Theoretical Proposals Research Articles

Cross-linguistic comparisons on distributive universal quantification: <i>Each</i> vs. <i>every</i> vs. <i>mei</i>

This paper discusses differences between each and every with regard to (a) pair-list readings; (b) subject/object asymmetries seen with every but not with each; and (c) the long-held intuition that each is more individualistic whereas every is friendlier to groups. We propose that these phenomena can be captured by prior accounts of the Mandarin Chinese distributive universal quantifier mei. In particular, we consider the Double Variable Hypothesis (the idea that in DUQ, for every x, there must be a y) (S.-Z. Huang 1995; 1996), and the Skolemized Topicality Hypothesis (the idea that topical quantifiers are Skolemized, resulting in the required x-y pairings) (S.-Z. Huang 2022b). We argue that (a’) pair-list answers to questions with quantifiers are derivable from the Double Variable Hypothesis; (b’) the subject/object asymmetry seen in every is due to its positionally-varied association with the Double Variable Hypothesis, while each is always subject to Skolemized Topicality due to its inherent topicality; and (c’) the individualistic interpretation of each can be described as stemming from its intrinsically Skolemized topicality as well. Results from experimental works will be brought to bear on the theoretical proposals.

Bolstering the adaptive information processing model: a narrative review.

In recent years, several theoretical models have been suggested as complementary to the adaptative information processing model of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. A narrative review of such models was conducted to assess the contributions of each, as well as their convergences, contradictions, and potential complementarity. Seven theoretical models were identified. All focus on the effects of EMDR therapy as a comprehensive psychotherapy approach with its principles, procedures, and protocols. Several refer to concepts related to propositional or predictive processing theories. Overall, the contribution of these proposals does appear to bolster Shapiro's original AIP model, potentially offering additional depth and breadth to case conceptualization and treatment planning in clinical practice, as well as a more precise theoretical understanding. The current exploratory comparative analysis may serve as a preliminary baseline to guide research into the relative merit of suggested theoretical proposals to enhance current standards for the clinical practice and teaching of EMDR therapy.

Neurophenomenology in Action: Integrating the First-Person Perspective into the Libet Experiment

In this conceptual contribution, we argue that experimental investigations of phenomena in the cognitive sciences and consciousness research may benefit from a thorough integration of data acquired from the first-person perspective. We present a line of research from our lab applying this approach to the Libet task on voluntary action. In this well-known experimental paradigm, participants perform a movement at a moment of their own choice. Previous research has shown that this voluntary decision to perform the action is preceded by a specific pattern in the electroencephalogram, the so-called readiness potential. This finding that the decision is preceded (and presumably determined) by an action-related brain processes puts the neuroscientific account at odds with our subjective intuition and challenges the notion of free will. This discrepancy exemplifies the gap between neuro-cognitive models of the mind and the accounts of our conscious experience. The aim of our theoretical proposal is to enrich the study of volitional action by integrating reports from the first-person perspective with the Libet paradigm to develop a more coherent account. This provides an example of implementing the research program of neurophenomenology developed by Francisco Varela to overcome the gap between scientific accounts of the mind and subjective experience. Specifically, we show how this can be achieved by interweaving three methodological approaches: (i) adapting common neuro-cognitive paradigms (i.e., the Libet task); (ii) employing refined first-person methods such as the micro-phenomenological interview; and (iii) collaborating with experienced meditators as research participants. Our contribution demonstrates how the neurophenomenological framework can be used to shed new light on long-standing and fundamental debates in consciousness research. We show that this approach not only addresses questions of intellectual curiosity but also has concrete ethical implications for the practice of science itself, self-determination, and the accountability of the conscious subject. On the basis of our approach, meditation can be seen as a method for enhancing self-regulation and self-determination, which allows for more deliberate decisions and thus more ethical behavior.

Attitudes towards Sexual Behaviour: an Ex ploratory Analysis of a Comprehensive Model.

