Unique Means Research Articles

A comprehensive solute-medium interaction model for anisotropic NMR data prediction.

Prediction of order parameters and hence anisotropic NMR data of a molecule dissolved in a dilute alignment medium can provide a unique means of solving certain challenging structural elucidation problems. Here, a comprehensive prediction model based on solute-medium interactions is developed featuring the use of medium-specific parameters as only fitting variables to depict intermolecular interactions in an alignment system, including repulsive, dispersive, and electrostatic interactions between the solute and the medium polymer, as well as their interactions with implicit solvent. This model is implemented on the framework of a surface decomposition method previously designed to formalize medium-induced solute alignment without a priori knowledge of the medium structure. Having descriptors for all interactions, the new model performs significantly better than the original hard-body model when the medium and solute exhibit strong electrostatic and dispersion interactions. This model offers a general method to extract the physical properties of a medium polymer by combining the experimental NMR data of different model compounds and then use these properties to predict the NMR data of other molecules of interest.

САМОРЕГУЛЯЦІЯ КОЛЬОРОМ У СИТУАЦІЇ СТРЕСУ: МИСТЕЦЬКА ПРАКТИКА ДЛЯ ВИКЛАДАЧА СФЕРИ МИСТЕЦТВА

The article describes one of the results of the annual psychological-educational project "Psychological support by art workshop" organized by the State Scientific and Methodological Center for the content of Cultural and Artistic Education for educators in the field of artistic education. Specifically, it focuses on the participants' practical task for self-regulation of their emotional state. During the implementation of the educational program, arranged for psychological support and professional communication, various theoretical and practical tasks were offered to professionals in the field of artistic education, aimed at providing effective psychological tools for their own psychological self-support. One of the tasks during the webinars was an art practice related to the use of colors and symbols, specifically drawing a picture of oneself, which was suggested by the organizers as a way to adapt well-known psychological methods, such as "Drawing a Person" (K. Makhover) and "Self-Portrait" (K. Burns). The created drawings allowed the participants to present themselves as "creators." Reflection and discussion of the results obtained during this work had a deep therapeutic and healing effect. A total of 242 participants of the art workshop executed this projective task using various artistic materials – paints, pencils, markers, chalk, and digital methods, choosing from 10 colors and then describing the impact of these colors on their own emotional and psychological state. The presented material summarizes the results obtained during this experiment. The description of the data pays special attention to analyzing the use of colors as coping strategies in stressful situations and the potential for further implementation of this artistic practice as a unique means of self-help and self-restoration for professionals in the field of artistic education, both individually and in group settings

Possible Interrelations of the Proto-slavic Concept of “Fool” with Initiation Rites and Magic Fairy Tales

In a series of publications, the second of which is this article, the author attempts to explore the phenomenon of conceptual memory as a type of collective memory and cultural memory, as well as a way of accumulating significant meanings. The theory of conceptual memory resonates with the linguistic theory of etymological (or cultural) memory of the words, which investigates the connections between the etymological and historical projections of a linguistic unit and its modern semantics. It seems that such connections can be observed between the original and ancient meanings of words and the concepts that they subsequently verbalize, tracing how language and culture preserve universal and unique meanings. To illustrate the theory of conceptual memory, the article demonstrates the interconnections of the hypothetical Proto-Slavic concept of “fool”, reconstructed in a previous work, with the initiation ritual and fairy tales. According to our hypothesis, the ancient concept of “fool” reflects the features of the initiation ritual and denotes the initiate himself. This is evidenced by the overlap of core and peripheral conceptual meanings with key moments of the initiation rite. Over time, the ritual is captured in initiation myths and other cultural texts, such as fairy tales. In new social realities, the tale gradually loses the understanding of its magical meanings of the ritual and presents a simplified and reinterpreted narrative of initiation, in which the concept of “fool” correlates primarily with the corresponding character. The conceptual meanings gradually take the form of a set of traits of the main fairy-tale hero, and the “fairy-tale background,” which reflects the features of the original ritual, ceases to be perceived as related to the concept.

