Empirical Reality Research Articles

Specifics of YouTube Functioning as a Popular Video Hosting Platform in the Modern Internet Space

The purpose of the article is to study the main aspects of the development of YouTube video hosting in the modern Internet space and to analyse the strategy for improvement and competitiveness of YouTube as a popular media platform. Research methods. The methodology is based on applying analytical, systemic, empirical, comparative and functional methods. In particular, the author analyses the features of the Internet space as a multi-component integral system, where a high degree of interactivity and consumption of Internet resources can be traced through video hosting; determines that YouTube is the key video hosting; summarises the advantages of YouTube among other video hosting; identifies the problems and contradictions which have caused the platform to be criticised; identifies the main factors contributing to the growth of competitiveness since the creation of the website, as well as the algorithms of YouTube’s functioning in the modern Internet space and the ways to improve it. The scientific novelty is to clarify the specifics of the fundamental properties of the functioning and competitiveness of YouTube video hosting; to predict algorithms for improving the platform, and to identify some technological innovations and tools that will contribute to YouTube’s leadership on the World Wide Web. Conclusions. Today, the Internet is a powerful platform that consumers are actively using. Video hosting services are quite popular among Internet formats, as they experiment with various content in specific market conditions. This very web service is a platform for the potential representation of content, which is updated through active requests and views of recipients. In the context of war, modern machine learning algorithms make it possible to create a regression model that is best suited to choosing a strategy for creating and promoting Ukrainian-language content on video hosting services. YouTube is a powerful online video hosting platform that is constantly improving and experimenting with various content in specific market conditions. While maintaining its leadership position, YouTube is expanding its interaction with other social networks, streaming platforms and services and is confidently competing with many video hosts. YouTube is not just a project, but an empirical reality that is dynamically developing and reflects new high-quality content driven by specific communicative functions, forming a value basis in the process of functioning.

Evaluasi Program Percepatan Penurunan Stunting di Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Baqa Samarinda Seberang

The purpose of the study is to describe and analyze the results of the evaluation of policies to accelerate stunting reduction and identify their impact in the region. This research uses qualitative descriptive method, to process data obtained from the research location. Qualitative descriptive research is generally to describe, explain, clarify, and describe the observed variables in accordance with the formulated problem so that researchers can describe the empirical reality related to the Acceleration of Stunting Reduction program in the work area of the Baqa Health Center, Samarinda Seberang District. Based on the research conducted, it can be concluded that the policy of Accelerating Stunting Reduction in Baqa Samarinda Seberang Village has not been fully effective because its utilization is still not optimal, although it is efficient in achieving the goal of improving the quality of infant/toddler health. Budgets relevant to stunting targets show good results, but need more attention for income equality and welfare. This policy has been evenly distributed and received a positive response from the government and the community, and its implementation is right on target. The positive impact of this policy can be seen from the reduction in stunting rates, ease of access to online programs, budget stability, and new adaptations needed for stunting handling in the future.

Jewellery Development in Right-Bank Ukraine and Galicia (XVI-XIX Centuries): Insights from Precious Ecclesiastical Artifacts

