Human Phenomena Research Articles

A Review of the Chemistry and Biological Activities of Acmella oleracea ("jambù", Asteraceae), with a View to the Development of Bioinsecticides and Acaricides.

Human pathologies, environmental pollution, and resistance phenomena caused by the intensive use of chemical pesticides have shifted the attention of the agrochemical industries towards eco-friendly insecticides and acaricides. Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen (jambù) is a plant native to South America, widely distributed and cultivated in many countries due to its numerous pharmacological properties. This review analyzes literature about the plant, its uses, and current knowledge regarding insecticidal and acaricidal activity. Acmella oleracea has proven to be a potential pesticide candidate against several key arthropod pest and vector species. This property is inherent to its essential oil and plant extract, which contain spilanthol, the main representative of N-alkylamides. As a result, there is a scientific basis for the industrial exploitation of jambù in the preparation of green insecticides. However, studies related to its toxicity towards non-target species and those aimed at formulating and developing marketable products are lacking.

Lack, Escape, and Hypervirtuality: On the Existential and Phenomenological Conditions for Addiction

This article provides the existential and phenomenological conditions for addiction by applying the concepts of lack, escape and ‘hypervirtuality’ in new ways to the subject matter. There are five sections. The first is a brief review of some of the most relevant literature. The second lists the main general characteristics of addiction, gleaned from the literature, as well as discussing a possible general definition, namely wants that have become (damaging) needs. The third provides the existential conditions required for addiction to be understood as a human phenomenon to which we are all susceptible, albeit to greatly differing degrees and objects. Here I stress the ideas of transcendence, desire, lack and escape one finds in the early writings of Sartre and Levinas. The fourth fills this idea out with a key phenomenological notion of hypervirtuality, inspired by Husserl. This latter, fifthly and finally, explains the rising power of new technologies and how many are increasing and providing new opportunities for addictive behaviour.

Learning and memory : neurosciences perspectives

Learning is the process of acquiring new or modifyingexisting knowledge, skills, behaviors or preferences (Schachter et al., 2010)
 
 
 Memory is the faculty of encoding, storing and retreiving information (Squire, 2009)
 
 Basic forms of learning were demonstrated at earlier and earlier stages of development, including in utero (Blumberg et al., 2010, Kail and Spear, 1984)
 
 There are multiple brain learning/memory systems, age-specific ecological adaptions, and acquisition-vs.-expression of learning (Krasnegor et al., 1986, Shair et al., 1991, Spear and Campbell, 1979). 
 
 
 Rats show “infantile amnesia” (Campbell and Campbell, 1962, Campbell and Spear, 1972). The discovery that rodents show poor long-term memory for experiences occurring in infancy suggested that the human phenomenon has a biological basis. 
 
 The neurobiology of learning and memory during adolescence showed specific sex/gender effects (Spear, 2009, Raznahan 2019).
 
 There is a strong relationship between neurobiological and behavioral changes specifically during the adolescent period: alterations in fronto-striatal systems during adolescence impact risky decision making and vulnerability to social pressures, which may ultimately provide a framework for the development of reward-related learning abilities (DePasque & Galvan 2017).
 
 Involvement of NMDA glutamate receptors in impairments in fearextinction during adolescence, and how the role of NMDA receptorsmay differ during this stage of development compared to adults and juveniles (Baker and Richardson 2017). 
 
 The maturation of cortical noradrenergic systems contributes to executive function (Mokler and colleagues 2017). 
 
 

Fear and liberation from fear in the writings of Tomislav Ivančić

Much like philosophy and psychology, theology also deals with the phenomenon of fear, each field of study defining it in their own way. What they all share is the understanding of fear as a deeply human phenomenon, affecting man in his entirety and diminishing his abilities. This study aims to present a theological approach to understanding fear, including elements of a therapy that promises man’s liberation from fear. Tomislav Ivančić classifies fear as a spiritual illness affecting both man’s body and soul. This realm of the spirit is healed by a transcendental power rather than by man, and it is precisely this what makes his hagiotherapy special. The therapy seeks to heal both the source and the cause of fear and to equip man for a new life, a life in trust that Ivančić sets against a life in fear. The presented theological method is underpinned by theoretical tenets and emerges from practice. The authors point out its potential contributions in today’s age of increased care for personal health. The study, which is the first of its kind to have been done in relation to this topic, used the hermeneutical approach of interpreting texts within their given context.