Il Vocabolario del romanesco contemporaneo, una nuova realtà tra i dizionari dialettali

This article examines the Vocabolario del romanesco contemporaneo, edited by Paolo D’Achille and Claudio Giovanardi (2023). It explores the structure of the headwords, the characteristics of the lemmary, and the approach to incorporating literary examples. Special attention is given to the inclusion of neologisms and archaic terms that remain familiar to speakers. The innovative influence of youth language is also highlighted. In addition to dialect words, the vocabulary features terms used in Rome with unique meanings distinct from their standard Italian counterparts.

Imagining the Nation on the Screen: The Poetics of Palestinian Cinema’s Fourth Period

This article explores Palestinian cinema’s fourth period of activity that began around 1980. During this time, the world did not acknowledge the existence of the Palestinian people and their territory. Palestinian cinema thus emerged as a tool to create a national identity and voice, and to establish a continuous time and space that defined their history and territory. The films projected a collective consciousness that united the dispersed Palestinian community, creating a shared community. To achieve these goals, Palestinian cinema employed unique and complex artistic means, with its national purpose remaining consistent with its complex cinematic poetics. This bird’s-eye-view article highlights the shared spirit of the films and emphasizes the commonality beyond the differences. It offers an insight into the cinematic language that characterized this period and the principles that made Palestinian cinema a unique voice on the global stage.

Responsivity and Responsibility in Responsive Environments: Art and Interactivity on a Rupturing Planet

Abstract The late-twentieth-century art form Responsive Environments comprised interrelations between artist, artwork, and audience, wherein responsivity and responsibility to an other, be it the social and/or physical environment of the artwork, could be tangibly evoked. Currently, such self-other understanding has become existentially critical, as the ecological and climate crisis collide with a new dearth of understanding concerning human-ecology and human-human responsivities and responsibilities. This article considers how Responsive Environments offered a unique means for exploring responsivity and responsibility between artist, artwork, and audience, and considers what the debates it once evoked might contribute to self-other relations in an age of human-induced planetary rupture, as expressed in climate crisis and mass extinction.

The Teaching Strategies of International Chinese Language Education Based on the Basic Characteristics of Chinese Characters

With the vigorous development of international Chinese language education and the establishment of Confucius Institutes in various countries, Chinese characters, as an important carrier of Chinese culture, present both challenges and prospects for teaching Chinese abroad in their unique forms and meanings. The purpose of this paper is to explore effective teaching strategies of international Chinese language education based on the basic characteristics of Chinese characters. The paper analyzes the current development of teaching Chinese characters in international Chinese language education. By analyzing the unique structural and semantic features of Chinese characters, the study proposes targeted teaching methods and practical suggestions on the etymology, employing phonetic-meaning integration, and culture of the characters to help learners improve the efficiency of Chinese character learning and understand Chinese culture. The study suggests practical solution for promoting the development of international Chinese language education and cross-cultural dissemination of Chinese language education. This paper underscores the significance of teaching Chinese characters as an integral part of international Chinese education.

Increasing or Depressing: Animal Diplomacy Impacts on Inbound Tourism of Host Countries --A Natural Experiment Based on Panda Diplomacy

Wildlife holds not only intrinsic value but often carries additional symbolic significance. Wild animals are frequently utilized in political diplomacy as mobile attractions with unique symbolic meanings. This study investigates the influence of animal diplomacy on the inbound tourism of host countries by examining pertinent literature on animal tourism and diplomacy. Utilizing panda diplomacy as a natural experiment, the impact of panda diplomacy on Chinese inbound tourism is analyzed through the multi-period difference-in-differences and synthetic difference-in-differences model. Results indicate that, compared to countries without panda diplomacy, the arrivals to China from countries engaging in panda diplomacy decreased by an average of 39.9%. These findings suggest that animal diplomacy dampens tourism demand in the host country. The multi-period difference-in-differences can overestimate the policy effects of panda diplomacy. This study aims to inform animal diplomacy policymaking and foster inbound tourism development in relevant countries or regions.