This article examines the development of jewellery in Right-Bank Ukraine and Galicia from the XVI to XIX centuries, focusing on precious ecclesiastical artifacts as evidence of the flourishing of Ukrainian goldsmithing. The relevance of the research stems from its detailed exploration of ecclesiastical jewellery in Right-Bank Ukraine and Galicia, providing a unique perspective on the region's artistic heritage and European cultural integration. The purpose is studying the artistic techniques used by Lviv and Kyiv jewellers in creating church artifacts like domes, icon covers, and other ecclesiastical items. The historical-genetic method enabled comprehensively analysing the evolution of Right-Bank Ukrainian jewellery in the example of church artifacts. Periodization identified three stages of Ukrainian goldsmithing's development in the XVI-XIX centuries. The system- structural method emphasized Western European cultural influence on overall Ukrainian jewellery. The typological approach reflected empirical reality of Right-Bank Ukrainian jewellery development as evidence of flourishing culture. Narrative described and explained the significance of jewellery artifacts at each stage of the formation of Ukrainian goldsmithing. Research materials included art organizations' experience, archaeological documentation, and museum exhibits. As a result of the research, the article presents the work of such Kyiv masters as: Iyeremiya Biletskyy, Ivan Ravych, and Matviy Narunovych. Detailed descriptions of works of art by Lviv and Kyiv masters of the XVI- XIX centuries are provided. And information about the Kyiv goldsmith shop is displayed. Conclusions confirm that Right-Bank Ukraine and Galicia were a stronghold of European jewellery styles in the 16th-19th centuries. The study of church artefacts by Ukrainian craftsmen shows a special cultural mentality shaped by centuries-old traditions and the multidenominational nature of Christian faiths. Thus, the materials of the article represent a practical value for historians, ethnographers, and architects who are interested in the construction of Orthodox churches; and jewellers engaged in artistic blacksmithing.

Moving Beyond Binary Measures of Gender in Political Ambition

This research considers the effects of gendered personalities on political ambition. The sex gap in political ambition is a normatively troubling empirical reality. Ambition research is often limited by binary conceptions and measurement of gender and sex. Recent scholarship urges scholars to employ more nuanced measures, including gendered personality as a measure beyond sex. Using original survey research incorporating the Bem Sex Roles Inventory (BSRI), we explore how femininity and masculinity influence nascent political ambition. Respondents who score higher in masculinity are more likely to have higher political ambition regardless of sex. However, sex remains significant, as female respondents are less likely to express nascent ambition. The results have implications for understanding the sex gap in political ambition and how political behavior conceptualizes and measures gender as a variable.

Символ и миф как инструменты теургического преображения действительности у о. Павла Флоренского и Вяч. Иванова

The concept of theurgy, as elucidated by Vladimir Solovyov, posits a transformative process wherein empirical reality is transfigured into the ideal through symbolic and mythic means. Pavel Florensky and Vyacheslav Ivanov, two prominent thinkers of the Russian philosophical tradition, offer distinct perspectives on the role of symbol and myth in this theurgic transformation. This article seeks to explore and compare their theories within the framework of theurgical philosophy. It is argued that both thinkers adhered to a similar concept of the symbol, yet differed in their understanding of its role in the theurgic transformation of reality. Pavel Florensky believed that transformation could be achieved through the potentiation of the natural symbol via so-called “mystical cognition”, which involves endowing a phenomenon with personal significance to evoke the awakening and activation of its latent ideal essence. In contrast, Vyacheslav Ivanov contended that the “enhancement” of the symbol to the level of idea is impossible, thus proposing the theory that the effective means of transforming reality is not the symbol as a word, but the myth as a synthetic judgment, which, although based on the symbol, does not organically arise from it, but is formed by intellectual intuition. The conclusion of the study suggests that the difference in approaches between the two philosophers is rooted in ontological premises. Pavel Florensky developed his concept of symbol potentiation based on “name theology”, asserting the identity of name and thing, whereas Vyacheslav Ivanov adopted a more restrained position regarding the power of naming, which led to the development of his predicate theory of myth. By critically examining their theories within the context of theurgical philosophy, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities of symbol and myth in the quest for spiritual transformation. Further research is needed to explore the practical implications of these theories for modern philosophical and theological discourse.

