bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The wholeness of a cybernetician
Authors: Löfgren Lars 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAbstract ‐ It is our impression that Gordon Pask's writings cover fundamentals for large parts of the widely expanding fields of Cybernetics and Systems Theory. Thereby, and by his lecturing activities, he has become a unique figure in maintaining a kind of unity of the field of Cybernetics, well in accord with Wiener's view (“control and communication in the animal and the machine”; cf[26]). And that, with fresh ideas, sometimes very personal, sometimes very general, and always very interesting.In this subjective review of a fragment of Pask's writings, notably within cybernetics, we will, in part, try to account for some of his earlier insights into how we judge the behaviour of an artefact (machine) in relation to that of a living organism (animal). And, partly, for his later‐conceived conversation theory. Some problems revealed in the latter theory, like how we‐in‐a‐conversation can represent a real behaviour, may well connect back to Pask's earlier studies into the problem whether we can produce artefacts (including thought models) of our behaviours as living beings.
Educating symbiotic p‐individuals through multi‐level conversations. From the integrity of concepts to the symbiosis of cultures
Authors: Boyd Gary Mcintyre 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAbstract ‐ Interbody and transbody autopoietic virtual organisms, which Gordon Pask named “p‐individuals”, are taken to be the essential entities involved in cultural transmission. It is asserted that their problematical accessibility to consciousness, their competitive, and especially their pre‐emptive dominative character, must be dealt with more directly in order to work educationally toward symbiosis among cultures and between cultures and the biosphere. Both kinds of symbiosis are necessary conditions for our happiness and survival. Some heuristic rules for the appropriate conduct of multi‐level, and multi‐modal (verbal/visual etc.) learning conversations is examined as a practicable way to cultivate such symbioses. Gordon Pask's formal Conversation Theory prescribes some necessary aspects of such intercourse. Here it is extended and reframed by situating Pask's three leveled CT conversations in the author's seven cybersystemic levels of communication and control.
Improvement and research. A paskian evolution
Authors: Zeeuw Gerard De 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAbstract — Progress in the social sciences is not as slow as its critics are apt to aver. Enormous amounts of data have been collected and many patterns described. What has been slow is the systematic use and application of such results, that is, intervention. Intervening to improve social systems meets with many difficulties, one of them the fact that this often seems to invalidate previous research results. It is argued that this may be due to the kind of “scientific object” defined, that separates observation and use. The argument is linked to some of the work of Gordon Pask, especially his Interaction of Actors Theory, and to his participation in the Centre for Innovation and Co‐operative Technology. The argument is developed to include the case where observation and use are not separated. Some examples of such cases are described.
Fundamental theorem of system structure: An application t6 the study of community school organizations
Authors: Hough Robbin R. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe overall concern of the present paper is with system performance. The sections which follow will: (1) present a brief overview of the fundamental theorem of system structure; (2) develop and test a very simple model of school district pegormancekhange and statistically examine key structural features following the outlines of the theorem; (3) estimate the resource requirements for a program which would optimize the performance of the districts under study; and (4) set forth several conclusions and suggestions for further research.
Intermedity ‐ basic state of social systems?
Authors: Davydov A. A. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIt has been proved on the wide empirical material that social systems of various levels are in the state of intermedity between order and chaos. It has been shown that various phenomena in social systems (power dependences of variables, quasiperiodical variations, hyperbolic distributions of elements, avalanche‐like processes, etc.) are caused by the state of intermedity.
Criticizing a collaborative standard system: The step standard data access interface
Authors: Van Geuns J. S. , Kerckhoffs E. J. H. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe suitability of the Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI) as a basis for a collaborative modelling environment is evaluated through the development of a prototype implementation. Problems are reported and possible solutions suggested. A conclusion is formulated about the SDAI and recommendations concerning its future use are given.