De novo sequencing allows genome-wide identification of genes involved in galactomannan synthesis in locust bean (Ceratonia siliqua).

Locust bean (Ceratonia siliqua) accumulates the galactomannan (GM) locust bean gum (LBG) in its seeds. LBG is a major industrial raw material used as a food thickener and gelling agent, whose unique properties mean that it cannot be readily replaced by other GMs. Whereas much is known about GM accumulation and the genes associated with GM biosynthesis in legumes, the genes involved in GM biosynthesis in C. siliqua are largely unknown. Here, we present a genome-wide list of genes predicted to be associated with the GM biosynthesis pathway in C. siliqua. We confirmed high GM accumulation in endosperm using a newly established GM quantification method involving LC-MS/MS. Through de novo draft genome assembly, we comprehensively identified genes predicted to be related to the GM biosynthesis pathway in C. siliqua by identifying orthologous groups. In particular, we identified all genes predicted to encode mannan synthase (ManS) and galactomannan galactosyltransferase (GMGT), enzymes functioning in the final step of GM biosynthesis, from the C. siliqua draft genome. ManS and the GMGT paralogs were predominantly expressed in endosperm. The genome and transcriptome produced in this study should facilitate research examining why C. siliqua produces LBG, unlike other legumes.

The Semantic Differences between Action ‘al-fi'l’ and Deed ‘al-'amal’ in the Quranic Discourse

This study explores a linguistic phenomenon in the Quran related to its miraculous nature: synonymy. Specifically, it examines the terms fi‘l (action) and ‘amal (deed), both frequently used in the Quran, by employing a descriptive, inductive approach to analyze the meaning of these two words. The study identifies significant semantic differences in their lexical meanings, as well as their rhetorical implications in the Quran, based on the interpretations provided by Quranic exegetes, and includes practical examples to illustrate these distinctions. The study’s significance lies in its examination of the subtle linguistic differences between words often thought to be synonymous. Through description and induction, it concludes that each word has its unique meaning and cannot be fully replaced by another, as there are nuanced differences between words with similar meanings that are evident from the context.

Drawing on borders: a large-scale framing analysis of coronavirus in early UK news maps

Maps are a unique means of combining visual and textual communication, and have been ubiquitous in Covid-19 reporting. This article presents a framing analysis of 4,398 coronavirus-related news maps published across six UK news outlets during the early stages of the pandemic. The authors identified 10 frames: coronavirus was characterized as (1) a national problem; (2) a regional problem; (3) associated with China; (4) an undefined threat; (5) medical; (6) containable; (7) an economic problem; (8) an environmental problem; (9) datafiable; and (10) identifiable. Maps drawing on national boundaries for organizing space were common, often in conjunction with datafication and appeals to the threat posed by the virus. The findings are discussed in the context of representations of infectious disease and of maps as a distinct form of news visuals.

(Invited) Development of a New Experimental Procedure for Investigating the Dielectric Behaviour of Water Confined within Nanocavities

