Technische Universität Dresden: Qucosa
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A neurophysiological perspective on the integration between incidental learning and cognitive control
Get PDFAdaptive behaviour requires interaction between neurocognitive systems. Yet, the possibility of concurrent cognitive control and incidental sequence learning remains contentious. We designed an experimental procedure of cognitive conflict monitoring that follows a pre-defined sequence unknown to participants, in which either statistical or rule-based regularities were manipulated. We show that participants learnt the statistical differences in the sequence when stimulus conflict was high. Neurophysiological (EEG) analyses confirmed but also specified the behavioural results: the nature of conflict, the type of sequence learning, and the stage of information processing jointly determine whether cognitive conflict and sequence learning support or compete with each other. Especially statistical learning has the potential to modulate conflict monitoring. Cognitive conflict and incidental sequence learning can engage in cooperative fashion when behavioural adaptation is challenging. Three replication and follow-up experiments provide insights into the generalizability of these results and suggest that the interaction of learning and cognitive control is dependent on the multifactorial aspects of adapting to a dynamic environment. The study indicates that connecting the fields of cognitive control and incidental learning is advantageous to achieve a synergistic view of adaptive behaviour
A sleep-active neuron can promote survival while sleep behavior is disturbed
Get PDFSleep is controlled by neurons that induce behavioral quiescence and physiological restoration. It is not known, however, how sleep neurons link sleep behavior and survival. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the sleep-active RIS neuron induces sleep behavior and is required for survival of starvation and wounding. Sleep-active neurons such as RIS might hypothetically promote survival primarily by causing sleep behavior and associated conservation of energy. Alternatively, RIS might provide a survival benefit that does not depend on behavioral sleep. To probe these hypotheses, we tested how activity of the sleep-active RIS neuron in Caenorhabditis elegans controls sleep behavior and survival during larval starvation. To manipulate the activity of RIS, we expressed constitutively active potassium channel (twk-18gf and egl-23gf) or sodium channel (unc-58gf) mutant alleles in this neuron. Low levels of unc-58gf expression in RIS increased RIS calcium transients and sleep. High levels of unc-58gf expression in RIS elevated baseline calcium activity and inhibited calcium activation transients, thus locking RIS activity at a high but constant level. This manipulation caused a nearly complete loss of sleep behavior but increased survival. Long-term optogenetic activation also caused constantly elevated RIS activity and a small trend towards increased survival. Disturbing sleep by lethal blue-light stimulation also overactivated RIS, which again increased survival. FLP-11 neuropeptides were important for both, induction of sleep behavior and starvation survival, suggesting that FLP-11 might have divergent roles downstream of RIS. These results indicate that promotion of sleep behavior and survival are separable functions of RIS. These two functions may normally be coupled but can be uncoupled during conditions of strong RIS activation or when sleep behavior is impaired. Through this uncoupling, RIS can provide survival benefits under conditions when behavioral sleep is disturbed. Promoting survival in the face of impaired sleep might be a general function of sleep neurons
Deciphering the genetic basis of immune thrombocytopenia: current evidence for genetic predisposition in adult ITP
Get PDFImmune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is the consequence of a complex, still incompletely understood immunological dysregulation. Proposed mechanisms include autoantibody-induced platelet destruction, impaired platelet production as well as abnormalities in T-cell immunity, such as T helper cells (Th1) polarization, a high proportion of Th17 cells, and a reduced number of regulatory T cells. Although the etiology of ITP is incompletely understood and considered multifactorial in most cases, genetic variants are thought to play a key role in susceptibility to ITP, especially in persistent or chronic ITP. Efforts are currently underway to uncover possible predisposing genetic factors for the development of ITP. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variations have been identified in several immune-related genes, such as cytokine genes, Fcγ receptor genes or T-cell costimulation genes, and have been associated with patients’ susceptibility to ITP. However, because of the clinical heterogeneity and low incidence of ITP it remains challenging to perform genetic analyses with sufficiently large sample size within informative patient populations, highlighting the need for collection of well-annotated biomaterials in clinical trials or registry projects. Another significant challenge is to go beyond performing association studies alone and to establish genotype-phenotype associations, thus proving causality between a genetic alteration and ITP pathogenesis. This review summarizes our current knowledge on genetic alterations identified as potential predisposing factors for the development of ITP in adults, thereby addressing signaling pathways considered critical for ITP pathogenesis
