Modern Forms Research Articles

Scalable intimacy: Rethinking intimate sociality and its problem of scale in digital China

With the development of the Internet in China, people have increasingly turned to digital communication and networking tools for personal connections and social relations. From messaging and dating apps to microblogging and live-streaming platforms, mediated forms of sociality constitute a significant part of people’s intimate lives. Scholarly works on modern and contemporary China have shown how practices and politics of intimacy are formulated and contested against the backdrop of the tensions between the residual culture of Confucianism, the socialist ideological regime, and China’s participation in global capitalism. On the contrary, research on global network societies has foregrounded the role of information and media technologies in mediating intimacy with conceptual frameworks such as programmed sociality and networked intimacy. Bridging these two areas of research, this essay attempts to understand how intimate sociality is configured within China’s burgeoning digital economy and culture. It first provides a review of previous works on forms of intimacy and sociality mediated by network technologies ranging from mobile phones to online dating. Using the popularity of live streaming in current-day China as a case study, this essay then introduces the problem of “scale” to consider how intimacy is mediated at scale with Internet-based media technologies and discuss how scalability shapes intimate lives in Chinese society as a shared rationale behind modernization, network technologies, and new forms of economies. This essay proposes the concept of scalable intimacy to move beyond the platform-centered approach and develop a more contextualized framework for understanding intimate sociality in digital China.

Queer Atlantic: Masculinity, Mobility, and the Emergence of Modernist Form by Daniel Hannah (review)

Queer Atlantic: Masculinity, Mobility, and the Emergence of Modernist Form by Daniel Hannah (review)

Being Nowhere

Concepts of distraction developed in nineteenth century research associate it with transformed urban landscapes in nineteenth century modern cultures. But from the 1930s to 50s Britain, it becomes associated with disorders of domestic spatiality, and a disregard of those design principles of order and hygiene, purpose and function, which were understood to define ‘problem families’. Researchers drew on psychological models of character to propose that these environments produced affective disorders – or defects of sentiment formation – through which adolescent working girls, whose distinctive susceptibilities were formed from the wartime disruptions to familiar landscapes, became predisposed to the lures of distraction. As a disjunctive perceptual disorder associated with transformations in urban spatiality, then, ‘distractibility’ became a symptom of a disruption of the cognitive function associated with that lack of purposiveness, the inability to cultivate ‘homely sentiments’, and the failure of order and demeanour which characterised the environment provided by the problem family. Affective disorders generative of modern forms of female adolescent distraction are seen to bring about a disturbance of perceptual modes that result in psychosis, as the breakdown of consciousness and meaning. As the girls’ immersion in the sensory realm situates them in terms of a ‘dispersal’ across urban landscapes, their attachment to contingent and capricious stimuli is understood to result in a degenerative progression towards the emotional immobility characteristic of the schizophrenic. Within the coordinates of psychological models of distractibility, they become located nowhere.

Pharmacological Evaluation of Antidiabetic Capacity of Moringa oleifera LAM Leaves

Nowadays, phyto-medicine is considered the best form of modern, scientific herbal medicine, relying on scientific research and the highest professional standards to find effective remedies for diseases including diabetes, since this disease is principally linked to impaired insulin function. The work aimed to evaluate inhibitory capacity of Moringa oleifera LAM (MEMO) (Moringaceae). Methanol extract of this plant was prepared and was delivered to rats and revealed a remarkable decrease in glycaemia state (vs. Glibenclamide, 5 mg/kg). Noting that the biochemical parameters were also evaluated. In addition, the plant extract also inhibited enzymes activities comparing to acarbose (standard). This plant possesses antidiabetic properties. The results showed that the activity of this plant represents a potential candidate to develop new drugs to prevent/treat diabetes and this type of pharmacological research is likely to lead to the industrial pharmaceutical development of new active bio-compounds in countries where tradition remains strong.

