Original Purpose Research Articles

Plasma-aerosol-assisted interface engineering of nanofiltration membranes to improve removal of organic pollutants from water

Membrane surface functionalization has shown great potential in improving the removal of organic pollutants from water by nanofiltration (NF). However, conventional surface modification methods rely on hazardous chemical solutions and produce large amounts of wastewater, which is contrary to the original purpose of wastewater remediation and the current high demand for environmental sustainability. Herein, we demonstrate a solvent-free and scalable method enabled by an emerging aerosol-assisted plasma deposition process for surface functionalization of NF membranes to improve the removal of organic pollutants from water. We first investigate the physicochemical properties of the aerosol-assisted plasma deposited (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (AAPD-APTES) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (AAPD-HEMA) coatings on commercial NF270 membranes by different surface characterization techniques. Then, we examine the associated membranes’ performance in removing conventional organic pollutants (phenol) and emerging micropollutants (diuron). Compared to the untreated NF270 membranes (2.9% for phenol and 22.0% for diuron), AAPD-APTES-modified NF270 membranes have the highest rejection efficiency towards both phenol (68.5%) and diuron (49.1%), whereas AAPD-HEMA coated membranes show good selectivity behavior with a high rejection efficiency for diuron (43.6%) but a relatively low efficiency for phenol (6.2%). Both plasma polymer-coated membranes are effective in removing organic contaminants mainly due to the plasma-produced dense surface coatings. Overall, this study offers a comprehensive eco-friendly and scalable strategy for NF membrane surface functionalization, which can not only improve the NF performance in wastewater remediation but also reduce the production of wastewater in the surface functionalization process.

Biodiversity Offset Mechanisms and Compensation for Loss from Exceptional to Popular: Rediscovering Environmental Law

The use of compensatory mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, also known as biodiversity offsets, has increased significantly in recent decades. The Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework mentions them as an innovative scheme in support of substantially and progressively increasing the level of financial resources for biodiversity conservation. This article traces the origin of compensatory mechanisms in international environmental law and their development in transnational biodiversity governance. The article points to the shifts in the application of the biodiversity offsets: from the context of wetlands to other habitats and ecosystems; from its use in intergovernmental conventions to an increasing number of transnational (business) networks; and from an instrument of last resort to a source of additional funding for biodiversity conservation. In the evolution, compensatory mechanisms have been decoupled from their original purpose as an exceptional mitigation measure and a strong focus of environmental law on the preventive function. The increased rhetoric of commitment to no net loss, net gain, restoration, and the mitigation hierarchy has not been matched by an improved status of wetlands and other ecosystems. The processes within the biodiversity conventions (Ramsar and CBD) have accepted an ongoing destruction of nature and limited the role of environmental law to minimizing harmful impacts on nature and consolidating the decline, rather than shaping socio-ecological outcomes. An ambiguous position about the spread of compensatory mechanisms has been part and parcel of this; biodiversity conventions have neither endorsed nor distanced themselves from the application, promotion, and justification of compensatory mechanisms. To maintain the integrity of environmental law, the rules that prevent biodiversity loss need to be emphasised and enforced.

Aligning policy and practice to implement CARE with FAIR through Indigenous Peoples’ protocols

ABSTRACT In 2019, members of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) published the CARE Principles (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) for Indigenous Data Governance (IDGov). CARE has since been referenced, leveraged, and adopted in various ways across disciplines and sectors worldwide. In this article, GIDA members from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States share examples of IDGov models that predate and emerged after the development of CARE. Together, we reflect upon the affordances and limitations of the broad uptake of CARE. We argue that renewed attention is needed to the original intent of CARE: to direct data actors to local communities’ protocols and frameworks for IDGov, and to transform institutional policies and practices to fortify Indigenous Peoples’ authority to control their data.

