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This paper comprehends the global research scenario about incorporating cultural components in contemporary urban planning practice. Various urban cultural elements have been analysed under the umbrella of 'Urban Cultural Dynamics' (UCD). This study aims to identify hot spots and explore influential sources through a bibliometric investigation of the evolutionary patterns of cultural dynamics in urban planning research. Data was collected from the Web of Science core collection (1965-2021). The data mining tools VOSviewer, Biblioshiny, KNIME, and WordStat were used to analyse hot topics, keywords, influential journals, core papers, top authors, and cooperation networks of countries and institutions. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is employed in journal analysis. The analysis showed that publications on UCD increased exponentially between 2016 and 2022. Italy (32), China (26), and Spain (18) are the top countries in total publications. Technical universities of Dresden and Munich have the most significant influence on UCD's research, with 103 and 101 total citations, respectively. Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of Cultural Heritage, and Tourism Geographies are the top three consistently influential journals. The top ten core papers were identified. The keywords and topic analysis charted out the evolution of multidisciplinary UCD research topics. The hotspot analysis revealed the significance of cultural dynamics in sustainable urban development. The results highlighted the need for intercontinental cooperation between developed countries and the third world. The future scope of research on UCD topics is discussed in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Klara and the Sun (2021) philosophizes on how in the current technologically saturated culture, the gradual evolution of the empathetic humanoids has, on one hand, problematized our normative notions of cognitive and affective categories, and on the other, has triggered an order of emotional uncanniness due to our reliance on hyperreal real objects for receiving solace and companionship. The novel may be conceived to be a commentary on the emerging discourse in the domain of cognitive and emotional computing that aspires to transform the inner life and social relationships of the human community. The novelty of the paper lies in its ability to showcase how Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (2021) creates a rupture in the existing research and literary narrative by critiquing the theoretical underpinnings of emotional computing that optimistically foresees a future where simulated empathetic minds will be able to decode the complexities of the human emotions. It discusses how literature turns into an apt tool to reflect on the limitations of the programmed machines to decode the elusiveness of the human mind that defies the one-to-one correlation between words, multiple connotations, and their underlying emotions. Through the lenses of the fictional narrative, the paper foregrounds how the concept of the social robot designed to offer empathy, care, and companionship turns into a failed project. The paper draws on critical perspectives from disposability theory, posthuman affect, and immaterial bodies to foreground the noncodified feature of affective experientialities that emerge as a result of the interface between humans and nonanimate beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wujiafentou site is located at the heart of the Youziling (5900–5500 cal BP) and Shijiahe (4500–4200 cal BP) cultures in the Handong region, a core area to understand the relationship among economic networks, sociopolitical integration, and regional identity in the middle Yangtze River valley (MYRV) of central China during the Late Neolithic times. Its pottery assemblages are important clues to understanding the pottery production and use before and after the extensive walled town construction activities in the Neolithic MYRV. Wujiafentou is less than 5 km from the Shijiahe walled town, the largest city of its time in the MYRV. This paper applies microscopic examination and chemical and mineralogical analyses to a sample of 152 sherds of the Youziling-period and Shijiahe-period utilitarian vessels unearthed from the Wujiafentou site, revealing the changes and continuity in pottery production and use over time. We also probe into the socio-economic ties between Wujiafentou and the Shijiahe walled town mainly through hong tao bei (red clay cups), which were widely distributed and presumably highly symbolic items of the Shijiahe culture related to drinking, feasts, and rituals. We propose that the Wujiafentou inhabitants produced their red clay cups by mimicking those made within the Shijiahe walled town. Our study highlights an alternative interpretation of the formation of a regional identity during the Shijiahe period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current definitions of migraine that are based mainly on clinical characteristics do not account for other patient's features such as those related to an impaired quality of life, due to loss of social life and productivity, and the differences related to the geographical distribution of the disease and cultural misconceptions which tend to underestimate migraine as a psychosocial rather than neurobiological disorder. Global differences definition, care access, and health equity for headache disorders, especially migraine are reported in this paper from a collaborative group of the editorial board members of the Journal of Headache and Pain. Other components that affect patients with migraine, in addition to the impact promoted by the migraine symptoms such as stigma and social determinants, are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last three decades, a cultural perspective has been used to understand scientific knowledge and technology. This relatively new perspective has introduced literature on the ethical dimension to the development of technology, which are embedded in techniques, tools and artifacts. Today, more than ever, there is an urgent need to comprehend the global ramifications of modernization. In this paper, we make an attempt to look at science and technology based on culture, wisdom, ecology and ethical values. We move towards reviewing and consolidating significant literature on philosophy of technology and culture within contemporary times. Furthermore, this article touches upon the transformative