Understanding the behaviour of liquids when confined in nanoscale environments is becoming increasingly important for numerous technological advancements, including batteries, fuel cells, electrolysis, and the synthesis and deposition of advanced materials. While significant knowledge exists regarding the macroscopic properties of liquids, little is known about their behaviour when confined in nanoscale environments where the presence of strong surface interactions or large electric fields can have a profound effect on both the molecular structure of the liquid and its chemical reactivity. We have used nanocavities of varying heights and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to investigate how the molecular behaviour of liquids changes when the nanocavity height is below the electrical screening length (Debye Length). In the case of de-ionised water, preliminary results show unusual behaviour when the nanocavity size decreases below 100 nm.Aside from measurements on nanocavities with a fixed size, this paper also presents a novel and unique means of performing impedance spectroscopy measurements on nanocavities of variable height. Fixed height devices were fabricated using titanium pillars of the desired height to support an additional glass substrate containing a patterned top electrode. Photolithography methods were used to create the top and bottom electrodes (5nm Ti / 50nm Au). Variable height devices were constructed with the use of piezoelectric-controlled x, y, z stages and with levelling monitored using capacitive sensors. Impedance spectroscopy was performed on the devices with a Solartron 1260 with a 1296A Dielectric interface and current-voltage sweeps on a HP 4140B.For static height devices an unusual change in the dielectric frequency response occurs when the cavity size is reduced below 100 nm. With a large nanocavity height the capacitance measured is large and has a highly non-linear frequency response due to the presence of two electrical double layers. These are located in close proximity to both electrodes and acts as large parasitic capacitances. When the nanocavity height is reduced, the capacitance significantly reduces (by orders of magnitude) and begins to show signs of a flat-response. This is consistent with the formation of a constant and uniform electric field across the nanocavity which occurs when the electrical double layers from each electrode start to overlap. To study this effect in more detail, a new and innovative setup has been developed that allows dynamic control of the cavity height whilst performing impedance spectroscopy measurements. Piezoelectric transducers are used to control the distance between the electrodes with nanometre resolution. Inbuilt capacitor sensors with a feedback loop ensure the consistency of the nanocavity size across the device geometry and throughout the measurement duration. This allows for continuous analysis of the same water sample over a range of nanocavity dimensions, measurement frequencies and electric field strengths.To conclude, preliminary data shows interesting trends that indicate how electrical double layers behave in confined nanoscale cavities. A unique new measurement system will be demonstrated that gives greater control and precision of the nanocavity height. We expect this will provide new insight into the molecular behaviour of liquids in nanocavities with heights much less than those previously measured and where strong surface interactions begin to dominate.

Plasmon-driven molecular scission

Abstract Plasmon-driven photocatalysis offers a unique means of leveraging nanoscale light–matter interactions to convert photon energy into chemical energy in a chemoselective and regioselective manner under mild reaction conditions. Plasmon-driven bond cleavage in molecular adsorbates represents a critical step in virtually all plasmon-mediated photocatalytic reactions and has been identified as the rate-determining step in many cases. This review article summarizes critical insights concerning plasmon-triggered bond-cleaving mechanisms gained through combined experimental and computational efforts over the past decade or so, elaborating on how the plasmon-derived physiochemical effects, metal–adsorbate interactions, and local chemical environments profoundly influence chemoselective bond-cleaving processes in a diverse set of molecular adsorbates ranging from small diatomic molecules to aliphatic and aromatic organic compounds. As demonstrated by several noteworthy examples, insights gained from fundamental mechanistic studies lay a critical knowledge foundation guiding rational design of nanoparticle–adsorbate systems with desired plasmonic molecule-scissoring functions for targeted applications, such as controlled release of molecular cargos, surface coating of solid-state materials, and selective bond activation for polymerization reactions.

A step-by-step definition of a reference architecture for cyber ranges

Being on the advent of Industry 5.0, organizations have been progressively incorporating information technology into their formerly air-gapped operational technology architectures. This coalescence has nevertheless amplified the attack surface, ringing the bells of preparedness. In this direction, Cyber Ranges (CRs) have cropped up as a valuable and attractive solution, providing a diverse perspective on reinforcing the overall cybersecurity stance. However, there exists a significant literature gap in attempts to define a complete approach for CR design, development, evaluation, and operation as per the up-to-date guidelines. To address this shortcoming, this work introduces the first to our knowledge overarching, fine-grained reference architecture for CR. This is done by adopting a three-step, systematic methodology. First, we scrutinize contemporary guidelines to extract an abstract architectural model that structurally entrenches the foundations of CR reference architecture. Then, we percolate and pinpoint common functionalities and capabilities of existing CRs, towards delineating the functional and informational aspects of the reference architecture. Finally, we devise an evaluation formula that approximates the conformance of a CR with the state-of-the-art. Through the latter step, we impart a unified means of identifying the most appropriate components to implement the structural, functional, and informational aspects of a CR. Overall, this work can be seen as an attempt towards CR unification and standardization, therefore it is anticipated to serve as a basis and point of reference for multiple stakeholders at varying levels.

