New Releases by Hoang Nguyen

No matter how extensive bird conservation efforts may be, they often remain insufficient because the underlying humanistic connection between humans and nature is profoundly fractured. This paper examines how Bird Village, an imaginative world in Wild Wise Weird by Professor Vuong Quan Hoang, offers a pathway to address this deficit by nurturing deeper inner connections with the natural world. Specifically, it demonstrates how the imaginative world of Bird Village can cultivate ecological understanding, foster affective bonds, and expand moral conscience beyond anthropocentric boundaries. Furthermore, the paper explores how the Uncertainty–Absurdity Mutuality (UAM) proposition embedded in Bird Village can function as an epistemic tool to overcome order-induced blindness—shaped by ego, hubris, and entrenched belief systems, and more fundamentally rooted in an anthropocentric worldview—thereby enabling more harmonious coexistence with a natural world characterized by pervasive uncertainty. The analytical power of UAM in identifying, interpreting, and addressing paradoxes that permeate contemporary conservation practices, such as “loving” birds through aviary keeping or ceremonial release, is also discussed. Keywords: bird conservation; bird loving; Uncertainty–Absurdity Mutuality; UAM; absurdist approach

Human cognition strives for coherence and meaning, yet it operates within a reality marked by ontological indeterminacy and epistemic incompleteness. This tension gives rise to two fundamental conditions: uncertainty and absurdity. Wild Wise Weird is a philosophical work that explores the dynamic link between these conditions through narrative storytelling. Using Granular Interaction Thinking Theory (GITT) and Bayesian Mindsponge Framework analytics, we conduct a quantitative philosophical analysis of 48 stories in Wild Wise Weird to examine its propositions concerning uncertainty and absurdity. Bayesian logistic models indicate that complete uncertainty and small absurdity reliably predict big absurdity. Moreover, modes of misinformation production—particularly lying and speculation—strengthen the association between complete uncertainty and big absurdity. The findings support an uncertainty–absurdity spiral in which partial uncertainty contributes to small absurdity, small absurdity increases vulnerability to complete uncertainty, and complete uncertainty culminates in large-scale absurdity. The study further discusses how this spiral may be avoided through Daoist and Kingfisherish perspectives, which emphasize adaptive recalibration grounded in humility, compassion, and the cultivation of Nature Quotient. In an era characterized by digital misinformation, ecological instability, and political polarization, understanding the structural interplay between uncertainty and absurdity offers both philosophical insight and practical guidance for managing cognitive and social entropy. Keywords: uncertainty; absurdity; Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle; Incompleteness Theorems; Nanhuajing; BMF analytics; GITT-VT analytical framework; informational entropy; misinformation; Daoist philosophy; Kingfisherish philosophy

I once asked myself what freedom truly is. For a time, I lived without purpose, trying to avoid a fixed mind and letting life drift as it would. I even believed that was Laozi’s wu wei way of living—until I had the fortune to work with Professor Vuong Quan Hoang, enjoying his fiction title Wild Wise Weird. It is precisely these absurdities of Kingfisher that have given me precious moments of self-reflection. Through them, when I look back at my earlier phase of aimless, spontaneous living—which I once mistook for wu wei—I now see it as an illusion. It was like dreaming myself a butterfly like Zhuangzi, but never waking myself up. Zhuangzi is often called the philosopher of uncertainty, while Kingfisher is the philosopher of absurdity. If the two were to meet and converse, what a fascinating dialogue that would be! Even though Prof. Hoang no longer intends to continue the story series, my curiosity compels me to imagine what would happen if Kingfisher were to meet Master Zhuang. With his kind permission, I have taken the liberty of sending Kingfisher back to the Warring States era, to wander and converse with Zhuangzi—to see, after all, how absurdity and uncertainty differ, and how they might be one. That is the reason this book is named Kingfisherish Wandering. Minh-Hoang Nguyen Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Daoist philosophy remains deeply relevant to contemporary global challenges, particularly in cultivating Nature Quotient (NQ), fostering peace-building and social harmony, navigating disruptions associated with artificial intelligence, and reflecting on the widening socio-economic inequality. However, Daoism is often perceived as mystical and rooted in symbolic metaphysics, which can create barriers to its adoption in modern societies that increasingly prioritize justified and scientifically validated knowledge. This paper introduces the Kingfisherish perspective—developed primarily through the thought and philosophy of Professor Quan-Hoang Vuong—and demonstrates its strong alignment with the Daoist philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Both perspectives embrace a monistic worldview, illuminate the uncertain nature of knowledge, and highlight the relativity and non-linearity of value as individuals seek dynamic equilibrium with reality (i.e., alignment with the Dao) to reduce uncertainty. Furthermore, Kingfisherish and Daoist thinking both emphasize “order-induced blindness,” whereby artificially constructed social orders and stabilized structures obscure the authentic dynamics of reality and drift away from the Dao. To counter this, they encourage humility and compassion, and employ paradoxes, contradictions, and absurdist reasoning as cognitive pathways that help people overcome unjustified beliefs, convictions, and prejudices and gently guide individuals toward deeper alignment with the Dao. This strong conceptual resonance provides a meaningful conduit for re-examining ancient Daoist philosophies through a scientific lens—particularly quantum-mechanics-inspired reasoning and information-processing theories—while simultaneously drawing on their enduring wisdom to inform responses to pressing contemporary challenges.

