Modern Paradigm Research Articles

Sustainable Tourism Perspective of Wildlife Conservation Areas: A Case Study in Nepal

The conservation of biodiversity is a critical issue all around the globe, which is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including several endangered species. Tourism has been identified as a potential catalyst for the enhancement of the value of biodiversity and the promotion of conservation in modern development paradigm. However, there is a need to examine the opportunities and challenges of using tourism for these purposes. This research used a mixed qualitative study approach for data collection. The researcher has used document review, case study, FGD and expert opinion poll methods in order to capture the in-depth understanding on the issue. The SWOT analysis was used to identify the current status of sustainable tourism in Nepal and its potential for biodiversity conservation. The study found that Nepal has made significant progress in promoting sustainable tourism practices and biodiversity conservation. The government has implemented various policies and regulations to promote ecotourism, such as the establishment of national parks and conservation areas. However, there are still weaknesses that need to be addressed, such as poor waste management, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of awareness among tourists and locals about the importance of biodiversity conservation. The study highlights the need for a more strategic and collaborative approach to tourism development in Nepal that prioritizes biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Furthermore, the study suggests that research is needed to identify the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity in Nepal and develop adaptation strategies for the tourism industry. The research provides insights into the sustainable tourism perspective of biodiversity conservation in Nepal and highlights the need for collaboration among stakeholders to promote sustainable tourism practices and biodiversity conservation in Nepal. The findings suggest that tourism can play a positive role in biodiversity conservation, but this will require careful planning, effective management, and close collaboration between stakeholders in the tourism and conservation sectors.

Issues and Challenges of Modernization in Nepal: A Development Perspective

This paper aims to explore the issues and challenges of modernization in development practice in Nepal. The paper is based on the synthesis of secondary sources of information for generating and validating the argumentation. Modernization is indeed an essential aspect of socio-economic progress. Nepal, being a developing country, faces numerous challenges in its pursuit of modernization. This paper discusses the key challenges encountered in the process of modernization, including infrastructural limitations, cultural and social barriers, political instability, and environmental sustainability. By understanding and addressing these challenges, Nepal can effectively navigate its path toward sustainable development and ensure the well-being of its citizens. It therefore concludes with the immediate correction of the mainstream paradigm of modernization making it more micro, small and people-friendly. The paper could contribute to the wider spectrum of development studies in the particular context of Nepal including research scholars, policymakers and development practitioners.

New possibilities for lipid level control using inclisiran — prospects for interaction between a cardiologist and a neurologist

Dyslipidemia is one of the most significant modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. The change in the modern paradigm for dyslipidemia treatment from high-intensity statin therapy to high-intensity lipid-lowering therapy makes it possible to more often use new drug classes to achieve the target level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The article presents two case reports on the use of inclisiran as part of combination lipid-lowering therapy for secondary prevention in patients at very high cardiovascular risk. Based on the presented cases, following clinical aspects of the management of cardiovascular patients are discussed: the safety of achieving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels below 1 mmol/l in a patient with asymptomatic cerebral infarction, the need for adequate dyslipidemia treatment after revascularization, the strategic importance of prescribing lipid-lowering therapy in patients with cerebrovascular disease to reduce the cardiovascular risk, adherence to therapy as a significant aspect of effective dyslipidemia control.

Path Dependencies of (Un-)sustainable Land Use in Central Asia

Abstract Across Central Asia, agricultural and agroforestry practices have been shaped by a high-modernist approach since about the 1950s, with the aim of overcoming ecological limitations. Negative repercussions of this approach still affect local developments, but a shift towards resource-conserving production systems faces constraints—many of which relate to so-called ‘path dependencies’, i.e. historically-evolved institutions constraining the current practices, policies and local imaginaries of (un-)sustainable land use in various ways. Drawing on case studies from agriculture and agroforestry developments in Xinjiang (China), Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the paper explores these mechanisms and reveals a modernisation paradigm as a major source of path dependency. Moreover, the paper highlights aspects that are sometimes overlooked in the path dependency literature on Central Asia: first, path dependency should not be confused with Soviet legacies, and second, not all agricultural policies in the past were environmentally detrimental; in fact, reviving some aspects could actually be beneficial.

