Interdisciplinary Perspective Research Articles

Editorial: Living on the edge—interdisciplinary perspectives on coastal and marine ecosystems in human prehistory

Editorial: Living on the edge—interdisciplinary perspectives on coastal and marine ecosystems in human prehistory

3D geometric survey of cultural heritage by UAV in inaccessible coastal or shallow aquatic environments

AbstractCultural heritage in coastal or shallow aquatic environments is often located in areas where access is difficult or where accurate survey and documentation may not always be possible with terrestrial or aquatic equipment. The combination of photogrammetry and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) generates a range of possibilities across multiple sectors, including history, ethnography and cultural heritage studies. Additionally, these methods can be used to prospect new archaeological sites. This article presents three case studies that use UAV techniques and Structure from Motion and Multiview Stereo (SfM‐MVS) photogrammetry to conduct topographic and geometric registrations of archaeological, historical and ethnographic sites (some of which are classified as cultural heritage sites). These examples are located in coastal or shallow aquatic environments that are difficult to survey with traditional methods. The results show that it is possible to carry out detailed geometric registration and heritage prospection over large coastal or shallow aquatic environments using a low‐cost UAV. Furthermore, the results of this work show great advantages in terms of cost and quality, even in cases where the seabed is below a shallow water column. Other particularities of SfM‐MVS application in aquatic environments are discussed. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this methodology will offer new possibilities for the study, restoration and conservation of archaeological, historical and ethnographic monuments.

Windstorm impacts on European forest-related systems: An interdisciplinary perspective

Windstorms are considered the main disturbing abiotic agent in European forests. They affect a multiplicity of forest-related dimensions, such as forest ecology, forest operations, geomorphology, economy, and socio-cultural aspects. Due to the complex dynamics set off by windstorms, the design of post-windstorm forest management should be characterized by an interdisciplinary approach able to address multiple environmental and social needs. However, scientific literature investigating the impacts of windstorms on forests appears mainly focused on specific aspects. An interdisciplinary and more comprehensive approach is needed to cope with such multi-facet phenomena and to address future forest research.We reviewed current literature analyzing consequences of windstorms on European forests focusing on interconnections and cascade effects among forest-related dimensions in post-windstorm dynamics. We performed an in-depth review of 111 articles to detect most recurrent direct and indirect impacts as well as cascade effects among ecological, geomorphological, operational, economic, socio-cultural, and institutional forest-related dimensions. Our analysis aimed at providing a detailed analysis of the state of the art of windstorm impacts on European forests reported in literature, and suggesting an innovative approach to analyze windstorm consequences at a systemic level to acquire a comprehensive overview of post-windstorm dynamics.Our results showed that most of the studies dealt with interactions among ecological components of forests, but links between ecology, geomorphology, and society have been poorly studied. These knowledge gaps reduce the comprehension of windstorm impacts in the short and long terms and overlook the influence of societal-related aspects in post-windstorm forest management. Moreover, our analysis suggested the need of a post-windstorm management acting at systemic and comprehensive level, supported by forest policies that promotes multifunctionality to overcome challenges derived by natural disturbances intensification.

The Classical Chinese Gardens as a Medium: Rethinking the Visual Transformation in Chinese Culture in the Twentieth Century

ABSTRACT The enormous diversity between the Chinese and Western cultures led to two different visual principles. Western visuality followed the perspective based on the retina, while the Chinese painters used the “far and near method” (yuanjin fa 遠近法). Before the twentieth century, the representation and dissemination of Chinese gardens at the visual level were dominated by traditional landscape painting. However, the Chinese gardens’ visual representation gradually shifted from traditional landscape painting to Western cartographic techniques (site survey and photography) after the Opium War (1840–1860). When studying the history of Chinese gardens, images provide a symbolic reference for interpreting the past of these gardens as crucial visual evidence. This article uses the visual evidence of classical Chinese gardens as a medium to reveal the influence and role of Western-centric theories on Chinese culture. Fundamentally, this paper attempts to analyse the impact of these changes on the inheritance of cultural memory from an intercultural and interdisciplinary perspective.