On the Systematic Construction of Lyapunov Functions for Polynomial Systems
Get PDFLyapunov functions are a widely used tool to evaluate stability properties of nonlinear dynamical systems' equilibria. In this paper quantifier elimination is used to construct Lyapunov functions for polynomial systems from a parametric ansatz. Because the existing algorithms for quantifier elimination are inherently computationally expensive, a strategy is to simplify the quantifier elimination problem beforehand. A method is presented that may help simplifying the problem of finding suitable Lyapunov functions by deriving easier to evaluate necessary conditions. Finally, the introduced method is applied to an example system to show local asymptotic stability of an equilibrium point by constructing a Lyapunov function
Learning from Japanese Businesses: Ethics in Operational Excellence
Get PDFHumanistic management in a non-Western context is underexplored, for example, in Japan. Despite numerous publications especially on Japanese management in the 1980s to 1990s the topic of humanistic management in a Japanese context remains largely unexplored. Using Toyota as a case, this article illustrates how a company has systematically implemented Japanese ethical principles based upon Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Shintoism in its corporate ethics and operations. These moral philosophies emphasize self-improvement, social cooperation, and contribution to society as foundations for good behavior regardless of an individual’s social position. We link some of these philosophic elements with humanistic management in an Asian context. In addition, we came to understand that Toyota’s organizational architecture, i.e., production system and product development rely on an integrated ethical system as their fundamental purpose of business activities, including an expectation that all workers collectively contribute to organizational success and harmony. This differs from many Western approaches which see profit as the purpose of the firm and view their ethical responsibilities in an ex-post fashion. These findings are important, as the scope of humanistic management practices globally needs to be expanded
Co-creation of business models for smallholder forest farmers’ organizations: Lessons learned from rural Ethiopia and Tanzania
Get PDFForest farmers’ organizations (FFOs) have recently gained scholarly attention as a collective action instrument to upgrade value chains. However, insights into possible business models and organizational forms of FFOs remain fragmented. This study thus aimed to co-create FFO business models in order to assess the business models in the context of the regulatory framework and the value chain upgrading theory. The Input–Output scheme and the Business Model Canvas (BMC) were merged to create an analytical lens. Participatory workshops with two farmers’ organizations, each in Ethiopia and Tanzania, were conducted and triangulated with ten focus group discussions and 25 key informant interviews. The co-created business models reflected the grassroots entrepreneurial potential of smallholders to envision FFOs. The gaps requiring external support, namely the know-how in accessing microfinance, silvicultural practices, and entrepreneurship, were revealed. We argue that the transformation from a farmers’ organization to an FFO enables wood value chain upgrading. Diversifying wood with non-wood products is key for FFOs. Regardless of how the regulatory framework shapes external support, the local government plays a pivotal role in facilitating the connection between FFOs and (non-)governmental support actors. Through this research, we develop suggestions for further empirical studies and offer several recommendations for decision-makers
Presymptomatic type 1 diabetes and disease severity at onset: Letter
Get PDFTo the Editor: The recent fndings of Hummel et al demonstrate the potential clinical benefts of identifying children with presymptomatic type 1 diabetes [1]. The authors compared children who developed type 1 diabetes after a previous diagnosis of presymptomatic type 1 diabetes in the Fr1da study with those in a registry cohort of children diagnosed without a prediagnosis [aus dem Brief
Spatiotemporal change detection of land use land cover (LULC) in Fashiakhali wildlife sanctuary (FKWS) impact area, Bangladesh, employing multispectral images and GIS
Get PDFLand cover change has posed significant concerns to biodiversity and climate change in Bangladesh and globally. Despite the country’s designation of forest regions as protected areas to conserve their valuable resources, deforestation and forest conversion remained unabated. Fashiakhali Wildlife Sanctuary (FKWS), a protected area in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and its surrounding forested impact area have experienced considerable changes over the years, yet are deficient in extensive assessment. This study evaluated the land use land cover (LULC) changes in the FKWS impact area over almost 3 decades (1994–2021) using multispectral remotely sensed data. The Landsat images of 1994, 2001, 2010, and 2021 were classified using a maximum likelihood algorithm and analyzed for change detection. The comparative potential of vegetation indices, including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), in forest