Searching for Ways of Settling Land Conflicts by Peaceful Means in Cameroon: A Critical Analysis of the Peacemaking Role of the ‘Land Consultative Board’

The regulation of Land tenure systems is one of the main sources of conflicts in Africa and one of the continent’s most difficult realities to pin down. In its 1974 land reform, the Cameroonian legislature sought to strike a balance between traditional norms and modern instruments, between administrative, judicial and customary authorities, in order to establish an inclusive, democratic and peaceful system of land tenure. The establishment of the Land Consultative Board as the regulatory instrument the state planned to use in land matters was projected as the answer to this quest. While the original intention remains laudable - to enable the state, guarantor of the general interest to acquire a local instrument with the appropriate legitimacy and capable of ensuring the peaceful regulation of land tenure. It has to be said that, almost 50 years later, this ambition has not been achieved. The recurrence of land conflicts and the density of disputes reflect the inadequacy of the rules governing land tenure in Cameroon, depriving the board of any real regulatory authority. The central argument of this paper is that the legislator's ambition was not sincere because of the precedence of the administrative authority to the detriment of other actors. The choice of evaluating this working assumption through the theory of the instrumentation of public action is therefore essential. It makes it possible not only to determine the legislator's intention through textual and contextual analysis, but also to observe the interplay of actors around this regulatory instrument through an interdisciplinary approach. Between its structural inability to acquire real autonomy and the barely concealed desire to downgrade custom, its role has steadily diminished along with its influence, though without disappearing. It remains, however, the institutional relic where the philosophy of the “palaver tree,” supported by the practice of non-violence and democratic dialogue, can still survive, as well as the keystone of the entire land tenure system of the country. The analysis of the consultative Board’s peacemaking role through its instrumentation (or its instrumentalisation) opens up new perspectives for understanding the regulation of public action in our so-called Southern countries, especially for decision-makers, donors and any actor interested in the thorny issue of land tenure insecurity.

WallStreetBets: Assessing the Collective Intelligence of Reddit for Investment Advice

The WallStreetBets (WSB) community on Reddit gained prominence for its role in the GameStop saga and the resulting meme stock phenomenon. Concurrently, this has boosted the popularity of finance-related communities on Reddit, with the top five totalling more than 25 million subscribers at the time of writing. However, little is known about the reliability of the advice disseminated in these communities, which is a relevant research question within the field of social computing. In this study, we examine the collective intelligence of WSB, the largest and most active subreddit focused on the stock market, and assess its potential as a democratizing force in enabling access to financial knowledge. First, we establish that WSB meets several criteria to be considered a collectively intelligent crowd. Then, we test our hypothesis quantitatively by analyzing Reddit posts and financial data from a 28-month period to evaluate how successful an investor relying on WSB recommendations could have been. We define a portfolio of WSB’s most discussed stocks which shows significant growth, outperforming the S&P 500 index over the reviewed time frame. We further find that following buy signals at the time they are posted on WSB leads to positive outcomes over the long run, and that the GameStop hype merely amplified previously existing characteristics. The WSB portfolio underperforms the broader market during downturns, but recovers more quickly and achieves higher profits afterwards. The results of our work can be generalized to comparable finance-related communities, indicating that their original purpose of leisurely entertainment has already been extended towards tangible real-world value.

Conceptual Evolution and Paradigm Reconstruction: An Integrated Framework for International Communication

The tracing of historical origins and disciplinary trajectories enables us to reveal that international communication, as a specific manifestation of global information flow and media evolution, is primarily influenced by the interplay of three societal factors: the roots of political conflicts, the catalytic role of economic and technological developments, and the reshaping of values into distinct blocs. These factors intertwine with the awareness of external exploration across different historical periods. Traditional knowledge production in international communication has evolved along two main lines: political economy and cultural studies. These paths have given rise to three major paradigms—propaganda, global communication, and intercultural communication—each stemming from differing core units of analysis. Together, they have constructed a multifaceted interpretive framework for understanding self-identity and the relationship between self and the external world in the information age since the beginning of the 20th century. This paper argues that on the new journey in the new era, efforts should be made to weaken the attributes of hierarchical control and power conflict derived from the practices of Western industrial societies and the Cold War. In the context of an era marked by the fusion of “new subjects, new networks, new media, and new values,” there is a need to return to the original purpose of communication: the sharing of information and the collective responsibility it entails. This will enable the construction of a new paradigm driven by Chinese modernization for the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations. Such a paradigm aims to unify humanity around shared values, foster the building of a human community with a shared future, and create new forms of human advancement.

