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Teaching Space: Experimentation at VKhUTEMAS
No full textFollowing the October Revolution of 1917, VKhUTEMAS – the state art and technical school active in Moscow from 1920 to 1927 – implemented a pioneering educational model conceived to serve the needs of Soviet society. From its inception, the school was organised into eight art and production departments: Architecture, Painting, Sculpture, Graphics, Textiles, Ceramics, Wood, and Metalworking. Their collaboration was further strengthened in 1923 with the introduction of a two-year Basic division, which comprised four courses: Graphics, Colour, Volume, and Space – the last being the most experimental. For the past forty years, the Soviet scholar Selim O. Khan-Magomedov has served as the principal source of historical knowledge about VKhUTEMAS. More recently, researchers such as Natalia Adaskina, Anna Bokov, Anatole Senkevitch, Luka Skansi, and Alla Vronskaya have expanded our understanding of the school’s operations. However, the broader implications of the Space course as a whole and its relationship with contemporary pedagogy remain relatively unexplored. Drawing on extensive research in public and private archives worldwide, this paper investigates the methods and sequence of avant-garde teaching employed for the Space course between 1923 and 1927. More than a century after its founding, VKhUTEMAS is exceptionally relevant to contemporary architectural education
Cybersecurity Implications of 5G Networks: Threats, Potential Vulnerabilities, and Their Implications for National Security and Privacy
No full textThe rapid expansion of Fifth Generation (5G) networks represents a revolutionary shift in telecommunications technology, offering increased speed, higher connection density, and enhanced network efficiency. Nevertheless, these benefits have also attracted various security risks that threaten the protection of national security and the privacy of private citizens.
This research investigates the cybersecurity challenges associated with 5G networks by analysing emerging threats, assessing vulnerabilities in 5G infrastructure, and evaluating their impact on national security and individual privacy.
The research approach includes a literature review of various sources of knowledge and regulations or policies, as well as a quantitative analysis of network vulnerabilities through penetration testing and threat modelling.
The study's results indicate that network slicing introduces new risks to a network, as it provides potential attackers with easy access to weaknesses that exist within isolated network slices. Furthermore, the incorporation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices increases the overall risk, as they often lack proper security measures. Lastly, the multi-tenant characteristic of 5G networks poses a challenge in creating secure isolation between various operators and service providers. This makes it imperative for organisations and service providers to enhance their security measures, such as encryption and access control policies, as well as overall policies, to help rectify these issues.
These findings concluded significant implications across national security and privacy fronts. The study re-emphasizes the importance of a multi-sectoral approach to cybersecurity by industries, policy-makers, and academic scholars. Measures and techniques that are relevant to implementing specific safety tactics and regulations were proposed. The results of this study serve as a reference for 5G cybersecurity. The results offer recommendations that are useful in developing security measures to counter threats and improve the security posture of future 5G networks
Might wargaming be another instance where “Anything you can do, AI can do better”?
No full textThis paper offers a pragmatic ‘epistemology of wargaming’ that views wargames as immersive ‘thought experiments’. In such experiments, the human players involved use their experiential, empirical, and theoretical knowledge – together with whatever cognitive models they are able to deploy, or develop anew – to generate a conceptual, operational understanding of the adversarial scenario in which they are immersed; and exploit this understanding to craft tactical decisions that are designed to optimise the likelihood they will achieve their strategic objectives. From this perspective, contemporary interest in the use of ‘AI’-enabled tools to augment the validity of wargaming outputs – where these outputs constitute the decisions players make and the insights such decisions reveal – might most purposefully focus on: the design and implementation of wargames (to strengthen the architecture these provide to support immersive decision-making); and the analysis of players’ decisions (to better understand the cognitive models these involve and reflect). This is because, as long as the principal objectives of wargaming are to assess and enhance the decision-making capabilities of human players and human personnel, ‘AI’-enabled applications can only ever play a supporting role (albeit a potentially invaluable one) in the design, presentation, implementation, and analysis of wargames
“Life has always been physical physical, now visual”: an explorative study on the use of digital health technologies to promote physiotherapy home treatment programmes among older people
Get PDFBackground
There has been a recent rise in the use of technology for health promotional practices, which have begun to gain popularity among physiotherapists but not much research has been conducted to explore its many opportunities and challenges among older adults in developing countries.