School Literacy Movement Implementation Strategy in Forming Effective Schools in State Elementary School 02 Kalikuda, Adipala District, Cilacap Regency

This study aims to determine the extent of the implementation strategy of the school literacy movement in forming effective schools at SD Negeri 02 Kalikuda, Adipala District, Cilacap Regency. The research method used is a descriptive qualitative method, which examines the natural condition of objects with the researcher acting as the key instrument. The goal of this qualitative research is to provide an in-depth, detailed, and comprehensive depiction of the empirical reality behind the phenomenon. Data were collected through observation and interviews with informants or participants. The research results indicate that the implementation strategy of the School Literacy Movement (GLS) comprises three main stages: the Habituation Stage, which includes activities such as reading for 15 minutes before lessons start, Literacy Thursdays, and building a literacy-rich physical school environment; the Development Stage, involving the creation of reading corners in classrooms, development of other facilities (UKS, canteen, school garden), and creating text-rich materials, as well as fostering a literacy-rich school environment; and the Learning Stage, which includes reading activities for 15 minutes before class with both lesson and non-lesson content, integrating literacy activities into the curriculum, and implementing various comprehension strategies in thematic lessons. The results of this research will be published and presented in international journals or proceedings.

Semen adaptation to microbes in an insect

Abstract Sperm function is suggested to evolve by sexual selection but is also reduced by microbial damage. Here, we provide experimental evidence that male fertility can adapt to microbes. We found that in vivo, male fertility was reduced by one-fifth if sperm encountered microbes in the females that they had not previously been exposed to, compared to sperm from males that coevolved with these microbes. The female immune system activation reduced male fertility by an additional 13 percentage points. For noncoevolved males, fertility was larger if microbes were injected into females after they had stored away the sperm, indicating microbial protection as a previously unrecognized benefit of female sperm storage. Both medical and evolutionary research on reproductive health and fertility will benefit from considering our findings that the impact of microbes on sperm depends on their joint evolutionary history. Our results may assist in reconciling contradictory results of sexually transmitted disease effects on sperm and bring empirical realism to a recently proposed role of locally adapted reproductive microbiomes to speciation.

“It's sort of help yourself” – DIY medical care and team-doctoring in amateur women's sport

It has become something of a truism, that within various athletic subcultures pain and injury are regularly normalised as ‘part of the game’. One clear consequence which flows from this empirical reality is that athletes often need medical care in various forms. Recent developments in the gendered structuring of sport means that sportswomen are increasingly centred within this process. Yet, there is a broad consensus from sportswomen and academics alike that access to medical support and the availability of associated resources in women's sport is inadequate. Based on interviews with 17 women located in the United Kingdom, we cast new light on how medical support and care appears to be structured across various women's amateur sports. Two key findings are highlighted, firstly, that the majority of medical support was via first aid kits, which is problematic in their inconsistent restocking, and the availability of someone trained to use them. And, secondly, that there was a DIY approach to medical care which we explore via a discussion of athlete-to-athlete ‘team-doctoring’ – wherein sportswomen provided medical advice, care and treatments to each other. Our analysis of these two findings shows how medical care might be inconsistent, compromised and otherwise poor in quality, especially when viewed through the lens of critical scholarship about the sociology of sports medicine. This has specific consequences for the sports women we spoke with, and wider implications for our understanding of amateur sportspeople generally.

Whisper network knowledge of BAME women in academia: a critical realist, critical race feminist theory model of theorising inequality regimes

PurposeThis paper introduces a new approach to theorising and learning from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women’s experiences of inequality in academia. It offers a versatile model with which the structure of a particular racist-sexist inequality regime can be theorised from empirical evidence.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents composite, fictionalised accounts of intersectional discrimination which are then analysed through critical realist frameworks, employing critical race feminist theory insights. This novel “whisper network” method centres the knowledge of BAME women in academia, and is translatable to other marginalised actors, offering a more protective means by which to access their knowledge as a foundation for organisational change.FindingsThrough theorising the ontological arrangement of key causal mechanisms responsible for the reproduction of inequality regimes, the paper illuminates links between micro-level intersectional discrimination and meso-level institutional inequality.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to preserve anonymity and reduce potential backlash, the vignettes in this paper are not intended to precisely capture specific empirical realities, but instead reflect wider patterns from the author's own whisper network knowledge. Nonetheless, the analytical method developed here could be applied to rigorously collected empirical data, with clear implications for improving organisational practice.Practical implicationsThe paper offers a structured and systematic process by which qualitative data on institutional inequality can be analysed and stakeholders engaged to develop and propose solutions, even by individuals new to the field.Social implicationsA methodical basis for strategic action addressing the issues revealed through such an analysis can be developed in order to galvanise and steer organisational change.Originality/valueThe novelty of the paper is twofold: in its original synthesis of critical realist depth ontology and ontological insights from critical race feminist theory about social structures of oppression, and in the development of the innovative “whisper network” method based upon a critical race theory counter-storytelling epistemology, in conversation with the emergent stream of literature within feminist organisation studies regarding the importance of “writing differently”.

