Paradoxical Problem Research Articles

An Entropy Paradox Free Fractional Diffusion Equation

A new look at the fractional diffusion equation was done. Using the unified fractional derivative, a new formulation was proposed, and the equation was solved for three different order cases: neutral, dominant time, and dominant space. The solutions were expressed by generalizations of classic formulae used for the stable distributions. The entropy paradox problem was studied and clarified through the Rényi entropy: in the extreme wave regime the entropy is −∞. In passing, Tsallis and Rényi entropies for stable distributions are introduced and exemplified.

Automated administrative decision-making under the influence of the GDPR – Early reflections and upcoming challenges

This article examines the intersection of the GDPR and selected due process requirements in the context of automated administrative decision-making. It finds that the safeguards for decisions based solely on automated data processing provided by the GDPR coincide with or serve a comparable function to traditional administrative due process elements such as the duty to give reasons, the duty of care principle, and the right to a hearing. The automation of decision-making by public authorities across the EU will therefore be regulated by an overlap of national administrative procedures and the GDPR. This overlap, however, leads to a paradoxical problem: on the one hand, the GDPR is an inflexible legal instrument aimed at setting out in detail the rights of data subjects and the obligations of data controllers, and it does not offer national legislators much room to align its terms with national administrative procedures. On the other, the GDPR's broad language makes it susceptible to interpretations embedded in the elaborated practices of the national administrations. The unclear relationship between national administrative procedures and the GDPR may undermine its main purpose – to establish an equal level of protection in all EU Member States through its ‘consistent and homogenous application’. After outlining the main challenges in this regard, the article concludes with a call for further research and regulatory frameworks adjustments aimed at developing a better governance regime for automated administrative decision-making that would allow for embracing technological progress while keeping threats to individual rights in check.

Metacognitive attitude for decision making at a university hospital

AbstractIn the present study, we argue for the urgency of including a metacognitive attitude in decision‐making processes in complex social problems, with insights for the debate on decision sciences. We explore overlooked possibilities from the understanding of metacognitive schemes, subjectivity, and the intersubjective elements that participate and interfere in the decision‐making process. We discuss the relationship between metacognition as a state of consciousness, decision making, and the paradoxical nature of complex systems. We also propose a method to help eliciting personal and group metacognitive content named Complex Holographic Assessment of Paradoxical Problems—CHAP2. It intends to support decision making through the graphic visualization of mental schemas, thus enhancing metacognition. This, in turn, emerged as a promising way to promote a more systemic view of a given social problem. We believe that this work contributes with pathways to develop this metacognitive approach and achieve consensus solutions, obtained through the interaction between different agents, with the problematic situation being modeled according to the particular views of the actors involved.

The Grounded Survey – An integrative mixed method for scrutinizing household energy behavior

Sustainable energy policy and tackling climate-change-related issues require exploring energy consumption patterns. This paper proposes an integrative methodological approach called grounded survey for understanding behavioral factors behind household energy consumption. The study aims to overcome the restrictions of both quantitative and qualitative studies by combining participatory-systems-mapping (PSM) based focus group research with a quantitative survey. Focus groups were used to highlight common patterns, which helped formulate survey questions specifically into understudied areas of energy-related behavior. The survey helped validate these qualitatively grounded questions, while generating generalizable quantitative results based on a representative sample. Finally, a comparative assessment contrasted the comprehensive qualitative analysis with the survey findings. Two causal loop diagrams of common patterns are employed to illustrate the methodological model. This integrative approach deepens understanding of behavioral factors behind energy consumption and provides policy recommendations to strengthen the relationship between heating-related behavior and heating costs. The grounded survey method can be utilized in studying wicked or paradox problems in which the relationship between behavioral and technical factors are complex and possibilities for intervention are limited. The application of the model is suggested in areas where development can only be achieved through behavioral change.