Retracted: Chest digital dynamic radiography to detect changes in human pulmonary perfusion in response to alveolar hypoxia.

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction optimises oxygenation in the lung by matching the local-blood perfusion to local-ventilation ratio upon exposure to alveolar hypoxia. It plays an important role in various pulmonary diseases, but few imaging evaluations of this phenomenon in humans. This study aimed to determine whether chest digital dynamic radiography could detect hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction as changes in pulmonary blood flow in healthy individuals. Five Asian men underwent chest digital dynamic radiography before and after 60 sec breath-holding at the maximal inspiratory level in upright and supine positions. Alveolar partial pressure of oxygen and atmospheric pressure were calculated using the blood gas test and digital dynamic radiography imaging, respectively. To evaluate the blood flow, the correlation rate of temporal change in each pixel value between the lung fields and left cardiac ventricles was analysed. Sixty seconds of breath-holding caused a mean reduction of 26.7 ± 6.4 mmHg in alveolar partial pressure of oxygen. The mean correlation rate of blood flow in the whole lung was significantly lower after than before breath-holding (before, upright 51.5%, supine 52.2%; after, upright 45.5%, supine 46.1%; both P < 0.05). The correlation rate significantly differed before and after breath-holding in the lower lung fields (upright, 11.8% difference; supine, 10.7% difference; both P < 0.05). The mean radiation exposure of each scan was 0.98 ± 0.09 mGy. No complications occurred. Chest digital dynamic radiography could detect the rapid decrease in pulmonary perfusion in response to alveolar hypoxia. It may suggest hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in healthy individuals.

Analisis Semantik atas Kata “Thayyibah” dalam al-Qur’an

Semantic Analysis of the word "Thayyibah" in the Qur'an Semantic analysis is a classical approach to comprehending the meaning of Qur'anic text utilized by Islamic scholars (ulama) in the form of tafsir since Islam's rise centuries ago. This semantic analysis can be utilized to analyze the ethical-religious terms in the Qur'an, which is the word thayyibah. This research aims to reveal the semantical meaning of the word thayyibah in the Qur'an. This research employs the content analysis method and uses a semantic analysis approach related to the study of weltanschauunglehre. This research begins by defining the meaning of semantics and then analyzing the semantical meanings of the word thayyibah with its derivatives. Furthermore, explaining the definitions in several Qur'anic verses. The explanation is based on the elaboration of the Qur'an interpreters (mufassirs). They revealed its subtle meanings and semantical correlations. The result shows that the word thayyibah in the Qur'an has Islamic religious meaning. Usage of the term kalimah thayyibah, interpreted as the word of Unity (Tawhid), gains a central position in the reality of human life. This concept spawns an ethical-religious worldview that perceives religion as the basis for perceiving every human life phenomenon. At the level of individual life, thayyibah means living a good life. In the marital domain, thayyibah means choosing a suitable life partner and giving birth to good offspring. From the social aspect, thayyibah is in the form of good social dealings. Moreover, at the national level, thayyibah creates a safe and secure national state. The word thayyibah undergoes semantical changes within its semantic field, from its original meaning that connotes something good in worldly affairs to something that is much broader, including tauhid and here-after meanings. The Qur'an has reformed the word conceptual structure, its semantic field, vocabulary, and its basic vocabulary. That preceded projects a jahili weltanschauung to the Islamic weltanschauung

Design of groundwater monitoring network for coastal aquifers based on seawater intrusion vulnerability: A case study of Mandaue City, Philippines

Groundwater is an essential source of freshwater. However, this natural resource exhibits high vulnerability to contamination due to human activities and natural phenomena. Over extraction of groundwater and sea level rise have hastened seawater intrusion in aquifers that lie along the coasts. This has led to the accelerated deterioration of groundwater quality in coastal aquifers. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop tools to monitor groundwater resources. In this study, a framework of selecting priority areas for monitoring was applied to Mandaue City, Philippines. The monitoring areas were selected based on their vulnerability to seawater intrusion using the GALDIT-index. A collection of 77 initial public sites were investigated as potential locations of monitoring wells. The resulting network determined 45 priority areas located across the study area wherein monitoring wells should be located for the long-term observation of groundwater quality. These sites are composed of 28 from the initially investigated locations and 17 proposed sites which were determined to satisfy the required number of wells lacking in certain areas. The results of this study are intended to aid decision makers in creating groundwater management plans.