Keterlibatan Santri dalam Persepsi Wacana Tiongkok

Santris who have had the opportunity to go to China then face some contemplation, questions, and curiosity about what is really going on in the relationship between the two countries. Not all but some of them try to trace the substance and variations of Indonesians’ perceptions of China in the past. It’s like a philosophical romance where a child migrates to a foreign land but because of their migration, they become curious about their hometown. In scientific language, they try to slowly trace the existence of negative perceptions of China. They even unconsciously dismantle, although not frontally, the bad and negative image. Following Hong Liu’s (2015) opinion on the Chinese Metaphor, where China is used as a metaphor to express a sense of anxiety over domestic politics that is not going according to ideals, then, the santri are trying to dismantle the conflicting perceptions and narratives about China. For Indonesians, especially natives, Tiongkok as a nation-state is respected as a model country where leaders set an example so that the masses can work closely together. How the Chinese metaphor expresses the mood of the general public and anchors political and cultural thought in the early days of Indonesia as a country. Hong Liu even provides historical information that China for some Indonesian political elites was once used as an alternative form of modernity to the conception and practice of government politics that at that time still followed and emulated Western-derived systems and institutions. This study tries to apply a transnational approach to provide new insights into modern Asian History and regional transformation.

The Possibility of Applying Total Quality Management at the Higher Institute of Science and Technology – SUSA

In this study, an attempt was made to determine the possibility of applying total quality management in the Higher Institute of Science and Technology (SUSA) and to explain what needs to be done to create high-quality and qualified education and educational institutions in individuals and regions. Institutional aspects of education management. Within this framework, a number of domains from different sources are defined, different characteristics are highlighted, and efforts to improve the understanding of quality are discussed. The management model will enable educational institutions to survive under the conditions of global competition, cooperation should be developed in the form of innovation, modernity, liberalism, openness, development, change and catch-up. Quality is most clearly defined as customer satisfaction. In educational institutions, especially educational administrators, lecturers, teaching assistants, students, parents and educational institutions, the purpose is to improve the quality of lecturers as an overall environmental education.

Owning Bodies, Owning Lands

Abstract This article presents a broad and comparative examination of property formation in the French and English plantation colonies of the Caribbean and the southern North American mainland. It considers the connections between claims to exclusive control over human beings and claims to portions of the earth's surface. In the two early modern empires, planters pushed consistently and successfully to remove social, legal, and ecological constraints that limited their full control over their human and terrestrial property. Moreover, they insisted on legally fusing fields and workers, assimilating slaves to the category of real estate for purposes of inheritance and legal liability for debt. By the mid-eighteenth century, the French and British colonies had developed precociously modern capitalist property forms. In the Age of Revolutions, ideologues from plantation colonies, such as Thomas Jefferson and Michel-René Hilliard d'Auberteuil, emerged as radical advocates of absolute private property rights.

The End of Liberal Peacebuilding

The End of Liberal Peacebuilding

Photodynamic Therapy and Adaptive Immunity Induced by Reactive Oxygen Species: Recent Reports.

Cancer is one of the most significant causes of death worldwide. Despite the rapid development of modern forms of therapy, results are still unsatisfactory. The prognosis is further worsened by the ability of cancer cells to metastasize. Thus, more effective forms of therapy, such as photodynamic therapy, are constantly being developed. The photodynamic therapeutic regimen involves administering a photosensitizer that selectively accumulates in tumor cells or is present in tumor vasculature prior to irradiation with light at a wavelength corresponding to the photosensitizer absorbance, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species are responsible for the direct and indirect destruction of cancer cells. Photodynamically induced local inflammation has been shown to have the ability to activate an adaptive immune system response resulting in the destruction of tumor lesions and the creation of an immune memory. This paper focuses on presenting the latest scientific reports on the specific immune response activated by photodynamic therapy. We present newly discovered mechanisms for the induction of the adaptive response by analyzing its various stages, and the possible difficulties in generating it. We also present the results of research over the past 10 years that have focused on improving the immunological efficacy of photodynamic therapy for improved cancer therapy.

Contemporary Forms of Financing for Small and Medium-sized Enterprise: Country Case Study of Croatia

The paper analyzes the financing of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Republic of Croatia. The fundamental goal of the paper is to determine the most common forms of funding sources used by entrepreneurs classified as SMEs, as well as the advantages and disadvantages that each financing model brings. The article pays special attention to financing methods that are less known to the average Croatian entrepreneur, such as peer-to-peer lending, initial coin offering, and security token offering. Unlike the banking system, which serves as an indirect financial system, modern forms of financing allow SMEs to raise funds directly from borrowers. To obtain the most relevant information from practice, the article presents the results of conducted research on financing models for SMEs in Croatia, with a particular focus on the awareness of entrepreneurs about new and contemporary forms of financing. Research was carried out in the form of a survey questionnaire created using Google Forms. The sample for the research consisted of 145 SMEs companies, selected to represent the population from various sectors of activity according to the national categorization of activities, from which 14.48% responded to the survey questionnaire. Research showed a higher rate of awerenes and the utilization of traditional forms of financing compared to modern ones. However, it also indicates a certain readiness to embrace the latter. Although the share of modern forms of financing remains small, research revealed that they constitute an appropriate alternative to traditional banking systems, both as a relatively solid investment channel and as a way to obtain loans with convenient terms.