The information culture of teenagers in the context of modern education paradigm

The growing information streams and expanding information space have made information easy accessible while the need for its filtration, critical reevaluation, and clear-cut assessment criteria emerged. The younger generation has to master skills of retrieving, analyzing and using reliable information to support their lives, career and social success. Being skillful Internet users, the teenagers yet demonstrate the low level of information culture. However, the requirement to educate information culture is formulated in The Federal State Educational Standard of Comprehensive Secondary Education (FGOS) in the disciplines “Mathematics”, “Informatics” and “Literature”. The results of the regional stage of the All-Russian Olympiad of School Students – the republican Olympiad in the personal information culture (Republic of Buryatia) – have demonstrated non-conformity of teenagers’ performance with the FGOS standard. No similar Olympiads are held in other RF regions, which makes the study particularly valuable. The authors emphasize that the Olympiad in this subject area has to be implemented in other regions. They applied several research methods to assess information literacy, namely empirical (observation, comparison) and theoretical (analysis, generalization). The analysis is based on students’ answers. The newness of the study lies in characterizing information culture of Buryat schoolchildren and specifying major challenges, substantiating and extending obtained data, and suggesting new vectors of information culture regional studies.

On the Issue of the Sectoral Nature of the Employment Contract (In Memory of Professor V.M. Lebedev)

The relevance of the study is due to the need to implement independent legal regulation of social and labor relations by the norms of labor law, taking into account the modern paradigm of labor law, in particular the features of the technological process in specific organizations. The independence of the employment contract and labor law is affirmed. It is noted that the inclusion of an employment contract among civil contracts does not contribute to the development of industrial relations and does not correspond to the rights and interests of workers. It is noted that the regulation of labor relations by sources of civil legislation cannot take into account either the specifics of the activities of certain organizations, or the rights and interests of individual workers. It is concluded that the employment contract can be considered a unique source of labor law, since it is valid only in the relationship between the employee and the employer. It is noted that the relationship between an employee and an employer is not a relationship between two legally equal entities, the obligation of one of which is the obligation to make efforts (the obligation to work, following the instructions of the employer), and the obligation of the second is to pay money for the efforts made. This is not a private law relationship. It involves the power and subordination that characterize public relations. It is indicated that labor legislation does not properly regulate issues of the conditions for the validity of labor transactions and the legal consequences of their invalidity. Attention is drawn to the fact that the discussion itself about the sectoral affiliation of the employment contract should, first of all, have practical significance. It is argued that the need for subsidiary application of civil law to labor relations does not determine the absorption of labor law by civil law. This only presents the mechanism of “legal economy” that the legislator uses.

Конкурентні стратегії цифрової адаптації бізнес-процесів

The article represents the study of the directions of business adaptation to the modern paradigm of market systems functioning – digital transformation. The purpose of this article is to provide a theoretical and methodological basis for the formation of competitive strategies of companies, to identify the peculiarities of digital transformation of business processes, and to introduce modeling scenarios and implement procedures and algorithms for the digital adaptation of competitive strategies of companies. The article presents the competitive impact of the market environment on the formation of a strategic management system, which considers the influence of economic relations participants on the functioning of the selected object market, the influence of analog goods and the commodity market assortment, the impact and advantages of the aggregate, the influence of suppliers on the market architecture, the influence of buyers on the performance of market business entities, etc. It is determined that digital adaptation should take place while considering basic competitive strategies and the integration of digital tools. The authors present some competitive strategies for business development and describe the positive and negative levers of influence on the company’s activities for a particular strategy chosen for this study. In digital adaptation to a competitive strategy, the authors focus on cost, which is one of the basic strategies for gaining competitive advantages and is aimed at achieving a low cost of production or supply of goods in a narrow market niche. This competitive strategy allows the company to succeed by focusing on a specific market segment and providing customers with low-cost products. This strategy was chosen due to the existing opportunities for digital adaptation of the strategy in the current market conditions. It is demonstrated that the development direction of strategic business management has prerequisites for introducing digital adaptation models. A procedural approach and algorithmisation of integration of tools and technologies for digital adaptation of business to modern conditions are proposed, considering the substantive justification of the proposed solutions. Keywords: competitive strategy, digital transformation, digital adaptation, market activity, business entities, procedural approach, modelling, algorithmisation, efficiency.