On responsibility and authority
Authors: Ahaus Cees , van de Water Henny 
Published: July 2007

AbstractDefining authorities is a topic of current interest in quality management. One of the conditions in the ISO 9000‐series deals with this topic. In this paper we will first examine the concepts of authority and responsibility, which are not at all univocally defined in organization literature. We will pay attention to the distinction between formal and factual authority and to various possible forms of overlap of authorities. We illustrate a management method in the use of convergence of factual to formal authority and responsebility. Finally we pose some questions on the relationship between authority and responsibility to various types of organizations in order to get a first idea to what extent it is desirable or possible to equalize factual and formal authorities.
Understanding the nature of system change: An interdisciplinary approach
Authors: Stickland Francis , Reavill Lawrence P. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe paper seeks to open up a debate on the nature of change at a conceptual and theoretical level. It argues that the abundance of methodologies and strategies for managing system change belies an acute lack of any clear understanding of the very nature and essence of change itself, whether it be institutional, technological, environmental or organizational. The paper calls for a greater comprehension of the fundamental dynamics of change, and highlights the considerable need for a solid theoretical basis from which to explore the complexities of system change. A cross‐discipline approach is suggested, involving the analysis of change phenomena drawn from across the natural and physical sciences, deriving common characteristics and principles for abstraction into a general change framework. Several examples of the approach are described briefly, using change phenomenon taken from a range of disciplines. The paper concludes by outlining other subject areas which contain conceptually useful change phenomena worth investigating.
An appreciation of Kenneth Boulding
Authors: Henderson Hazel 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn this appreciation of Kenneth Boulding, Hazel Henderson pays special tribute to him as ‘a towering intellectual figure of the twentieth century who did more than most to open windows to the twenty‐first Century’. Following an introduction in which she touchingly talks of Kenneth and Elise Boulding, she shares with us her reviews of Boulding's Ecodynamics.
Heating induces aggregation and decreases detection of serotonin transporter protein on western blots
Authors: McLane Michael W. , Hatzidimitriou George , Yuan Jie , McCann Una , Ricaurte George 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of Western blot analysis to monitor changes in the abundance of the serotonin transporter (SERT) protein. In the Western blot procedure, heat denaturation is a common, early step. We now report that heating samples to 90°C decreases the abundance of the SERT protein band and causes dispersion of a majority of the SERT signal to a high molecular weight smear. These observations are in keeping with the fact that heating can influence the electrophoretic behavior of some proteins. By omitting the heat denaturation step in the Western blot procedure, better detection of the SERT protein is achieved. Synapse 61:875–876, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Conductance model of plant growth and competition in monoculture and species mixtures: a review
Authors: BENJAMIN L R , PARK S E 
Published: July 2007

SummaryOver the past two decades, an ecophysiological model has been developed for annual horticultural crops and weeds, which has the powerful ability to predict the growth of plants in monoculture and mixed species stands from parameter values derived from plants grown in isolation, even if the species display contrasting canopy architecture. The model can also simulate the effects of different spatial arrangements on plant growth. The purpose of the model is to describe, in simple yet mechanistically‐based terms, the effects of contrasting environments and competitive interactions on the growth of individual plants. In the simplest form of the model, growth is described by an empirical growth equation, using time calculated from an integration of the growth‐promoting effects of environmental factors. More complex versions of the model include a self‐shading component, which provides an algorithm for inter‐plant competition based on crown zone areas. This model is termed the ‘Conductance model’ and this article outlines its development, applications to date, goodness of fit to experimental data, and discusses its strengths and weaknesses and scope for further testing and application. This article, which is dedicated to the late David Aikman, also sets out how the model can be applied to simulating weed–crop competition from simple data sets.
