Relationships Between the Processes of Emergence and Abstraction in Societies

Author(s):  
Eric Baumer ◽  
Bill Tomlinson

This chapter presents an argument that the process of emergence is the converse of the process of abstraction. Emergence involves complex behavior resulting from simple rules, while abstraction forming simple rules that describe complex behavior. This converse relationship suggests the possibility that similar mechanisms underlie both processes, and a greater understanding of one can lead to a greater understanding of the other. Especially in the case of human and artificial social systems, the processes of abstraction and emergence are inextricably interconnected; the abstractions that individuals make will determine what behaviors emerge, and the behaviors that emerge in the society determine what abstractions will be made. This relationship between the two processes, which we call the abstraction-emergence loop, can be used to gain a better understanding of both. It is argued that the abstraction-emergence loop functions over various degrees of complexity and levels of detail, and that the loop has the greatest efficacy in certain ranges of detail. This way of understanding the two processes has particular bearing on social interactions; in order to understand macro-level emergent social phenomena, we must also simultaneously understand the micro-level phenomena from which they arise. In considering when emergence occurs, the role of the observer in the emergence abstraction loop is also discussed. In addition to describing various properties of the abstraction-emergence loop, this chapter presents descriptions of several ongoing and future research projects in the creation of autonomous agent societies, and offers pointers to future research directions aimed at exploring and understanding the nature of the abstraction-emergence loop. Such an understanding of the relationship between abstraction and emergence can be helpful in designing communities of autonomous agents that interact socially with each other and with humans, and may also be a helpful step toward understanding the phenomena of emergence and abstraction in general.

Author(s):  
Marian Tanofsky-Kraff ◽  
Denise E. Wilfley

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a focused, time-limited treatment that targets interpersonal problem(s) associated with the onset and/or maintenance of EDs. IPT is supported by substantial empirical evidence documenting the role of interpersonal factors in the onset and maintenance of EDs. IPT is a viable alternative to cognitive behavior therapy for the treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The effectiveness of IPT for the treatment of anorexia nervosa requires further investigation. The utility of IPT for the prevention of obesity is currently being explored. Future research directions include enhancing the delivery of IPT for EDs, increasing the availability of IPT in routine clinical care settings, exploring IPT adolescent and parent–child adaptations, and developing IPT for the prevention of eating and weight-related problems that may promote full-syndrome EDs or obesity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4646
Author(s):  
Alexey A. Tinkov ◽  
Monica M. B. Paoliello ◽  
Aksana N. Mazilina ◽  
Anatoly V. Skalny ◽  
Airton C. Martins ◽  
...  

Understanding of the immediate mechanisms of Mn-induced neurotoxicity is rapidly evolving. We seek to provide a summary of recent findings in the field, with an emphasis to clarify existing gaps and future research directions. We provide, here, a brief review of pertinent discoveries related to Mn-induced neurotoxicity research from the last five years. Significant progress was achieved in understanding the role of Mn transporters, such as SLC39A14, SLC39A8, and SLC30A10, in the regulation of systemic and brain manganese handling. Genetic analysis identified multiple metabolic pathways that could be considered as Mn neurotoxicity targets, including oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, cell signaling pathways, and interference with neurotransmitter metabolism, to name a few. Recent findings have also demonstrated the impact of Mn exposure on transcriptional regulation of these pathways. There is a significant role of autophagy as a protective mechanism against cytotoxic Mn neurotoxicity, yet also a role for Mn to induce autophagic flux itself and autophagic dysfunction under conditions of decreased Mn bioavailability. This ambivalent role may be at the crossroad of mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis. Yet very recent evidence suggests Mn can have toxic impacts below the no observed adverse effect of Mn-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. The impact of Mn exposure on supramolecular complexes SNARE and NLRP3 inflammasome greatly contributes to Mn-induced synaptic dysfunction and neuroinflammation, respectively. The aforementioned effects might be at least partially mediated by the impact of Mn on α-synuclein accumulation. In addition to Mn-induced synaptic dysfunction, impaired neurotransmission is shown to be mediated by the effects of Mn on neurotransmitter systems and their complex interplay. Although multiple novel mechanisms have been highlighted, additional studies are required to identify the critical targets of Mn-induced neurotoxicity.


2020 ◽  
pp. 251512742097966
Author(s):  
Birgitte Wraae ◽  
Candida Brush ◽  
Shahrokh Nikou

Significant research explores effectiveness of entrepreneurial curriculum, teaching innovations and programs, but less often studied is the role of entrepreneurship educators. The way that the educator sees his or her role relative to the students is of critical importance because this directly influences pedagogy choices, expectations for students and learning outcomes, as well as job satisfaction. While recent studies propose typologies characterizing pedagogical approaches of educators, few of these are based on the data from entrepreneurship educators. Framed within role identity theory, we conducted 13 in–depth interviews to examine how entrepreneurship educators perceive their role. Using the qualitative data analysis tool (NVivo), we analyzed how the relationship between their perceptions of their role and core value orientation is connected to teaching approaches. Results show that these educators view their roles as teacher-focused, network-focused, or student-focused and that these perspectives are associated with different perceptions of students’ role and learning objectives. Further, we find different levels of emphasis on roles and that personal core values are differentially linked to these roles. Implications and future research directions are discussed.