Simulation of Barcode Based Students’ Examination Attendance System

Every educational institution has specific standards when it comes to student attendance in classes and exams. The significance of students' presence during exams cannot be overstated, leading administrators and professors in various academic settings to be vigilant about attendance issues. In many Nigerian institutions, the requirement is that students must achieve a 70% attendance rate, which is also factored into their final grades. Consequently, there is a substantial demand for a system to track and document student attendance, highlighting the necessity for a tool to manage students' presence effectively. This research students’ examination attendance using barcode focuses on developing a web-based application that would capture students’ attendance details using barcode technology. In eliciting data to develop a new system, the primary and secondary methods were used and evolutionary model was adapted for the software development. For the system design, various tools were used to captured basic system functionalities and attributes and to model the design including flowcharts, UML use case, class diagrams, entity relationship (ER) in a bid to develop the new system. For the front-end design, PHP, CSS5, JavaScript and HTML5 were used. While for the back-end, PHP, Apache and MySQL were used. The entire system was tested using XAMPP server to provide an enabling environment. After which it was concluded the system works according to specification, in conformity with the original aim.

A Classical Modernization of the V‐Model

AbstractThis paper provides new iconography for the Systems Engineering “V‐Model” or “Vee‐Model.” The “Arch Model” resets and refreshes the original iterative intent of the “V‐Model” in a modern context integrated with digital engineering (DE). We will highlight common misperceptions that reduced the efficacy of the “V‐Model” and explore how a “classical Roman engineering” metaphor can inspire a modern view of systems development based on historically successful, foundational engineering.

Crizotinib resistance reversal in ALK-positive lung cancer through zeolitic imidazolate framework-based mitochondrial damage

Crizotinib (CRZ), one of anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs), has emerged as a frontline treatment for ALK-positive (ALK+) lung adenocarcinoma. However, the overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp, a mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent protein) in lung adenocarcinoma lesions causes multidrug resistance (MDR) and limits the efficacy of CRZ treatment. Herein, a mitochondria-targeting nanosystem, zeolitic imidazolate framework-90@indocyanine green (ZIF-90@ICG), was fabricated to intervene in mitochondria and overcome drug resistance. Due to the zinc ion (Zn2+) interference of ZIF-90 and the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of ICG, this nanosystem is well suited for damaging mitochondrial functions, thus downregulating the intracellular ATP level and inhibiting P-gp expression. In addition, systematic bioinformatics analysis revealed the upregulation of CD44 in CRZ-resistant cells. Therefore, hyaluronic acid (HA, a critical target ligand of CD44) was further modified on the surface of ZIF-90@ICG for active targeting. Overall, this ZIF-90@ICG nanosystem synergistically increased the intracellular accumulation of CRZ and reversed CRZ resistance to enhance its anticancer effect, which provides guidance for nanomedicine design to accurately target tumours and induce mitochondrial damage and represents a viable regimen for improving the prognosis of patients with ALK-TKIs resistance. Statement of significanceThe original aim of our research was to combat multidrug resistance (MDR) in highly aggressive and lethal lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) lung adenocarcinoma. For this purpose, a cascade-targeted system was designed to overcome MDR, integrating lung adenocarcinoma-targeted hyaluronic acid (HA), mitochondrion-targeted zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (ZIF-90), the clinically approved drug crizotinib (CRZ), and the fluorescence imaging agent/photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG). Moreover, using a “two birds with one stone” strategy, ion interference and oxidative stress induced by ZIF-90 and photodynamic therapy (PDT), respectively, disrupt mitochondrial homeostasis, thus downregulating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, inhibiting MDR-relevant P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and suppressing tumour metastasis. Overall, this research represents an attempt to implement the concept of MDR reversal and realize the trade-offs between MDR and therapeutic effectiveness.