Mean random dynamical systems and random attractors of stochastic Hopfield neural models with locally Lipschitz noise and time delay

In this paper, we investigate the long term dynamical behaviour of stochastic Hopfield neural network models driven by white noise with time delay, where the nonlinear drift and diffusion terms are both locally Lipschitz continuous. We establish the global-in-time solvability of these systems with locally Lipschitz continuous nonlinear drift and diffusion terms by using mean square uniform estimates of solutions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the mean random dynamical system generated by the solution operators possesses a unique weak pullback mean random attractor in the Hilbert space L 2 ( Ω ~ , F ι ; l 2 ) × L 2 ( Ω ~ , F ι ; L 2 ( ( − ϱ , 0 ) , l 2 ) ) .

The Fe Kα emission line in water megamaser galaxies

Water maser emissions at around 22 GHz from extragalactic sources are significant in astrophysics, offering a unique means to measure cosmological distances and thus constrain the Hubble parameter with high precision. They also provide the most precise method for measuring black hole masses beyond the Milky Way. The challenge of their limited detection has spurred researchers to seek clues for better characterisation. Despite these efforts, the physical environments in which these masers form still need to be clarified. Consequently, statistical studies have been extensively employed to enhance our understanding of these environments. A sample of 32 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)-powered water megamaser galaxies and their Fe Kα emission line at 6.4 keV data was compiled and statistically analysed to investigate any correlation between the two parameters for the first time. A Spearman correlation analysis shows a statistically significant inverse correlation between the maser luminosity (L22 GHz) and the Fe Kα luminosity (LFe Kα). Specifically, Spearman’s coefficient ρ was −0.48, with a p-value = 5 × 10−3. This anti-correlation suggests that in luminous X-ray galaxies, AGN feedback may heat the circumnuclear clouds, leading to more substantial maser emissions, as it favours warm gas while weakening Fe Kα, which is associated with cold, dense gas environments. Additionally, the obscuration and orientation of the AGN’s circumnuclear material play a significant role, with denser, edge-on tori potentially favouring maser production while diluting Fe Kα emission. The lack of significant correlations between L22 GHz and other AGN indicators, such as absorption-corrected L2−10 keV and L12 μ, combined with the previously found anti-correlation between LFe Kα and these indicators suggest that the observed L22 GHz-LFe Kα anti-correlation is driven by localised effects within the masing region rather than broader AGN properties. These findings highlight the need for further research with larger samples and more detailed modelling to disentangle the various factors influencing maser activity in AGN environments and validate the anticorrelation’s significance, as sources of uncertainty might still have affected the results.

Radar gait recognition using Dual-branch Swin Transformer with Asymmetric Attention Fusion

Video-based gait recognition suffers from potential privacy issues and performance degradation due to dim environments, partial occlusions, or camera view changes. Radar has recently become increasingly popular and overcome various challenges presented by vision sensors. To capture tiny differences in radar gait signatures of different people, a dual-branch Swin Transformer is proposed, where one branch captures the time variations of the radar micro-Doppler signature and the other captures the repetitive frequency patterns in the spectrogram. Unlike natural images where objects can be translated, rotated, or scaled, the spatial coordinates of spectrograms and CVDs have unique physical meanings, and there is no affine transformation for radar targets in these synthetic images. The patch splitting mechanism in Vision Transformer makes it ideal to extract discriminant information from patches, and learn the attentive information across patches, as each patch carries some unique physical properties of radar targets. Swin Transformer consists of a set of cascaded Swin blocks to extract semantic features from shallow to deep representations, further improving the classification performance. Lastly, to highlight the branch with larger discriminant power, an Asymmetric Attention Fusion is proposed to optimally fuse the discriminant features from the two branches. To enrich the research on radar gait recognition, a large-scale NTU-RGR dataset is constructed, containing 45,768 radar frames of 98 subjects. The proposed method is evaluated on the NTU-RGR dataset and the MMRGait-1.0 database. It consistently and significantly outperforms all the compared methods on both datasets. The codes are available at:https://github.com/wentaoheunnc/NTU-RGR.

