Individual States Research Articles

Evolutionary Ensemble Learning for EEG-Based Cross-Subject Emotion Recognition.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) has been widely utilized in emotion recognition due to its high temporal resolution and reliability. However, the individual differences and non-stationary characteristics of EEG, along with the complexity and variability of emotions, pose challenges in generalizing emotion recognition models across subjects. In this paper, an end-to-end framework is proposed to improve the performance of cross-subject emotion recognition. A novel evolutionary programming (EP)-based optimization strategy with neural network (NN) as the base classifier termed NN ensemble with EP (EPNNE) is designed for cross-subject emotion recognition. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated on the publicly available DEAP, FACED, SEED, and SEED-IV datasets. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to state-of-the-art cross-subject emotion recognition methods. The proposed end-to-end framework for cross-subject emotion recognition aids biomedical researchers in effectively assessing individual emotional states, thereby enabling efficient treatment and interventions.

Особенности социально-философского и философско-исторического подходов к исследованию цивилизационной проблематики

The author of the paper insists on the need to highlight two complementary aspects in understanding the nature of civilization. In one case, civilization is a historical era, and in the other, it is the civilizational development of individual local states or societies (local civilizations). The paper reveals the thematic field of research on civilizational issues from the perspective of socio-philosophical knowledge (including its philosophical and historical component). It is noted that the uncertainty and vagueness of the concept of civilization is largely due to the fact that its philosophical status has not yet been identified, since the concept is considered, as a rule, without connection with the system of socio-philosophical categories. An important theoretical issue is the question of civilizational self-awareness of society. i.e. awareness of oneself as a civilization. Further, the paper talks about the theoretical and practical significance of studying the level of development of local civilizations during the transition from an independent type of development to a dependent type of development. Much attention is paid in the paper to the analysis of the dependent and backward type of historical development of non-Western civilizations, which lasted during the five-century cycle of world history. The last section of the paper discusses a complex and not fully clarified question, which was posed by S. Fourier in all detail. Does civilization as a historical era have a time frame of existence or is this era forever? Today’s change in the vector of world development, the rejection of unipolarity allows the author to raise the question of the transition of humanity from the era of civilization to a new era, to the New modernity, when the further development of human society will take place according to the laws of culture.

Token-based deep reinforcement learning for Heterogeneous VRP with Service Time Constraints

Heterogeneous Vehicle Routing aims to construct routes for various vehicles while optimizing an objective with a series of constraints. However, existing deep reinforcement learning-based methods often ignore the service time constraints, which prohibits vehicles from leaving current nodes until the service time is met. This limitation restricts their practical application. To address these concerns, we introduce the Heterogeneous Vehicle Routing Problem with Service Time Constraints (HVRP-STC) and formulate it as a Markov Decision Process with Service Time Constraints. We propose a novel deep reinforcement learning-based model, Token-based Deep Reinforcement Learning (TDRL), to solve this problem.To provide sufficient and timely information for decision making, we design a State Token Coding (STC) mechanism that encodes and updates individual and overall vehicle and node states as tokens of different types. To determine the pairs of vehicles and nodes and generate actions, we propose a Heterogeneous Decoder (HD) with a vehicle-selector and multiple vehicle-specific node-selectors. This decouples the vehicle-node selection tasks and customizes the task of choosing nodes to visit for individual vehicles, better catering to the heterogeneous nature of HVRP-STC.We evaluate the proposed method on four types of datasets with instances of different sizes, large spatial coverage, and varied mathematical model. Our results show that TDRL consistently outperforms state-of-the-art DRL methods. We will release the datasets and the source code of this benchmark with the paper via https://github.com/Vision-Intelligence-and-Robots-Group/ToDRL.