The paradoxical problem with COVID-19 ocular infection: Moderate clinical manifestation and potential infection risk

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which induced mainly the respiratory damage also caused ocular surface symptoms. However, the detailed description of ocular manifestations, severity fluctuations in confirmed COVID-19 adult patients still lacked. We analyzed onset clinical symptoms and duration, ocular symptoms, needs for medication, outcomes in 28 conjunctivitis patients who were extracted from 3198 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Huoshenshan Hospital and Taikangtongji Hospital, Wuhan, China. The expression levels of ACE2, TMPRSS2, ANPEP, DPP4, NRP1 on fetal and adult ocular surface and mouse lacrimal glands were assessed by single cell seq analysis. Our results indicated that conjunctivitis was a rare and self-limited complication in adults with COVID-19 while the existence of coronavirus receptors on human ocular surface and mouse lacrimal glands indicated the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our research firstly examined SARS-CoV-2 receptors, including the new discovered one, NRP1, on the fetal ocular surface and in the mouse lacrimal glands.

A Resource Paradox Problem behind Green Innovations

A Resource Paradox Problem behind Green Innovations

НОСТАЛЬГИЯ ПО СОВЕТСКОМУ В СОВРЕМЕННОМ МЕДИАПРОСТРАНСТВЕ

The article sets out the current and paradoxical problem of nostalgia, the object of which is the Soviet past, Soviet being, the idea of soviet life as a source of stability and moral and psychological certainty. Nostalgia is considered as a cultural philosophical metaphor and as an academically conceived subject of study in the interdisciplinary paradigm. The definition correlates with psychological discomfort and with the need to return the past, perceived as a harmonically arranged life. The concept of nostalgia and the phenomenon it denotes correlate with several problematic discourses, being at the intersection of socio-cultural, philosophical and worldview, historical, symbolic and psychological aspects. Nostalgia turns out to be a way of mythologizing the Soviet past, actualizing the personal experience of representatives of different generations as experiencing negative and requiring overcoming psychological conflicts. The research methodology is related to the deep traditions of socio-philosophical and philosophical-anthropological issues, consists in ideas about the cyclical nature of social processes and phenomena of cultural life. Based on the judgments of N. Berdyaev, S. Bulgakov, other philosophers and publicists, the significance of the aspect of nostalgia associated with longing for lost Russia and for lost spaces, emotions, links is affirmed. For the noble environment, the subject of nostalgia is pre-revolutionary Russia, the image of which is being idealized, and the social problems of the monarchist state go into oblivion. Soviet existence is permeated by longing for the past. Living generations see psychoemotional reactions in the Soviet past, which are broadcast as present there and absent in the current society – the value of friendship, the duration of love, interest in life, social inclusion, willingness to make decisions and lack of infantility, early adulthood; collectivism, stability, camaraderie are being updated as an alternative to the loss of socially significant ideals. The dynamics of nostalgic manifestations in several generations of Soviet and post-Soviet people is noted. We analyze media, in particular, presented in television and cinematic products, manifestations of nostalgia for strength and harmony, fidelity to the chosen path and masculine certainty (sports issues, appeal to the discourse of power).

The Paradox of Pesantren Education in the Implementation of Islamic Law: Study of Pesantren Kyai Notion in Mojokerto

The teaching of classical books (Kitab Kuning) is a tradition of pesantren education that has lasted a long time. The teaching aims so that students and Muslims can implement the teachings contained in classical books in everyday life. The purpose of this study is to reveal the paradoxical problems faced by santri and Muslims regarding the differences between the content of classical books and their daily application. This research focuses on pesantren Kyai in Mojokerto regarding this paradoxical problem, which is a determining factor in the style and variety of pesantren education management. This study used qualitative methods. Data were collected using interviews, observation, and documentation techniques. This study's results indicate that Kyai pesantren's notions in Mojokerto can be categorized in the textual-moderate category with the characteristics that they cannot accept the contextual interpretation of Islamic law and tend to be textual. However, this attitude does not encourage Kyai to impose Islamic law and does not force the form of an Islamic state. The education style that results from this notion is that pesantren education tends to be closed and does not accept religious values changes. However, it is open and accepts changes in general education by opening formal educational institutions. This study provides an overview of the style of pesantren education and the factors that influence it.