Toward a Theoretical Foundation of Policy Optimization for Learning Control Policies

Gradient-based methods have been widely used for system design and optimization in diverse application domains. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in studying theoretical properties of these methods in the context of control and reinforcement learning. This article surveys some of the recent developments on policy optimization, a gradient-based iterative approach for feedback control synthesis that has been popularized by successes of reinforcement learning. We take an interdisciplinary perspective in our exposition that connects control theory, reinforcement learning, and large-scale optimization. We review a number of recently developed theoretical results on the optimization landscape, global convergence, and sample complexityof gradient-based methods for various continuous control problems, such as the linear quadratic regulator (LQR), [Formula: see text] control, risk-sensitive control, linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control, and output feedback synthesis. In conjunction with these optimization results, we also discuss how direct policy optimization handles stability and robustness concerns in learning-based control, two main desiderata in control engineering. We conclude the survey by pointing out several challenges and opportunities at the intersection of learning and control.

PEDAGOGICAL NEOLOGY: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION

Pedagogical neology refers to the study and practice of introducing new words and concepts into educational settings with the aim of enhancing learning experiences and improving educational outcomes. This article presents a comprehensive review of the literature on pedagogical neology, highlighting its theoretical foundations, empirical evidence, and practical implications for educators. Drawing upon various interdisciplinary perspectives, the article examines the role of pedagogical neology in vocabulary development, concept formation, and fostering creativity and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, it explores the challenges and considerations associated with implementing pedagogical neology strategies in different educational contexts. The article concludes with a set of recommendations for educators and researchers to effectively integrate pedagogical neology into teaching and learning practices.

In Memoriam: Mats Morell

In Memoriam: Mats Morell

Navigating Uncertainty: How Covid-19 is Shaping the Stock Market

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in significant and far-reaching economic impacts on a global scale. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the effects of Covid-19 on the global financial crisis from multiple perspectives. To do so, we review the existing literature on the crisis and its impact on the global economy and present a preliminary analysis of its causes and effects. We propose a set of methods for studying the crisis in greater detail and present the results of our experiments. Our findings indicate that Covid-19 has led to macroeconomic impacts such as decreased global GDP, higher unemployment rates, and a decline in international trade. At the industry-specific level, the pandemic has had varying impacts across different sectors, with some industries, such as travel and tourism, being hit particularly hard. Government responses to the pandemic have also varied, with some countries implementing more effective policies than others. Supply chain disruptions have affected industries globally, and long-term effects of the pandemic are expected to be far-reaching. Our analysis reveals the complex and evolving impact of Covid-19 on the global financial crisis, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary perspectives to fully understand the issue. We also discuss the implications of our findings, including the potential for future research to inform policy decisions aimed at mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on the global economy. In general, our study provides a comprehensive perspective on the impact of Covid-19 on the global financial crisis, highlighting the need for continued research and collaboration across disciplines to fully understand the extent of the pandemic's economic impacts and inform effective policy responses.

Promises of industry 4.0 under the magnifying glass of interdisciplinarity: revealing operators and managers work and challenging collaborative robot design.

The goal of this article is to propose a cross-perspective around Collaborative Robotics-seen as a remarkable example of technologies 4.0 in an industrial context-by calling on sociology, activity-centred ergonomics, engineering, and robotics expertises. The development of this cross-perspective is thought to be a key issue to improve the design of work organisation for the Industry 4.0. After a socio-historical review of promises of Collaborative Robotics, the interdisciplinary approach developed and applied in a French Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) is presented. In this case study, two work situations are focused on in an interdisciplinary perspective: on the one hand, the one of operators whose professional gestures are intended to be supported by collaborative robots, and on the other the one of managers and executives as responsible for socio-technical changes. Our results reveal the technical and socio-organisational challenges faced by SMEs beyond the introduction of given technologies: analysing the relevance and feasibility of cobotisation projects with regard to the complexity of professional gestures and preserving the quality of work and performance under a continuous pressure to change (organisations, technologies). These findings support discussions of promises of collaborative robotics, and more generally Industry 4.0, regarding effective worker/technology collaboration and the possibility of "healthy" and performant work; they reiterate requirements for work-centred and participatory design, for reconnection in a sensory experience in a more and more digitalized work and open ways for more interdisciplinary approaches.

