Conceptual Process Research Articles

Assessing Narcissistic Patterns: A Comprehensive Approach with the Narcissistic Personality Patterns Test (NPPT)

The Narcissistic Personality Patterns Test (NPPT) is a rigorously designed assessment tool aimed at identifying narcissistic traits across seven key dimensions: grandiosity, attention-seeking, lack of empathy, entitlement, exploitative behavior, envy, and arrogance. This tool bridges the gap in existing measures by providing a multidimensional approach to understanding narcissistic behavior patterns, emphasizing both clinical utility and research applicability. With high reliability and validity, the NPPT offers psychometric strength, allowing practitioners to diagnose narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), guide interventions, and monitor therapeutic progress. Additionally, the NPPT serves as a valuable tool in research settings to explore the impact of narcissistic traits on various psychological and social phenomena. This paper outlines the conceptual foundation, development process, scoring methodology, and implications for the NPPT in enhancing the accurate assessment of narcissistic personality patterns.

Granular concept-enhanced relational graph convolution networks for link prediction in knowledge graph

Link prediction is a task of completing absent triplets by leveraging existing triplets in KG and the ultimate goal is to mitigate the incompleteness and sparsity of KG in terms of content. As well known, Relational Graph Convolutional Networks (R-GCN) model is a promising method for link prediction due to its capability of the graph structure. However, R-GCN mainly relies on information from adjacent nodes, leading to shortcomings in the model for capturing a wider range of relational information. Meanwhile, Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is increasingly being applied in various fields as an effective data analysis tool. Inspired by this, we integrate FCA into R-GCN to address the shortcomings of R-GCN mentioned above. Specifically, a formal context is first created according to the entities and relations, and granular concepts can be obtained by the formal context. Then the weights of the relational parameters in R-GCN are redistributed based on similarity of granular concepts. Further we develop granular concept-enhanced relational graph convolution networks (GCR-GCN) model, where granular concept can simulate the process of data conceptualization in human brain very well, so it has stronger interpretability compared to the black-box characteristic of R-GCN. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that the GCR-GCN model improves the effectiveness of link prediction by effectively assigning different weights to entities with the same relation. In addition, the granular concept effectively improves the computational efficiency of the model and reduces the storage pressure of the model during computation.

Emotion specificity, coherence, and cultural variation in conceptualizations of positive emotions: a study of body sensations and emotion recognition

ABSTRACT The present study examines the association between people’s interoceptive representation of physical sensations and the recognition of vocal and facial expressions of emotion. We used body maps to study the granularity of the interoceptive conceptualisation of 11 positive emotions (amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, desire, love, joy, interest, pride, relief, and triumph) and a new emotion recognition test (Emotion Expression Understanding Test) to assess the ability to recognise emotions from vocal and facial behaviour. Overall, we found evidence for distinct interoceptive conceptualizations of 11 positive emotions across Asian American, European American, and Latino/a American cultures, as well as the reliable identification of emotion in facial and vocal expressions. Central to new theorising about emotion-related representation, the granularity of physical sensations did not covary with emotion recognition accuracy, suggesting that two kinds of emotion conceptualisation processes might be distinct.

The 4A climate action framework

Climate action under the Paris Agreement (PA) requires a strategic approach that addresses the climate action needs of the participating countries. The most relevant documents for identifying such needs are the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted by the parties to the PA. Academia has paid insufficient attention to this dataset and has attempted to clarify climate action pathways by utilizing various established theories from different fields. As a result, a strategic framework for global climate action is lacking. This article examines the NDCs of 19 lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) to consolidate their climate action needs into a cohesive framework. A grounded theory approach with process coding techniques is employed, and the data are analyzed through three coding cycles: initial process coding, focused process coding, and conceptual process coding. The results suggest a 4 A cyclic process: assess, arrange, access, and action, which forms an integrated global response to climate change.