The Contradiction between Use-Value and Exchange-Value: Ecology, Imperialism, and the Telos of Production

This article elaborates and defends a critique of capitalism which, despite its appearance in various bodies of work, has not been named or systematically differentiated. The critique locates a contradiction between production for use-value and production for exchange-value, or a contradiction in what we call "the telos of production." While maintaining that it has some basis in Marx's work, we defend this model as preferable to the critique of capitalism based strictly on the exploitation of labor (which we call the "exploitation-exclusive critique"). We attempt to show this by applying the two approaches to the empirical realities of the ecological crisis and ongoing imperialist relations. It is not necessary, however, to abandon the critique of exploitation, or various other criticisms of the capitalist system: we claim that the telos of production critique is the most general diagnosis of capitalism and is capable of incorporating the other major critiques.

Towards the systematisation of African ways of knowing: neocolonial hegemony, theory development and cognitive imperialism in African studies

ABSTRACT This study proposes African ways of knowing as viable alternatives to Western theories, and demonstrates how Indigenous African epistemologies can be systematised for critical analysis of cultural productions. It builds on the argument that knowledge production in and about Africa should begin to utilise local frameworks to reflect African cultural specificities and instantiate how self-generational concepts from African cultures can be intellectualised. The study adopts Yorùbá Ọmọlúwàbí, Xhosa/Zulu Ubuntu/Hunhui and Shona Ukama, converts them to canons and uses them as models to validate empirical reality, propositional truth and epistemological premises of home-grown African theories. It discusses theory development and interrogates how these Indigenous epistemes can be structured and turned to theories using evidential, coherential, aesthetic and diachronic theoretical virtues. It also identifies the validity of these theories in cultural praxis, worldviews, proverbs of matrixes under study and generates five premises for the local frameworks, arguing that home-grown African theories can be adopted to remind and reawaken Africans to their cultural history and values.

AI IR: Charting International Relations in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract Over the past decade, rapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed a range of areas, from medicine to strategic games and communication technologies, from art and culture to everyday office work. It would be naïve to assume that this evolution does not permeate and alter international affairs. Building on, and solidifying, a thriving yet still fragmented emerging literature on “AI IR,” this forum gathers several critical diagnoses of the way AI technologies impact on various areas of international relations. Introducing new concepts and charting emerging empirical realities, contributors explore how AI advances, such as autonomous lethal systems, synthetic imagery and text, or intelligent systems, are already creating new landscapes of violent and nonviolent international interactions. Yet, behind their distinct takes, contributions together stress the need to correctly locate and evaluate specific sites of AI impact, thus offering a nuanced appraisal scrutinizing grand declarations of an “AI revolution” in global politics.

En una palabra. <i>Entrevista</i>. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak con Ellen Rooney

In this interview, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak revisits the debate between essentialism and anti-essentialism by reconsidering various theoretical frameworks she has engaged with over her intellectual journey. These frameworks include deconstruction, Marxism, and feminisms, alongside reflections on the role of philosophy. One key focus of her reflection is the concept of strategic essentialism in understanding social movements, diverging from her previous stances. Spivak suggests viewing it as an ongoing critique of essentialist approaches, emphasizing the importance of maintaining critical, strategic, and indispensable elements within a minimalizable essence. She also stresses the significance of authorial positioning and autobiographical narratives, drawing on childhood lessons. She explores teaching as a practice that can convey the impossibility of fixed essences rather than engaging in theoretical debates. She examines her own place within the Subaltern Studies Group and the political connotations of the “Third World.” Towards the end, she delves into the practical perspective on essences concerning empirical realities and the dynamic between researchers and their audiences.