The Mathematical Modelling of the Systems Theory

Life is an embodiment of matter that is a common feature of living organisms and can be used as a fundamental criterion for characterizing them. Everything that is common to living organisms falls under the umbrella of biological motion. Everything that is common to living organisms falls under the umbrella of biological motion. The new approach – qualitatively different and more than that of classical or borderland sciences – is the interdisciplinary perspective. The first important milestone in the scientific establishment of general systems theory was the year 1942, when the second edition of Theoretische Biologie by Ludwig von Bertalanffy. One of the main aims of general systems theory is to develop a general orientation and a general theoretical framework that enables a practitioner of a discipline to take up structurally and organizationally relevant contributions from others. Examples are totality, additivity, leap and slow evolution, similarity, gradual selection, growth-evolution, mechanization and centralization, individuality, adapta¬tion, aggression, hierarchical order, parts with a control function, the avalanche ef¬fect, purposiveness and unity of purpose, rhythmicity, physical and biological time.

Envisioning the future by learning from the past: Arts and humanities in interdisciplinary tools for promoting a culture of risk

Disaster risk is the result of complex interactions between the drivers of vulnerability such as poverty and lack of access to resources and the impacts from multiple hazards (with differing intensities and recurrence intervals). These risks are difficult to understand, quantify or convey. Historical hazard events have important potential in generating understanding of multiple potential risks. They provide historical and near-historical records of the real-life experience of relevant hazardous events and their physical, political and social consequences in physically familiar terrain. In this paper, we explore the use of historical research, memory, and emotion in developing conversations around the complexities of multi-hazard risk in urban settings through co-produced interdisciplinary museum exhibits and an educational transmedia platform in Quito, Ecuador. We argue that the opportunity for impact in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) arrives by targeting DRR education from an interdisciplinary perspective, with a narrative that draws on history and memory, and that uses art to address emotions and to communicate and visualise two sometimes overlooked but essential dimensions in DRR education: 1) understanding the risk drivers that turn hazardous events into disasters, and 2) building the capacity of communities to imagine future scenarios that reduce risk and create open and participatory processes of risk-sensitive urban planning as proposed by the Tomorrow's Cities Decision Support Environment (TCDSE).

Beyond Brand Image: A Neuromarketing Perspective

The study presents, discusses and analyses the brand image and the role of emotions. The text consists of two parts: neuroscience and marketing-psychological. The neuroscience section presents and discusses emotions from a medical perspective. Emotions are expressed by visceral motor changes. A special review is based on Damasio’s theory of emotions analysed in the context of neuromarketing. In the marketing-psychological part, the roles of emotions on consumer behaviour are discussed. It starts from the presentation of the brand image and the connection with the brand identity. The image starts from the roots of imagination, the theory of emotion and the psychological construct of self-image. The brand becomes the consumer’s image communicating at the symbolic level, and at the same time represents the active image of the consumer’s self-image. Given the increasing complexity of the neuromarketing doctrine, the proposed approach could be useful for improving the understanding of brand image from an interdisciplinary perspective. This study provides theoretical framework on brand image and neuromarketing. Moreover, it offers valuable insight to marketers from neuroscience and semiotics.

Beyond Protection: Recognizing Nature’s Rights to Conserve Sharks

This paper blends conservation science with legal and policy analysis to assess the primary threats to global shark populations and explores innovative approaches to conservation building upon the philosophy of Earth law, including the Rights of Nature legal framework. Using a case study of Panamá’s national Rights of Nature law, this paper highlights approaches to improve the protection and restoration of shark populations and their habitats. By examining the ecological, social, and economic aspects of conservation holistically, this study offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the urgency for shark protection and presents Rights of Nature as a valuable approach to shark conservation, with potential applications to other species globally.

AI-coherent data-driven forecasting model for a combined cycle power plant

This study investigates the transformation of energy models to align with machine learning requirements as a promising tool for optimizing the operation of combined cycle power plants (CCPPs). By modeling energy production as a function of environmental and control variables, this methodology offers an innovative way to achieve energy-efficient power generation in the context of the data-driven application. This study focuses on developing a thorough AI-coherent modeling approach for CCPP optimization, preferring an interdisciplinary perspective and coming up with a comprehensive, insightful analysis. The proposed numerical model using Broyden Fletcher Goldfarb Shanno (BFGS) algorithm enhances efficiency by simulating various operating scenarios and adjusting optimal parameters, leading to a high yield power generation of 2.23 % increase from 452 MW to 462.1 MW by optimizing the environmental factors. This study deals with data-driven modeling based on historical data to make predictions without prior knowledge of the system's parameter, demonstrating several merits in identifying patterns that can be difficult for human analysts to detect, high accuracy when trained on large datasets, and the potential to improve over time with new data. The proposed modeling approach and methodology can be expanded as a valuable tool for forecasting and decision-making in complex energy systems.