유교 성리학에서 귀신을 理로 볼 수 있는가 -氣의 소멸과 불멸의 理를 통한 새로운 귀신론 모색-

This paper suggests a reexamination and a new understanding of the Gui-Shen(鬼神) theory within Confucian Neo-Confucianism. The text is based on the concept of the extinction of Qi and the immortal Li. Traditional Neo-Confucianism considers Gui-Shen(鬼 神) to be the persisting Qi after death, influenced decisively by Zhu-Xi. In other words, it is believed that responsive Qi continues for a while after human death. This article, after presenting several issues with the existing 'Gui-Shen theory,' proposes an alternative view that considers Gui-Shen as Li. It emphasizes the Chung-brothers(二程)' stance, which sees Gui-Shen as 'traces of harmony(造化之迹),' differing from Zhu-Xi. The Chung brothers never specifically identified Gui-Shen as Qi. Despite negative or vague reservations about Gui-Shen, the academic community readily accepted Zhu-Xi's Gui-Shen theory. However, regarding the dispersion of Qi, the Chung brothers asserted its disappearance, while Zhu Xi believed it could linger for some time after death, revealing a subtle difference in their positions. Nevertheless, both shared the idea that dispersed Qi ultimately ends in nothing with no further explanation. In this paper, 'traces of harmony' are considered as traces left by the dissipation of Qi, attempting a hermeneutic shift that when a human dies, Qi dissipates soon thereafter and remains as 'traces of life', immortalized as Li, representing a past that has passed. In modern terms, this Li can be seen as an information pattern left by a deceased person within the world. The 'Li as the past,' left behind by someone who has departed from this world through the traces of their life, always rides upon the 'Qi of the present moment.' Thus, those who remain can be seen as considering the deceased as if they are still living, projecting their presence forward. Additionally, the 'Li(理)'s Ghost theory attempts to provide a clue to 'overcoming the problem of extinction of existence', left unfinished by the Chung brothers and Zhu-Xi, through 'Li returning to Taiji(太極)'. This connects with <Taiji, which sums up all Li>, rather than Gui-Shen as a posthumous being. The author suggests that the religiosity of Confucianism is not found in ancestral rites for ancestors[Gui-Shen] who exist after death, but rather in the 'non-religious religion' discovered in <daily embodiment of Taiji(太極)/Heavenly principles(天理)>. This proposal aims to align with the core nature of Confucianism while prioritizing 'service to people' over 'service to Gui-Shen' and 'life in this world' over 'after death', reflecting an attempt to better capture Confucius's original intent.

JESUS CHRIST AS EXEMPLAR OF PEACE AND PEACEBUILDING

The idea of peace in a human society contradicts God’s original intention about the peace He bestowed man at the time of creation. Man was created and placed in the Garden of Eden where he enjoyed all things including peace of mind and fellowship with His Maker but these became severed because man sinned against God. Jesus was believed to be God’s incarnate, the ultimate sacrifice for man’s redemption and the model for an ideal godly person whom God had initially created man to be. Peace in the real sense cannot be achieved in a chaotic atmosphere especially where strive, envy, jealousy, hatred and selfishness exist which cannot be found in Jesus Christ. Hence, the aim of this paper is to consider the personality of Jesus Christ as an exemplar of peace and peace building. Therefore, the methods adopted in this study are historical and descriptive. It was discovered that during Jesus’ earthly ministry, He lived a life worthy of great emulation as He stood in the middle of the society of His days carrying out His assignments in the face of haters yet displayed a grandiose attitude of peace and peace-building to His audience. The study recommended that the society should live a Christ life-pattern pursuing peace with all men as richly found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Transforming Bakırköy Powder Magazine, an Industrial Heritage, through Repurposing into a Public Space

