Minds in Chains: A Sociocybernetic Analysis of the Abrahamic Faiths

I address the troubling matter of ‘pathological belief systems’, which I have previously defined as those that ‘restrict the right of actors to interact’. In particular, I consider the tangled ‘Gordian’ knot of beliefs that constitute the Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is my belief that an analysis based on well-defined cybernetic principles can help cut through this knot and lay bare just what is pathological. The attraction of such an analysis is that it does not require one to pass judgements and ‘take sides’ with respect to the major controversies that divide the faiths. More generally, a properly formulated sociocybernetic analysis does not require one to pose any fundamental opposition between ‘science’ and ‘religion’. What the analysis does is help identify what are the key differences between ‘science’ and ‘religion’ as routes to knowledge and understanding, whilst noting that there are ‘undecidable questions’ about which an individual should be permitted to formulate her own beliefs without opposition or condemnation from others.&nbsp

Sociocybernetic understandings of consciousness

The aim of this paper is to show how sociocybernetics can usefully combine biological, psychological and sociological concepts to provide conceptual clarification and insightful understandings of human consciousness. Following a brief discussion and critique of how the term “consciousness” is used in contemporary cognitive science, awareness and consciousness are characterised in cybernetic terms as the dynamics of self-organising, autopoietic systems and their interactions. Sociocybernetic models of conscious systems are presented and discussed. It is argued that in order to characterise human consciousness it is necessary to make a distinction between bio-mechanical systemic unities and psychosocial systemic unities. Reflexively, this gives rise to a second-order cybernetics in which the observer explains herself to herself. Finally, there is a discussion of how sociocybernetic understandings of consciousness can give guidance for how to create and sustain communities in which good will prevails.

On Messages

In this paper, I discuss the concept of a ‘message’ as applied to the different forms of communication: between man and machine, between machine and machine and between man and man. The term ‘message’ can refer to a relatively simple cause and effect interaction. An example is the transmission of a mechanical signal that, when decoded by a receiving system, triggers a standard response. It can also refer to the much more subtle and complex case where recipients construct meanings on the basis of the messages they receive. I contend that it is only in this latter case that we can properly refer to the interaction as a ‘conversation’. In the paper I present cybernetic models of these two usages. I relate the abstract discussion to current developments concerned with man-machine interaction and the development of a ‘global brain’

Top Tips for healthier providers of health-care in Merseyside and Cheshire

Top tips for healthier providers of health-care aims to support organisations in focusing on the actions they can take to improve the health their patients, their staff, and the wider community that they serve. It builds on a previous report that was carried out by Liverpool Public Health Observatory in 2006, which focused on hospitals. The report is a review of secondary data, alongside examples of local delivery from Merseyside and Cheshire

Rapid Health Impact Assessment for Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust - ‘A New Health Service for Liverpool, World Class Hospitals, World Class Services’

The overall aim of this HIA was to maximise the health benefits, which could result from implementation of the proposals by the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals to redesign its services, develop a new hospital to replace the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (RLUH) on its existing site, and make further investment at Broadgreen Hospital. In order to do this, the following objectives had to be achieved; Identify and profile the population groups who will be affected by the proposal. Identify the potential positive and negative health impacts of the proposal and set out clearly who will be affected by these impacts. Make recommendations for the elimination or mitigation of negative impacts (or compensation for those affected). Make recommendations for the maximisation of positive impacts

Health needs assessment of young offenders in the youth justice system on Merseyside

Liverpool Health Observatory (LPHO) was commissioned to undertake a health needs assessment (HNA) for young offenders across the youth justice system on Merseyside. The HNA covers Liverpool, , Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral and Halton. It includes a detailed description of the young offender population, both nationally and on Merseyside, and a brief review of relevant literature, as well as interviews with young people and health care staff, in both secure and community setting

The effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on neural stem cell populations

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are uncommitted cells of the central nervous system (CNS), defined by their ability to self renew and to generate neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. These cells contribute to the formation of the CNS during embryonic development and in adults for tissue homeostasis. Currently, the best in vitro assay for NSCs is their ability to clonally form neurospheres. Neurospheres are free-floating spherical structures, composed of NSCs, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) as well as differentiated neural cells. To better understand the formation and regulation of NSCs, the developmental time points at which neurospheres can form from the mouse CNS were determined. Novel culture conditions for chick neurosphere culture were then defined and used to characterise the stages neurospheres can be generated from chick CNS tissue. Second, the role of Sox9 in neurosphere formation was investigated. This is a member of the class E group of HMG box containing SOX transcription factors and studies have shown it to be a vital component of the neuron-glia switch. In recent years, radial glia have been reported to exhibit NSC-like properties. Evidence is provided that SOX9 expression coincides with the timing of neurosphere formation from the mouse CNS. Moreover, gain and loss-of-function experiments indicate Sox9 is both necessary and sufficient for neurosphere formation. In addition, Sox9 was able to significantly increase neurosphere generation from the adult SVZ. The secreted molecule sonic hedgehog (SHH) has been implicated in promoting NSC formation and growth. In support of this, experiments described in this thesis suggest that SHH increases both the number of neurosphere forming cells and the proliferation of cells within the neurosphere in El 1.5 mouse spinal cord cultures. Experiments using neurospheres derived from embryonic chick spinal cord and telencephalon cultures reveal a similar proliferative response to SHH as mouse CNS cultures, suggesting conservation of molecular mechanisms. In addition, evidence is provided that SHH can induce early neurosphere formation, both in the embryonic mouse and chick. Moreover, SHH is shown to significantly increase neurosphere generation from the adult NSC niche, the subventricular zone (SVZ). Finally evidence is provided that Sox9 acts downstream of SHH, establishing a functional link between extrinsic and intrinsic factors that control NSCs

Immunocytochemical localization of the neural-specific regulatory subunit of the type II cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase to postsynaptic structures in the rat brain.

The cellular and subcellular distribution of a major cyclic AMP binding protein in the central nervous system, the neural-specific regulatory subunit of the type II cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (RII-B), was analyzed in rat brains with light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical methods. The distribution of the non-neural isoform of the regulatory subunit of the enzyme (RII-H) was also analyzed. It was found that RII-B immunoreactivity was predominantly localized to neurons whereas glial and endothelial cells were unlabeled. In the neurons the RII-B immunoreactivity occurred in the perikaryal cytoplasm and in the dendrites; there was no significant accumulation of immunoreaction product in nuclei, myelinated axons and axon terminals. Although immunoreactivity was never detected in axon terminals, it was characteristically associated with the postsynaptic densities and the surrounding non-synaptic sites in somata, dendrites and dendritic spines. The localization of RII-B antigenic sites did not show specificity to any type of neuron or synapse, but the amount of immunoreactivity varied. The distribution of RII-H immunoreactivity was similar to that of RII-B except that RII-H immunoreaction product was also observed in glial cells and occurred more frequently in myelinated axons. Our data confirm that RII-B is one of the major cyclic AMP binding proteins in neurons, and provide morphological support for the involvement of the type II cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in postsynaptic neural functions

Fixed odds betting terminal use and problem gambling across the Liverpool City region

Liverpool Public Health Observatory was commissioned to look at problem gambling, and Fixed Odds Betting Terminal (FOBT) use, across the Liverpool City Region. The aims of the project were to develop a local evidence base in relation to FOBT use and problem gambling, look at reasons for excess gambling, and to investigate the availability and adequacy of local support services for problem gamblers. The project included an online survey on FOBT use, licensing officer visits to Licensed Betting Offices across the region, as well as interviews with problem gamblers, and staff working with them, across the region