Search Results (14)

Humanity is currently in the midst of a number of serious ecological crises. Various scientific, philosophical, and religious ideas have been put forth in response to these global crises. Here, I suggest that the solutions to ecological problems can be best achieved when we undergo an essential change in our perspective on the existence and value of the natural world. In this regard, interreligious engagement and research, which address the multiple worldviews that emerge from individual religions and philosophies, have great potential to fundamentally transform our view of ecosystems. The problem is how to conduct such interreligious engagement and research, which has—unfortunately—to this point been overlooked. In this context, I propose the “four-step method of interreligious sympoiesis to address the ecological crisis”. This is a phenomenological–hermeneutic method that involves the following steps: (1) Suspension of Judgment (Epoché): the mind’s performing an epoché, which is taken as an ethical or religious vow; (2) Empathetic Reduction: the mind’s engaging in empathy with non-human beings; (3) Symbiotic Reduction: the mind’s envisioning of proper coexistence between humans and non-human beings in both minimal and maximal ways; (4) Interreligious Hermeneutical Synthesis: the arranging and synthesizing of the ideas obtained from the above reductions in a specific or comprehensive manner from an interreligious perspective. This paper aims to expound and defend these ideas. Full article

The essence of biomimetics in human–computer interaction (HCI) is the inspiration derived from natural systems to drive innovations in modern-day technologies. With this in mind, this paper introduces a biomimetic adaptive pure pursuit (A-PP) algorithm tailored for the four-wheel differential drive robot (FWDDR). Drawing inspiration from the intricate natural motions subjected to constraints, the FWDDR’s kinematic model mirrors non-holonomic constraints found in biological entities. Recognizing the limitations of traditional pure pursuit (PP) algorithms, which often mimic a static behavioral approach, our proposed A-PP algorithm infuses adaptive techniques observed in nature. Integrated with a quadratic polynomial, this algorithm introduces adaptability in both lateral and longitudinal dimensions. Experimental validations demonstrate that our biomimetically inspired A-PP approach achieves superior path-following accuracy, mirroring the efficiency and fluidity seen in natural organisms. Full article

Early phase diagnosis of human diseases has still been a challenge in the medicinal field, and one of the efficient non-invasive techniques that is vastly used for this purpose is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is able to detect a wide range of diseases and conditions, including nervous system disorders and cancer, and uses the principles of NMR relaxation to generate detailed internal images of the body. For such investigation, different metal complexes have been studied as potential MRI contrast agents. With this in mind, this work aims to investigate two systems containing the vanadium complexes [VO(metf)₂]·H₂O (VC1) and [VO(bpy)₂Cl]⁺ (VC2), being metformin and bipyridine ligands of the respective complexes, with the biological targets AMPK and ULK1. These biomolecules are involved in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and triple-negative breast cancer, respectively, and may act as promising spectroscopic probes for detection of these diseases. To initially evaluate the behavior of the studied ligands within the aforementioned protein active sites and aqueous environment, four classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations including VC1 + H₂O (1), VC2 + H₂O (2), VC1 + AMPK + H₂O (3), and VC2 + ULK1 + H₂O (4) were performed. From this, it was obtained that for both systems containing VCs and water only, the theoretical calculations implied a higher efficiency when compared with DOTAREM, a famous commercially available contrast agent for MRI. This result is maintained when evaluating the system containing VC1 + AMPK + H₂O. Nevertheless, for the system VC2 + ULK1 + H₂O, there was observed a decrease in the vanadium complex efficiency due to the presence of a relevant steric hindrance. Despite that, due to the nature of the interaction between VC2 and ULK1, and the nature of its ligands, the study gives an insight that some modifications on VC2 structure might improve its efficiency as an MRI probe. Full article

Self-regulation is pivotal for human well-being and mental health. In this qualitative study, we followed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and explored how a five-day residential mindfulness program in a restorative natural setting supported self-regulation among university students experiencing moderate to severe stress. Six participants were interviewed post intervention and at three months’ follow-up on how they experienced the retreat. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, four interrelated themes emerged: “supportive conditions”, “attitudes of mindfulness”, “connection” and “physical and psychological balance.” These themes reflected the outcomes of the retreat that participants valued in stressful situations. A progression occurred during the retreat through the themes, with emphasis developing from the supportive conditions of the setting, to cultivating mindful attitudes, over connection to both self, others and nature, to changes and effects on the physical, psychological and even spiritual level. In addition, participants emphasized experiences of positive emotions, energy, calmness, meta-awareness and the feeling of being part of the web of life. In conclusion, participants’ experiences with a five-day nature-based mindfulness intervention revealed a range of qualities of both physical-, psychological-, social- and spiritual nature that are supportive for self-regulation. Full article