Heritage structures from the Ottoman period, such as the Bakırköy Powder Magazine in the Bakırköy district ofIstanbul, served their original purposes when constructed, but technological advancements and societal changeshave rendered them obsolete. In order to ensure the sustainable use of these structures and the transfer ofcultural heritage to future generations, the concept of "Industrial Archaeology," originating in 1950s England, hasgained significance. Advocated by art historian Alois Riegl, this approach proposes adapting industrial heritagestructures to meet the needs of modern society while preserving their historical and cultural values. The case ofBakırköy Powder Magazine serves as a significant example of how such interventions can contribute to thecultural richness of a society. The focus of the research is to examine the historical structure, Baruthane, whichsupplied gunpowder for the Ottoman State, both before and after its repurposing. The building, now functioningas a library, observation terrace, café, and social spaces, is thoroughly evaluated in terms of its historical context,pre-intervention identity, and subsequent architectural features. In this context, the repurposing of industrialheritage structures not only preserves history but also contributes to society by adapting them in a mannercompatible with the needs of modern society.

Character Education in Korean Military

Purpose: This article is intended as a suggestion for the direction that the military character education system should pursue, which is suitable for changing the values of the young generation to the essential values of the military while respecting democratic values. The existing understanding and approaches to the military character education, which has been limited to solving the problems related to interpersonal relationships and military service adaptation within the group he or she belongs, must now be converted into a consistent system that meets the original purpose of military. The new military culture must respect the individuality of its members while integrating individual capabilities into the goals of the military organization. The changes of military culture should begin with changes in the aim and the methods of character education implemented in the military. Method: In that the concept of a soldier's character itself implies intersubjective universality, we would like to examine this article through Weber's ideal type (Idealtypus), which is a social scientific research methodology concepts, a standard concept established based on intrinsic values and universal standards to recognize the diverse and fluid social and cultural phenomena. Taking some into account the Weber’s assertion, the objective validity of all empirical knowledge is based solely on the fact that a given reality is in a certain sense ordered by subjective categories, this study will be conducted by a qualitative approach with literature analysis and materials review. Ideals are subjectivity, but the causality of those Ideals can be objective. Objectivity is the “intersubjective universality,” which refers to whether one's logical process can be valid or not. Objectivity can only be achieved when a value-neutral attitude is maintained, which Weber calls “value freedom (Werfreiheit).” Results: Despite the fact that the mental attitude based on an individual' value system and the externally manifested behavior are not independent of each other, there has been little interest in the relationship between the character of an individual soldier and his will to fight, to the extent that character and mental power are treated separately in military character education. In order to build a soldier's character with mental combat capabilities, the reason and purpose of the military's existence, or the functional characteristics and attributes of the military, must be reflected in military character education. The fact that, while the behavior pursued by a military organization should be purpose-rational, the desirable behavior required of individual soldiers who are members of the military organization is value-rational behavior must be taken into consideration when constructing a character education system. Conclusion: If the purpose of military character education is presented in line with the legitimate and essential values for which the military must exist, military character education will directly and indirectly contribute to improving military efficiency. For a soldier, his or her character is not simply a way of necessary for the adaptation in his or her barracks life and a kind of good interpersonal relationships in it, but also a moral competency that is demonstrated in the battle or the war he or she may carry out. As Weber defined society as a means/end rationality, military organizations also perform their unique functions and use the most efficient and rational means to achieve their specific end. Just as the means/end rationality destroys old traditions, military character education consistent with military identity can most effectively change military organizations.

The first 100 years of the ICES Journal of Marine Science

Abstract To celebrate the centenary of the ICES Journal of Marine Science in 2026, this article takes a retrospective look at what transpired with the Journal during those 100 years. Beginning with the original intent of the publication, its subsequent transformation is chronicled from being a French-titled journal focussing mainly on northeast Atlantic topics with three issues per volume to its present status as a well-known and highly rated publication 9–10 issues per year featuring papers from around the world addressing the full range of marine science investigations. The publication, subscriptions, and distribution of the Journal were initially handled by Danish firms, but were later contracted to major publishing companies such as Academic Press and Oxford University Press, the current publisher. Brief commentaries are provided of the nine individuals who have served as editor or editor-in-chief of the Journal throughout its 100-year history, as well as some who have served as assisting editors or editorial assistants in the ICES Secretariat. The management and promotion of the Journal by ICES are also reviewed.