LINGUOCOGNITIVE AND LINGUOCULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE PROCESSES OF TERMINOLOGIZATION IN MODERN KAZAKH AND TURKISH LANGUAGES

The intensification of the activity of the Kazakh language in accordance with its state status in all spheres of society, the renewal of its potential strengthened the connection of the language with the form of linguistic consumption, began to influence the requirements of everyday practice. This is evident from the active process of terminology creation in the social, economic, political, scientific and technical spheres. In addition, the core of the neonominational process, which created the interrelationships of language~ society, language~consciousness, language ~ culture, etc., is not only scientific and informational, but also cultural and social content. This is the basis for improving not only the quantitative, but also the qualitative level of modern language development. Therefore, the recognition of the influence of language and culture on each other in the form of new terms and the function of language as a unique means of transmitting culture within the framework of cultural representation is especially relevant. Based on this, new names and terms in the Kazakh language, which also serve as a unique feature of the cognitive level of language users, are considered in the article as a “linguistic picture of the world” in accordance with the process of updating the language. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to compare and characterize the linguocognitive and linguocultural foundations of terminologization processes in modern Kazakh and Turkish languages. The following methods were used in the course of the study: descriptive, comparative, cognitive, ethnolinguistic and conceptual. Also, to determine the cultural and national component structured in the mind of a native speaker in a terminologized word, diachronic, contrasting, definitive were used, and discursive analysis, connotative approach, and motivation methods were used to recognize the process of terminologization. The value of the research: by describing and showing the linguocognitive and linguocultural foundations of terminologization processes in modern Kazakh and Turkish languages, we contribute to the improvement and strengthening of the “Turkic world”. The linguistic data and conclusions presented in the article can be used as practical and theoretical material for research by students, undergraduates, doctoral students and young people studying at the faculties of Philology, Translation Studies, Oriental Studies and Turkology.

THE NOTION OF SEQUENTIALITY IN LANGUAGE: AN INVESTIGATION IN COGNITIVE SEMANTICS

AbstractThis research aims to clarify the concept of sequentiality in language: the case in which a number of things occur one after the other, as seen in phrases like a queue of customers, a strand of programs and a fleet of cars. Utilizing Langacker's theory of Cognitive Semantics, the study seeks to substantiate two claims. The first is that the meaning of a linguistic expression is understood in terms of the domain in which it is embedded. The second is that the meaning of a linguistic expression is the outcome of the specific construal imposed on its content. The paper proposes that the choice of a sequential phrase is influenced by how the speaker perceives and describe a situation. The study intends to demonstrate that each sequential phrase carries a unique meaning that sets it apart from others. When two or more sequential phrases modify a noun, they indicate semantic contrast, with each phrase offering a different perspective. The findings show that sequential phrases have distinct functions and are distinguishable in their usage through examples provided.

Arts And Crafts Of The Singpho Tribe Of Assam: An Empirical Study

Each tribe has its unique style and traditions, contributing to the rich tapestry of global indigenous art and craft. In tribal societies, daily living, cultural identity, and arts and crafts are intricately entwined. These artistic manifestations frequently convey spiritual beliefs, narratives, and communal values in addition to having utilitarian functions. Natural dyes, textiles, wood and bamboo are among the materials that tribal obtain locally. Their relationship with nature is reflected in their connection to the environment. Generations of people pass along traditional skills, which include weaving, carving and making of bamboo basket. Every technique could have a unique cultural meaning. Numerous pieces of art have motifs and symbols that allude to social rank, tribal heritage, or spiritual beliefs. Crafts like clothes, baskets for carrying things all have useful applications. They combine practicality with artistic expression. Many tribal crafts are integral to rituals and ceremonies, such as textile used in dances or ceremonial clothing that signifies important life events. Arts and crafts foster a sense of community and belonging. This paper has been tried to explore the arts and crafts of the Singpho tribe of North-East India based on empirical study. The Singpho tribe, primarily lived in North-East India, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam, has a rich tradition of arts and crafts that reflects their cultural identity and way of life. The findings revealed that arts and crafts of the Singpho tribe is a reflection of their rich cultural and heritage.