A theoretical model of self-oriented cognitive schemata of sexual behaviour (SO-CSSB) was proposed after a previous disambiguation review on the definition and research of sexual attitudes. A quantitative exploration of the proposal may add real-world information regarding the internal structure and the adequacy of the defined factors. Consequently, the present study aims to 1) develop a questionnaire based on the theoretical review and 2) explore the structure of the SO-CSSB model. Following the SO-CSSB principles, a questionnaire was developed and evaluated. An observational cross-sectional online survey was conducted. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a reliability analysis were performed. A study sample, comprised of 188 subjects, was analysed (Age 18-56; M = 25.27; SD = 6.6; 62 male, 33.2%). The EFA yielded 16 factors with eigenvalues above 1, accounting for 67.21% of the variance (KMO = .672, Barlett's = 3958.7, sig.<.01; item communalities between .44 and .80). Items under .49 were cut off, which included values from .49 to .86. There was no correlation between components over .20, in a range from -.19 to .20. Reliability indexes varied from .46 to .86. A final model of 16 components following the SO-CSSB principles was presented. The analysis revealed certain modifications to the theoretical proposal, and the objective of adding a quantitative frame to empirically specify its factors was achieved. This outcome constitutes a step forward to developing a comprehensive model on sexual beliefs.

Superfluid transition of a ferromagnetic Bose gas

The strongly ferromagnetic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate has recently been realized with atomic Li7. It was predicted that a strong ferromagnetic interaction can drive the normal gas into a magnetized phase at a temperature above the superfluid transition, and Li7 likely satisfies the criterion. We reexamine this theoretical proposal employing the two-particle-irreducible effective potential, and conclude that there exists no stable normal magnetized phase for a dilute ferromagnetic Bose gas. For Li7, we predict that the normal gas undergoes a joint first-order transition and jumps directly into a state with finite condensate density and magnetization. We estimate the size of the first-order jump and examine how a partial spin polarization in the initial sample affects the first-order transition. We propose a qualitative phase diagram at fixed temperature for the trapped gas. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Social isolation, social networks between the elderly and COVID-19

The present work seeks to answer the following question: "How did the Covid-19 union impact the social networks of the elderly in the Federal District?". The theoretical methodological proposal to be adopted in this study is a mixed approach, of the transversal type and with data analysis of the concomitant triangulation type. Among the 19 elderly people studied, there was a lot of suffering regarding the loss of the routine of contact with these networks during the Covid-19 union, especially when it comes to family networks.

Pseudospin-dependent acoustic topological edge and corner states in silica aerogel metamaterialsa).

Fueled by the concepts of topological insulators, analogous topological acoustics offer an alternative approach to manipulate sound. Theoretical proposals for subwavelength acoustic topological insulators are considered to be ideal effective parameters or utilizeing artificial coiling-space metamaterials. However, the corresponding realization using realistic soft metamaterials remains challenging. In this study, we present the design of an acoustic subwavelength second-order topological insulator using nanoscale porous solid material, silica aerogel, which supports pseudospin-dependent topological edge and corner states simultaneously. Through simulations and experiments, we demonstrate that silica aerogel can function as a soft acoustic metamaterial at the subwavelength scale. By embedding silica aerogel in an air matrix to construct a honeycomb lattice, a double Dirac cone is obtained. A topological phase transition is induced by expanding or contracting the supercell, resulting in band inversion. Additionally, we propose topologically robust acoustic transmission along the one-dimensional edge. Furthermore, we discover that the proposed sonic crystal sustains zero-dimensional corner states, which can efficiently confine energy at subwavelength corners. These findings offer potential for the realization of subwavelength topological acoustic devices using realistic soft metamaterials.

Psychosocial risks at work: a growing problem with theoretical ambiguities

Introduction: prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, workers were exposed to psychosocial risks that were aggravated, negatively impacting their health. This has generated a boom in its study; however, theoretical ambiguities persist. Objective: to explain the theoretical ambiguity present in the study of psychosocial risks at work.Methods: the analytical article explores the theoretical ambiguity of psychosocial risks in the workplace. It incorporates various sources of information, including classical authors and contemporary approaches. Additionally, the authors offer critical insights and provide considerations for future research in the field.Result: there is a theoretical-conceptual ambiguity in the study of psychosocial risks at work. It is recommended: 1. To generate less abstract conceptual proposals to address semantic confusion and lack of taxonomic clarity. 2. Adopt an interdisciplinary conceptual approach that includes perspectives from psychology, sociology, and occupational health nursing. 3. Incorporate qualitative methodologies instead of continuing to use quantitative approaches, questioning the appropriateness of measuring a construct with traditional methods that have theoretical omissions. 4. develop unifying theoretical proposals.Conclusions: there is an urgent need for integrative theoretical proposals. In the opinion of the present authors, these proposals should have a low level of abstraction and include interdisciplinary perspectives that transcend psychology and sociology, as well as use qualitative methodologies