Analysis Of Social, Economic and Environmental Influences Motivation To Sell and Land Conversion

Land conversion is the transformation of part or all of the land function from its original purpose to a different purpose. Land conversion is influenced by internal and external factors. These conditions can increase the motivation of landowners to sell their land. The purpose of this study is to directly influence location, environmental pressure, urgent needs, education level, selling price on motivation to sell and land conversion in Ungasan Village and to determine the indirect effect of location, environmental pressure, urgent needs, education level, selling price on land conversion in Ungasan Village through selling motivation. This research uses primary data using the Slovin formula with a total of 93 samples. The analysis technique used in this research is path analysis technique. Based on the results of the study, it shows that there is a direct influence of location, environmental pressure, urgent needs, education level, selling price on the motivation to sell and land conversion in Ungasan Village. Meanwhile, the variable level of education has no significant effect on land conversion in Ungasan Village.

The Gambia at Crossroads: Presidential Pardon a Constitutional Fiat

The Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, 1997 is promulgated with the original intent to be a living constitution with clauses that permit amendments. While a constitution is a legal and political document agreed upon by stakeholders as the principal instrument in governing the affairs of a state, it is a liability in the context of its dependency on what the people want it to ‘do’ and therefore, convictions based on cogent evidence need to be made from a different squint. Politization of the living nature of a constitution joint with partisan politics and the resolute nature of the political class in securing their ‘throne’ in democracy expresses the ideology and praxis of presidential pardon as a bait to attract masses to their camps. This research proposes for revisitation of Section 82 of the Constitution in the aftermath of the proclivity of the government to enforce it, notwithstanding the crimes inmates were convicted of. In this research, doctrinal legal research is used and finally concludes that Section 82 is not a constitutional fiat and thus, its application must be guided principally by constitutional ethos and mores in guaranteeing justice through respect and protection of the rights of the people.

Replacement of Tyrosines by Unnatural Amino Acid Aminophenylalanine Leads to Metal-Mediated Aniline Free Radical Formation in a Copper Amine Oxidase.

Copper amine oxidases (CAOs) catalyze the oxidative deamination of primary amines to aldehyde, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide as products and are widely distributed in bacteria, plants, and eukaryotes. These enzymes initiate the single turnover, post-translational conversion of an active site tyrosine to the redox cofactor 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine quinone (TPQ), subsequently employing TPQ to catalyze steady-state amine oxidation. The mechanisms of TPQ biogenesis and steady-state amine oxidation have been studied extensively, with consensus mechanisms proposed for both reactions. One unresolved issue has been whether the Cu2+ center must undergo formal reduction to Cu1+ in the course of the reaction. Herein, we investigate the properties of the active site of a yeast (Hansenula polymorpha) amine oxidase (HPAO) that has undergone site-specific insertion of a para-aminophenylalanine (pAF) into the position of either the precursor tyrosine to TPQ (Y405) or the two strictly conserved neighboring tyrosines (Y305 and Y407). While our original intention was to interrogate cofactor biogenesis using a precursor unnatural amino acid (UAA) of altered redox potential and pKa, we instead observe an unanticipated reaction assigned to an intramolecular electron transfer from pAF to the active site copper ion. We establish the generality of the observed active site chemistry using exogenously added, aniline-containing substrates under conditions that prevent side chain amine oxidation. The results support previous proposals that the activation of the TPQ precursor occurs in the absence of a formal valence change at the active site copper site. The described reaction of pAFs with the active site redox Cu2+ center of HPAO provides a prototype for either the engineering of the enzymatic oxidation of exogenous anilines or the insertion of site-specific free radical probes within proteins.