Reading Readers Reading: A Brief Reply to my Interlocutors

Reading Readers Reading: A Brief Reply to my Interlocutors

THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN FACTORS IN UNMANNED SYSTEMS

With the advent of unmanned systems, the development of ergonomics entered a new stage in the study of human-machine interaction and exacerbated security problems. The requirements for security and reliability of both the systems themselves and their main link, the human operator, have changed. New challenges – new human problems in digital systems. Digitization has allowed the creation of unmanned systems, but has also created an ergonomic contradiction “the growth of automation – the complication of the problem of the human factor”. Unmanned aerial systems have unique ergonomic problems associated with the characteristics of the UAV operator and the technical features of the UAVs themselves as complex systems. In this regard, the analysis of the causes of the ongoing manifestations of the human factor phenomenon in the functioning of unmanned systems, as well as the search for ways to reduce them, is relevant. The purpose of the work is a meta-analysis of the problem of the human factor in complex systems that actively use ICT, using the example of unmanned aerial systems. The article provides a critical look at the problems of the human factor in unmanned aircraft, which are not solved within the framework of existing approaches.

الحق في الاختلاف بوصفه قيمة من قيم المواطنة الصالحة

This study is based on a basic idea of ​​linking the right to difference as a human right and a human value, and the values ​​of good citizenship. The study considers that good citizenship is not limited to contributing to paying taxes or participating in political life, assuming public jobs and respecting the laws of the state and public order. However, there is a necessary and civilized requirement for good citizenship represented in the ability to coexist with the different other and understand and respect its values, including this understanding and respect. Not to infringe on his rights or seek to subjugate him by force or to exclude him and marginalize him. Good citizenship entails not forcing the other to hide his distinction or difference in any aspect of life, whether in belief, opinion, thought, color and gender. The existence of a diverse and demographically diverse society is a human phenomenon that should be a source of respect and not a source of conflict and disagreement.

Creating a Better World Through Oneness

Addressing alienation of the individual from their innate universal given Self is necessary to relieve our alienation from others, our communities, and nature. The process of realizing our innate Self results paradoxically in achieving a sense of oneness that is often considered spiritual and is described in Daoist and Buddhist literature. These traditions hold that brief moments of Oneness are a part of everyday human experience and only need to be cultivated. The view, expressed herein, is that the experience of sustained oneness is a human phenomenon often thought of as mystical not because it hasn’t occurred in the past to many people but because it doesn’t align with current socially accepted rational ways of thinking and being. Oneness is achieved through cultivating equanimity or tranquility in the presence of change. It is particularly important to be tranquil in the presence of positive and negative emotions as they are indicators of who we are at heart. In addition, the process of cultivating tranquility, conceptual thought gradually slips away enabling direct awareness of phenomena. How meditation is applied in a third-year business class for the purpose of developing ethics is discussed. Some students’ statements indicated that they experienced phenomena related to Oneness. Therefore, it is proposed that it is possible to design Oneness education under the right conditions. It is argued that the hyper-individualism witnessed in society today can be shifted towards a broader view of the self and hypothesized that this result in a deeper sense of connection to others, and the environment creating a better world.

The nexus between traditional foraging and its sustainability: a qualitative assessment among a few selected Eurasian case studies.

Plant foraging is an important human ecological phenomenon being studied by a number of contemporary ethnobiologists as well as by a few social anthropologists among rural communities and, more recently, in urban environments. The sustainability dimension of foraging is, however, largely unexplored. We analyse a few case studies from recent field research and qualitatively assess both the environmental and social sustainability of diverse patterns of traditional foraging practices in three distinct human ecological environments (horticulturalism-, forestry-, and pastoralism-driven) located in the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and North Pakistan, i.e. we address the question of when does traditional foraging become unsustainable and what factors may influence this. The main findings are multidimensional. First, in all case studies, we sometimes observed competitive foraging among the gatherers of certain wild food plants potentially causing ecological degradation; such unsustainable practices seem to be linked to the market pressure on certain species. However, also customs and norms promoted by states can be detrimental (former Soviet Union), as well as climate change (Eastern Europe), and marginalisation of some minority groups (Pakistan). Second, in the Mediterranean Syrian context, wild food plant resources are largely represented by widely available weedy “wild” vegetables, normally (but not exclusively) collected by women, and usually easily accessible; only very few wild food plants seem to be threatened due to specific market demands or to disequilibria created by household economic instabilities due to the recent war. We also argue that unsustainable foraging is enhanced by the abandonment of daily practices and continuous interaction with the natural environment and by the increasingly uneven distribution of active practical knowledge on wild food plants among the middle-aged and younger population. Facilitating the transmission of sustainable foraging knowledge and practices could be therefore crucial, also for coping with food insecurity in times of crisis; but for that to occur, holistic environmental and food educational frameworks, appropriate policies for fostering community-based biodiversity conservation and also social cohesion and communal management of lands should be seriously considered as well. Moreover, future gastronomic and eco-tourism initiatives, if organised in a thoughtful manner, could represent a positive turning point not only for the local small-scale economies of the considered rural communities but also for helping them to dynamically preserve the entire socio-ecological system underpinned in plant foraging and ultimately to better adapt to the current global crisis.