A dynamic state variable model suggests a stronger effect of age than individual energetic state on reproductive allocation in burying beetles

Evolutionary fitness is determined by how an organism allocates energy, or other limited resources, to reproduction during its lifetime. For iteroparous organisms, two alternative patterns of lifetime reproductive allocation are terminal investment and reproductive restraint. Terminal investment maximizes an individual’s current reproductive output by allocating all available resources to current reproduction at the cost of future reproduction. In contrast, the reproductive restraint strategy allocates the individual’s resources toward future survival and reproductive events. We used dynamic state variable modeling to investigate the conditions under which the burying beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis, would balance between reproductive restraint and terminal investment over their lifetime. Our model provides a formal extension, specific to burying beetle biology, of the dynamic terminal investment threshold conceptual model. For young females, we show that delayed reproduction and reproductive restraint are the optimal tactic for all individuals except for those in the highest condition. However, as age increases, terminal investment becomes the optimal tactic over an increasingly broader range of individual conditions. Surprisingly, manipulation of a variety of factors, such as survival rate, resource availability, and metabolic costs, causes only minor changes in the general pattern observed. We suggest that in burying beetles, and other similar organisms, age plays a dominant role in determining the pattern of reproductive allocation over a lifetime. Individual energetic condition is important in changing the boundaries between alternative reproductive strategies, but it does not change the overall pattern of dominance of delayed reproduction or reproductive restraint at early ages and dominance of terminal investment with increasing age.

심리적 특성이 쇼핑동기와 쇼핑중독에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

Consumption is not just a lifestyle pattern, but has become an important act that expresses an individual's self and identity. With the development of Internet shopping, consumers have become able to use shopping conveniently. At the same time, the negative behavior of shopping addiction has become a social problem. Consumption behavior is deeply related to an individual's psychological state as well as the economic situation or surrounding environment. In particular, self-esteem has a significant impact on these consumption patterns. In the past, the association between various psychological charactetistics and shopping addiction has been widely studied, but due to the large number of variables, in-depth studies focusing on self-esteem, self-control, impulsivity, and materialism are lacking. Therefore, this study examined self-esteem, self-control, impulsivity, and materialism as factors affecting shopping addiction among college students. To do this, a survey was conducted among college students who have experienced or are interested in shopping addiction, and hypotheses were tested using SPSS 23.0 and Smart PLS 4.0. TI1e research results are like this. First, self-esteem had no effect on shopping motivation, rejecting H1-2, and self-control had no effect, rejecting H1-3. Therefore, HI was pai.1ially accepted. Second, shopping motivation has a positive effect on Shopping Addiction, so H2 is accepted.

EFFICIENCY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION EXPENDITURE OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENTS IN EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

Aim: Pursuing sustainable development justifies incurring expenditure in the field of environmental protection because the state’s active fiscal policy is an essential determinant of achieving sustainable development goals. The distribution of public funds should depend on the efficiency of their use. The purpose of the research procedure is (1) to analyze the structure of environmental protection expenditure of the general government in the European Union and the individual member states; (2) to assess the efficiency of environmental protection expenditure of the general government in the implementation of sustainable development goals in waste management. Methods: The study uses linear regression with regression confidence bounds. The indicator chosen to assess the efficiency of expenditure was the Recycling rate of municipal waste (SDG_11_60). Results: The structure of environmental protection expenditure of the general government in most member states in 2012–2021 was stable, which may result from the adopted national environmental policies or internal conditions of a given country. Waste management expenditure dominates the structure of environmental protection expenditure of the general government in many countries. The analysis of the efficiency of environmental protection expenditure of the general government in waste management confirmed its efficiency in a significant number of states. Conclusions: The research procedure indicated that positive relations between general spending on the environment and achieving sustainable goals can be confirmed. Unfortunately, there is a problem with data consistency of various indicators measuring sustainable goals. Therefore, extending such research to a multiple factor case, for example, can be difficult.

