scholarly journals Civilization as a Large-Scale Energy-Information System

Author(s):  
V.V. Bushuev

The world is a triadic meta-system: nature - society - man, in which all components are linked by material, energy, and information relationships. These system subjects and their relationships are civilization structures represented by a "community" in our planetary House, i.e., Ecos (from the Greek ‘oikos’ – dwelling in various zones of the earthly oecumene). Civilization is a set of socio-natural factors, the system of life, and cultural-and-mental relations in the eco-system in its certain evolution stage. Regional and mental features (like apartments in an apartment house) characterize certain historical and geographical types of civilization, among which the Atlantic, East-Eurasian, and Islamic ones stand out. All of them are in different stages of their evolution and differ in their material level, the organization of social life, and the target vision of their arrangement. The current stage of the civilization development is characterized by a thorough transformation of all its types under the influence of regular cyclicality and change in the dominant factors of socio-natural relations in the planetary House, given the qualitatively new features of modernity - massive digitalization as a way of integrating the real (material and power energy) and verbal (subtle-energy and information) worlds. The paper briefly examines historical aspects of the cyclical development of civilization (using the example of its East-Eurasian type) and presents the author's target vision (foresight) of its future for the time horizon until the middle of the 21st century.

1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 163-173
Author(s):  
R. Boll ◽  
R. Kayser

The Braunschweig wastewater land treatment system as the largest in Western Germany serves a population of about 270.000 and has an annual flow of around 22 Mio m3. The whole treatment process consists of three main components : a pre-treatment plant as an activated sludge process, a sprinkler irrigation area of 3.000 ha of farmland and an old sewage farm of 200 ha with surface flooding. This paper briefly summarizes the experiences with management and operation of the system, the treatment results with reference to environmental impact, development of agriculture and some financial aspects.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranav C

UNSTRUCTURED The word blockchain elicits thoughts of cryptocurrency much of the time, which does disservice to this disruptive new technology. Agreed, bitcoin launched in 2011 was the first large scale implementation of blockchain technology. Also, Bitcoin’s success has triggered the establishment of nearly 1000 new cryptocurrencies. This again lead to the delusion that the only application of blockchain technology is for the creation of cryptocurrency. However, the blockchain technology is capable of a lot more than just cryptocurrency creation and may support such things as transactions that require personal identification, peer review, elections and other types of democratic decision-making and audit trails. Blockchain exists with real world implementations beyond cryptocurrencies and these solutions deliver powerful benefits to healthcare organizations, bankers, retailers and consumers among others. One of the areas where blockchain technology can be used effectively is healthcare industry. Proper application of this technology in healthcare will not only save billions of money but also will contribute to the growth in research. This review paper briefly defines blockchain and deals in detail the applications of blockchain in various areas particularly in healthcare industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 810-811
Author(s):  
Jayant Pinto

Abstract Decline of the sense of smell with age causes a marked impact on older adults, markedly reducing quality of life. Olfactory dysfunction impairs nutrition, decreases the ability to experience pleasure, and results in depression, among other burdens. Large-scale population studies have identified impaired olfaction as a key heath indicator that predicts the development of decreased physical and mental health, reduced physical activity, weight loss, mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and mortality itself. These data have been generated via analyses of data from several aging cohorts, including the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP); the Beaver Dam cohort; the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities project; the Rush Memory and Aging Project; the Health, Aging, and Body Composition project; the Washington Heights/Inwood Columbia Aging Project; among others. In this presentation, we will review the close connection between olfaction, health, aging, including discussion of insights from these studies. We will also discuss emerging data from NSHAP on the effects of sensory function on cognition, mental health, and social interaction, which demonstrate that sensory function plays a vital role in the lives of older adults. Part of a symposium sponsored by Sensory Health Interest Group.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-124
Author(s):  
Ronald S. Stade

Political correctness has become a fighting word used to dismiss and discredit political opponents. The article traces the conceptual history of this fighting word. In anthropological terms, it describes the social life of the concept of political correctness and its negation, political incorrectness. It does so by adopting a concept-in-motion methodology, which involves tracking the concept through various cultural and political regimes. It represents an attempt to synthesize well-established historiographic and anthropological approaches. A Swedish case is introduced that reveals the kind of large-scale historical movements and deep-seated political conflicts that provide the contemporary context for political correctness and its negation. Thereupon follows an account of the conceptual history of political correctness from the eighteenth century up to the present. Instead of a conventional conclusion, the article ends with a political analysis of the current rise of fascism around the world and how the denunciation of political correctness is both indicative of and instrumental in this process.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Giuliani ◽  
Rosa Grazia De Paoli ◽  
Enrica Di Miceli

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present and validate a large-scale methodology for risk assessment and management in cultural heritage sites, taking into account their specific tangible or intangible values. Emphasis is given to historic centres that are key resources in building resilience to disasters but are also highly vulnerable due to several factors, such as the characteristics of the built environment, the community and social life, the lack of risk awareness and maintenance and finally the poor regulatory framework for their management and valorisation.Design/methodology/approachThe multi-step procedure starts from the assessment of the attributes of cultural heritage in order to identify priorities and address the analysis. Then, it evaluates the primary and secondary hazards in the area, the vulnerabilities and threats of the site and the impacts of the chain of events. Finally, it allows for calibrating a site-specific set of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures.FindingsThe application to two case studies in the Italian peninsula, the historic centres of San Gimignano and Reggio Calabria, allows for identifying research gaps and practical opportunities towards the adoption of common guidelines for the selection of safety measures.Originality/valueBy providing a qualitative assessment of risks, the research points out the potentialities of the methodology in the disaster risk management of cultural heritage due to its capacity to be comprehensive and inclusive towards disciplines and professionals.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document