Objectives
To explore Nigerian-based Physiotherapists’ perspectives on how digital health technologies (DHT) can be utilized to promote physiotherapy home treatment programs among Nigerian older people.
Methods
This is a one-on-one semi-structured interview of 12 geriatric physiotherapists (7 Male, 5 female) virtually in the Teams Meeting platform. Data generated were analyzed thematically using the latest version of NVivo software.
Results
Three overarching themes were conceptualized including the usage of DHT in Nigeria, challenges to DHT application, and strategies to improve DHT usage. These described a low awareness and usage of DHT despite its recognized need and advantages for promoting home program. The forms of DHT commonly being used are mostly mobile-based through calls or texts, which could be due to barriers to the use of DHT including older people’s declining cognition, poverty, and low interest in technology. Some external problems included the physiotherapists’ attachment to hands-on practice and low commitment from the informal caregivers.
Conclusions
These findings suggested ways to utilize the DHT in promoting physiotherapy home treatment programs among older people by encouraging technological innovations and raising awareness among physiotherapists, while the physiotherapists need to patiently educate both the older people and involve their informal caregivers
Perspectives on antenatal education: a commentary
Get PDFThis commentary critically appraises a systematic review that assessed the impact of antenatal education on pregnancy (physical and mental health) outcomes, and on physical health outcomes for infants in the perinatal period. The commentary considers the review’s findings alongside other existing related research, which may provide insights for the further development of antenatal education, and the latent potential to improve outcomes for prospective parents and infants
International Festival of Pop Songs, ‘Bratislavská Lýra’ and the challenges of Eastern European music internationalization
No full textThis article deals with the functioning of Eastern European song festivals, which emerged during the boom of European festival culture in the 1960s. It focuses on one of the most important Eastern European shows—the International Festival of Pop Songs ‘Bratislavská Lýra’—which was established in Czechoslovakia in 1966, with particular attention to the issues of internationalization and international exchange of Eastern European pop music mediated by the festivals. Based on an analysis of primary sources, the organization of Lýra is discussed, along with its international publicity, economic background and artistic orientation as well as the cultural political circumstances that determined its basic conception, especially regarding the abandonment of the Czechoslovak pro-Western course and the reassertion of the pro-Soviet policy after the occupation of the country in 1968. The possibilities and distinctiveness of the music scene of the European socialist camp are also considered
Marketing Simulations in Strategic Decision-Making: A Comprehensive Literature Review
No full textThis chapter systematically reviews the existing literature regarding marketing simulations and their role in strategic decision-making processes. Through a comprehensive analysis of recent studies, this research investigates how simulations enhance organizational performance by establishing controlled environments for testing marketing strategies without incurring real-world risks. The review establishes that marketing simulations significantly enhance forecasting accuracy, risk management, and strategic adaptability, particularly in volatile market conditions where traditional methods have demonstrated inadequacy. Key findings indicate that AI-enhanced simulations, which incorporate artificial neural networks and machine learning techniques, yield improvements of up to 20% in forecasting accuracy and a 15% increase in campaign return on investment (ROI). This chapter also examines various simulation approaches, including agent-based models, hybrid methodologies, and business games, and highlights their applications across different market contexts. Furthermore, it addresses ethical considerations, challenges related to organizational readiness, and the regulatory frameworks associated with implementing these technologies. The research concludes by identifying emerging trends and future directions for research, underscoring the growing significance of simulations in maneuvering through increasingly complex market dynamics
Integrating Behavioural Thinking in Marketing Simulations:
No full textMost marketing decisions are made in hindsight. As markets shift rapidly and consumer responses become increasingly shaped by uncertainty, emotion, and context, traditional approaches often fall short. This chapter argues for reframing simulations as laboratories for strategic experimentation, not just forecasting. This perspective allows marketers to test a concept's resilience under various behavioural scenarios before launch. To support this, the author proposes a conceptual framework for systematically incorporating behavioural insights into the simulation planning process. The framework operates as a guided, phased approach, using Behavioural Prompts, Scenario Archetypes, and Persona Modifiers to expose implicit assumptions and build more psychologically realistic models. The contribution, therefore, is to offer a solid approach to augmenting simulations, enabling strategies that better adapt to fluid consumer behaviour
First-line medical thoracoscopy for pleural infection: the SPIRIT randomised controlled feasibility trial
No full textBackground: Pleural infection remains a significant clinical challenge, requiring hospitalisation, intravenous antibiotics and early chest drain insertion. Medical thoracoscopy (MT), a minimally invasive procedure used electively in the UK for malignant effusions, has demonstrated good outcomes when applied to acute pleural infection in retrospective case series. However, it has not been evaluated as a first-line intervention in the UK in a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Objectives: The Studying Pleuroscopy in Routine Pleural Infection Treatment (SPIRIT) trial assessed the feasibility of conducting a full-scale RCT comparing MT with chest drain insertion for acute pleural infection within UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals. Methods: SPIRIT was an open-label, randomised feasibility trial conducted across seven NHS centres between 2017 and 2019. Adults with suspected pleural infection were prescreened; eligible patients were randomised to either chest drain insertion (control) or MT (performed the same or following day) with 90-day follow-up. The primary outcome was feasibility, assessed through a composite of prescreen, screen and allocation failure rates. Secondary outcomes included inpatient-stay duration, mortality, radiological and microbiological outcomes, second-line interventions, patient-reported outcomes and adverse events. Results: Of 193 patients prescreened, 181 (93.8%) were excluded due to at least one criterion. Key factors included lack of MT deliverability (49.2%), a not truly infected effusion (45.1%) and contraindications to drainage or study involvement (44.0%). Consequently, the primary feasibility endpoint was not met. All 12 eligible patients were randomised with no attrition. MT lasted 15 min longer than drain insertion, but chest drains remained in situ over 3 days longer (p=0.17) with a longer hospital stay (p=0.57). Radiological improvement, microbiological yield and symptom scores were similar. Adverse events occurred in one control and three MT patients. Conclusion: A full-scale RCT is not likely to be feasible in an NHS setting on the proposed protocol. Targeted recruitment from centres equipped for emergency MT may enhance feasibility. Trial registration number: ISRCTN98460319
Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and lactate response during a football-specific intermittent field fitness test in women
No full textBackground
Lactate, an important respiratory substrate, is generated during exercise. Digit ratio (2D:4D) is strongly associated with lactate in men over a range of exercise intensities, but in women the association has been reported as weaker and restricted to high running speeds. Here we report a replication of this finding in women employing the 30–15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30–15 IFT).
Method
The participants were amateur female football players. Digit lengths, height, body composition and VO2max were measured. The 30–15 IFT involves 30-s shuttle runs between lines positioned 40 m apart. Audio signals determine the pace, starting at 10 km/h and increasing by 0.5 km/h to a maximum of 18 km/h.
Results
Mean lactate levels (mmol/L) rose with running speed, ranging from 2.13 (±0.78) to 13.63 (±2.83). At running speeds 12 km/h to 16 km/h (n = 28 and 26 respectively) there were positive correlations between lactate and weight and BMI and negative associations with VO2max. At 18 km/h (n = 16) right 2D:4D was positively related and height negatively related to lactate. The former remained significant after the effect of height was removed.
Conclusion
Our findings from the 30–15 IFT in the field are similar to those reported from a laboratory treadmill test. The digit ratio, especially right 2D:4D, is positively associated with lactate levels during running in women, independent of height. In contrast previous findings in men the association applies to high running speeds only