Emotion Based Music Recommendation System using VGG16-CNN Architecture

Abstract: This research introduces an Emotion-based Music Recommendation System (EMRS) using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to analyze facial expressions and recommend music tailored to individual emotional states. Unlike traditional systems, EMRS prioritizes facial expression analysis for personalization. CNNs, trained on a diverse dataset of emotional expressions linked to music, extract key emotional features. EMRS leverages this analysis to intuitively suggest music that can potentially aid in emotional regulation. This research not only advances personalized music recommendation but also opens doors for emotion-aware technology with applications in mental healthcare for emotional imbalance and trauma. EMRS has the potential to serve as a complementary tool for therapists and individuals seeking emotional well-being through music

The Daoist Shangqing School's Meditation from the Phenomenological Perspective: Taking the Method of "Swallowing the Qi of the Sun" from the Lingshu Ziwen Shangjing as an Example

The phenomenological perspective provides us with a new outlook on ancient Chinese studies. Many traditional thoughts and practices, which have been conceptualized and empirically viewed as primitive, simple, and lacking in rational depth for over a century by Western conceptual and empirical approaches, now have the potential for new interpretation and understanding. As the most significant cultivation practice of the Daoist Shangqing School, the Meditation (cun si) serves to continuously adjust the consciousness and sensory state of individuals, enhancing and stabilizing the momentum of the formation and composition of the "body-field", thus laying a solid foundation for connecting to deeper and broader possibilities of life.

Leaving seafood on the table: Pilot pathways a missed opportunity for U.S. mariculture

Marine aquaculture in the United States has faced substantial development hurdles that have limited the industry’s contributions to the nation’s domestic seafood supply. Federal attempts to address these impediments to industry growth have not fully resolved these hurdles, leaving much of the onus of development on individual states. Because changes in policies, regulation, and legislation to better enable marine aquaculture development take extensive effort and time, targeted strategies that work within existing management frameworks can and should be utilized to address development challenges at a smaller scale while waiting on larger institutional shifts. Here, we make the case specifically for state authorization of pilot farming schemes, an approach that allows for the trialing of marine aquaculture operations within a limited spatial and temporal scope. While we argue that pilot frameworks can improve the economic, operational, and ecological feasibility of marine aquaculture, we also posit that they can support diversification across the industry, from participants to culture methods, bolstering industry resiliency.

State and trait predictors of cognitive responses to acute stress and uncertainty

ABSTRACT Stress occurs when conditions burden or exceed an individual’s adaptive resources. Military personnel are often tasked with maintaining peak performance under such stressful conditions. Importantly, the effects of stress are nuanced and may vary as a function of individual traits and states. Recent interdisciplinary research has sought to model and identify such relationships. In two previously reported efforts, Soldiers first completed a comprehensive battery of trait assessments across four general domains thought to be predictive of performance: cognitive, health, physical, and social-emotional, and then completed the Decision-Making under Uncertainty and Stress (DeMUS) virtual reality task that probed spatial cognition, memory, and decision-making under stress and variable uncertainty. The present analysis explores whether cognitive, health, physical, and social-emotional trait assessments, as well as physiological state measures, predict or modulate DeMUS performance outcomes under stress. Multiple regression analyses examined the effect of each trait predictor and stress responsiveness on quantitative task performance outcomes. Results revealed that one measure of state stress reactivity, salivary cortisol, predicted lower recognition memory sensitivity. Further, trait measures of healthy eating, agility, flexibility, cognitive updating, and positive emotion predicted enhanced spatial orienting and decision-making performance and confidence. Together, the results suggest that select individual states and traits may predict cognition under stress. Future research should expand to ecologically relevant military stressors during training and operations.

Уголовная ответственность за терроризм по законодательству Словацкой Республики

Today, the international community faces terrorist threats of a level and magnitude unknown in the past. Continuing terrorist attacks are causing significant changes in global security. Terrorists are not afraid to commit the most cruel and most inhumane acts. Recent global events have clearly demonstrated the fact that no country can solve security problems alone, let alone resolve such issues in the long term. All this actualizes the need for international solidarity in the fight against terrorism, for which it is necessary to study the national legislation of individual states in order to develop universal measures of influence, as well as to improve domestic anti-terrorism legislation. The presented article analyzes the current anti-terrorism legislation of the Slovak Republic, the interest in which is due to the fact that this country has common criminal legal views, doctrines, and very similar criminal legislation with the Russian Federation, which over the past decade has been significantly transformed under the influence of rec-ommendations of the European Union, and as well as the new challenges and threats it faced.