Conceptual reframing of the socialization process from the mentoring activity perspective

The article analyzes the contemporary reflections that refer to the socialization process accompanying and engaging man as an individual and as a species. Starting from the hypothesis, according to which the individual is not a human person from birth, but becomes one, and this transformation takes place when the individual is integrated into the socialization process. The purpose of our research is to avoid, within the analyzed theories, the heterogeneous elements by capturing what is common, and essential. This would open the way to a reconceptualization of the socialization process in a unitary, essentialist framework from an interdisciplinary perspective. The applied research methods: phenomenological, hermeneutic, and sociological (interactionist) have allowed us to singularize our research and highlight the fact that coming together in a methodological unit is complementary, allowing the interdisciplinary explanation of the socialization process. Thus, from a pedagogical perspective, socialization is closely related to mentoring activity, which ensures convergence and creates opportunities for the individual's adaptation to new contexts. At the same time, mentoring and socialization represent emerging elements that offer possibilities to the individual for the development of a successful career. Through the mentoring activity, the individual is supported and encouraged to find the strength to overcome and improve his performance, develop various skills, and become a fully integrated being in society.

Denture stomatitis-An interdisciplinary clinical review.

An interdisciplinary clinical review on denture stomatitis formulated by experts from prosthodontics, oral medicine, and oral microbiology is presented. The review outlines the etiopathogenesis, clinical features, and management strategies of denture stomatitis from an interdisciplinary perspective. English-language articles relating to the definition, incidence, gender distribution, geographical distribution, etiology, pathogenesis, symptoms, signs, treatment, and prognosis of denture stomatitis were retrieved via electronic literature search. Relevant articles were summarized for this manuscript with a view toward providing pragmatic information. Denture stomatitis represents a very common, multifactorial infectious, inflammatory, and hyperplastic condition which is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene, poor denture hygiene, and full-time; mainly night-time denture wear, bringing about the emergence of advanced Candida-containing polymicrobial biofilms in close proximity to the host's mucosal tissues. Denture stomatitis shares clinically relevant associations with dental caries, periodontitis, median rhomboid glossitis, angular cheilitis, aspirational pneumonia, and associated mortality. Effective, long-term treatment of denture stomatitis relies upon sustained patient-driven behavioral change which should focus on daily prosthesis-level cleaning and disinfection, removal of dentures at night, every night, engagement with professional denture maintenance, and when required, denture replacement. Antifungal medications offer limited benefits outside of short-term use due to the emergence of antifungal resistance. For frail, older, medically compromised, and nursing home populations, treatment of denture stomatitis lowers the risk of aspirational pneumonia and associated mortality.

Perceptions of the oral health of their patients reported by Brazilian medical residents in psychiatry

Persons with severe mental disorders have higher chances of presenting oral health problems than persons in the general population. Mental disorders are considered public-health problems worldwide. Interpreting statements on oral health made by medical students receiving instruction in psychiatry is essential to provide elements for reflection on their difficulties, barriers or limited knowledge in managing their patients' oral health. Based on the presupposition that doctors provide their patients with no instruction or support concerning oral complaints, because these do not symbolize the same challenges as those emerging from severe mental disorders. The aim of this study was to interpret symbolic meanings of statements expressed by medical residents in psychiatry at a specialized university outpatient clinic, about their patients' oral health. Qualitative research using the Qualitative-Clinical method was conducted, adopting the theoretical reference of medical psychology. Data were analyzed by the Clinical-Qualitative Content method and the Seven-Step technique. Based on 06 interviews analyzed, the following categories emerged: "What do I do? Psychiatrists' dilemmas about not understanding their role in patients' oral health; and "Dentists do not participate in Balint' so-called "collusion in anonymity". It was concluded that among others, the paradigm consisted of a sociological composition, therefore it was stronger than personal decisions that might eventually oppose the barriers to interdisciplinary work posed by the institutional model, which were intertwined with paradigmatic barriers. Thus, specialist training should include a dental perspective, so that oral examinations would always be included in the physical examinations, from an interdisciplinary perspective of the integrity of health-care.