Portfolio decision analysis for pandemic sentiment assessment based on finance and web queries

AbstractCOVID-19 has spread worldwide, affecting people’s health and the socio-economic environment. Such a pandemic is responsible for people’s deteriorated mood, pessimism, and lack of trust in the future. This paper presents a portfolio decision analysis framework for policymakers aiming at recovering the population from psychological distress. Specifically, we explore the relative relevance of a country to the overall “mood of the world” in light of pursuing predefined targets through optimization criteria. Toward this aim, we design a statistical indicator for measuring the mood by considering the financial markets’ outcomes and the people’s online searches about COVID-19. Then, we adapt existing portfolio selection models to evaluate the role of an extensive collection of countries and stock markets based on different criteria. More precisely, such criteria are established assuming “rational” goals of a policymaker, namely to aspire to a general and stable optimism and avoid waves of opposite moods or excess pessimism. Empirical experiments validate the theoretical proposal. The employed dataset contains 39 countries selected on the basis of data reliability and relevance in the context of COVID-19. Data on daily Google Trends searches of the term “coronavirus” (and its translations) and closing prices of relevant domestic stock indexes are considered for 2020 to develop the statistical mood indicator. Results offer different insights based on the selected optimization criteria. The practical implications of the proposed models have been illustrated through arguments based on a National Recovery and Resilience Plan-type normative framework.

Autonomous quantum heat engine based on non-Markovian dynamics of an optomechanical Hamiltonian

We propose a recipe for demonstrating an autonomous quantum heat engine where the working fluid consists of a harmonic oscillator, the frequency of which is tuned by a driving mode. The working fluid is coupled two heat reservoirs each exhibiting a peaked power spectrum, a hot reservoir peaked at a higher frequency than the cold reservoir. Provided that the driving mode is initialized in a coherent state with a high enough amplitude and the parameters of the utilized optomechanical Hamiltonian and the reservoirs are appropriate, the driving mode induces an approximate Otto cycle for the working fluid and consequently its oscillation amplitude begins to increase in time. We build both an analytical and a non-Markovian quasiclassical model for this quantum heat engine and show that reasonably powerful coherent fields can be generated as the output of the quantum heat engine. This general theoretical proposal heralds the in-depth studies of quantum heat engines in the non-Markovian regime. Further, it paves the way for specific physical realizations, such as those in optomechanical systems, and for the subsequent experimental realization of an autonomous quantum heat engine.

Infants’ use of the index finger for social and non-social purposes during the first two years of life: A cross-cultural study

The emergence of the pointing gesture is a major developmental milestone in human infancy. Pointing fosters preverbal communication and is key for language and theory of mind development. Little is known about its ontogenetic origins and whether its pathway is similar across different cultures. The goal of this study was to examine the theoretical proposal that social pointing is preceded by a non-social use of the index finger and later becomes a social-communicative gesture. Moreover, the study investigated to which extent the emergence of social pointing differs cross-culturally. We assessed non-social index-finger use and social pointing in 647 infants aged 3- to 24 months from 4 different countries (China, Germany, Japan, and Türkiye). Non-social index-finger use and social pointing increased with infants’ age, such that social pointing became more dominant than non-social index-finger use with age. Whereas social pointing was reported across countries, its reported frequency differed between cultures with significantly greater social pointing frequency in infants from Türkiye, China, and Germany compared to Japanese infants. Our study supports theoretical proposals of the dominance of non-social index-finger use during early infancy with social pointing becoming more prominent as infants get older. These findings contribute to our understanding of infants’ use of their index finger for social and non-social purposes during the first two years of life.

Holistic entrepreneurial inventory: a framework for the integration of spirituality in entrepreneurial performance

PurposeThis study aims to explore the constructs of spirituality (SP) and entrepreneurial performance (EP) and their measurements to identify their connections. Attending to the needs of entrepreneurs to face the current global crisis, this research establishes a framework that integrates SP to enhance EP.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on a comprehensive literature review and a comparison between constructs to come across with the proposal of a conceptual framework.FindingsFor SP, spiritual well-being was found as a good measure which, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, has never been used in entrepreneurship. EP has been typically measured by economic indicators, but recently, noneconomic benefits and effects on stakeholders have also been considered, so an integrated approach is proposed. The main contribution is a framework called holistic entrepreneurial inventory (HEI), which integrates the main elements of the constructs in a matrix showing their interconnection. It is accompanied by a scorecard for entrepreneurs to identify strengths and weaknesses in SP and EP.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a theoretical research and proposal; further empirical research could help confirm the present conceptual findings.Practical implicationsTo help entrepreneurs identify the areas where they would like to improve, understanding the connection between SP and EP, which are dynamic states in constant change.Originality/valueEP has been mainly focused on exogenous causes. The HEI scorecard may give entrepreneurs a different perspective from the innermost part of their being.