What Is Minimalist Governance?

Abstract “Informality” and “semiformality” are the primary characteristics of minimalist governance. The operation of minimalist governance assumes a boundary between state and society and some amount of autonomous space between them at the ground level. Whether in a traditional or modern form, minimalist governance stands in contrast to the formal, hierarchical bureaucracy of the state. Minimalism is a pragmatic approach to governance tailored to local conditions, a form of semiformal or informal government that emphasizes operational effectiveness over elaborate bureaucratic procedures. Since minimalist governance does not rely entirely on the hierarchical power of the state apparatus, this semiformal approach is simple and effective, hence its “minimalist” appearance. The key to solving the problem of formalism at the basic level of government lies in managing the relationship between “a thousand threads above” and “a single needle below.” Autonomy and self-governance must be granted to the basic level of the government so that party committees may fulfill their integrative political functions and their role in minimalist governance. Ultimately, this will allow the “needle” of grassroots organizations to connect with “a thousand threads above” while also penetrating deeply into local society. There is significant practical and theoretical importance in understanding the uniqueness of Chinese-style modernization, and the modernization of rural governance, from the perspective of “social foundations,” but to achieve this Chinese-style modernization we must learn from the West and from China’s own traditional and contemporary experiences.

Творческая мастерская как современная форма повышения профессионального мастерства педагогов по русскому народному танцу и его региональным особенностям

The research objective is substantiation of the initiation of a creative workshop as a modern form of enhancing the professional skills of teachers in Russian folk dance and its regional peculiarities. The article argues for the need to ensure the process of preservation, study, and popularization of Russia's national heritage – Russian folk dance and its regional features. Russian folk dance allows forming in the younger generation a sense of love for their homeland, respect for its history, folk traditions, customs, and cultural diversity. The article emphasizes the importance of proper education on the specifics of Russian folk dance and the professional development of dance teachers. The leading forms of professional development for teachers and leaders of amateur dance groups include studying scientific and educational literature, grant activities, competitions and festivals, qualification courses, and masterclasses. The article places special emphasis on exploring the creative projects of the autonomous non-profit organization "Creative Union of Generations 'Transformation'." The modern form of enhancing the professional skills of dance teachers is presented as the cultural-educational project "All-Russian Creative Workshop on Russian Folk Dance and its Regional Features." The author provides an original definition of the essence of this new creative-pedagogical phenomenon, detailing the educational course program (from 2022 to 2024).

Mitochondrial transplantation: new challenges for cancer

This review discusses the uniqueness of mitochondria providing normal cellular functions and at the same time involved in many pathological conditions, and also analyzes the scientific literature to clarify the effectiveness of mitochondrial transplantation in cancer treatment. Being important and semi-autonomous organelles in cells, they are able to adapt their functions to the needs of the corresponding organ. The ability of mitochondria to reprogram is important for all cell types that can switch between resting and proliferation. At the same time, tumor mitochondria undergo adaptive changes to accelerate the reproduction of tumor cells in an acidic and hypoxic microenvironment. According to emerging data, mitochondria can go beyond the boundaries of cells and move between the cells of the body. Intercellular transfer of mitochondria occurs naturally in humans as a normal mechanism for repairing damaged cells. The revealed physiological mitochondrial transfer has become the basis for a modern form of mitochondrial transplantation, including autologous (isogenic), allogeneic, and even xenogenic transplantation. Currently, exogenous healthy mitochondria are used in treatment of several carcinomas, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and glioma. Investigation of the functional activity of healthy mitochondria demonstrated and confirmed the fact that female mitochondria are more efficient in suppressing tumor cell proliferation than male mitochondria. However, tissue-specific sex differences in mitochondrial morphology and oxidative capacity were described, and few studies showed functional sex differences in mitochondria during therapy. The reviewed studies report that mitochondrial transplantation can be specifically targeted to a tumor, providing evidence for changes in tumor function after mitochondrial administration. Thus, the appearance of the most interesting data on the unique functions of mitochondria indicates the obvious need for mitochondrial transplantation.