ON THE ONTOLOGICAL PURPOSE OF MAN

The position is substantiated that the possibility of overcoming chaos in the value sphere and the infinity of the processes of “revaluation of values” is associated with the search and acquisition of a person’s existential purpose. If in religious teachings the processes of transcendence, movement towards the “super-rational” and “supernatural” act as a condition for the formation of absolute values, then in philosophy different types of transcendence are considered. In the modern situation, in the conditions of the “struggle against metaphysics,” it becomes relevant not only to determine meaning and significance, but also to substantiate the right to the existence of the transcendent. At the same time, it is shown that the contradictions of the rapidly developing, high-tech world are the basis for searching for ways to reach the transcendent. The concept of the transcendent is explicated in the process of considering eternal philosophical problems, such as: the search for the integrity of the world; defining the boundaries of knowledge and transformation of reality; man’s acquisition of his own existence. It is shown that the fight against various kinds of “centrisms” leads to the formation of a new integrity, the basis of which is permanent variability and multidirectionality. The success of goal-oriented rational activity ultimately leads to the formation of such problems, the overcoming of which is possible only if one goes beyond the limits of empirical reality. The value of thought lies not in the fact that it reflects the objective world, but in the possibility of a person introducing personal, original things into the world he describes. Consequently, both in religion and in philosophy, a person is endowed with an “ontological purpose”, and the question of gaining/giving up the search for being is in the horizon of his (man’s) decisions. It is concluded that without access to the transcendental, the search for personal existence, value foundations, and cognitive truths is impossible, since all forms of activity carried out within the phenomenal world will lead to stagnation. The transition from phenomenal to noumenal being is necessary in order to set a different hierarchy, form other evaluation criteria and methods of systematization.

From bonus to burden: The cost of ruling from a new(s) perspective

AbstractStudies have repeatedly documented the cost of ruling: governing parties generally suffer electoral defeats. We approach this empirical law of political science from the perspective of another empirical law: the incumbency bonus, the fact that incumbents get more media attention than the opposition. Our claim is that the bonus constitutes an electoral liability because it reflects the critical approach of media to government power. News featuring incumbents is therefore associated with a more negative tone than news featuring the opposition. This incumbency burden in turn affects government support negatively. Empirically, we draw on an extensive news corpus covering four European countries over two decades, combined with monthly poll data. Analyses show that the incumbency burden in political news is an empirical reality, and that variations in the burden contribute substantially to predictions of government support. Finally, the negative burden effect is stronger for single‐party cabinets, but stable throughout government tenure.

Tangled Webs of Trust: A Study of Public Trust in Risk Regulation

Abstract This article provides an empirically grounded understanding of public trust in the context of risk regulation, specifically through a case study of shale gas exploration and fracking. It offers insight into the factors underpinning public trust and explores the empirical reality of the socially embedded and relational nature of trust. The article engages with the often-neglected dynamics of trust and how relationships between different levels of trust (eg institutional, interpersonal, wider system) operate. It shows how trust, far from complying with many existing linear conceptualisations, is complex and messy, involving a web of ongoing and interactive relationships within and between these levels. By mapping empirical data against our theoretical understandings, this article offers an alternative insight into the trust relationship, better positioning us to understand trust as an ongoing process, rather than an end product.