Нартовский эпос в осетинской детской драматургии: специфика межжанрового взаимодействия

The paper studies Nart epic motifs in Ossetian children’s drama. The aim of the research is to identify the features of inter-genre synthesis in the plays of Ossetian authors written for children. The scientific novelty of the paper lies in the fact that Ossetian children’s drama has become the subject of scholarly reflection for the first time. The following works were introduced into scientific use: ‘Фын’ (‘Dream’, 1994) by R. Khubetsova, ‘Сырдоны хинтæ’ (‘Syrdon’s Machinations’, 1997) by T. Kokaev, ‘Гæдыныхæстæй асин’ (‘The Creation of the Creator’, 2005) by R. Ramonova. The research findings show that plays for children written at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries have significantly departed from the traditions laid down in the early and mid-20th century, when such plays were primarily represented by adaptations of folk tales or works in which the ideological component came to the fore (e.g., works about the life of the Pioneer movement members). Modern drama works addressed to the younger generation are characterized by a synthesis of genres, which contributes to the blurring of their strict canons, boundaries, as well as the expansion of the authors’ creative potential and ultimately leads to the generation of new literary forms. The data of the undertaken research were previously presented at a conference dedicated to the problems of the Nart epic (7th International Scientific Conference ‘Nart studies in the XXI century: Modern paradigms and interpretations’ (Vladikavkaz, October 26-27, 2023)).

A novel eviction policy based on shortest remaining time for software defined networking flow tables

SummarySoftware defined networking is a modern paradigm that divides the control plane from the data plane for improved network manageability. A flow table in the data plane has limited and expensive memory called TCAM. The presence of unwanted flow rules would lead to flow bloat conditions and make the lookup operation inefficient. Eviction schemes based on LRU policy have been widely studied in the literature which preempts the life of the least recently used flow rule and reduces the occupancy of the flow table. LRU considers the past behavior for the eviction of a flow rule. This paper proposes a novel policy that preempts a flow rule by considering its future characteristic, the shortest remaining time (SRT). A rule with a higher probability of being used is avoided from eviction to mitigate the degradation of performance. The modeling of the SRT technique exhibits better utilization of a flow rule that has higher probability of being used. On the other hand, LRU does not guarantee that the evicted flow rule will not be used frequently in the future and it has been shown that an incorrectly evicted flow rule incurs controller delay. The experimental results show that for different traffic rates, SRT has reduced the delay by 15%, reinstallation count by 25%, and jitter by 40%. SRT has increased utilization by 22% compared to LRU.

Engaging the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 in strategic governance of “Europe’s most sustainable city”

ABSTRACT In the face of the climate crisis, cities have committed to ambitious sustainability targets. The UN Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a globally shared language for decision-makers and policymakers regarding their sustainability objectives. Espoo, Finland’s second-largest city, has become a pioneer in implementing the Agenda, not least due to its recent nomination as ‘Europe’s most sustainable city’. This article investigates the use of the Agenda in strategic governance in Espoo with the aim to identify challenges and opportunities of SDG localisation. Although the Agenda has affected many aspects of policymaking in Espoo and ambitions have been high to shine as an SDG pioneer, a systematic integration of sustainability concerns into policymaking is not yet achieved. Moreover, there is a need to question the reliance of the Agenda framework on the ecological modernisation paradigm, which does not see economic growth and ecological sustainability at odds.

To the project of architectural theory

The existence of a general architectural theory is seriously doubted by most researchers. Based on the assumption that the modern stage of architecture development requires the construction of a workable theory, the article considers the process of creating a theory similar to the creation of an architectural project. It is shown that the axiomatic basis of the theory is similar to the foundation of a building. The complex of specific methods of analysis and synthesis in the theory is considered as an analogue of building materials and details in an architectural project. The connection of the building to infrastructure networks is analogous to the harmonisation of the approaches of the designed theory with modern general scientific concepts and paradigms. Shaping of the theory in the form of vivid visual images is similar to the design of facades with cladding and building cosmetics. It is shown that the foundation of architectural theory was laid in the late Middle Ages and retains its relevance and topicality. The other elements of the designed architectural theory need to be developed.

Affective disorders in the structure of post-COVID syndrome (literature review)

The article provides a review of the scientific literature on affective disorders in the structure of post-COVID syndrome. The issues of etiopathogenesis are revealed from the perspective of the modern paradigm based on the biopsychosocial model of the development of mental disorders. Features of clinical picture, psychopathology, dynamics, and psychopharmacotherapy are discussed. The relevance of studying affective disorders in the post-COVID period is caused by the prevalence of COVID-19 among the population and the burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, in order to clarify the typology and clinical features and further develop diagnostic algorithms and ways of therapeutic interventions.

The Predictors of Complete Pathologic Response in Rectal Cancer during the Total Neoadjuvant Therapy Era: A Systematic Review.