Go-Itata Ritualised Theatre Performance Modes of koma Aesthetics in a Performance as Research Production: Wela

The body speaks. Embodiment has always been the essence of communication in African theatre and ritual. Rituals are the wellspring of interpreting universal features of human behaviour and underpinning the theatrical. Yet theatre makers grapple with showcasing explicit ritual as performance. Ritual remains exquisitely different from theatre, and if moved from its original place and intent, it loses its integrity and purpose. Postdramatic performers have (re)embraced that their bodies can be used as a tool that can “speak” and offer new ways of interpreting ritual aesthetics. Through a methodology of ukuzilanda this article describes the performance as research approach with the emphasis on Postdramatic practices where embodying is celebrated as the main modality conveying messages in performance. This paper discusses the process undertaken to present ritual elements from the South African BaPedi male initiation in an aesthetic performance titled Wela (2021). Wela is a Pedi term which means “to cross-over” – this offers relevance both to the koma ritual it is representing as well as to the presentation of aesthetics of ritual through Postdramatic interpretations. Further, an approach coined as Go-itata embraces the (re)conceptual discussion of ritualised theatre that embraces the elements of embodied commentary, intent, and expressive narrative in the conceptual and staging processes. This paper offers Go-itata ritualised theatre performance modes to explore the (re)conceptual presentation of ritual aesthetics for the stage.

Crystallization‐Based Separation of ε‐Caprolactam from a Depolymerization Reaction Mixture – Fundamentals and Potential Separation Strategies

AbstractDepolymerization and subsequent capture of monomers is of interest for process efficiency and sustainability. Polyamide‐6 (PA‐6) can be depolymerized in aqueous solution using a homogeneous catalyst. To purify the ε‐caprolactam (CPL) monomer and recycle the catalyst, two potential crystallization‐based strategies are studied: direct crystallization from the reaction mixture and liquid‐liquid extraction prior to crystallization. Solubilities in water and promising organic solvents were measured and compared to predictions using perturbed‐chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC‐SAFT) or conductor‐like screening model for real solvents (COSMO‐RS). Detailed solid‐liquid equilibria (SLE) of the CPL/water system were investigated utilizing DSC and PXRD. This work provides an overview of important factors of PA‐6 depolymerization including recycling of tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) and purification of CPL monomers. A first conceptual process design to be further developed is derived.

The dynamic relationship between enjoyment and anxiety in monologue communication tasks of Arab female EFL undergraduate students: an idiodynamic approach

Foreign language learners experience fluctuations in their levels of enjoyment and anxiety during communication tasks as they navigate communication challenges. These emotional surges can impact cognitive resources and speech-processing ability. However, there is scant empirical evidence on the associations between emotions at the personal level during foreign language learning (FLL) communication task performances. To address this gap, the present study utilized the idiodynamic approach to investigate the relationship between enjoyment and anxiety in monologue tasks performed by Arab Female undergraduate learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Participants rated their emotions on a per-second basis after watching a video recording of their task performances and were interviewed about the reasons for fluctuations in their ratings. The study found that the negative relationship between anxiety and enjoyment varied from strong to moderate across 30 segments of speech per person. The emotions of anxiety and enjoyment were analyzed through triangulation of ratings, prompted recall interviews, and performance data. As a result of this investigation, four distinct sets of factors that affected these emotions were identified: Task execution (such as pre-task preparation and time constraints), task layout (including its structure and theme), cognitive-linguistic factors (such as transient disruptions in conceptualization and formulation speech processes), and performance measure (including assessment of one’s own linguistic proficiency).

Liquid hydrogen refuelling at HRS: Description of sLH2 concept, modelling approach and results of numerical simulations

The paper considers the concept of efficient liquid hydrogen (LH2) refuelling at hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS), presents modelling approach and 3D transient CFD simulation results. The concept is based on the advantages of transforming hydrogen from equilibrium to a non-equilibrium sub-cooled state (sLH2) during compression at pump. The modelling approach comprises a thermodynamic model of LH2 transfer from the HRS tank to the pump exit and a two-phase CFD model from the pump exit through the HRS equipment, i.e. pipes with bends, automatic valve, breakaway, nozzle, and manifold to onboard storage tanks. Due to the absence of published experimental data, the modelling approach and simulations are verified against conceptual LH2 refuelling process available in the literature. The CFD model reproduces key LH2 refuelling parameters: flow rate, pressure, temperature dynamics, including non-uniform temperature in onboard tanks and predicts pipe cooldown from 88K to allowable temperatures corridor of 23.9–26.5 K.