Methodological innovations have become increasingly critical in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) as researchers confront complex, nonlinear, and rapidly evolving socio-environmental systems. On the other hand, while Early Career Researchers (ECRs) continue to face intensified publication pressure, limited resources, and persistent methodological barriers. Employing the GITT–VT analytical paradigm—which integrates worldviews from quantum physics, mathematical logic, and information theory—this study examines the seven-year evolution of the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics and the bayesvl R software (hereafter referred to collectively as BMF analytics) and evaluates their contributions to strengthening ECRs’ capacity for rigorous and innovative research. Since 2019, the bayesvl R package and BMF analytics have supported more than 160 authors from 22 countries in producing 112 peer-reviewed publications spanning both qualitative and quantitative designs across diverse interdisciplinary domains. By tracing the method’s inception, refinement, and developmental trajectory, this study elucidates how accessible, theory-driven computational tools can lower barriers to advanced quantitative analysis, foster a more inclusive methodological ecosystem—particularly for ECRs in low-resource settings—and inform the design of next-generation research methods that are flexible, reproducible, conceptually justified, and well-suited to interdisciplinary inquiries.

Six Persimmons is a painting created by Master Muqi Fachang (牧谿 法常), a Chinese Chan Buddhist monk and artist, in the 13th century. _____ (*)Note: This discussion was enriched by contributions from Prof. Vuong Quan Hoang and inspired contemplation for the upcoming Kingfisherish Wandering’s stories [7].

The major global challenges of our time—such as climate change, environmental degradation, rising inequality, and the emergence of disruptive technologies—demand interdisciplinary research to generate effective solutions. A clear understanding of value is essential for guiding socio-cultural and economic transitions to address these issues. Despite numerous attempts to define value, existing approaches remain inconsistent across disciplines and lack a comprehensive framework. This paper introduces a novel perspective on value through the lens of granular interaction thinking theory, proposing an informational entropy-based notion of value. Grounded on quantum mechanics, Shannon’s information theory, and the mindsponge theory, this framework integrates both subjective and objective considerations and is highly compatible with interdisciplinary research. The informational entropy-based notion of value effectively bridges diverse concepts of value, including use and exchange value in economics, personal values in psychology, and cultural, moral, ethical, and esthetic values in society. By offering a unifying perspective, granular interaction thinking theory provides a valuable framework for translating insights from quantum mechanics into socio-cultural, economic, and psychological contexts, enriching theoretical discourse and enhancing analytical effectiveness.

This material represents an ongoing effort to share our thesis and understanding with other publishing authors working on their research studies in the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. The document discusses our homegrown Granular Interaction Thinking and Information Theory hypothesis (abbreviated as GITT) in a practical way.

When humans attain genuine peace through harmony with nature and alignment with Dao, they gain the capacity to resolve the great challenges of our era—those that threaten both human existence and socio-cultural continuity. [...] While Zhuangzi’s works and philosophy may still feel distant to many due to linguistic, cultural, or historical barriers, Wild Wise Weird provides a more accessible bridge—opening a path back to the world of Laozi and Zhuangzi.