Camels in the Bedouin Community of Oman: Beyond the Human–Animal Binary

ABSTRACT Cultures have usually been studied as a purely human phenomenon. Recent research challenges this single-focused perspective on exclusively human agency in the formation and sustainability of cultures and offers a more inclusive format for exploring cultural processes, specifically the role that human and animal co-existence plays in them. Owing to its close historically rooted ties with such animals as camels, Bedouin culture in Oman has been selected as a fertile ground for researching how cultures are constructed through human–camel relations. Camel racing events have been chosen as a highly appropriate context for observing human–camel interactions owing to their abundance and cultural significance. The primary research method used was informal conversations with 13 adult racing-camel owners and keepers, together with 10 child camel owners, conducted between 2017 and 2021. The themes of the conversations about camels were centered on the cameleers’ interpretations of racing-camel behavior in relation to humans. The collected narratives revealed the interviewees’ perceptions of and thoughts on camels’ resemblance to humans justified by their observations and perceptions of camels experiencing emotions and feelings, such as sense of ego/personality, sense of pride, sense of shame, the ability to enact revenge, and feelings of sorrow or sadness. The findings confirm that camels are wrapped up in the identity and culture of Omani Bedouins and actively contribute to the creation of that culture by co-shaping the emotional and cognitive landscape of their shared reality with humans.

Designing and conducting qualitative research across countries and cultures: challenges for inclusiveness and rigour.

Qualitative research is fundamental to understanding the nature and complexity of human phenomena. While cultural and psychometric validations exist for quantitative tools, the same cannot be said of qualitative ones. There are other many challenges when conducting a multinational qualitative study, which includes different cultural and linguistic 'biases'. This paper presents some key issues that researchers may encounter when designing and developing multinational and multicultural qualitative studies, and also provides some strategies to overcome difficulties and ensure rigour.

The concept of «self care» in the aspect of pedagogical activity 23

The article presents the views of philosophers, psychologists, teachers on the nature of self-care. The philosophy of antiquity considers self-care as a rule of a wise life, linking all human beingness with caring for the soul. Modern philosophers describe the practice of oneself and self-care with the existence of an individual in the world, pay attention to the care of the soul and body. The implementation of an individual life scenario does not imply a break with society, ignoring others, but relies on reflection, comprehension and self-determination. The purpose of the article is to consider the phenomenon of self-care through the prism of pedagogical activity. The methodological basis is formed by ontogenetic and epistemological approaches that explain the human phenomenon. In pedagogical activity, the concept of self-care acquires special significance in the process of preventing and overcoming professional burnout. It is very important for a teacher to be able to determine his emotional and psychophysical state: whether he is in harmony with himself or shows internal disunity. At the same time, the teacher needs knowledge that would allow him to comprehend his own state and return the lost harmony. Such knowledge can be various trainings, in which “techniques of the self” are widely used: work with thought, work with words, work with the body.

Mothers’ Agency and Responsibility in the Australian Bushfires: A Feminist New Materialist Account

ABSTRACT This article employs new materialist theory to the accounts of women who were pregnant, giving birth or parenting new-borns during the Australian bushfires of 2019/2020. As feminist scholars we are concerned with the inequitable responsibility accorded to women during this time to limit their (un)born children’s exposure to smoke. Drawing on Barad’s (2007) relational ontology we trace how (non)human phenomena like ‘smoke’, ‘public health advice’ and discourses of ‘the good mother’ work intra-actively to establish conditions of possibility in relation to mother’s agency and responsibility in this crisis. Via in-depth interviews with 25 women, we discovered these coagulating forces meant many experienced feelings of ‘powerlessness’ and subsequent ‘guilt’ at their inability to prevent smoke inhalation for their (un)born children. To challenge this burden of responsibility, we (re)configure conventional notions of ‘agency’ and ‘responsibility’ within a new materialist frame. When agency is understood as an intra-active becoming and response-ability as preceding the subject, responsibility for the air shifts to a recognition that everyone/thing is complicit in the world’s differential becoming. We extend this thinking to consider human response-ability and agency in relation to the climate change that has been attributed to causing the fires.