Kinetic Study of the Extraction of the Osmium (VI) Sulfite Complex by Tri-Octylamine from Sulfurous Solutions

ABSTRACT To develop effective technologies for extracting osmium from solutions obtained in the process of processing intermediate products of copper production, their intensification, selection of equipment, it is necessary to know the kinetic parameters of the extraction process. However, there are no data on the kinetics of osmium extraction with amines from sulfate solutions. For the first time, kinetic regularities of the extraction of the osmium (VI) sulfite complex [OsO2(SO3)2(H2O)2]2- from sulfuric acid solutions with tri-octylamine (TОA) [Alamine 336] were revealed using a Lewis diffusion cell. To clarify the mechanism of extraction of the osmium (VI) sulfite complex from sulfurous solutions, one of the necessary conditions is to determine the type of equation for the kinetics of the extraction reaction, the values of its parameters and an assessment of the region of its occurrence. The apparent extraction rate constant is (4.60 ± 0.18)∙10−6 m∙s−1. Orders were established for the reacting components: the interaction of TOA with the sulfite complex [OsO2(SO3)2(H2O)2]2- proceeds according to the reactions of the first order with respect to the metal and the second order with respect to the extractant. The value of the apparent activation energy 29 kJ/mol was determined. The process is performed in the diffusion-kinetic region and is limited by mass transfer through the interfacial area. The composition of the extractable complex was determined by the dilution method. The compound was isolated in an individual state, studied by the elemental chemical method, UV- and IR-spectroscopy, and its composition was installed: (ТОАН)2[OsO2(SO3)2(H2O)2].

Contributing factors for reduction in maternal mortality ratio in India

Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) estimates have been studied over time for understanding its variation across the country. However, it is never sufficient without accounting for presence of variability across in terms of space, time, maternal and system level factors. The study endeavours to estimate and quantify the effect of exposures encompassing all maternal health indicators and system level indicators along with space–time effects influencing MMR in India. Using the most recent level of possible -factors of MMR, maternal health indicators from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS: 2019–21) and system level indicators from government reports a heatmap compared the relative performance of all 19 SRS states. Facet plots with a regression line was utilised for studying patterns of MMR for different states in one frame. Using Bayesian Spatio-temporal random effects, evidence for different MMR patterns and quantification of spatial risks among individual states was produced using estimates of MMR from SRS reports (2014–2020). India has witnessed a decline in MMR, and for the majority of the states, this drop is linear. Few states exhibit cyclical trend such as increasing trends for Haryana and West Bengal which was evident from the two analytical models i.e., facet plots and Bayesian spatio- temporal model. Period of major transition in MMR levels which was common to all states is identified as 2009–2013. Bihar and Assam have estimated posterior probabilities for spatial risk that are relatively greater than other SRS states and are classified as hot spots. More than the individual level factors, health system factors account for a greater reduction in MMR. For more robust findings district level reliable estimates are required. As evident from our study the two most strong health system influencers for reducing MMR in India are Institutional delivery and Skilled birth attendance.

The role of speech-language pathologists in supporting theory of mind through literacy-based activities

