Geopolitical Positioning of Azerbaijan as a Factor in Modelling the Political participation of the country’s citizens

The article analyzes the features of Azerbaijan's geopolitical positioning as a factor in modeling the political participation of citizens of this country. The study of this problem was carried out using the methodological principles of constructivism and theories of political participation. It has been proved that the peculiarities of Azerbaijan's geopolitical positioning are caused by its multi-level nature, reflected in the format of Azerbaijanism as a model of geopolitical identity and the corresponding officially enshrined policy. The idea of Azerbaijan as a system of views that reflects the geopolitical identity of the Azerbaijani people is a convergence of its traditions, national and moral values and is aimed at protecting the independence and democratic development of Azerbaijan. The official declaration of Azerbaijan's belonging to various civilization systems made it possible to form a space of trust and dialogue both at the level of bilateral relations and at the level of regional cooperation. The main tool for modeling the political participation of Azerbaijani citizens and their foreign policy orientations is the official statements of President I. Aliyev, which focus on partnerships with Turkey, the actualization of Russia, Georgia and Iran as partners in regional cooperation and Armenia (after the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) as a potential partner.

Small firm coopetition – the missing links: coopetitive tension, balance and value

Purpose This paper aims to explore small firm perceptions of coopetition, focusing on coopetitive tension, balance and value appropriation realised in dyadic relationships, not considered holistically in previous research. Design/methodology/approach The authors use seven cases of small firms as the empirical foundation of this study and analysed data thematically. Findings The findings show that precursors to coopetitive tension in dyads influence friction in these relationships, as firms seek to achieve balance. Balance is dynamic as firms continuously appraise their positions to determine the benefits realised from coopetition. The extent to which firms act cooperatively or competitively is influenced by their perception of fair value appropriation for sustained coopetitive relationships. Research limitations/implications Because of the research design findings are not generalisable but provide insight into small firm coopetitive relational dynamics. Future research should explore how industry differences influence firms’ perceived precursors to coopetitive tension and value appropriation based on boundary conditions. Practical implications Small firms can proactively address coopetitive tension by developing relationships with potential partner firms through trialling smaller projects and increasing awareness of how their competitive or cooperative behaviours might influence the actions of their counterpart. Originality/value This study advances a theoretical framework integrating coopetitive tension, balance and value appropriation, as opposed to earlier fragmented approaches. The framework reveals that precursors to coopetitive tension are continuously appraised as firms act in cooperative or competitive ways. These interactions imply that firms will take a position of balance that provides complementary benefits.

Pupil Size Predicts Partner Choices in Online Dating

People's choices for specific romantic partners can have far reaching consequences, but very little is known about the process of partner selection. In the current study, we tested whether a measure of physiological arousal, pupillometry (i.e., changes in pupil size), can predict partner choices in an online dating setting. A total of 239 heterosexual participants took part in an online dating task in which they accepted or rejected hypothetical potential partners, while pupil size response was registered using an eye tracker. In line with our main hypothesis, the results indicated a positive association between pupil size and partner acceptance. This association was not found to depend on relationship status, relationship quality, gender, or sociosexual orientation. These findings show that the body (i.e., the pupils) provides an automatic cue of whether a potential partner will be selected as a mate, or rejected.

Whose Knowledge? Whose Influence? Changing Dynamics of China’s Development Cooperation Policy and Practice

This article aims to investigate the recent evolution of China’s development policy and practice. More precisely, how do China’s policymakers and practitioners understand and debate China’s role in international development, specifically in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic? China’s growing development activities overseas, particularly in the African continent, have spurred intense debate over its role as a rising power in international development. China is viewed in the West both as a threat and as a valuable potential partner in development cooperation. However, differences between Western and Chinese conceptions of development have complicated cooperation and understanding of China’s development policy. Further understanding of these differences is needed, in order to evaluate their implications for low-income countries, and for potential trilateral cooperation.

Antara Aku, Jodohku dan Akuntansi

Although accounting has an important role in married life, it turns out there are many millennials who have never delved into the beauty of the ocean of marriage but are also interested in studying accounting and its branches. It is not even taboo nowadays to consider accounting knowledge or financial management capabilities possessed by a potential partner as one of the criteria besides the other criteria that are dreamed of. Therefore, the author wanted to examine how the meaning of accounting in building domestic life. Researchers used a phenomenological approach in the search for meaning both explicit and implied.