BrainTACO: an explorable multi-scale multi-modal brain transcriptomic and connectivity data resource

Exploring the relationships between genes and brain circuitry can be accelerated by joint analysis of heterogeneous datasets from 3D imaging data, anatomical data, as well as brain networks at varying scales, resolutions, and modalities. Generating an integrated view, beyond the individual resources’ original purpose, requires the fusion of these data to a common space, and a visualization that bridges the gap across scales. However, despite ever expanding datasets, few platforms for integration and exploration of this heterogeneous data exist. To this end, we present the BrainTACO (Brain Transcriptomic And Connectivity Data) resource, a selection of heterogeneous, and multi-scale neurobiological data spatially mapped onto a common, hierarchical reference space, combined via a holistic data integration scheme. To access BrainTACO, we extended BrainTrawler, a web-based visual analytics framework for spatial neurobiological data, with comparative visualizations of multiple resources. This enables gene expression dissection of brain networks with, to the best of our knowledge, an unprecedented coverage and allows for the identification of potential genetic drivers of connectivity in both mice and humans that may contribute to the discovery of dysconnectivity phenotypes. Hence, BrainTACO reduces the need for time-consuming manual data aggregation often required for computational analyses in script-based toolboxes, and supports neuroscientists by directly leveraging the data instead of preparing it.

Peter Carey’s “Homo Australiensis” in A Long Way from Home

The paper examines Peter Carey’s first book about Indigenous Australians, a topic which he had neglected for decades. Until A Long Way from Home (2017) was written, the two-time Booker Prize winner renowned for portraying Australian identity had yet to confront this crucial matter which he believed was a fundamental issue of the country. Reasons behind this seemingly contradictory and lengthy absence are highlighted along with certain methods with which the author gradually exposes Australia’s shameful past in the treatment of First Nations people. Carey’s approach stays true to his body of work, namely the Aboriginal subject is complemented or intertwined with his portrayal of another layer of Australia’s history: the pan-European heritage of non-Indigenous Australians. But why and in what manner does he integrate European topics into a novel aiming to shed light on the maltreatment and neglect of First Nations Australians? Does this addition not dilute the original aim of paying homage to Indigenous Australia? My paper argues that Carey successfully utilises certain European identity themes to help show the gravity of sins committed against Australian Indigenous people. The author’s modus operandi is to piece together seemingly neglected fragments of the European legacy with First Nations Australia to reveal a unified entity. Via Willie Bachhuber, a character who most Australians can connect or identify with, Carey joins together various Australian identities which may not have been connected beforehand. With this technique Carey helps ensure the novel is about and for all Australians. I believe that A Long Way from Home crowns Peter Carey’s career as fully depicting Australianness without including Aboriginal people has up until now meant a quite incomplete oeuvre. An ultimate Australian character so-far elusive to Carey, a Homo Australiensis has come to life via a pseudo-German-Balt-Hungarian-Australian, who is actually a First Nations Australian with a white biological father.

Public Ceremony: The Construction of Nationalism Through Mobile Film Screening Under Jiang Kai-shek’s CNP Government

The Chinese Nationalist government initiated the first national network of mobile film screenings, which subsequently had a great influence on political propaganda in Chinese cinema. Based on corpus data from Chinese archives, diaries, newspapers, periodicals, and literature archived from 1931 to 1945, this study investigates the goals, effects, and shortcomings of mobile film exhibition under Jiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP) government in China, focusing on the Second Sino-Japanese War. I contend that the Nationalist government regarded films as propaganda to promote cultural identity, the social state, and collectivist ideology. To some extent, such films contributed to the development of democracy and national morality before the war, persuasion during the war, and consolation after the war. However, the mobile film industry in the Jiang era also suffered from some practical problems, such as the lack of planning, inefficient management, obscure content, and chaotic viewing settings. Hence, mobile projection remained a form of public ceremony whose impact deviated from its original intent.