PurposeThis tutorial discusses the importance of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) supporting individuals with language disorders in their understanding of others’ cognitive and affective states (theory of mind, ToM), with a special consideration given to applying these suggestions with individuals who are neurodivergent. MethodI motivate this tutorial by first reviewing the literature related to ToM and language abilities for various populations of individuals with language difficulties, highlighting the need for explicitly targeting the language-related skills that are thought to underlie ToM for individuals with language disorders. I next present concrete examples of how to support ToM through literacy-based activities. I follow this discussion with a short description of how these activities may be applied with individuals who are neurodivergent through concrete examples, such as how inclusion of neurodivergent characters in storybooks can aid in educating children about understanding others’ perspectives. It further emphasizes the importance of discussing various types of mental and emotional states for individuals who share as well as differ in their neurotypes. ConclusionsLanguage skills are an integral part of ToM abilities. SLPs play an important role in supporting clients’ academic, literacy, and social outcomes and can support important perspective-taking skills through associated language/communication skills. The various skills that fall under the umbrella term ‘theory of mind’ can be appropriately incorporated into intervention and literacy-based tasks in a way that respects differences in neurotype while still building important language and communication skills for clients.

К вопросу о нарушении психологического и эмоционального состояний студентов высших учебных заведений, а также о влиянии общеукрепляющей физической культуры на указанные состояния

The scientific article addresses the problem of violation of the psychological and emotional state of students of higher educational institutions. A literature review was conducted to identify key factors influencing the personality of students in higher education. Stressful situations arising in student life are examined, and recommendations are proposed for developing comprehensive measures and support programs for students. This study highlights the importance and necessity of preventive work, training in stress management strategies and providing psychological support to persons exposed to the risks indicated in the article. Furthermore, the article presents research findings on the impact of short-term periodic physical training on the mental and emotional state of individuals. The work holds practical significance for higher education institutions and professionals in the fields of psychology and pedagogy.

Association of self-leadership and epidemic risk perception on quality of life in post-pandemic mainland of China: a cross-sectional study.

Self-leadership has proven to adjust individual psychological states and promote active behaviors to mitigate stress perception and negative lifestyle. This study aims to investigate the relationship between self-leadership, epidemic risk perception, and quality of life among the general public in post-pandemic mainland of China. Two online self-reported questionnaire surveys were carried out with 3,098 and 469 people in the Chinese mainland in February 2021 and December 2022, respectively. The univariate analysis, structural equation modeling, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis were used to analyze the data which was collected by Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire, Perceived Risk of COVID-19 Pandemic Scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Scale. The Self-leadership was directly, moderately, and positively correlated with quality of life (Standardized path coefficients: 0.383 and 0.491, respectively; p < 0.05), and epidemic risk perception was negatively correlated with quality of life (Standardized path: 0.068 and 0.120, respectively; p < 0.05). The structural equation model for self-leadership, epidemic risk perception, and quality of life had a good fit (CFI = 0.957, 0.939 > 0.9; RSMEA = 0.058, 0.064 < 0.08, respectively) and was consistent across genders, educational levels, and types of occupations (Delata-CFI < 0.01). The core condition for achieving a high quality of life lies in maintaining a low level of self-punishment and a high level of self-cueing or a high level of self-punishment and a low level of self-cueing. In the post-epidemic era, the public can adjust their attitude toward stress by enhancing their self-leadership skills. Among various self-leadership skills, self-punishment or self-cueing may have the most significant impact on the quality of life.

Boosting optimal symbolic planning: Operator-potential heuristics

Heuristic search guides the exploration of states via heuristic functions h estimating remaining cost. Symbolic search instead replaces the exploration of individual states with that of state sets, compactly represented using binary decision diagrams (BDDs). In cost-optimal planning, heuristic explicit search performs best overall, but symbolic search performs best in many individual domains, so both approaches together constitute the state of the art. Yet combinations of the two have so far not been an unqualified success, because (i) h must be applicable to sets of states rather than individual ones, and (ii) the different state partitioning induced by h may be detrimental for BDD size. Many competitive heuristic functions in planning do not qualify for (i), and it has been shown that even extremely informed heuristics can deteriorate search performance due to (ii).Here we show how to achieve (i) for a state-of-the-art family of heuristic functions, namely potential heuristics. These assign a fixed potential value to each state-variable/value pair, ensuring by LP constraints that the sum over these values, for any state, yields an admissible and consistent heuristic function. Our key observation is that we can express potential heuristics through fixed potential values for operators instead, capturing the change of heuristic value induced by each operator. These reformulated heuristics satisfy (i) because we can express the heuristic value change as part of the BDD transition relation in symbolic search steps. We run exhaustive experiments on IPC benchmarks, evaluating several different instantiations of potential heuristics in forward, backward, and bi-directional symbolic search. Our operator-potential heuristics turn out to be highly beneficial, in particular they hardly ever suffer from (ii). Our best configurations soundly beat previous optimal symbolic planning algorithms, bringing them on par with the state of the art in optimal heuristic explicit search planning in overall performance.