Self‐incompatibility in Mikania micrantha in South China
Authors: HONG L , SHEN H , YE W H , CAO H L , WANG Z M 
Published: July 2007

Summary Mikania micrantha is a successful invasive weed in many parts of the world, but we do not know how its mating system may have contributed to this. Therefore, its mating system was studied in an open M. micrantha population during the flowering seasons of 2004 and 2005. Pollen/ovule ratio was determined and pollination treatments were applied on entire inflorescences to estimate the seed/ovule ratio. The pollen/ovule ratio of M. micrantha was 4008, and seed/ovule ratio was 0.56 for open pollination and 0.0034 and 0.0038 for wind pollination and selfing respectively. These data indicate that the weed is self‐incompatible and needs insect pollination.
SYSTEMIC PLASMA LEVELS OF NITRITE/NITRATE (NOX) REFLECT BRACHIAL FLOW‐MEDIATED DILATION RESPONSES IN YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN
Authors: Casey Darren P , Beck Darren T , Braith Randy W 
Published: July 2007

SUMMARY

The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between plasma levels of nitrite/nitrite (NOx) and brachial flow‐mediated dilation (FMD) in healthy young men and women.
Brachial artery FMD was assessed non‐invasively using high‐resolution ultrasound in 36 young men and women (21 ± 3 years; 18 men and 18 women). Blood samples for NOx assays were collected from an indwelling venous catheter in the forearm following an overnight fast and a 36 h low‐nitrate diet.
Plasma levels of NOx were related to peak brachial FMD% (r = 0.53; P = 0.001). The relationship was maintained when the brachial dilation was expressed as absolute diameter change (Δmm; r = 0.51; P = 0.002) and when it was normalized (/s) to the mean shear rate (r = 0.50; P = 0.002).
The present study demonstrates a relationship between peak FMD in the brachial artery and plasma levels of NOx in young men and women. This relationship suggests that brachial FMD and/or plasma NOx may be used as markers of peripheral endothelial function.
Selective ablation of bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells increases amyloid plaques in a mouse Alzheimer's disease model
Authors: Butovsky Oleg , Kunis Gilad , Koronyo‐Hamaoui Maya , Schwartz Michal 
Published: July 2007

AbstractWe have recently shown that the ability of microglia to effectively fight off aggregated β‐amyloid plaque formation and cognitive loss in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (Tg‐AD), is augmented in response to T‐cell‐based immunization, using glatiramer acetate (GA). The immunization increases incidence of local CD11c+ dendritic‐like cells. It is unclear, however, whether these dendritic cells are derived from resident microglia or from the bone marrow. To determine the origin of this dendritic‐cell population, we used chimeric mice whose bone marrow‐derived cells express a transgene that allows the cells to be specifically ablated by diphtheria toxin. We show here that T‐cell‐based immunization of these mice, using GA, induced the recruitment of bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells. Depletion of the dendritic cells by systemic injection of diphtheria toxin resulted in significantly increased formation of amyloid plaques. Thus, recruitment of bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells evidently plays a role in reducing plaque formation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
Reduction of metabotropic glutamate receptor‐mediated heterosynaptic inhibition of developing MNTB‐LSO inhibitory synapses
Authors: Nishimaki Takuya , Jang Il‐Sung , Ishibashi Hitoshi , Yamaguchi Junya , Nabekura Junichi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe lateral superior olivary nucleus (LSO) is an auditory relay centre within the brain stem that encodes interaural level differences for sound localization by integrating GABA/glycinergic input from the contralateral ear via the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), and glutamatergic input from the ipsilateral ear via the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN). To study the development of the circuits that contribute to the establishment of sound localization, the heterosynaptic modulation mediated by glutamate released from VCN terminals and group II metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) expressed on MNTB inhibitory terminals was investigated using whole‐cell patch‐clamp techniques. At postnatal day‐4–8 (P4–8), repetitive stimulation of the VCN–LSO excitatory afferents caused significant inhibition of MNTB–LSO inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in amplitude with an increase of its coefficient of variation and changed the paired‐pulse ratio. These effects were antagonized by LY341495, an mGluR2/3 antagonist. Thus, the suppression of MNTB–LSO synaptic responses induced by repetitive stimulation applied to the VCN–LSO glutamatergic afferent is presumably due to an activation of mGluR2/3 existing on MNTB–LSO presynaptic terminals. The suppression rate of MNTB–LSO IPSCs by DCG IV, an mGluR2/3 agonist, decreased with development and became negligible by the third week after birth. The immunohistochemical staining of mGluR2/3 in the LSO was also less apparent at P18 compared with that at P4. We suggest that mGluR‐mediated heterosynaptic modulation of MNTB–LSO GABAergic/glycinergic transmission might contribute to the development of appropriate adult auditory circuits.