Репрезентация творчества А. Блока в видеопоэзии

The aim of the research is to identify the most important features in representation and reception of A. Blok’s poetic texts in the genre of video poetry presented at the international festival ‘Videostikhiya’. The paper examines the specifics of video poetry as a new sphere in art associated with the search for both modern forms of poetic creativity and ways of its interpretation and representation; analyzes video clips based on A. Blok’s poems. Scholars’ attention is focused on the complexity of audio visualization of the works by the symbolist poet, who perceived life in its transcendent essence. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time, the results of analysing modern works in the genre of video poetry based on Blok’s texts are presented; approaches to the study of the visual sphere of A. Blok’s poems are expanded. It is proved that the representation of A. Blok’s creative work in video poetry has its own specifics: the authors can modernize the Blok text, deepening the perception of the poem through metaphorical and symbolic video sequences, or recreate the context, immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of the Silver Age; intertextual inclusions also help each of the video artists to present in the media space a new reading of A. Blok’s poetic statement about the world and about people.

Historical Evolution of Trade Fairs against Urban Evolution: Divergence and Convergence of Thessaloniki Fair with International Practice

This paper conceptualizes trade fairs as complex socio-spatial phenomena, which are constantly transformed, following socio-economic change, and reflect aspects of social and urban life. Methodologically, we apply a longitudinal systematic comparative analysis of historical fair evolution between international practice and the case of the city of Thessaloniki, exploring convergence and divergence, throughout the historical evolution of the city. It is shown that Thessaloniki fair exhibits similarities and differences vis-à-vis the international practice, with these linking to the socio-economic conditions of the city. Fair activity in Thessaloniki exhibits a time lag in integration of international practices while incorporating economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions. Particularly within the conditions of the 2008 global economic crisis, Thessaloniki fair emerges as a hybrid model that combines fairs’ strategies and social and urban practices with aspects of pre-modern, modern, and post-modern fair forms, significantly influenced by the historical evolution of the urban context.

Pengaruh Penerapan E-Filing terhadap Kepatuhan Wajib Pajak Orang Pribadi dengan Sosialisasi Perpajakan sebagai Variabel Moderating

The utilization of technology in the modern era has resulted in significant transformative changes, particularly within the taxation system. One form of modernization in taxation is the adoption of e-filing for reporting the Annual Tax Return (SPT), making the tax reporting process more efficient and practical. This research aims to explain the influence of e-filing implementation on the compliance of individual taxpayers, the impact of tax socialization on the compliance of individual taxpayers, and the effect of e-filing implementation on the compliance of individual taxpayers with tax socialization as a moderating variable. This research employs a verificative method with a quantitative approach. The sample selection technique involves Non-Probability Sampling, specifically utilizing Convenience Sampling. The respondents consist of 60 individual taxpayers with businesses registered in the jurisdiction of KPP Pratama Cimahi. Hypothesis testing in this study employs Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) using SmartPLS software. Based on the results, e-filing implementation significantly positively influences the compliance of individual taxpayers, and tax socialization also significantly positively affects the compliance of individual taxpayers. However, tax socialization as a moderating variable has not been able to moderate the impact of e-filing implementation on the compliance of individual taxpayers. KPP Pratama Cimahi is expected to enhance tax socialization regarding e-filing to encourage taxpayers to fulfill their obligations and improve their tax compliance.

Friedrich Hölderlin or Emanuele Severino? The Sacral Dimension of Nature in the Context of Modern Technology

The main purpose of inquiries undertaken in this study is to present a synthesis of the views of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin and the Italian thinker Emanuel Severino on nature and technology, and to analyze the contemporary manifestations of the re-sacralization of nature in many ecological currents, as discussed in her studies by the French philosopher Chantal Delsol. For Hölderlin, nature is never limited to being an empirical object of scientific investigation. It is a divine reality that does not undergo change. It is a space inhabited by the sacred. Nature constitutes the sacred All, beyond which nothing else exists. Severino, in turn, analyzes the impact of modern technology on nature, man and the entire existing world. He believes science and modern technology have become an extremely effective tool of man’s dominion over the natural world. The Italian philosopher says that today the human will to power applied to nature leads to its objectification and desacralization. Delsol, on the other hand, points out that throughout Western culture we are now witnessing the birth of a new religion of nature, which is a modern form of ancient paganism. The analyses performed demonstrate that, on the one hand, nature is currently being subjected to profound changes due to science and technology, while on the other – its former sacral character is being restored, forming the foundation of a new form of religiosity.