cover assessment, and the relationship between Land Surface Temperature (LST) and NDVI was also assessed. A significant forest cover loss of around 1117.17 ha (16%) was recorded in the FKWS impact area between 1994 and 2021, with the hugest proportion of 867.78 ha (12.24%) deforested in the first period (1994–2001). Agricultural land also declined by 593.73 ha (8.37%) within the entire period, despite its initial increase of 392.04 ha (5.53%) between 2001 and 2010, being the primary driver of earlier deforestation. However, in the recent decade (2010–2021), settlement expansion of 963.90 ha (13.59%) due to massive human migration in the area contributed to the most remarkable overall land cover change of 1731.51 ha (24.42%). Furthermore, NDVI provided a better and more accurate forest cover assessment than SAVI and was recommended to aid in the quick evaluation and monitoring of the future impacts of agriculture, settlement, and other sorts of land use on the forest cover. In tandem with the widely acknowledged issue of increased temperature due to climate change, an absolute negative correlation was found between the NDVI and LST, confirming the negative impact of climate change on forest loss in the FKWS impact area
Machine learning-enabled graphene-based electronic olfaction sensors and their olfactory performance assessment
Get PDFOlfaction is an evolutionary old sensory system, which provides sophisticated access to information about our surroundings. In particular, detecting the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during natural and artificial processes can be used as characteristic fingerprints and help to identify their source. Inspired by the biological example, artificial olfaction aims at achieving similar performance and thus digitizing the sense of smell. Here, we present the development of machine learning-enabled graphene-based electronic olfaction sensors and propose an approach to assess their olfactory performance toward VOCs. Eleven transient kinetic features extracted from the sensing response profile are utilized as their fingerprint information. By mimicking the Sniffin' Sticks test, electronic olfaction sensors exhibit high olfactory performance toward four VOC odors (clove, eucalyptus, lemon, and rose scent) in terms of odor detection threshold, odor discrimination, and identification performance. Upon exposure to binary odor mixtures, response features of electronic olfaction sensors behave more similarly to that of an individual odor, with a tendency that correlates with their ratio, resembling the overshadowing effect in human olfactory perception. Molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations results reveal competing adsorption mechanisms between odorant molecules and sensing materials. This may facilitate electronic olfaction sensor applications in some emerging fields, such as environmental monitoring or public security
The 20th Anniversary of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Expressions: Are the Convention’s Objectives (still) “Fit for Future”?
Get PDFFor two decades, the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (DCE) has played a pivotal role in shaping international cultural policy. This article explores the actual relevance of the Convention's Objectives against the backdrop of current global challenges such as poverty, climate change, digitization, and gender equality. The authors reflect on the Convention’s effectiveness in fostering international cooperation, supporting cultural policies, and promoting the inclusion of culture in development agendas. Notwithstanding emerging obstacles, the Convention’s framework has consistently been reaffirmed and shown dynamic adaptability to new developments, particularly through its doctrinal intersections with human rights law and its influence on States’ cultural policies. Key institutional mechanisms such as the International Fund for Cultural Diversity and initiatives like the 'Fair Culture' movement underscore the Convention’s role in promoting sustainable cultural development and equitable trade in cultural goods and services. In conclusion, with its broad framework of Objectives, the 2005 Convention remains a vital instrument in fostering cultural diversity, capable of responding to evolving global priorities while advocating for solidarity and creative collaboration among member States and civil society.:Introduction 1
A. Overview and legal structure 1
B. Realization of the stated Objectives of the 2005 Convention 2
I. Obligations of Parties to the Convention regarding the Convention’s Objectives 2
II. Role of the Conference of Parties 2
III. Role of the Intergovernmental Committee 3
IV. Contribution of the Convention’s Secretariat 4
V. Involvement of Civil Society Stakeholders 5
C. Relevance of Global Reports and policy monitoring frameworks 6
I. Developing the policy monitoring framework as a basis for periodic reporting and policy development 6
II. Reaching the Objectives: Assessments based on Global Reports 7
D. The Convention’s Objectives and UNESCO’s strategic priorities 2022–2029 8
I. Achieving gender equality and justice 8
II. Enhancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063: ”The Africa we want” 8
E. Promoting the Objectives of the 2005 Convention in other international fora 9
I. United Nations General Assembly 9
II. The Group of Twenty (G20) 11
F. The Convention’s Objectives in view of future challenges and opportunities 12
G. Concluding remarks 13
References 1