The modern rectal cancer treatment paradigm offers additional opportunities for organ preservation, most notably via total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) and consideration for a watch-and-wait (WW) surveillance-only approach. A major barrier to widespread implementation of a WW approach to rectal cancer is the potential discordance between a clinical complete response (cCR) and a pathologic complete response (pCR). In the pre-TNT era, the identification of predictors of pCR after neoadjuvant therapy had been previously studied. However, the last meta-analysis to assess the summative evidence on this important treatment decision point predates the acceptance and dissemination of TNT strategies. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess preoperative predictors of pCR after TNT to guide the ideal selection criteria for WW in the current era. An exhaustive literature review was performed and the electronic databases Embase, Ovid, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane were comprehensively searched up to 27 June 2023. Search terms and their combinations included "rectal neoplasms", "total neoadjuvant therapy", and "pathologic complete response". Only studies in English were included. Randomized clinical trials or prospective/retrospective cohort studies of patients with clinical stage 2 or 3 rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent at least 8 weeks of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in addition to chemoradiotherapy with pCR as a measured study outcome were included. In this systematic review, nine studies were reviewed for characteristics positively or negatively associated with pCR or tumor response after TNT. The results were qualitatively grouped into four categories: (1) biochemical factors; (2) clinical factors; (3) patient demographics; and (4) treatment sequence for TNT. The heterogeneity of studies precluded meta-analysis. The level of evidence was low to very low. There is minimal data to support any clinicopathologic factors that either have a negative or positive relationship to pCR and tumor response after TNT. Additional data from long-term trials using TNT is critical to better inform those considering WW approaches following a cCR.

Efficiency and Vulnerability in Networks: A Game Theoretical Approach

Defining measures of network efficiency and vulnerability is a pivotal aspect of modern networking paradigms. We approach this issue from a game theoretical perspective, considering networks where actors have social or economic interests modeled through a cooperative game. This allows us to define, for each network, a family of efficiency measures and another of vulnerability measures, parameterized by the game. The proposed measures use the within groups’ and the between groups’ Myerson values. These values, respectively, measure the portion of the classical Myerson allocation corresponding to the productivity of players and the part related to intermediation costs. Additionally, they indicate the portion of total centrality in social networks attributed to communication or betweenness. In our proposal, the efficiency of a network is the proportion of total productivity (or centrality) that players can retain using the network topology. Intermediation costs (and betweenness centrality) can be seen as a weakness with a negative impact. Therefore, we suggest calculating vulnerability as the proportion of expenses players incur in intermediation payments. We explore the properties of these measures and tailor them to various structures and specific games, also analyzing their asymptotic behavior.

Chronicles of A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists (MSDC was founded on October 4, 1891). Bulletin of the MSDC meeting N 1154

On October 17, 2023, the 1154th meeting of the Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists named after A.I. Pospelov took place.
 The meeting was held in a face-to-face format. There were 118 participants in total. 65 applications were submitted for membership in MSDC! Due to the large number of applicants for membership in the MSDC, a list vote was held: approved unanimously.
 Two reports were presented in the clinical part of the meeting: Pityriasis rubra pilaris after suffering COVID-19 (Sechenov University); A clinical case of a rare hereditary disease ― erythrokeratoderma (State Scientific Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology).
 Reports were made in the scientific part of the meeting: Topical therapy for xerosis of various genesis (Sechenov University); Modern paradigms for improving the effectiveness of treatment of allergodermatoses taking into account violations of the skin microbiome (Federal Scientific and Clinical Center of Intensive Care and Rehabilitation); The use of transcranial electrical stimulation in patients with atopic dermatitis (Sechenov University).

Poetika infrastrukture: (Nova) pecepcija „suvremenog“ Mediterana

The aim of this article is to inquire into global imaginings of the possibilities for the future of the Mediterranean region, i.e. its current and future reconceptualization through political economy of connectivity through the Maritime Silk Road (MRS) as part of the OBOR.1 OBOR promises to mediate exchange over distance and bring different people and objects into interaction through its infrastructure. The question is whether OBOR will replace the present politics of domination by the diplomacy of communication, interaction, negotiation, and conversation, where dialogue of civilizations is based on tolerance, recognition, respect, mutual reference, and mutual learning. The article argues that the reconceptualization of the Mediterranean from its current, stereotyped image of the ancient past towards a modern paradigm largely depends on contrasted geopolitical dynanmics of this region.