‘Outback’ Romance? A Reading of Nature and Heterosexuality in Rural Australia
Authors: Little Jo , Panelli Ruth 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis article examines the relationship between the sexuality and understandings of nature. Employing a case of ‘romance’ in ‘outback’ Australia, we dissolve the boundaries between ‘nature’ and ‘society’ to show some of the varied ways in which the construction and performance of heterosexuality is shaped by (and is integral to) dominant ways of knowing nature. In practical terms, we draw on a reality TV series in which single men in ‘outback’ Australia (‘bush bachelors’) advertise for potential partners (‘sheilas’) from the UK. The series charts the development of the relationships as they are played out in remote parts of Western Australia. In this article we critically read the series and draw out three key themes characterising the relationality of nature and heterosexuality. Initially, we look at how nature frames the expectation and reality of sexual relationships in the ‘outback’, particularly in terms of its power and hostility. We then explore the centrality of nature to constructions of ‘outback’ masculinity and the way such constructions dominate the heterosexual relationships that develop between the couples. Finally, we show how a further dynamic of the nature/sexuality relationship involves the expectation of a particular kind of femininity as appropriate to the physical, social and cultural nature of the ‘outback’.
The effect of wet‐wrap dressing on epidermal barrier in patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Lee JH , Lee SJ , Kim DS , Bang D 
Published: July 2007

AbstractBackground  Wet‐wrap dressing has been shown to be effective for atopic dermatitis; however, the therapeutic mechanism of wet‐wrap dressing is only the hypothesis based on the recovery of decreased epidermal barrier function.Objectives  To examine the therapeutic efficacy as well as the mechanism of wet‐wrap dressing in atopic dermatitis patients.Methods  To examine the difference of non‐lesional and lesional atopic skin and to evaluate the change between epidermal barrier function before and after the treatment, SCORAD, epidermal water content, transepidermal water loss, the lipid amount of skin surface, immunohistochemical staining of filaggrin and loricrin, transmission electron microscopic examination, and calcium ion capture cytochemistry method were done in 10 severe form atopic dermatitis patients.Results  In atopic dermatitis patients, SCORAD was clearly decreased, epidermal water content was increased, and transepidermal water loss was decreased after wet‐wrap dressing. After wet‐wrap dressing, increased release of lamellar body and the recovery of the damaged lamellar structure of intercellular lipid were observed; nevertheless, neither the change in keratinocyte differentiation nor the change of calcium ion gradient was detected. A week after the termination of wet‐wrap dressing, increased water content and decreased transepidermal water loss were still maintained.Conclusion  We confirmed the abnormality of the epidermal barrier in atopic dermatitis, and the effects of wet‐wrap were associated with the recovery of epidermal barrier. In atopic lesions, wet‐wrap dressing induced clinical improvement by the release of lamellar body and the restoration of intercellular lipid lamellar structure.