Derivation Method for Required Mass Flow Rate in the Conceptual Design Process of Turbine-Based Combined Cycle for Aircraft

Derivation Method for Required Mass Flow Rate in the Conceptual Design Process of Turbine-Based Combined Cycle for Aircraft

Study on the sorption and desorption behavior of La3+ and Bi3+ by bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate modified activated carbon.

The separation of 213Bi from its parent radionuclide 225Ac via radionuclide generators has proven to be a challenge due to the limited performance of the current sorbents. This study evaluated the separation performance of La3+ (as a surrogate for 225Ac) and Bi3+ using bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate monofunctionalized activated carbon (HDEHP/AC). The potential applications of phosphate groups as active sites and the carbon structure as a sorbent support were confirmed and validated. Various factors, including pH values, salt concentration, halide ions, contact time, solid-to-liquid ratio, initial La3+/Bi3+ concentration, and gamma irradiation were examined through batch sorption experiments in both single and binary systems. HDEHP/AC had a high sorption capacity for La3+ via electrostatic attraction, with the sorption data fitting well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and Langmuir model. The sorption performance of La3+ on HDEHP/AC was minimally affected as the NaCl/NaI concentrations increased at pH = 2, whereas the sorption capacity for Bi3+ decreased significantly. Additionally, selective desorption of La3+ and Bi3+ was achieved using HNO3 and NaI solutions, respectively. These results backed up by a conceptual separation process point toward a potential use of these materials in a direct/inverse 225Ac/213Bi radionuclide generator. Further optimization of the material and separation process will be required to bring this class of promising materials into an actual generator for medical applications.

REPRESENTATION OF SPANISH AND UZBEK NATIONAL-CULTURAL WORLD VIEWS IN PHRASEO-PAREMIOLOGICAL UNITS THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF "HOME"

Phraseology is considered a mirror of the national cultural worldview of peoples. This article is dedicated to revealing the worldview of Spanish and Uzbek peoples through a linguocognitive and linguocultural analysis of the concept of "home," represented by phraseological and paremiological units. The obtained results are significant for research aimed at studying the processes of conceptualization and categorization of concepts in language, as well as the national and cultural aspects of linguistic signs.

Political communication from the standpoint of ideational turn: cognitive representation of the idea of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (in English)

The article examines the specifics of political cognition as a structural element of political communication. The main task of the study is to identify, in the conditions of an ideational turn, the characteristics of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization political and media axis, modeled in scientific and media publications and conditioned by different logic and political cognitions of the authors. The mediatization of modern political discourse makes it possible to consider ideology as a potential opportunity that creates grounds for organizing the institutional present through the symbolism recontextualization of the institutional past. The Argentine sociologist, anthropologist and semiotic, Professor of Communication Sciences at the University of San Andres, Elisio Verona’s position is recognized as a priority in understanding ideology. Critical linguistics is considered to be the most productive in terms of representing and describing the multiplicity of interaction between participants in political communication, balancing communication of political cognitions. In the conceptual modeling process, elements of political analysis are used, based on the appeal to ideas as causal variables. The research is carried out taking into account the importance of causal-constitutive logics, while causal logic is recognized as the priority logic of communication, with an orientation towards the idea as a focal point. The authors consider the idea of cooperation, which models the SCO’s institutional functions, through cognitive presentations in scientific and media sources, and ground its interpretation on the terminological and conceptual apparatus of Russian constructivism.

The Structural Analysis of Li Yu’s Twelve Towers

Li Yu, a playwright in the early Qing Dynasty, proposed the significant “structural theory” for the development of Chinese drama. This paper begins by discussing the concept of structural organization in his vernacular novel Twelve Towers, exploring how Li Yu, prior to putting forth the “structure comes first” theory, used the construction of “towers” as a narrative framework in the novel, to establish the spatial and thematic significance for the characters and activities within the story. Applying literature analysis of Twelve Towers as the research method, and supplementing it with Li Yu’s structural theory from Random Thoughts and Essays and his expertise in incorporating garden art, the paper delves into the conceptualization and construction process of the “tower” in Li Yu's novels. Li Yu emphasized the novelty of building a narrative like constructing a house, diverging from conventional themes of talent and honour. His narrative strategy not only captivates readers by leveraging the allure of idle literature but also subtly critiques societal norms, aligning with the prevailing taste for light-hearted reading over solemn arguments. While scholarly discussions often centre on Li Yu's later work Random Thoughts and Essays, this paper uniquely starts with Twelve Floors to illuminate Li Yu's evolving compositional philosophy and narrative techniques.