power of technologies in relation to modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel holistic modeling approach for investigating and analyzing the relationship of qualitative variables such as training and absenteeism with quantifiable shopfloor key performance indicators such as quality, inventory, and production rate. Soft variables, supervisor support and work environment, and their relationships with the hard variables, facility layout, and production strategies were investigated in this research. It was found in the literature that increasing absenteeism reduces the rate of production and causes a decrease in motivation, while training can increase the level of motivation if effective. A causal loop diagram was developed based on the evidence in the literature, and a system dynamics simulation model was created to depict these relations. It was confirmed that absenteeism affected the cycle time and motivation inversely, but it was not possible to always maintain a desired level of motivation. A discrete event simulation model was also built for the current and the future state maps of the production system. The model used output from the system dynamics model as its input to investigate the effects of the qualitative variables on the production system performance. This paper discusses in detail the stages of building the simulation models and the results recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural influences are pervasive throughout human behaviour, and as human–robot interactions become more common, roboticists are increasingly focusing attention on how to build robots that are culturally competent and culturally sustainable. The current treatment of culture in robotics, however, is largely limited to the definition of culture as national culture. This is problematic for three reasons: it ignores subcultures, it loses specificity and hides the nuances in cultures, and it excludes refugees and stateless persons. We propose to shift the focus of cultural robotics to redefine culture as an emergent phenomenon. We make use of three research programmes in the social and cognitive sciences to justify this definition. Consequently, cultural behaviour cannot be explicitly programmed into a robot, rather, a robot must be designed with the capability to participate in the interactions that lead to the arising of cultural behaviour. In the final part of the paper, we explore which capacities and abilities are the most salient for a robot to do this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gulangyu Island is a special case of social development and changes since modern China. In the past, Chinese and foreign people lived together and Chinese and Western cultures coexisted, resulting in an international community with outstanding cultural diversity and modern quality of life. As a functional carrier, space is of great reference significance to the research on the spatial evolution path of the Gulangyu international community with the accelerating globalization and rapid expansion of urbanization. Based on the interpretation of historical maps and the integration of historical geographic information, this paper explores the evolution path of Gulangyu community space in modern times from the perspective of actor-network theory. It is found that: (1) The change of key actors promotes the spatial evolution of the Gulangyu international community. (2) In the stage of foreign culture dissemination (1840–1902), foreign nationals, as key actors, promoted the formation and development of actor-networks through administrative recruitment and other means, and promoted Gulangyu Island to change from a traditional Minnan community to a modern community form, with the embryonic form of an international community beginning to emerge. (3) In the stage of multicultural integration (1903–1940), overseas Chinese returning home became key actors. The concept of a combination of Western cultures was not only embodied in community management but also acted on space practice to promote the multicultural integration of the Gulangyu international community. This paper summarizes the effects of various factors on the evolution of community space, to provide a reference for other coastal cities to rationally develop islands and promote the multicultural integration of local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although in vitro culture of human embryos is a crucial step in assisted reproduction, the lack of focused research hampers worldwide standardisation and consistent outcomes. Only 1.2% of research papers published in five leading journals in human reproduction in 2019 focused on in vitro culture conditions, creating the impression that the optimisation process has approached its limits. On the other hand, in vitro culture of mammalian embryos is based on old principles, while there is no consensus on basic issues as density, time, medium change, gas atmosphere and small technical details including the way of drop preparation. This opinion paper aims to highlight and analyse the slow advancement in this field and stimulate research for simple and affordable solutions to meet the current requirements. A possible way for advancement is discussed in detail. Selection of embryos with the highest developmental competence requires individual culture and modification of the widely used "drop under oil" approach. Current use of three-dimensional surfaces instead of large flat bottoms is restricted to time-lapse systems, but these wells are designed for optical clarity, not for the needs of embryos. The size and shape of the original microwells (Well of the Well; WOW) offer a practical and straightforward solution to combine the benefits of communal and individual incubation and improve the overall quality of cultured embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AI and Society discourse has previously drawn attention to the ways that digital systems embody the values of the technology development community from which they emerge through the development and deployment process. Research shows how this effect leads to a particular treatment of gender in computer systems development, a treatment which lags far behind the rich understanding of gender that social studies scholarship reveals and people across society experience. Many people do not relate to the narrow binary gender options of male or female, and many people express their gender identity in much richer ways than the sex/gender binary female/woman and male/man Boolean terms