ESG transformation as a new management paradigm

Subject. The concept of ESG transformation as a new management paradigm. Objectives. To substantiate the theoretical and methodological aspects of ESG-transformation of control systems, based on the analysis of the main theoretical views and characteristics of this approach. Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis was the author's definition of ESG-transformation of control systems, as well as methods of retrospective factual analysis, generalizations, comparisons and analogies. Results. The article highlights modern challenges in the field of sustainable development and social responsibility, representing ESG transformation as a new management paradigm. It is emphasized that ESG criteria are becoming not only a measure of business sustainability, but also a new approach to management, integrating environmental, social and corporate governance principles into the strategies and decisions of organizations. The key aspects of ESG transformation, its impact on business models, strategic planning and the perception of stakeholders are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the role of ESG in creating sustainable and responsible organizations in the context of the modern socio-ecological paradigm. Conclusions. The study highlights the importance of integrating ESG principles into the strategies and practices of organizations to achieve not only financial success, but also sustainable, responsible development. The results show that ESG transformation not only meets the modern requirements of society and stakeholders, but also provides opportunities for innovation, value creation and strengthening the long-term sustainability of organizations.

Transformative Practices From the Pluriverse

This Discussant Commentary seeks to delve into the fundamental principles underlying the study conducted by Miraval & Quintana (2023). Their article explores the concept of adaptive humanism as a means to transition from limiting to quantum narratives, recognizing the profound impact of these concepts on our perception of reality. As Latinos, we highly value research that empowers diverse voices, acknowledging the significance of individuals and groups embracing and expressing their unique narratives. This emphasis on understanding one's "modes of being in the world" deviates from the idea of a singular universal worldview, a perspective that Miraval & Quintana (2023) aptly characterized as endorsing "one-size-fits-all" approaches. It is crucial to underscore the necessity of comprehending the intricacies of the modern paradigm, challenging conventional notions of centrality to transcend singular perspectives that perpetuate the prevalence of limiting narratives. Furthermore, this paper places additional emphasis on the pivotal role of methodological approaches in empowering individuals to grasp the intricate processes of transformation within their spaces from a decolonial perspective. This involves fostering dynamics of co-creation and proactive participation within communities to create mechanisms for understanding alternative ways of being and relating to the world. Such an approach requires a direct understanding of narratives from their sources, facilitating the construction of individual, distinctive paths.

Are Training Programs Addressing Anti-Black Racism and White Supremacy? A Descriptive Analysis

Counseling psychology increasingly centers addressing and dismantling anti-Black racism and White supremacy among its values. It is unclear, however, whether training programs are attending to antiracist paradigm shifts. We conducted a study of counseling psychology programs’ attention to antiracism and White supremacy. Students and faculty in counseling psychology programs were asked to complete an online survey. Faculty were also asked to submit multicultural course syllabi. Qualitative results demonstrate that syllabi ( N = 29) generally do not reflect modern antiracist paradigms. Both faculty and student participants ( N = 179) rate their programs as above-average on social justice and antiracism commitments, social justice program norms, and multicultural training, but students ( n = 127) observed greater discrepancies between what their programs claim to do and what their programs actually do; and, faculty ( n = 52) rate their programs more positively than students. There also appeared to be individual-level differences in ethnic-racial identity, such that White students were more critical of Whiteness.

On the requirements for statistical methods of data analysis (generalizing article)

Half a century activity in consulting researchers of various specialties, reviewing articles and books, opposing dissertations provided the possibility of getting acquainted with hundreds of specific studies on the development and application of statistical methods. A variety of shortcomings in conducting research and publishing the results of studies have been revealed, which hinder the perception of the data obtained, and in some cases cast doubt on the adequacy of the conclusions. Therefore, it appeared advisable to develop natural requirements for methods of data processing and presentation of the results of statistical data analysis. This study is devoted to an initial consideration of a number of formulations of such requirements. We proceed from the modern paradigm of applied statistics, based on non-parametric and non-numerical statistics which replace the primitive paradigm of the 19th century and the paradigm of the middle of the 20th century using parametric distribution systems. When describing and discussing the procedures for analyzing statistical data, it is necessary to start with probabilistic-statistical models for generating the data under study. It is necessary to proceed from the theory of measurements, according to which the first step in the data analysis is identification of the scales in which they are measured. Statistical inference must be invariant under the allowable transformations of data measurement scales. Since almost all distributions of real data are non-normal, a preference should be given to non-parametric formulations. The possibility of using parametric families of distributions must be carefully justified. In accordance with the theory of testing statistical hypothesis, both the null and alternative hypotheses must be specified. It is necessary to study the stability of the conclusions drawn from the model with respect to acceptable changes in the initial data and assumptions of the model. A number of further publications of the author will be devoted to the problems of developing a system of requirements for statistical models and methods.