Prior familiarity enhances recognition memory of faces, not just images of faces, when accompanied by conceptual information.

A recent paper reported that recognition discriminability was improved for faces that were familiarized prior to study, but only if that familiarization protocol included conceptual information, like a name (Akan & Benjamin, Journal of Memory and Language,131, 104,433, 2023). In those experiments, familiarity with each facial identity was gained through exposures to the same facial image prior to study, and memory for each facial identity was tested using the same images across study and test. That design characteristic has a serious constraint on generality, since it is possible that prior conceptual information enhances memory for images (of faces), but not for the representation of the face itself. Here we evaluated whether this finding generalizes to a paradigm in which each exposure of a face is a novel image. In two experiments, faces were familiarized with orienting tasks that induced more perceptual or more conceptual processing prior to study and test phases. Results from recognition tests replicated the results from Akan and Benjamin (2023): (1) Discriminability was enhanced when prior familiarity involved conceptual processing but not when it involved perceptual processing, and (2) familiarity gained through either perceptual or conceptual processing led to an increase in both correct and false identifications. This successful replication in a design with exclusively novel images indicates that the discriminability advantage provided by conceptual familiarity goes beyond memory for facial images and applies to memory for faces. These findings have implications in practical contexts, such as eyewitness identification situations involving suspects who are previously known or familiar to the witness.

Extractive distillation using salt-based deep eutectic solvent as entrainer for separating acetonitrile-water mixture

Salt-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been proposed in this work for the separation of the azeotrope of acetonitrile and water (H2O). The vapor–liquid equilibrium experiments indicated that (ChCl:U:CaCl2)1:2:0.36 exhibits an higher selectivity among all of the entrainers investigated and eliminates the azeotropic point of acetonitrile and water mixture. Moreover, the calculated values by NRTL model coincide well with the experimental data for the systems (acetonitrile + H2O + (ChCl:U:CaCl2)1:2:0.36). Based on the thermodynamic study, the conceptual process design was established to evaluate the competitiveness of the suggested entrainers for the separation of acetonitrile and water. It was determined that the thermodynamic efficiency (η) in the extractive distillation (ED) process utilizing the new salt-based DESs entrainers increases 60.31 % compared with the benchmark entrainer ethylene glycol (EG). Conversely, the ED process using (ChCl:U:CaCl2)1:2:0.36) entrainer can reduce the total annual cost (TAC) by about 7.81 % and the CO2 emissions (ECO2) by 14.74 %. The ED process using (ChCl:U:CaCl2)1:2:0.36) as entrainer shows the high energy efficiency, low economy cost and low CO2 emissions with a great industrial application prospect when compared to the bench marked process.

Heidegger’s Political Anthropology

The article is an in-depth review of the origin and development of Martin Heidegger's philosophical ideas with a main emphasis on his political anthropology. The basic concepts of Heidegger's philosophical system, as well as the social and political conditions of their formation and change, are examined in detail. In the text, lines are devoted both to the influence of Heidegger's philosophy and to the evaluations of it by the philosopher's contemporaries and later researchers. The idea that the story of Heidegger's life cannot be separated from his thinking is successfully defended, especially since his political ideas or delusions have a concrete origin in the social and conceptual processes of Europe in the middle of the 20th century.