will allow. We ask: are "born-digital" gendered datasets in digital systems experienced as marginalising by those who express their identity beyond the male/female binary? Case Study: Ireland. To answer this universal question, this paper presents the findings of an empirical case study of people in Ireland with diverse gender identities and expressions, and their experiences with public data systems and new technologies. In spite of great social changes in Ireland which have led to constitutional change in favour of LGBTQI + people, born-digital systems were experienced by respondents as embodying socio-cultural values which were no longer accepted in society at large. For many of the respondents, digital technologies routinely marginalise them in all kinds of ways. These systems keep alive violence and oppression long after civil rights have been enshrined in constitutional law. This study is just one example of the way assumptions about digital are disengaged from society-at-large. It is a call to arms to all who are passionate about socially-responsible technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enjoying the benefits presented by the information age can enhance the effectiveness of learning musical poetics in instrumental music, which constitutes intangible cultural heritage. This paper addresses the effectiveness of the academic program in instrumental music poetics (which was uploaded on YouTube) in order to specify cultural heritage popularization options. The survey was conducted among 200 students from two music schools in China. The results of group B demonstrated the effectiveness of video tutorials uploaded on YouTube in learning musical poetics in Chinese instrumental music. The difference between the groups was especially noticeable when evaluating the "theoretical knowledge" and "final exam" criteria. After Group B's semiannual exposure, a survey addressing the understanding of the musical poetics' intangible cultural value revealed a large-scale difference in the results compared to the data obtained in January (p-values of 0.034 for questions about cultural value and 0.001 for questions about online promotion), while no statistically significant improvement was observed for group A. Group B saw an intense increase in the understanding of responsibility for preserving the country's intangible cultural values (+ 26.8%) and confidence in the knowledge of traditional Chinese tools (+ 25.1%) on the Agree scale. This study has practical value and is important for further research because it demonstrates the effectiveness of innovative technology for studying musical poetics and the popularization of intangible cultural values. Research findings may be used by educational institutions, in academic programs and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges that Ihde's and Stiegler's approaches stand in radical opposition. It argues that ethos is prior to law, exposes a Heideggerian rift between technoscience and technics, and rejects separation of theory from practice in favor of logics of poiêsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has its unique and rich cultural heritage. One such uniqueness in India is ancient paintings. Especially in South India, Tanjore paintings are very popular. These paintings are made during 1010 AD with vibrant colours, gold, silver and precious stones. These paintings are the memorabilia of the great Chola kingdom. These paintings can be seen in great Brahadeeshwara Temple walls till now. Damages to these paintings happen due to varying environmental conditions and rituals followed throughout the year. Hence, preserving these heritages could be an additional source in National Cultural Museum and cultural libraries. This paper focuses towards the restoration of such ancient painting images that can be digitized and archived for the future use of aesthete. The painting images are preprocessed using Weiner filter for removing the background noises since its PSNR value is higher than Gaussian and Median filters. The preprocessed image is then applied to restoration algorithm. Two types of restoration algorithm is attempted, image segmentation and in-painting algorithm. The degraded image was restored efficiently with in-painting algorithm than segmentation algorithm. Further research can be focused towards automatic adaptive selection of patch based on the nature of images. From the results it is observed that with in-painting algorithm the image restoration is better than the segmentation algorithm for degraded painting images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eden In Iraq is an environmental design and water remediation project in the marshes of southern Iraq using design and wastewater as bio-art, to create a restorative garden for education, cultural memory, and contemplation. Earmarked for a 20,000 m2 site at Al Manar in the marshes between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, near a probable site of the historic Garden of Eden, Eden in Iraq is a project that brings, art, design, and technology together with culture and history. Drawing on Islamic and Mesopotamian traditions originating in this historically and symbolically charged region, the Eden in Iraq Waste Water Garden is designed to be a syncretic container for ecological and cultural restoration and heritage after the time of war. This paper looks at this project from three inter-related activities, namely, treatment of wastewater suitable for growing a large scale garden, design of the garden starting from the Islamic garden design principles and thirdly, reviving the cultural heritage of the pre-Islamic, Mesopotamian art in contemporary forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental state scholars argue that through “embedded autonomy”, state activism can steer society towards positive outcomes without capture by private interests. This paper questions this claim through a case study of such activism in Singapore. It argues that not only may rent-seeking have been encouraged by Singapore’s use of industrial policy but that such a policy goes hand in hand with attempts by state actors to create an economic culture that legitimises such behaviour. The wider implication drawn is that mission-oriented state activism may require extensive cultural engineering to foster consensus over the relevant “missions”, but this level of social penetration also increases the risk of private interests capturing the state in less visible ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]