly difficult when personal information is shared with multiple such second parties. This paper formulates a model for realistic fake identities, constructs a robust fake identity generator, and outlines management methods targeted towards online transactions (email, phone, text) that pass both cursory machine and human examination for use in personal privacy experimentation. This fake ID generator, combined with a custom account signup engine, are the core front-end components of our larger Use and Abuse of Personal Information system that performs one-time transactions that, similar to a cryptographic one-time pad, ensure that we can attribute the sharing back to the single one-time transaction and/or specific second party. The flexibility and richness of the fake IDs also serve as a foundational set of control variables for a wide range of social science research questions revolving around personal information. Collectively, these fake identity models address multiple inter-disciplinary areas of common interest and serve as a foundation for eliciting and quantifying personal information-sharing behaviors.

Polymer-Gel-Derived PbS/C Composite Nanosheets and Their Photoelectronic Response Properties Studies in the NIR

Non-conjugated polymer-derived functional nanocomposites are one of the important ways to develop multifunctional hybrids. By increasing the degree of crosslinking, their photophysical properties can be improved. PbS is a class of narrow bandgap infrared active materials. To avoid aggregation and passivation of the surface defects of PbS nanomaterials, a large number of organic and inorganic ligands are usually used. In this study, PbS/C composite nanosheets were synthesized with Pb2+ ion-crosslinked sodium alginate gel by one-pot carbonization. The resulting nanosheets were coated on untreated A4 printing paper, and the electrodes were the graphite electrodes with 5B pencil drawings. The photocurrent signals of the products were measured using typical 650, 808, 980, and 1064 nm light sources. The results showed that the photocurrent switching signals were effectively extracted in the visible and near-infrared regions, which was attributed to the mutual passivation of defects during the in situ preparation of PbS and carbon nanomaterials. At the same time, the resulting nanocomposite exhibited electrical switching responses to the applied strain to a certain extent. The photophysical and defect passivation mechanisms were discussed based on the aggregation state of the carbon hybrid and the interfacial electron interaction. This material would have potential applications in broadband flexible photodetectors, tentacle sensors, or light harvesting interdisciplinary areas. This study provided a facile approach to prepare a low-cost hybrid with external stimulus response and multifunctionality. These results show that the interfacial charge transfer is the direct experimental evidence of interfacial interaction, and the regulation of interfacial interaction can improve the physical and chemical properties of nanocomposites, which can meet the interdisciplinary application. The interdisciplinary and application of more non-conjugated polymer systems in some frontier areas will be expanded upon.

Use of process intensification concepts for targeted delivery of inhaled aerosolized medicines

Process intensification (PI) concepts have potential applications beyond the classic industrial problems solved by chemical engineering. This paper discusses the flow and mass transfer intensification using acoustic waves to enhance drug delivery to the nasal cavity. The efficiency of drug delivery to the nose still needs improvement, and the mechanisms related to using acoustic waves to increase it have yet to be studied. The influence of pressure pulsations induced by an acoustic wave (∼100 Hz) on the concentration, droplet size, and flow structure of the mists delivered from medical nebulizers was studied. The direct visualization showed that pulsations intensify aerosol deposition inside narrow channels due to particle displacement perpendicularly to the main flow direction. This motion also allows for particle penetration via narrow openings. UV-assisted observation of the intensified aerosol deposition inside the anatomical cast of the nasal cavity confirmed the importance of acoustic pulsations for intranasal drug delivery, also helping aerosol penetrate hard-to-reach areas (including the paranasal sinuses). A new idea regarding appropriate time control of acoustic pulsations has been proposed to improve the aerosol drug mass transfer in the nose. The study shows that PI has great potential to expand into new and interdisciplinary areas.

Control Methods in Hyperbolic PDEs

Control of hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs) is a truly interdisciplinary area of research in applied mathematics nurtured by challenging problems arising in most modern applications ranging from road traffic, gas pipeline management, blood circulation, to opinion dynamics and socio-economical models, as well as in environmental and biological issues, or more recently in the analysis of deep learning and machine learning methods. The topic has gained an increasing attraction of researchers in the last twenty years due to fundamental theoretical as well as numerical advances achieved in the field of nonlinear hyperbolic PDEs. The hyperbolic and the control of PDEs communities, while pursuing separate interests in their respective range of action with a different focus and, often, with a different array of technical tools, do share a substantial body of common knowledge and background. We think the time is right and the momentum is propitious to bring those communities together at a joint workshop, to mutually stimulate each other and inter- act with one another, for a marked advancement of this area of research on a broad spectrum of control ranging from theoretical to numerical problems and covering also the emerging challenges involving the interplay between (topics of) control and learning. In order to also attract young scientists to this striving field we focus on selected lectures, in-depth discussions, transfer of information from senior to young researchers, and vice versa, and invited plenary talks.

State of the Field: The History of African Political Thought

AbstractThis article surveys the scholarship surrounding the history of African political thought, which is a growing interdisciplinary area of study. The study of the history of political thought has a long tradition but has tended to be Eurocentric, with limited reference to the Global South. Recent decades have seen moves to correct this, with more research being given over to African political thought, both ancient and modern. This article explores the plethora of discussions, which are happening in the field, including how the subject is defined, the impact of theories of decolonisation and the relationship between African thought and ideas from elsewhere in the world. In doing this it, also notes where there is scope for further research to be done.