Today, with the climate crisis intensifying and planetary boundaries nearly breached, achieving any form of sustainability—whether economic or social—first demands environmental sustainability. Despite the substantial body of research underscoring its importance, a large segment of society remains apathetic and skeptical toward the value of nature and the danger of planetary crises (Norgaard, 2011). Some even go as far as denying scientific evidence or creating false claims about climate change (Harding, 2019). Achieving a fundamental shift in societal thinking—encompassing worldview, values, and beliefs—requires more than just media campaigns, education, and regulatory measures (Abson et al., 2017). The presence of meaningful cultural and artistic works that awaken society is also essential. Wild Wise Weird is a typical work, guiding readers to recognize blind spots in their perceptions of the human-nature relationship and helping to restore and revitalize these connections (Vuong, 2024). Wild Wise Weird by Professor Quan-Hoang Vuong is a social commentary collection featuring 42 fictional fables centering on the character Mr. Kingfisher, who leads readers through diverse stories involving other birds in the bird village. With wit and wisdom, the book offers readers a blend of meaningful social critiques, justifying its title as both “Wild” and “Wise.” Unlike most moral books, which deliver straightforward lessons, Wild Wise Weird presents readers with the absurdity in human thinking, prompting them to draw their own conclusions about wisdom. Such a “Weird” approach can enable readers to recognize and explain unthinkable issues humans are facing, including Jared Diamond’s observation that, without external threats, humans may trend toward self-destruction by destroying ecological systems that nurture them (Diamond, 2011).

I recently had the honour of collaborating with Dr. Quan-Hoang Vuong—one of the most important figures in contemporary Vietnamese social sciences and founder of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research at the Phenikaa University in Hanoi, Vietnam—in a journal article titled ‘Kingfisher: Contemplating the connection between nature and humans through science, art, literature, and lived experiences’. The central message of the article was that in order to protect nature, we need compassion because data alone is insufficient. Our compassion can be shaped by connecting with the natural world through several mediums. This work was based on Vuong’s accumulated thoughts, lived experiences and childhood memories.

Learning from the quantum and information theories, we provide a new definition of value, which is expected to help economists relax assumptions and loosen established economic principles in order to change and evolve. The new definition is also expected to enable social scientists to address newly arising phenomena or events that are not accounted for by existing value systems, such as environmental crises, artificial intelligence (AI), and interdisciplinary information, more proactively and productively. We hope that, by incorporating the quantum physics perspective into the interpretation of information and value, social scientists, particularly economists, will offer more reliable predictions and advice for societal transitions toward sustainability. Hanoi, July 21, 2024

Make data-driven, informed decisions and enhance your statistical expertise in Python by turning raw data into meaningful insights Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Key Features Gain expertise in identifying and modeling patterns that generate success Explore the concepts with Python using important libraries such as stats models Learn how to build models on real-world data sets and find solutions to practical challenges Book DescriptionThe ability to proficiently perform statistical modeling is a fundamental skill for data scientists and essential for businesses reliant on data insights. Building Statistical Models with Python is a comprehensive guide that will empower you to leverage mathematical and statistical principles in data assessment, understanding, and inference generation. This book not only equips you with skills to navigate the complexities of statistical modeling, but also provides practical guidance for immediate implementation through illustrative examples. Through emphasis on application and code examples, you’ll understand the concepts while gaining hands-on experience. With the help of Python and its essential libraries, you’ll explore key statistical models, including hypothesis testing, regression, time series analysis, classification, and more. By the end of this book, you’ll gain fluency in statistical modeling while harnessing the full potential of Python''s rich ecosystem for data analysis.What you will learn Explore the use of statistics to make decisions under uncertainty Answer questions about data using hypothesis tests Understand the difference between regression and classification models Build models with stats models in Python Analyze time series data and provide forecasts Discover Survival Analysis and the problems it can solve Who this book is for If you are looking to get started with building statistical models for your data sets, this book is for you! Building Statistical Models in Python bridges the gap between statistical theory and practical application of Python. Since you’ll take a comprehensive journey through theory and application, no previous knowledge of statistics is required, but some experience with Python will be useful.

The book examines the psycho-religious mechanism behind the violent extremism of suicide attacks in the post-9/11 world. It employs the mindsponge concept, an original dataset, and original research results obtained from the authors'' statistical investigations using the Hamiltonian Markov chain Monte Carlo technique. It provides insights and implications for policymakers and strategists in their efforts to engage in peace talks and reduce violent conflicts worldwide.