Toponym recognition, or the challenge of detecting place names that have a similar referent, is involved in a number of activities connected to geographical information retrieval and geographical information sciences. This research focuses on recognizing Chinese toponyms from social media communications. While broad named entity recognition methods are frequently used to locate places, their accuracy is hampered by the many linguistic abnormalities seen in social media posts, such as informal sentence constructions, name abbreviations, and misspellings. In this study, we describe a Chinese toponym identification model based on a hybrid neural network that was created with these linguistic inconsistencies in mind. Our method adds a number of improvements to a standard bidirectional recurrent neural network model to help with location detection in social media messages. We demonstrate the results of a wide-ranging evaluation of the performance of different supervised machine learning methods, which have the natural advantage of avoiding human design features. A set of controlled experiments with four test datasets (one constructed and three public datasets) demonstrates the performance of supervised machine learning that can achieve good results on the task, significantly outperforming seven baseline models. Full article

This manuscript offers findings from a pilot project which prepares nursing students for embodied professional practice through the lens of ethics. Four undergraduate nursing students were mentored by two nursing faculty in the Dundon-Berchtold Institute Faculty Fellowship Program in the Application of Ethics through an exploration on the ethics of embodiment using an arts pedagogy across one academic year. Inspired by the intersection of nature and health, this project explores the impact of an arts-integrated pedagogy on the human body. The findings from this project provide a natural first step for nursing students to consider multiple interpretations of the human body and to facilitate the students’ development of an embodied ethical practice that is perceptive, empathic, and attuned to themselves as natural beings as well as diverse individuals and populations. The findings from this pilot project presents a pivotal opportunity to guide future nursing curricular development toward holistic, nature-inspired, and mindful-based interventions in order to increase resilience, decrease risk factors of compassion fatigue and burnout, and support nursing students to develop strength-based skills to use in their professional nursing practice. Full article

The new scenario for global food production and supply is decidedly complex given the current forecast of an increase in food fragility due to international tensions. In this period, exports from other parts of the world require different routes and treatments to preserve the food quality and integrity. Fumigation is a procedure used for the killing, removal, or rendering infertile of pests, with serious dangers to human health. The most-used fumigants are methyl bromide and ethylene dibromide. It is important to bear in mind that the soil may contain bromide ions naturally or from anthropogenic source (fertilizers and pesticides that contain bromide or previous fumigations). Different methods (titrimetric, spectrophotometric, and fluorometric approaches) are available to rapidly determine the amount of bromide ion on site in the containers, but these are non-specific and with high limits of quantification. The increasing interest in healthy food, without xenobiotic residues, requires the use of more sensitive, specific, and accurate analytical methods. In order to help give an overview of the bromide ion scenario, a new, fast method was developed and validated according to SANTE 11312/2021. It involves the determination of bromide ion in cereals and legumes through ion chromatography–Q-Orbitrap. The extraction was performed by the QuPPe method, but some modifications were applied based on the matrix. The method described here was validated at four different levels. Recoveries were satisfactory and the mean values ranged between 99 and 106%, with a relative standard deviation lower than 3%. The linearity in the matrix was evaluated to be between 0.010 and 2.5 mg kg⁻¹, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.9962. Finally, the proposed method was applied to different cereals and legumes (rice, wheat, beans, lentils pearled barley, and spelt) and tested with satisfactory results in EUPT-SMR16 organized by EURL. Full article

A growing body of literature suggests a close link between olfaction and social expertise. The current study examines whether mentalizing skills are related to olfactory discrimination performance. In order to assess their mentalizing ability, 21 women and 20 men completed the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test (RMET). Here, the participants have to infer other persons’ mental state from photographs of eye regions. Odor discrimination was assessed using the “Düsseldorf Odour Discrimination Test” (DODT). The DODT consists of 15 items, each containing mixtures of four monomolecular substances. Within each item, two bottles contain the same mixing ratio, while the third contains the reversed mixing ratio. The participants had to identify the deviating odor. Women’s expertise in mentalizing (RMET score) is strongly related to olfactory discrimination performance (DODT score): The better women are in mentalizing, the better their performance in olfactory discrimination (rho = 0.572, p = 0.042, Bonferroni-corrected). Men’s mentalizing capability was unrelated to olfactory discrimination (rho = −0.117, p > 0.999, Bonferroni-corrected). The current results suggest that the social skill of mentalizing might underly the link between olfaction and social integration, at least in women, and are discussed with regard to the social nature of human olfaction. Full article

Traditional handicrafts have a time-honored history and tremendous cultural value in China. However, even with the strong impact of globalization and consumerism in recent years, design-oriented scientific thinking and sustainable development models are not yet available. Based on Stanford Design Thinking, this study explores the prospect of the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts. First, a literature review and analysis were conducted to show that design science, as a bridge between natural science and humanities, aims to improve the important methods and research tools for the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts. Then, we studied ceramic product design via workshops. Methods such as action research, expert questionnaires, and factor analysis were adopted to establish 24 “indicators of the sustainable value of handicraft design” and four value dimensions, namely, “material and innovative value”, “handicraft and cultural value”, “empirical and local value”, and “sharing and interactive value”. Next, an experimental method was employed to make design product prototypes according to the design-thinking procedure. These prototypes were measured and evaluated with the indicators to form an evaluation report. In addition, the exploration of the sustainable development of traditional handicraft design also contributes to the establishment of a sustainable development model of design thinking. It was demonstrated that scientific design is the current trend and future of the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts. Finally, this study put forward five dynamic thinking methods and design strategies, providing the most direct methods and theoretical evidence for the sustainable development of traditional handicraft design. Finally, taking design thinking as the sustainable design framework, five dynamic thinking approaches were proposed: Thinking with the body, thinking with the mind, thinking with the heart, thinking with the hands, and thinking with the soul. Five design strategies were also proposed: Enquiry learning, values education, future problem solving, experiential design, and appropriate assessment. These approaches and strategies provide the most direct method and theoretical basis for the future of sustainable design regarding traditional Chinese handicraft products. Full article