Integrating behavioural thermoregulatory strategy into the animal personality framework using the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara as a model

The study of consistent between-individual behavioural variation in single (animal personality) and across two or more behavioural traits (behavioural syndrome) is a central topic of behavioural ecology. Besides behavioural type (individual mean behaviour), behavioural predictability (environment-independent within-individual behavioural variation) is now also seen as an important component of individual behavioural strategy. Research focus is still on the ‘Big Five’ traits (activity, exploration, risk-taking, sociability and aggression), but another prime candidate to integrate to the personality framework is behavioural thermoregulation in small-bodied poikilotherms. Here, we found animal personality in thermoregulatory strategy (selected body temperature, voluntary thermal maximum, setpoint range) and ‘classic’ behavioural traits (activity, sheltering, risk-taking) in common lizards (Zootoca vivipara). Individual state did not explain the between-individual variation. There was a positive behavioural type—behavioural predictability correlation in selected body temperature. Besides an activity—risk-taking syndrome, we also found a risk-taking—selected body temperature syndrome. Our results suggest that animal personality and behavioural syndrome are present in common lizards, both including thermoregulatory and ‘classic’ behavioural traits, and selecting high body temperature with high predictability is part of the risk-prone behavioural strategy. We propose that thermoregulatory behaviour should be considered with equal weight to the ‘classic’ traits in animal personality studies of poikilotherms employing active behavioural thermoregulation.

Informal groups in EU foreign policy: a social network analysis

ABSTRACT After decades of increasing integration and institutional development in EU foreign policy, the persistence of informal groups calls into question the understanding of European integration as a straight progressive line from informal to formal cooperation. Nonetheless, to date there is no systematic empirical knowledge of informal groups in EEC/EU foreign policy. To address this knowledge gap, the article offers an exploratory study. By means of social network analysis, it maps the frequency and types of informal groups in EEC/EU foreign policy in regard to Kosovo, Libya and Syria in three different phases of EEC/EU foreign policy integration. The article’s findings show that the frequency of informal groups has remained fairly stable across the three phases of EEC/EU integration considered. At the same time, informal groups have generally been relatively small, like-minded, and dominated by individual member states. Overall, these results suggest that by accommodating member states’ interests, especially those of powerful states and of states for which certain foreign policy issues are particularly salient, informal groups have provided the cooperation needed for the coherent functioning of the EEC/EU foreign policy system. While doing so, they have consolidated as socially meaningful patterns among member states’ representatives.

COLOR NOMINATION AS A COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL ACTIVITY (BY THE EXAMPLE OF COLOR DESIGNATIONS IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE)

In the process of creating emotive color structures, color nomination is considered as a product of cognitive-emotional activity. The purpose of the article is to show, using the example of the nomination of colors for consumer goods, the formation of complex mental emotive formations that program human consumer behavior. In today’s world of abundance and aggressive advertising, the consumer becomes immune to the influence of traditional marketing techniques. New methods and techniques that consider the individual psychological characteristics and states of a person (perception, imagination, memory, vision, touch, smell, emotions) are becoming relevant, since consumer behavior represents the interaction of cognitive and emotional processes due to external and internal circumstances. In this regard, the analysis of the perception of new information takes place in parallel with the study of the instincts and emotions that determine our needs, which are transmitted through color associations. Within the framework of neurolinguistic programming, color nomination is considered as a tool for influencing the buyer, its influence on the perception of information and decision making is studied.