1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 527-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
E G Levine ◽  
R A King ◽  
C D Bloomfield

Heredity is generally felt to play a minor role in the development of cancer. This review critically examines this assumption. Topics discussed include evidence for heritable predisposition in animals and humans; the potential importance of genetic-environmental interactions; approaches that are being used to successfully locate genes responsible for heritable predisposition; comparability of genetic findings among heritable and corresponding sporadic malignancies; and future research directions. Breast, colon, and lung cancer are used to exemplify clinical and research activity in familial cancer; clinical phenotypes, segregation and linkage analyses, models for environmental interactions with inherited traits, and molecular mechanisms of tumor development are discussed. We conclude that the contribution of heredity to the cancer burden is greater than generally accepted, and that study of heritable predisposition will continue to reveal carcinogenic mechanisms important to the development of all cancers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (39) ◽  
pp. 54-69
Author(s):  
Vanya Banabakova

Logistics continuously expands its application areas. In modern conditions, there is a need to apply logistics in areas not related to its traditional applications such as military and business spheres, resulting in the identification of a third area with the name social logistics. Social logistics aims to introduce a social (human) factor into the systems and to apply logistic principles and methods in solving the problems of society. Social logistics can be defined as a set of actions that ensure the effective functioning of social systems (such as a set of social phenomena, processes and subjects), applying the principles of logistics. For the purposes of this paper, a number of scientific approaches and methods have been applied, such as system approach, comparative analysis, critical analysis, synthesis and others. Social logistics plays an important role in national security, including economic and social security. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of social logistics in enhancing national security, including economic and social security.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milana Pivaš

Equally effective and demanding for all students, the traditional paradigm prevents independent acquisition of knowledge in a changed social context. Students should be able to independently research and analyze natural and social phenomena and processes. The role of the teacher is to create a complete picture, and not to interpret the content knowledge as biological, geographical, or historical. To avoid the passivity of students in the teaching process, it is necessary to choose an informal context and adapt it to the content being learned. In this paper, we have tried to point out the importance of an integrative approach in the non-formal educational context within the content of the subject Science and Social studies. We have presented the practical implication regarding natural and social contents. Lack of resources, time and interest of teachers are cited as obstacles to this way of working. In addition to pointing out the effective application of the informal context in a changed social context, we also provided suggestions for future research to improve teaching practice.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Shahela Saif ◽  
Samabia Tehseen

Deep learning has been used in computer vision to accomplish many tasks that were previously considered too complex or resource-intensive to be feasible. One remarkable application is the creation of deepfakes. Deepfake images change or manipulate a person’s face to give a different expression or identity by using generative models. Deepfakes applied to videos can change the facial expressions in a manner to associate a different speech with a person than the one originally given. Deepfake videos pose a serious threat to legal, political, and social systems as they can destroy the integrity of a person. Research solutions are being designed for the detection of such deepfake content to preserve privacy and combat fake news. This study details the existing deepfake video creation techniques and provides an overview of the deepfake datasets that are publicly available. More importantly, we provide an overview of the deepfake detection methods, along with a discussion on the issues, challenges, and future research directions. The study aims to present an all-inclusive overview of deepfakes by providing insights into the deepfake creation techniques and the latest detection methods, facilitating the development of a robust and effective deepfake detection solution.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 442-455
Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Zhengxue Luo ◽  
Zhen Wang

Built upon conservation of resource theory and self-determination theory, this study explores boundary conditions under which family-supportive supervisors (FSSs) influence employee-perceived leader–member exchange (LMX) and work–family enrichment (WFE). Findings from this research reveal that FSSs positively relate to employee perceptions of LMX and WFE. Employees’ collectivistic self-construals moderate the effect of FSSs on LMX but not on WFE. Implications and future research directions are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1434-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
April W. Armstrong ◽  
Joel M. Gelfand ◽  
Wolf-Henning Boehncke ◽  
Ehrin J. Armstrong

At the 2012 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) in Stockholm, Sweden, several GRAPPA members led a panel discussion on cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The panelists discussed the role of insulin resistance in the pathophysiology of psoriasis, the possible effect of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors on CV comorbidities, and the effect of 12/23 monoclonal antibodies on CV outcomes. The panelists also addressed how lessons from CV comorbidity research could be applied to other areas of comorbidity research in psoriasis and PsA and identified future research directions in this area.


ExRNA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Jin ◽  
Zhigang Guo

Abstract The discovery of small non-coding RNAs, such as miRNA and piRNA, has dramatically changed our understanding of the role RNA plays in organisms. Recent studies show that a novel small non-coding RNA generated from cleavage of tRNA or pre-tRNA, called tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA), serves as a new regulator of gene expression. tsRNA has been determined participate in regulating some specific physiological and pathological processes. Although knowledge regarding the biological roles of miRNA and piRNA is expanding, whether tsRNAs play similar roles remains poorly understood. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of action and biological functions of tsRNAs in intracellular, extracellular and intergenerational inheritance, and highlight the potential application of tsRNAs in human diseases, and present the current problems and future research directions.


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