The aim of this article is to introduce an effective, evidence-informed, and developmentally appropriate framework of practice for Environmental Education (EE) in the early years, with the ultimate goal being to achieve environmental sustainability. Initially, the author will briefly examine the current state of EE in the early years, contextualising it within a gradual shift from EE to the more encompassing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The article then proposes that there is a need for a refocusing of EE in the early years that has as a central goal—the promotion of nature connectedness, benefiting both the next generation of learners, as well as our planet. A four-point draft of a pedagogy for connection will be outlined that comprises sustained contact, engagement with nature’s beauty, cultivation of compassion towards non-human nature, and mindfulness. The latest empirical research from ecopsychology and developmental psychology will be used throughout in order to synthesise this brief initial draft of a pedagogy for connection. Full article

This paper discusses how Korean Neo-Confucian philosophers in the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) explained the moral nature of the mind and its emotions. Among the philosophical debates of Korean Neo-Confucianism, the author of the paper focuses on the Four–Seven Debate (a philosophical debate about the moral psychological nature of the four moral emotions and the seven morally indiscrete emotions) to analyze its li–qi metaphysics (a philosophical explanation of the universe through the intricate and interactive relation between the two cosmic processes, li and qi) and its conflicting viewpoints on the moral psychological nature of emotion. Because of the ambiguities and inconsistencies in the Neo-Confucian explanation, specifically those of the Cheng–Zhu schools of Neo-Confucianism on the nature and functions of the mind, Korean Neo-Confucians struggled to bring Neo-Confucian li–qi metaphysics to the moral and practical issues of the human mind and moral cultivation. Later in the Joseon dynasty, some Korean Neo-Confucians discussed the fundamental limitations of li–qi metaphysics and developed their explanations for the goodness of the moral mind and the world from an alternative (i.e., theistic) viewpoint. Full article

A revitalized practice of natural philosophy can help people to live a better life and promote a flourishing ecosystem. Such a philosophy is natural in two senses. First, it is natural by seeking to understand the whole of nature, including mental phenomena. Thus, a comprehensive natural philosophy should address the phenomena of sentience by embracing first- and second-person methods of investigation. Moreover, to expand our understanding of the world, natural philosophy should embrace a full panoply of explanations, similar to Aristotle’s four causes. Second, such a philosophy is natural by being grounded in human nature, taking full account of human capacities and limitations. Future natural philosophers should also make use of all human capacities, including emotion and intuition, as well as reason and perception, to investigate nature. Finally, since the majority of our brain’s activities are unconscious, natural philosophy should explore the unconscious mind with the aim of deepening our relation with the rest of nature and of enhancing well-being. Full article

The mind-body problem represents one of the most debated topics in the neurosciences. From a psychological standpoint, abstract/non-material data are an intrinsic part of the mind, intervening to a large extent in reasoning and decision making processes. Imaging studies also show a strong correlation between higher cognitive functions (such as working memory) and specific cerebral brain regions (a fronto-parietal network of interacting left and right brain areas). In contrast, the physical/material brain would be unable to interact with abstract-immaterial data, such that the psychological processing of abstract data (processes such as thinking, reasoning, and judgment) is attributed to the mind, with the mind representing a distinct entity interposed between the brain and abstract-immaterial data. Recent data suggest that the mind-body problem may simply be an artifact of human experience/ understanding, as the brain actually represents actually an intrinsic part of the mind. Even if the physical brain is not able to interact with abstract mental data, the brain still could process abstract data through a dynamic association between the abstract data and cerebral stimuli/ impulses. This form of processing without interaction defines the mind as a complex neurobiological structure, with the unconscious part of the mind processing abstract-immaterial data in a conscious/ mental format. In this overview, important concepts of psycho-physiologic emergentism, including internal mental reality, internal mental existence, internal mental interaction, and structural and informational dichotomies of the brain, are iterated. Such concepts/properties represent a neuro-informational support system capable of generating four distinct minds within the single brain. Future studies should further develop the dynamic and immaterial-material nature of the mind, as a possible premise for a scientific definition and understanding of mental events like affectivity, emotions, soul, etc. Full article

With the rapid development and inspiring enlightenment of biological sociology, it is found that the animal world is also quite complex, and the expression of their behavior and emotion also can be seen as good and evil, which is not unique to human beings. So Mencius’ “four-mind of human nature” as the standard of distinguishing human and animal it could anew comprehend. This paper aims to deepen the cognition of Mencius’ “four-mind of human nature” through the two-dimension construction theory of information philosophy. Full article