The education concept and its false dichotomies

Introduction: The conceptual complexity inherent in the term "education" has been associated with numerous analyses from various disciplinary approaches, paradigms, and theoretical currents. Objective: This article aims not to offer a univocal definition of the meaning of education but to consider it from a sociological perspective that integrates the false dichotomies of individual/society, continuity/discontinuity, and reproduction/change. Development: In the first part, the text presents a theoretical proposal on the articulation between culture, identity, and memory. Culture is understood as the set of objectified and subjectivized forms in historically specific contexts, which provides the individual with intersubjective elements for identity formation, where memory acts as an active dialogue between the psycho-individual and the socio-collective dimension. In the second part, education is proposed as a complex and dynamic process of cultural communication, identity formation, and social construction of memory. It emphasizes the importance of analyzing education from a theoretical perspective that considers the interaction between the individual and society, offering the possibility to understand its crucial role in processes of social reproduction and continuity, as well as in those of change and discontinuity. Conclusions: The mentioned false dichotomies in approaches to studying education polarize and create an antagonism between structures and subjects, individual and society, and reproduction and social change, consequently providing little understanding of how these phenomena articulate with educational processes, overlooking the multiple possibilities of co-participation and mutual determination.

Theoretical proposal for actively manipulating optical differential operation in the quasi-PT symmetric structure

Optical differential operation is an important scheme for image edge detection due to its advantages of high efficiency, real time and low consumption. In this paper, the actively manipulating optical differential operation is proposed in a quasi-PT-symmetric structure containing graphene, and applied to realize edge imaging with tunable contrast. It is found that there are abrupt changes of the in-plane shift and transverse shift in the photonic spin Hall effect at the Fermi energy of 0.4 eV, where the quasi-exceptional points exist according to the degeneracy analysis of scattering matrix eigenvalues. Based on the photonic spin Hall effect near the quasi-exceptional points, we design the optical differential operation whose spatial transfer function is actively manipulated by changing the external electric field to adjust the Fermi energy of graphene. Finally, the edge imaging with different contrast can also be achieved when the optical differential operation is applied to image processing. The actively manipulating optical differential operation opens up new possibilities in microscopic imaging and smart driving.

Linear resistivity at van Hove singularities in twisted bilayer WSe2

Different mechanisms driving a linear temperature dependence of the resistivity ρ ∼ T at van Hove singularities (VHSs) or metal-insulator transitions when doping a Mott insulator are being debated intensively with competing theoretical proposals. We experimentally investigate this using the exceptional tunability of twisted bilayer (TB) WSe2 by tracking the parameter regions where linear-in-T resistivity is found in dependency of displacement fields, filling, and magnetic fields. We find that even when the VHSs are tuned rather far away from the half-filling point and the Mott insulating transition is absent, the T-linear resistivity persists at the VHSs. When doping away from the VHSs, the T-linear behavior quickly transitions into a Fermi liquid behavior with a T2 relation. No apparent dependency of the linear-in-T resistivity, besides a rather strong change of prefactor, is found when applying displacement fields as long as the filling is tuned to the VHSs, including D ∼ 0.28 V/nm where a high-order VHS is expected. Intriguingly, such non-Fermi liquid linear-in-T resistivity persists even when magnetic fields break the spin-degeneracy of the VHSs at which point two linear in T regions emerge, for each of the split VHSs separately. This points to a mechanism of enhanced scattering at generic VHSs rather than only at high-order VHSs or by a quantum critical point during a Mott transition. Our findings provide insights into the many-body consequences arising out of VHSs, especially the non-Fermi liquid behavior found in moiré materials.