Managing Choice Uncertainties in Life-Cycle Assessment as a Decision-Support Tool for Building Design: A Case Study on Building Framework

To establish a circular economy in society, it is crucial to incorporate life-cycle studies, such as life-cycle assessment (LCA), in the design process of products in order to mitigate the well-recognized problem of the design paradox. The aim of the study was to provide means in a structured way to highlight choice uncertainty present in LCA when used as decision support, as well as to mitigate subjective interpretations of the numerical results leading to arbitrary decisions. The study focused on choices available when defining the goal and scope of a life-cycle assessment. The suggested approach is intended to be used in the early design phases of complex products with high levels of uncertainty in the product life-cycle. To demonstrate and evaluate the approach, a life-cycle assessment was conducted of two design options for a specific building. In the case study two types of building frameworks were compared from an environmental perspective by calculating the global warming potential, eutrophication potential, acidification potential, stratospheric ozone depletion potential and photochemical oxidants creation potential. In the study, a procedure named the Decision Choices Procedure (DCP) was developed to improve LCA as an effective tool for decision support concerning design alternatives when less information is available. The advantages and drawbacks of the proposed approach are discussed to spur further improvements in the use of LCA as a decision-support tool.

Paradoxes in scientific cognition and nonclassical logics

The subject of this research is the scientific paradoxes and such means for its resolution as nonclassical logics. The author defends a thesis that paradoxes often stimulate the scientific development. It is demonstrated that most vividly the problem of paradoxes manifested in crises in the fundamentals of mathematics; the attempts for its resolution in many ways contributes to the emergence of nonclassical logics. It is substantiated that nonclassical logics helped to resolve and explain the paraded occurring in scientific cognition. Comparative analysis is conducted on the capabilities of  three-valued “quantum logics” of Garrett Birkhoff and John von Neumann and “logics of complementarity” of Hans Reichenbach. Potential of the three-valued logics of D. Bochvar and nonclassical systems of A. Zinoviev in resolution and explanation of logical paradoxes, as well as importance of temporary logics of G. H. Wright for the philosophy of science is revealed. Special attention is paid  to the paraconsistent logics. The author determines two points of view in understanding of their essence and value for science and philosophy, which juxtaposition shows that none of them fully complies with the actual state of affairs. The main conclusion consists in the statement that paradoxes of scientific cognition should not be assessed just negatively; they also carry a positive meaning: detection of paradoxes in the theory testifies to the need for their elimination, more detailed research and stricter approach towards development of the theory, which in solution of this task can be accomplished by nonclassical logics.

Photon Can Be Described as the Normalized Mutual Energy Flow

Einstein guessed that the macroscopic electromagnetic wave is built by thousands of photons, however, no one has offered a theory about how the macroscopic electromagnetic wave is built from photons. A concrete theory about photons is needed to answer this question. Current theory for photons is Maxwell’s equation which has the solution of waves, but it is difficult to describe the photon as a particle. There is the paradox problem of wave-particle duality. This article offers one solution to solve this problem by introducing the normalized mutual energy flow. The interaction of the retarded wave and advanced wave produce the mutual energy flow. The mutual energy flow satisfies the mutual energy flow theorem. The mutual energy flow theorem tells us that the energy that goes through each surface between the emitter and the absorber is all same. That means the mutual energy flow is different in comparison to the waves. The wave, for example, the retarded wave, its amplitude is decreased with the distance from the source to the point of the field. The mutual energy flow does not decrease. The author noticed this and claimed that the photon is the mutual energy flow. In this article the author updated this claim that the photon is the normalized mutual energy flow. Here the normalization of mutual energy flow will normalize the mutual energy flow to the energy of a photon, which is E = hf. E is the energy of the photon; h is Planck constant; f is the frequency of the light. This normalization is similar to the normalization in quantum mechanics. After this normalization the relation between an electromagnetic wave and photon as a particle becomes clear. This article will prove that the macroscopic wave of an electromagnetic field can be built by thousands of normalized mutual energy flows, which describes the photons. The mutual energy flow is an interaction of the retarded wave and the advanced wave. The retarded wave and the advanced wave satisfy the Maxwell equations. There are two additional waves which are the time-reversal waves which satisfy time-reversal Maxwell equations. The advanced wave and the two time-reversal waves are all real and physical electromagnetic fields. The time-reversal waves cancel all self-energy flows of the retarded wave and advanced wave. Hence, the waves do not carry any energy, the energy is only transferred by the normalized mutual energy flows which are the photons. Hence, all energy is transferred by the photon instead of waves. This offers a solution to paradox of the duality of wave-particle.