Super-Resolution imaging refers to modern techniques of achieving resolution below conventional limits. This book gives a comprehensive overview of mathematical and computational techniques used to achieve this, providing a solid foundation on which to develop the knowledge and skills needed for practical application of techniques. Split into five parts, the first looks at the mathematical and probabilistic tools needed, before moving on to description of different types of imaging; single-wave, anomaly, multi-wave and spectroscopic and nanoparticle.As an important contribution to the understanding of super-resolution techniques in biomedical imaging, this book is a useful resource for scientists and engineers in the fields of biomedical imaging and super-resolution, and is self-contained reference for any newcomers to these fields.

A View from the Bottom offers a major critical reassessment of male effeminacy and its racialization in visual culture. Examining portrayals of Asian and Asian American men in Hollywood cinema, European art film, gay pornography, and experimental documentary, Nguyen Tan Hoang explores the cultural meanings that accrue to sexual positions. He shows how cultural fantasies around the position of the sexual "bottom" overdetermine and refract the meanings of race, gender, sexuality, and nationality in American culture in ways that both enable and constrain Asian masculinity. Challenging the association of bottoming with passivity and abjection, Nguyen suggests ways of thinking about the bottom position that afford agency and pleasure. A more capacious conception of bottomhood—as a sexual position, a social alliance, an affective bond, and an aesthetic form—has the potential to destabilize sexual, gender, and racial norms, suggesting an ethical mode of relation organized not around dominance and mastery but around the risk of vulnerability and shame. Thus reconceived, bottomhood as a critical category creates new possibilities for arousal, receptiveness, and recognition, and offers a new framework for analyzing sexual representations in cinema as well as understanding their relation to oppositional political projects.

This paper analyses the international linkages of the Korean economy using the GVAR model developed by Greenwood-Nimmo, Nguyen and Shin (2012a, J. Appl. Econometrics). By employing a combination of generalized impulse response analysis and forecast error variance decompositions, we uncover a number of interesting phenomena. Among our most important results are the findings that the real economy and the financial markets are highly sensitive to the oil price even though it has little effect on inflation and that the interest rate is set largely without recourse to overseas conditions except to the extent that they are captured by the exchange rate. We find that the dominant sources of overseas influence on the Korean economy are the US, the Eurozone, Japan and China. Korea''s complex and open linkages with these countries will inevitably pose challenges for domestic economic management and stabilization policy faced by the Korean monetary and fiscal authorities.

The purpose of this thesis is to develop an algorithm to compute all the characteristic numbers of genus one curves in projective spaces of arbitrary dimension. The characteristic numbers of genus zero curves, genus zero curves with an ordinary node, genus zero curves with an ordinary cusp are also computed en route.

"We generalize the portfolio shifts model advanced by Evans and Lyons (2002a; b), and develop the dynamic asymmetric portfolio shifts (DAPS) model by explicitly allowing for possible market under- and overreactions and for asymmetric pricing impacts of order flows. Using the Reuters D2000-1 daily trading data for eight currency markets over a four-month period from 1 May to 31 August 1996, we find strong evidence of a nonlinear cointegrating relationship between exchange rates and (cumulative) order flows: The price impact of negative order flows (selling pressure) is overwhelmingly stronger than that of the positive ones (buying pressure). Through the dynamic multiplier analysis, we find two typical patterns of the price discovery process. The markets following overreactions tend to display a delayed overshooting and a volatile but faster adjustment towards equilibrium whereas the market following underreactions are generally characterized by a gradual but persistent adjustment. In our model, these heterogeneous adjustment patterns reflect different liquidity provisions associated with different market conditions following under- and overreactions. In addition, the larger is the mispricing, the faster is the overall adjustment speed, a finding consistent with Abreu and Brunnermeier (2002) and Cai et al. (2011). We also find that underreactions are followed mostly by positive feedback trading while overreactions are characterized by delayed overshooting in the short run but corrected by negative feedback trading at longer horizons, the finding is consistent with Barberis et al. (1998) who show that positive short-run autocorrelations (momentum) signal underreaction while negative long-run autocorrelations (reversal) signal overreaction."--Abstract.