Subjective or Objective Legislative Intention: An Australian/German Perspective

Abstract ‘Legislative intention’ as the aim of statutory interpretation has attracted increased attention in the Australian High Court, reinvigorating scholarly attention on the elusive concept. A subjective approach regards it as having an empirical reality. The competing objective view denies any conceptual connection to empirical circumstances and demotes it to a metaphor for the proper application of rules of statutory interpretation. This antagonism prevails in civil law jurisdictions as well. In Germany specifically, it goes back to the 1830s. The article juxtaposes the two local debates so as to mutually provide an additional perspective on the subject matter that can inspire future cross-system discourse. It highlights how similar arguments from both theoretical camps have formed in the two countries over time. And it not only documents striking similarities in how Australia’s and Germany’s highest courts declared commitment to an objective approach but it also reveals contrary curial trends that have most recently emerged.

Unveiling the evolutionary significance: Atavisms transition from ancestral traits to a fundamental biological phenomenon

This essay delves into the nuanced concept of atavism, tracing its evolution from the abrupt manifestation of ancestral traits in wild populations to a pivotal element in contemporary biology. Explored through recent studies such as the Atavism Theory of Cancer, Single-Cell Atavism of Cnidocytes, and Atavism in the Developmental Polarity of Chicken Limb, this research reveals atavisms journey from speculative fiction to empirical reality. By scrutinizing cancer as a series of atavistic changes, experimental atavism at the single-cell level, and the atavism observed in avian limb development, the essay proposes that atavism offers fresh perspectives on evolution, adaptation, and the dynamic reuse of gene reservoirs. This study underscores atavisms transition into a tangible and crucial component of ecological and developmental biology, providing insights that traverse disciplinary boundaries and deepen our comprehension of the natural world.

Elevating humanism in high-stakes automation: experts-in-the-loop and resort-to-force decision making

ABSTRACT Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies pervade myriad decision systems, mobilising data at a scale, speed, and scope that far exceed human capacities. Although it may be tempting to displace humans with these automated decision systems, doing so in high-stakes settings would be a mistake. Anchored by the example of states’ resort to force, I argue that human expertise should be elevated—not relegated—within high-stakes decision contexts that incorporate AI tools. This argument builds from an empirical reality in which defence institutions increasingly rely on and invest in AI capabilities, an active debate about how (and if) humans should figure into automated decision loops, and a socio-technical landscape marked by both promise and peril. The argument proceeds through a primary claim about the amplified relevance of expert humans in light of AI, underpinned by the assumed risks of omitting human experts, together motivating a tripartite call to action. The position presented herein speaks directly to the military domain, but also generalises to a broader worldbuilding project that preserves humanism amidst suffusive AI.

Male Ulama Reinterpretation of the Gender Hadith in Indonesian Socio Cultural Contexts

It is very important to reread and reinterpret of the religious texts related to gender and women's issues by considering the socio-cultural context of Muslim communities. This article focuses on discussing Qira’ah Mubadalah or reciprocal interpretation initiated by Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir, a male feminist ulama who was influenced by the empirical reality of Indonesian Muslim society. With a qualitative approach, the data in this article were obtained from the Qira’ah Mubadalah book and the Mubadalahi.id website. This article finds that the idea of Mubadalah with the concepts and principles of mutuality and partnership between men and women is based on religious texts which place men and women as the subjects of the text. Narratives about women's involvement at the beginning of Islam in the 7th century and the role of Indonesian women in the educational, social and political fields since the 17th century have become the spirit and inspiration to fight for gender equality. In the hadith of the Prophet, the basic principles of mutuality are based on the values of brotherhood, commitment to doing well, compassion, mutual communication and helping each other. Furthermore, to find the principles and values of mutuality and partnership between men and women in Islamic teachings, a thematic study was carried out by referring to the Quran and other hadiths of the same theme, understanding the text contextually and inclusively, considering the validity of the hadith, and refers to authoritative hadith books. The involvement of men in rereading religious texts is more easily accepted by the Muslim community because it is not confrontational, does not criticize but rather provides alternative interpretation options that are accommodating to differences in interpretation among Muslims. Rereading of gender-just religious texts needs to be done as a prerequisite for realizing a just and equal society for men and women in the Muslim community.