Recent progress of interface modification of layered oxide cathode material for sodium‐ion batteries

AbstractWith the advantages of similar theoretical basis to lithium batteries, relatively low budget and the abundance of sodium resources, sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are recognized as the most competitive alternative to lithium‐ion batteries. Among various types of cathodes for SIBs, advantages of high theoretical capacity, nontoxic and facile synthesis are introduced for layered transition metal oxide cathodes and therefore they have attracted huge attention. Nevertheless, layered oxide cathodes suffer from various degradation issues. Among these issues, interface instability including surface residues, phase transitions, loss of active transition metal and oxygen loss takes up the major part of the degradation of layered oxides. These degradation mechanisms usually lead to irreversible structure collapse and cracking generation, which significantly influence the interface stability and electrochemical performance of layered cathodes. This review briefly introduces the background of researches on layered cathodes for SIBs and their basic structure types. Then the origins and effects on layered cathodes of degradation mechanisms are systematically concluded. Finally, we will summarize various interface modification methods including surface engineering, doping modification and electrolyte composition which are aimed to improve interface stability of layered cathodes, perspectives of future research on layered cathodes are mentioned to provide some theoretical proposals.

The debate concerning deviance and divergence: A new theoretic proposal

This article discusses theoretical questions related to the notion of social deviance, a concept that has been a pillar of criminology and sociology since the mid-20th century. We argue that social deviance is not equipped with adequate analytic devices to satisfactorily describe social actions labelled as transgressions. This discussion reconsiders the notion of social deviance, recasting its theoretical significance and use in the field of criminology. In its place, we advance the category of social divergence, highlighting its greater analytical power to address social actions that trigger penal control interventions. Social divergence is a novel conceptual contribution in the tradition of the sociology of conflict. Its purpose is to offer an analytical model of social conflicts and their inner workings as key elements to describe, analyze and improve our understanding of their interactions with penal control systems from a criminological perspective. Este artículo expone una discusión crítica de la noción de desviación social, un concepto que ha sido pilar de la teoría criminológica y sociológica desde mediados del siglo XX. Sostenemos que la desviación social no está adecuadamente provista como dispositivo analítico para describir satisfactoriamente las acciones sociales que se etiquetan como transgresiones. La discusión reconsidera los alcances de la noción de desviación social, reformulando su significado teórico y su uso en el campo de la criminología. En su lugar, proponemos la categoría de divergencia social, destacando su mayor potencia analítica para abordar las acciones sociales que desencadenan intervenciones de control penal. La divergencia social es una contribución conceptual novedosa en la tradición de la sociología del conflicto. Su propósito es ofrecer un modelo analítico de los conflictos sociales y su funcionamiento interno como elementos clave para describir, analizar y mejorar nuestra comprensión de sus interacciones con los sistemas de control penal desde una perspectiva criminológica.

Implementing Federated Governance in Data Mesh Architecture

Analytical data platforms have been used for decades to improve organizational performance. Starting from the data warehouses used primarily for structured data processing, through the data lakes oriented for raw data storage and post-hoc data analyses, to the data lakehouses—a combination of raw storage and business intelligence pre-processing for improving the platform’s efficacy. But in recent years, a new architecture called Data Mesh has emerged. The main promise of this architecture is to remove the barriers between operational and analytical teams in order to boost the overall value extraction from the big data. A number of attempts have been made to formalize and implement it in existing projects. Although being defined as a socio-technical paradigm, data mesh still lacks the technology support to enable its widespread adoption. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new view of the platform requirements alongside the formal governance definition that we believe can help in the successful adoption of the data mesh. It is based on fundamental aspects such as decentralized data domains and federated computational governance. In addition, we also present a blockchain-based implementation of a mesh platform as a practical validation of our theoretical proposal. Overall, this article demonstrates a novel research direction for information system decentralization technologies.

The teaching of criminal procedural law from anti-formalist constructivism

Anti-formalist constructivism is a legal-educational approach that arises from the combination of different theoretical proposals developed in the global north and accepted in the Latin American reality. Through three fundamental premises for its application, it is expected that criminal procedural law can be taught linking the preconceptions of those who learn, so that from a validation process it is possible to build authentic interpretations with a sense of practical utility. For this, the implementation of performance tests that contain problems without exact answers is proposed, contributing to each student having the possibility of strengthening the development of competences from and for the professional reality of the practice of law.

The teaching of criminal procedural law from anti-formalist constructivism

Anti-formalist constructivism is a legal-educational approach that arises from the combination of different theoretical proposals developed in the global north and accepted in the Latin American reality. Through three fundamental premises for its application, it is expected that criminal procedural law can be taught linking the preconceptions of those who learn, so that from a validation process it is possible to build authentic interpretations with a sense of practical utility. For this, the implementation of performance tests that contain problems without exact answers is proposed, contributing to each student having the possibility of strengthening the development of competences from and for the professional reality of the practice of law.