Integrating the third way and third space approaches in a post-colonial world: marketing strategies for the business sustainability of community-based tourism enterprises in Vietnam

ABSTRACT This study investigates the potential to integrate third way and third space approaches for marketing community-based tourism enterprises (CBTEs) in less-developed countries. The outcome of this integration is reflected in marketing strategies oriented towards the business sustainability of CBTEs in Vietnam. In particular, proposals on three aspects of CBTE marketing, including market segmentation, product design and development, and product communication and promotion, are illustrated. Through the proposed marketing strategies, the research contributes to CBT theory by showing that paradoxical CBT problem domains can be better addressed by integrating different ideological and developmental approaches. Additionally, the strategies provide evidence-based, practice-driven guidance for the extensively evaluated but insufficiently tackled marketing issues for CBTEs in Vietnam.

Addressing Imbalanced Classes Problem of Intrusion Detection System Using Weighted Extreme Learning Machine

The main issues of the Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are in the sensitivity of these systems toward the errors, the inconsistent and inequitable ways in which the evaluation processes of these systems were often performed. Most of the previous efforts concerned with improving the overall accuracy of these models via increasing the detection rate and decreasing the false alarm which is an important issue. Machine Learning (ML) algorithms can classify all or most of the records of the minor classes to one of the main classes with negligible impact on performance. The riskiness of the threats caused by the small classes and the shortcoming of the previous efforts were used to address this issue, in addition to the need for improving the performance of the IDSs were the motivations for this work. In this paper, stratified sampling method and different cost-function schemes were consolidated with Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) method with Kernels, Activation Functions to build competitive ID solutions that improved the performance of these systems and reduced the occurrence of the accuracy paradox problem. The main experiments were performed using the UNB ISCX2012 dataset. The experimental results of the UNB ISCX2012 dataset showed that ELM models with polynomial function outperform other models in overall accuracy, recall, and F-score. Also, it competed with traditional model in Normal, DoS and SSH classes.

The median-based resolution of the St. Petersburg paradox

The St. Petersburg Paradox contributed to establishing expected utility theory by demonstrating that decision making based on the expectation (expected value, or mean, average) leads to an unreasonable behavior. Although the expected value is commonly used as an optimization criterion in various fields of mathematical sciences, such paradoxical problems as arbitrariness and intransitivity have led many researchers to forsake expected utility theory in search of more useful alternatives. Here we show an analytical solution of the St. Petersburg Paradox based on the median of the probability distribution. The present method provides a reasonable solution to any related problem. The median payout of repeated games suggests a new scaling relation in the limit of a large number of repetitions, while the game has no characteristic scale in terms of expected value.

Measuring road network topology vulnerability by Ricci curvature

Describing the basic properties of road network systems, such as their robustness, vulnerability, and reliability, has been a very important research topic in the field of urban transportation. Current research mainly uses several statistical indicators of complex networks to analyze the road network systems. However, these methods are essentially node-based. These node-based methods pay more attention to the number of connections between nodes, and lack of consideration for interactions, leading to the well-known node paradox problem, and their ability of characterizing the local and intrinsic properties of a network is weak. From the perspective of network intrinsic geometry, we propose a method for measuring road network vulnerability using a discrete Ricci curvature, which can identify the key sections of a road network and indicate its fragile elements. The results show that our method performs better than complex network statistics on measuring the vulnerability of a road network. Additionally, it can characterize the evolution of the road network vulnerability among different periods of time in the same city through our method. Finally, we compare our method with the previous method of centrality and show the different between them. This research provides a new perspective on a geometry to analyze the vulnerability of a road network and describes the inherent nature of the vulnerability of a road system from a new perspective. It also contributes to enriching the analytical methods of complex road networks.

Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and a Hierarchical Approach to Solving Logical Paradoxes

The hierarchical approach to the solution of logical paradoxes is considered in the article. The foundations and main theses of the hierarchical approach are analysed through consideration of Russell’s theory of types and Tarski’s semantic conception. Basic arguments critical of such an approach that have been formulated in logical and epistemological research are presented. A specific characteristic of Wittgenstein’s position in the context of the hierarchical approach expressed by him in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is identified. The Wittgensteinian version of the hierarchical approach is the most stable in the relation to the critical arguments considered. If we still want to evaluate the hierarchical approach as an acceptable solution to the problem of logical paradoxes, we should employ its Wittgensteinian interpretation, because it is able to overcome the serious critical arguments against the approach presented in contemporary research on logic, epistemology, and the philosophy of mathematics.

Dynamic Volunteer Staffing in Multicrop Gleaning Operations

Although edible and healthy food was left unharvested in farm fields, 14% of U.S. households in 2014 were food insecure. The practice of gleaning combines the dual paradoxical problems of food wast...

Capital Accumulation, Green Paradox, and Stranded Assets: An Endogenous Growth Perspective

The existing studies on Green Paradox and stranded assets focus on dirty exhaustible assets (fossil fuel reserves) and show that environmental regulations, by changing the costs of dirty inputs relative to clean ones, lead to replacements of the former by the latter and stranding of dirty assets due to perfect substitution. It, in turn, induces acceleration of dirty resource extractions and pollution emissions for fear of dirty assets becoming stranded - the Green Paradox effect. This paper uses an endogenous growth framework to revisit the problem of Green Paradox and stranded assets by taking a new perspective that focuses on capital accumulation with investment irreversibility. We show that if 1) direct irreversibility of investment does not rule out the indirect channel of converting dirty capital goods into clean ones through final goods allocations, and 2) interactions between dirty and clean capital as imperfect substitutes can generate reciprocal effects, then environmental regulation, through directing investment towards clean capital, does not necessarily leads to asset stranding of dirty capital. Accumulation of clean capital with a pollution-saving effect offsets the polluting impact of dirty one and leads to reversed Green Paradox. We further propose an endogenous growth mechanism through which the accumulation of both dirty and clean capital, as well as environmental improvement, can be sustained in the long run without converging to the steady state.

A short remark on Gödel incompleteness theorem and its self-referential paradox from Neutrosophic Logic perspective

It is known from history of mathematics, that Gödel submitted his two incompleteness theorems, which can be considered as one of hallmarks of modern mathematics in 20th century. Here we argue that Gödel incompleteness theorem and its self-referential paradox have not only put Hilbert’s axiomatic program into question, but he also opened up the problem deep inside the then popular Aristotelian Logic. Although there were some attempts to go beyond Aristotelian binary logic, including by Lukasiewicz’s three-valued logic, here we argue that the problem of self-referential paradox can be seen as reconcilable and solvable from Neutrosophic Logic perspective. Motivation of this paper: These authors are motivated to re-describe the self-referential paradox inherent in Godel incompleteness theorem. Contribution: This paper will show how Neutrosophic Logic offers a unique perspective and solution to Godel incompleteness theorem.

Recent Geodynamics: from Crustal Movements to Monitoring Critical Objects

This paper addresses the evolution of the views on the subject and methods of geodynamics over the past fifty years. The problems of the metrological provision of the results of repeated observations by the ground-based and satellite geodesy are discussed. It is shown that the basic characteristics of the recent geodynamical processes substantially depend on the degree of spatiotemporal detail of the observational systems. A variant of the solution is suggested for the problem of paradoxes of large and small strain rates which was detected during the studies at the geodynamical sites in seismically active and weakly seismic regions. For explaining the anomalous deformational activity of the platform’s faults, the mechanism of parametric excitation of the processes is suggested according to which the time fluctuations in the internal parameters of a fault zone (stiffness, pore pressure, coefficient of friction) under quasi-static external loading form local strain anomalies. The results of strain monitoring are demonstrated by the example of a shelf oil field. The assertion is substantiated that the concept of geodynamical testing sites is a universal form for investigating the recent deformational processes which offers a unified framework for determining the spatiotemporal structure of the geodynamical phenomena of different scales that are used in the fundamental and applied studies.