The conceptualisation of cardiometabolic disease policy model in the UK

BackgroundDecision models are increasingly used to inform policy-making processes, and there is a need to improve their credibility. The estimation of health and economic outcomes generated from decision models is influenced by the development process itself. This paper aims to present the conceptual model development process of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) policy models in the UK setting.MethodsThis conceptual model followed the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research-Society of Medical Decision Making (ISPOR-SMDM) Modelling Good Research Practices Task Force-2.ResultsFirst, for the conceptualisation of the problem, the CMD disease staging, progression and current clinical guidelines were summarised, followed by a systematic review of published policy models. We critically appraised policy models such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Key messages from the review emphasised the importance of understanding various determinants influencing model development, including risk factors, model structure, models’ parameters, data utilisation, economic perspective, equality/equity consideration, transparency and validation process. Second, as a sequential process, is model conceptualisation, to determine which modelling types and their attributes best represent the defined problem. Expert opinions, including a clinician and experienced modellers, provided input on the state transition model to ensure the structure is clinically relevant. From this stage, the consideration and agreement to establish a disease state in a state transition model was discussed.ConclusionThis conceptual model serves as a basis for representing the systematic process for structuring a CMD policy model to enhance its transparency and credibility.

Remediation of plastic waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic: A conceptual process design of pyrolysis using polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene based polymers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in plastic-based personal protective equipment has raised concerns about managing medical waste and protecting the environment. This study highlights the need for effective waste management strategies by creating a conceptual process flow diagram and investigating thermal treatment methods like pyrolysis as potential solutions. Using computational modeling and process optimization, the study examines different polymer blends, including High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polystyrene (PS), and Polypropylene (PP), to understand how they behave during pyrolysis and the yields they produce. Two pyrolysis schemes have been developed to handle various polymer blends. In Scheme 1, the liquefied polymer is preheated and then pyrolyzed in a reactor, producing a vapor stream and a residue stream (carbon). The vapor stream is cooled to enhance liquid oil production and then is separated in a distillation column to isolate liquid oil from pyrogas. Scheme 2 follows a similar process but converts a significant portion of liquid hydrocarbons to gas in the distillation column, requiring further gas processing in a one-stage separator column. The results show that temperature significantly impacts liquid yield, with specific temperature ranges leading to increased yield. Additionally, the composition of the polymers and the rate at which the material is fed into the process affect the yields, with specific blends showing promise for higher liquid yield. This study emphasizes the importance of accurate process modeling to optimize the operational parameters and improve the economic viability of plastic pyrolysis technology presenting a promising opportunity to convert plastic waste into valuable resources.

Conceptual Design Process of a Missile Model and Production Using Additive Manufacturing Method

This study focuses on air-to-ground missile systems, which are widely used in Turkey and around the world and are becoming increasingly important. The development of missile systems takes into account various requirements defined by the end user. It is important to identify a system and its subcomponents that fully meet the requirements. This study analyzes an air-to-ground missile system and its main subcomponents identified through the conceptual design method based on the systematic design approach proposed by Pahl and Beitz. The aim is to determine the feasibility of obtaining an optimal solution that meets the requirements set by the conceptual design method. The missile design’s optimal solution was modeled using SolidWorks software. A three-dimensional (3D) printer with FDM production technology was used to produce a prototype of the computer-modeled design. ABS and ABS-plastic blend filaments were preferred due to their material properties in the FDM production process. During the printing stage, the filament and output settings of the model were determined using the 3D printer’s interface program. The filaments were then extruded through a nozzle, following the cross-sectional geometry of the part. The resulting model was printed in pieces and assembled with a tolerance of 0.1mm. This process resulted in a 3D model of the missile, which was created to represent the system structure in different colours. The study demonstrates that the conceptual design method can be used to develop innovative and meaningful missile models.

Numerical Analysis of the Aluminium Alloy Structure of the Brackets based on Conceptualization Processes

In this study, three conceptual designs of bracket constructions made of aluminum alloy underwent numerical investigation. To analyze the von Mises stresses present throughout the entire structure, the Ansys program was employed in conjunction with the static structure tool. The selection criteria are determined by two primary elements. The first element is the performance of the design, represented by normal stresses and deformation resulting from the applied load. The second criterion is volume, dependent on the volume itself, represented by a certain density of metals. To select an appropriate design for the aluminum brackets, the procedure was carried out utilizing the Analytic Network Process (ANP) technique. Through the conceptualizing approach, it has been demonstrated that the second design is superior to the alternative.