Decellularized dermis in combination with cultivated keratinocytes in a short‐ and long‐term animal experimental investigation
Authors: Bannasch H , Stark GB , Knam F , Horch RE , Föhn M 
Published: July 2007

AbstractDecellularized human dermis as a potentially ideal scaffold for dermal substitution in severe burns was examined in a two‐staged animal experiment. In an initial step, anin vitrogenerated composite graft consisting of human keratinocytes and decellularized dermis (AlloDerm®) was transplanted onto nude mice in a short‐term trial (n = 20, 14 days). Subsequently, a combined one‐step grafting of full thickness wounds with both decellularized dermis (in part preincubated with fibroblasts) and cultivated autologous keratinocytes as a cell suspension in fibrin glue was done in a long‐term porcine animal model (n = 10, 6 months). In both series, macroscopic wound healing was evaluated by planimetry. Histological investigations included morphological as well as immunohistochemical parameters. The short‐term study showed both successful integration of the composite grafts and reduction of wound contraction compared with the control group (epithelial grafts). The long‐term porcine study displayed reduced myofibroblast formation and contraction in the wounds that had been treated with fibroblast‐preincubated dermis. After 4 weeks, a decline of the structural integrity of the dermal matrix could be noticed.The utility of decellularized dermis as template for both dermal reconstitution and keratinocyte delivery vehicle was shown. The closure of full thickness wounds by a single‐step combination of an autologous keratinocyte fibrin sealant suspension and acellular dermis in a pig animal model could be shown. Incorporation of fibroblasts led to reduced wound contraction but could not prevent the loss of dermal integrity. The engineered ‘skin’ remained viable and stable over a period of 6 months.
An assessment of population size and distribution of harbour seals in the Republic of Ireland during the moult season in August 2003
Authors: Cronin M. , Duck C. , Cadhla O. Ó. , Nairn R. , Strong D. , O'Keeffe C. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe status of Ireland's harbour sealPhoca vitulina vitulinapopulation is poorly understood. The most recent national population estimate dates back to the breeding season in 1978 and did not cover the entire coastline. Reliable up‐to‐date information on the abundance and distribution of harbour seals in Ireland is necessary to assess the conservation status of the species and for the effective identification, management and monitoring of special areas of conservation required for harbour seals under the EU Habitats Directive. To provide comprehensive current information on Ireland's harbour seal population, a geographically extensive survey was conducted along the coastline of the Republic of Ireland during the species' annual moult in August 2003. This complemented a similar survey of Northern Ireland, which was conducted in 2002. Using thermal imaging technology, haul‐out groups of harbour seals and grey sealsHalichoerus grypuswere identified from the air, aerial‐counts were obtained and compared with simultaneous ground‐count data from selected sites. Harbour seal distribution recorded during the 2003 moult season was concentrated in the south‐west, west and north‐west of the country. This national survey yielded a minimum population estimate for the Republic of Ireland of 2905 harbour seals, delivering an effective baseline for current and future population research.
Viability analysis of endangered crayfish populations
Authors: Meyer K. M. , Gimpel K. , Brandl R. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe noble crayfish Astacus astacus L. is a threatened freshwater invertebrate. Many of the remaining populations are isolated and there is considerable concern that diseases and the increased frequency of flooding events may drive these remnant populations to extinction. We performed a population viability analysis for a typical isolated noble crayfish population. We quantified the extinction risk by the mean time to extinction within 1000 years for several scenarios (flooding events, restocking of adults). For a set of parameters derived from field estimates, we estimated the mean time to extinction to be 240 years. However, the median was only 80 years. Multiple sensitivity analysis by logistic regression revealed that spawning probability, juvenile and adult mortality were the important parameters for the survival of the population. The mean time to extinction decreased with increasing frequency of floodings. This is alarming, considering the magnitude of the effect and the expectation of an increasing number of floodings with global warming. Restocking, however, was found to have only a minor effect on the mean time to extinction. Overall, our simulations suggested that for the long‐term and self‐sustaining survival of the noble crayfish, particularly where they remain isolated, we have to improve the extent and quality of habitats. Nevertheless, additional measures are necessary, especially the removal of dispersal barriers to allow some exchange of individuals between populations. However, this also calls for a control of invasive crayfish species.