Introduction: Western Learned Magic as an Entangled Tradition

The introduction to this special issue outlines the concept of Western learned magic and suggests to analyse it as an entangled tradition, thus calling for an interdisciplinary, transcultural and transreligious perspective on its history. A working heuristic of seven different types of entanglement in the history of Western learned magic is proposed, whereas special emphasis is placed on processes of ritual hybridisation. Entangled rituals are one of the most unique characteristics of Western learned magic and often mirror millenia-long processes of textual-ritual transmission across numerous cultural and religious boundaries. Inspired by this working heuristic of different types of entanglement in the history of Western learned magic, the introduction summarises the six contributions to this special issue. These contributions represent the fruits of a workshop on *Western learned magic as an entangled tradition* that was held at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at the University of Bochum on September 14–15, 2019.

Music Therapy: Scientific Perspectives and Clinical Prospects

Music and arts for healing purposes look back over a multifaceted evolution and a myriad of phenomena in various cultures. Interdisciplinary considerations suggest to distinguish five different, but partly overlapping stages. The first refers to historical roots and ethnological sources, which have also influenced modern meta-theoretical perspectives and practices. The next stage marks the heterogeneous origins of modern music therapy in the 20th century that mirror psychological positions and novel clinical ideas about the healing power of music and the arts. The following heyday of music therapeutic models and schools of thought yielded an enormous variety of concepts and methods such as Nordoff-Robbins MT, Orff MT, Analytic MT, Regulatory MT, GIM or Sound Work. As music and arts therapies gained in international importance, clinical applications required research about their therapeutic efficacy. According to standards of evidence based medicine and with regard to clearly defined diagnoses research on music therapeutic practice became the core of stage four. The present stage is characterised by an emerging epistemological dissatisfaction with the paradigmatic reductionism of evidence based medicine and the strong will to discover the ‘true healing nature’ of music. This trend has given birth to interdisciplinary hermeneutics for novel foundations of music and arts therapies. Epigenetics, neuroplasticity, regulatory and chronobiological sciences, quantum physical philosophies, universal harmonies, spiritual and religious views, and the cultural anthropological phenomenon of aesthetics and creativity have become guiding principles. The present paper relates to the author’s EASA-speech on the 2nd of December 2022 about landmarks in the evolution of modern music therapy and its interdisciplinary perspectives.

Music therapy: scientific perspectives and clinical prospects

Music and arts for healing purposes look back over a multifaceted evolution and a myriad of phenomena in various cultures. Interdisciplinary considerations suggest to distinguish five different, but partly overlapping stages. The first refers to historical roots and ethnological sources, which have also influenced modern meta-theoretical perspectives and practices. The next stage marks the heterogeneous origins of modern music therapy in the 20th century that mirror psychological positions and novel clinical ideas about the healing power of music and the arts. The following heyday of music therapeutic models and schools of thought yielded an enormous variety of concepts and methods such as Nordoff-Robbins MT, Orff MT, Analytic MT, Regulatory MT, GIM or Sound Work. As music and arts therapies gained in international importance, clinical applications required research about their therapeutic efficacy. According to standards of evidence based medicine and with regard to clearly defined diagnoses research on music therapeutic practice became the core of stage four. The present stage is characterised by an emerging epistemological dissatisfaction with the paradigmatic reductionism of evidence based medicine and the strong will to discover the ‘true healing nature’ of music. This trend has given birth to interdisciplinary hermeneutics for novel foundations of music and arts therapies. Epigenetics, neuroplasticity, regulatory and chronobiological sciences, quantum physical philosophies, universal harmonies, spiritual and religious views, and the cultural anthropological phenomenon of aesthetics and creativity have become guiding principles. The present paper relates to the author’s EASA-speech on the 2nd of December 2022 about landmarks in the evolution of modern music therapy and its interdisciplinary perspectives.