Urbanization, Bourgeois Culture, and the Institutionalization of the Frankfurt Neurological Institute by Ludwig Edinger (1855–1918)

Ludwig Edinger (1855–1918) is often perceived as a functional neuroanatomist who primarily followed traditional lines of microscopic research. That he was a rather fascinating innovator in the history of neurology at the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century has, however, gone quite unnoticed. Edinger’s career and his pronounced hopes for future investigative progress in neurological work mark an important shift, one away from traditional research styles connected to department-based approaches towards a multi-perspective and quite advanced form of interdisciplinary scientific work. Being conceptually influenced by the Austrian neuroanatomist Heinrich Obersteiner (1847–1922) and his foundation of the Neurological Institute in Vienna in 1882, Edinger established a multi-faceted brain research program. It was linked to an institutional setting of laboratory analysis and clinical research that paved the way for a new type of interdisciplinarity. After completion of his medical training, which brought him in working relationships with illustrious clinicians such as Friedrich von Recklinghausen (1810–1879) and Adolf Kussmaul (1822–1902), Edinger settled in 1883 as one of the first clinically working neurologists in the German city of Frankfurt/Main. Here, he began to collaborate with the neuropathologist Carl Weigert (1845–1904), who worked at the independent research institute of the Senckenbergische Anatomie. Since 1902, Edinger came to organize the anatomical collections and equipment for a new brain research laboratory in the recently constructed Senckenbergische Pathologie. It was later renamed the “Neurological Institute”, and became an early interdisciplinary working place for the study of the human nervous system in its comparative, morphological, experimental, and clinical dimensions. Even after Edinger’s death and under the austere circumstances of the Weimar Period, altogether three serviceable divisions continued with fruitful research activities in close alignment: the unit of comparative neurology, the unit of neuropsychology and neuropathology (headed by holist neurologist Kurt Goldstein, 1865–1965), and an associated unit of paleoneurology (chaired by Ludwig Edinger’s daughter Tilly, 1897–1967, who later became a pioneering neuropaleontologist at Harvard University). It was especially the close vicinity of the clinic that attracted Edinger’s attention and led him to conceive a successful model of neurological research, joining together different scientific perspectives in a unique and visibly modern form.

Effectiveness of Electronic Teaching Materials Using the Value Clarification Technique Approach in Elementary Schools

The Indonesian government has taken professional competence, the ability to think creatively and learn new things, and fluency with modern forms of communication, information, and technology as its guiding principles. The Indonesian government has made information and technology proficiency a cornerstone of modern education. With the help of technical advancements in learning media, the area of education benefits from the use of technology that may facilitate the learning process. In primary schools, this research will use the Value Clarification Technique approach matrix model to find out how effective electronic teaching resources are for Pancasila Elements. The final output is a set of electronic teaching materials that have undergone rigorous validity testing by three different sets of specialists: material scientists, linguists, and media specialists. This study used a one-group Pretest-Posttest design, which is common in pre-experimental research. Thirteen women and twelve men made up the total of twenty-five participants in this research, which included both instructors and pupils. A test is the tool that this study use. Wilcoxon test and N-Gain value calculation are the data analysis techniques used. According to the study's findings, students in fourth grade at an elementary school that used electronic teaching materials based on the Value Clarification Technique approach matrix model learned more about Pancasila components.

Theories of Migration: Sociological and Conceptual Dilemmas

The aim of this study is to introduce to the researchers' migration theories in a brief and modern form. As rates of migration are increasing all over the world for different reasons it became necessary to review critically the theories that dealt with such important social phenomenon. The study is an analytical and critical study adopted the documentary research methodology and the office work and content analysis as a tool to obtain information. The study discussed many aspects of sociological theories such as definitions, typologies, areas of strength and weakness and historical development In this study theories of migration were classified into three main types: macro level theories, micro level theories, and the ones, which attempts to bridge the gap between these levels. 
 Keywords: Migration, Migration theories, Macro Theories, Micro Theories, Typology