Job: Servant of Yahweh/Prophet of Allah

Suffering is a universal human phenomenon. In a time when religious differences are evident and often fuel conflict, shared narratives may provide common ground in which true understanding may take root. This paper will consider the problem of suffering and address how adherents of the three great monotheistic traditions seek understanding, comfort, and the believer’s appropriate response from the same story found within their respective sacred texts: the story of Job, the servant of Yahweh in the Tanakh/Old Testament of Judaism and Christianity— known as Ayyub, prophet of Allah, in the Qur’an. The story of Job addresses more than the distribution of evil problem. At stake in the story is Job’s very relationship to his God. This paper will consider a few of the many Jewish, Christian, and Islamic insights from the ancient story, hopefully leading to mutual understanding and empathy. Keywords: suffering, Tanakh, Qur’an, Job, Ayyub

Humanist Literacy in Critical Reading Activities as an Alternative Direction for Future Language Learning

Humanist literacy is an awareness of reading and understanding human phenomena that can be created through critical reading activities. Critical reading activities aim to reflect on the reading results so that they can make wise decisions on how to think and behave humanely. Decision-making skills need to be improved through critical reading learning with a humanist literacy approach. The problem so far is the unavailability of future learning designs by integrating humanist literacy through critical reading activities. Therefore, this study focuses on how to integrate humanist literacy in critical reading activities as an alternative direction for future language learning. The purpose of this study was to describe the grand design of integrating humanist literacy in critical reading activities as an alternative direction for future language learning. This research is a development research of one part of the development research procedure. The data for this study were sourced from the comments of lecturers and students from questionnaires distributed online. This research instrument was developed based on the concept of language learning, characteristics of humanist literacy, and characteristics of critical reading that have been validated. Data analysis was carried out critically reflectively by using tagCrow and AntCont applications. The results of the study prove that the grand design of integrating humanist literacy in critical reading activities can be carried out through communicating humanist literacy, collaborating humanist literacy, and humanist critical thinking with sub-skills of analyzing, interpreting, inferring, evaluating, explaining, and regulating oneself in a humanistic manner to make decisions. wisely according to the principles of humanistic life.

Dynamic Response of the Inertial Platform of the Laser ELI-NP Magurele-Bucharest Facility

Previous studies on the vibrational behavior of the inertial platform installed at ELI-NP, in Magurele-Bucharest have reported eigenfrequencies in the domain in which excitations can occur from earthquakes which manifests itself periodically in this geographical area. The paper aimed to study the vibrational response that may occur, due to human activities or natural phenomena (earthquakes), at the inertial platform of the Laser + Gamma building within the ELI-NP complex. The large mass of the platform, 54,000 tons in full condition, must ensure that the experiments are carried out without being disturbed by unwanted vibrations. The laser and gamma beam must be very precisely positioned and the shocks and vibration from the external environment must be damped or absorbed. To realize this, the behavior of the inertial concrete platform at external excitations was studied based on a model with finite elements. The response to the forced vibrations of the platform and the possible behavior in case of an earthquake were obtained.

Vibration and Acoustic Crepitus Sensing Using Piezoelectric Accelerometers

Abstract The vibration and acoustic emissions produced within facet joints of the lumbar spine, known as crepitus, can be a potential biomarker to identify decreased joint functioning and the site of low back pain. Using piezoelectric accelerometers and a silicone “phantom” mechanical model, we sought to identify the site of crepitus. Past analyses of these data with human observers have been too time consuming for eventual practical clinical application, and a more expedient algorithmic method of analysis is preferable. In this study, the signal filtering and processing functions of matlab were harnessed to filter aberrant noise as well as determine the location (level and left or right side) from which crepitus originated during induced crepitus events in the phantom model (n = 30). Development of this automated method refined the definition of facet joint crepitus. The automated method was found to be as reliable and valid as assessment by human observers and took significantly less time (p = 0.009). Future studies will assess the reliability of the automated method to detect this phenomenon in humans.