Economic reliability of the organisation in the context of groups of interests of the business environment

An important aspect of the interaction of the subjects of legal relations is the process of making a management decision on the possibility of partnership. This makes it necessary to assess the economic reliability of a participant in the relationship, both a potential partner and within the framework of the interaction that took place. The purpose of the article is to show a variety of approaches when analysing the organisation economic reliability. The approach proposed to assessing the organisation reliability from the point of view of the goals of different interest groups of the organisation business environment has been illustrated. The object of the study is the concept of the organisation economic reliability. The subject of the study is the differences between the goals (markers) of different interest groups in assessing the organisation economic reliability. The methodological and theoretical basis of the research is general and private scientific approaches to studying the essence of the definition and methods of assessing the organisation economic reliability. The article is based on the system approach methodology. During the study the methods of comparative analysis, the method of expert assessments, normative and logical methods were used. In addition, CyberLeninka, eLibrary.Ru, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were used as academic citation database. To ensure the accuracy of the literature review process, all publications were studied independently by the authors. The article reveals the dependence of the assessment and the form of presentation of the results of the assessment of the organisation economic reliability on the group of users in whose interests it is carried out.

The Importance of Intact Senses in Mating and Social Assessments Made by Deaf Individuals

Social perception is a multimodal process involving vision and audition as central input sources for human social cognitive processes. However, it remains unclear how profoundly deaf people assess others in the context of mating and social interaction. The current study explored the relative importance of different sensory modalities (vision, smell, and touch) in assessments of opposite- and same-sex strangers. We focused on potential sensory compensation processes in mate selection (i.e., increased importance of the intact senses in forming impressions of an opposite-sex stranger as a potential partner). A total of 74 deaf individuals and 100 normally hearing controls were included in the study sample. We found diminished importance of vision and smell in deaf participants compared with controls for opposite- and same-sex strangers, and increased importance of touch for the assessment of same-sex strangers. The results suggested that deaf people rely less on visual and olfactory cues in mating and social assessments, highlighting a possible role of sign language in shaping interpersonal tactile experience in non-romantic relationships.

Promiscuity Mapping of the S100 Protein Family Using a High-Throughput Local Surface Mimetic Holdup Assay

S100 proteins are small, typically homodimeric, vertebrate-specific EF-hand proteins that establish Ca2+-dependent protein-protein interactions in the intra- and extracellular environment and are overexpressed in various pathologies. There are about 20 distinct human S100 proteins with numerous potential partner proteins. Here, we used a quantitative holdup assay to measure affinity profiles of most members of the S100 protein family against a library of chemically synthetized foldamers. The profiles allowed us to quantitatively map the binding promiscuity of each member towards the foldamer library. Since the library was designed to systematically contain most binary natural amino acid side chain combinations, the data also provide insight into the promiscuity of each S100 protein towards all potential naturally occurring S100 partners in the human proteome. Such information will be precious for future drug design to interfere with S100 related pathologies.

No evidence for conspecific recruitment for cooperative hunting in lionfish Pterois miles

Lionfish are common piscivores in the Indo-Pacific and invasive in the Caribbean. A fin flaring pattern, involving a rapid undulation of the caudal fin and sequential turning of both pectoral fins, was described in zebra lionfish as a signal to initiate cooperative hunting, and it was hypothesized that such hunting tactics may also exist in other lionfish species and contribute to their successful invasion in the Caribbean. Here, we investigated one of those invasive species, Pterois miles , in its natural range in the Red Sea. We did not observe evidence for cooperative hunting in the field. We complemented field observations with a laboratory experiment aimed at inducing subjects to recruit partners for cooperative hunts, exposing subjects to inaccessible prey in transparent housing as well as to a potential partner. We regularly observed the fin flaring pattern, but importantly, it was not directed at the partner. Thus, rather than being a signal, the fin flaring movement pattern seems to be a swimming mode in a confined environment. Furthermore, the two lionfish did not aggregate at the prey housing, reinforcing the field results that this species in the Red Sea does not depend on cooperation to hunt fish.

Chlorogenic Acid Enhances Doxorubicin-Mediated Cytotoxic Effect in Osteosarcoma Cells

Despite the recurring outbreak of resistance mechanisms and adverse reactions, doxorubicin (Doxo) still remains the standard-of-care for several cancers, including osteosarcoma (OS). As an appealing source of phytochemical compounds, naturally occurring molecules have extensively been reported to overcome Doxo limitations in preclinical models. Unlike other dietary polyphenols, only few studies recognize chlorogenic acid (CGA) as a potential partner in combination therapy, while, conversely, its anticancer evidence is steadily growing, ultimately in OS. On this basis, herein we examine the cooperating effects between CGA and Doxo in U2OS and MG-63 human OS cells. With respect to Doxo alone, the concomitant administration of CGA further decreased cell viability and growth, promoting cell death potentially via apoptosis induction. Furthermore, a longer-lasting reduction in clonogenic potential deeply supported the CGA ability to improve Doxo efficacy in those cells. Remarkably, CGA treatment ameliorated Doxo-induced cytotoxicity in H9c2 rat cardiomyocyte cells instead. Although inactivation of p44/42 MAPK was detected in response to CGA plus Doxo, PD98059-mediated p44/42 MAPK impairment enhanced the combination outcome in OS cells. These findings firstly propose CGA as a promising chemosensitizer and cardioprotective agent in OS therapy, suggesting the p44/42 MAPK pathway as relevantly involved in CGA-mediated Doxo susceptibility.