The communication of meaning in social systems

The sociological domain is different from the psychological one insofar as meaning can be communicated at the supra-individual level (Schutz, 1932; Luhmann, 1984). The computation of anticipatory systems enables us to distinguish between these domains in terms of weakly and strongly anticipatory systems with a structural coupling between them (Maturana, 1978). Anticipatory systems have been defined as systems which entertain models of themselves (Rosen, 1985). The model provides meaning to the modeled system from the perspective of hindsight, that is, by advancing along the time axis towards possible future states. Strongly anticipatory systems construct their own future states (Dubois, 1998a and b). The dynamics of weak and strong anticipations can be simulated as incursion and hyper-incursion, respectively. Hyper-incursion generates "horizons of meaning" (Husserl, 1929) among which choices have to be made by incursive agency

Cosmic-ray transport in the galactic magnetosphere

It is advantageous to regard cosmic rays as the constitutent particles of the Galactic radiation belts and cosmic ray energization as a consequence of inward radial diffusion in the quasi-dipolar Galactic magnetosphere. This process occurs in addition to Fermi acceleration. The purpose of this work is to explore a magnetospheric explanation for the elevation of Galactic charged particles to cosmic ray energies. The magnetosphere that is of interest in this context is not a planetary magnetosphere but a galactic magnetosphere entirely analogous to those inferred from radio observations of distant galaxies. It is the magnetosphere of the Milky Way. Cosmic rays are (by this interpretation) the charged particles that constitute the radiation belts of the Galactic magnetosphere. Thus, the mechanism by which charged particles attain cosmic-ray energies is presumable the mechanism by which radiation-belt particles attain high energies in more familiar magnetosphere, i.e., the radial diffusion associated with magnetic disturbances that contain spectral power resonant with the azimuthal drift of the particles

Expenditure on Environmentally Sensitive Goods and Services: Household Spending in Europe

Expenditure on environmentally sensitive goods and services has been analysed for the member states of the EEC, using the EUROSTAT Family Budgets data based on surveys carried out in 1988. Some data are also available from Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The groups with low average expenditures spend a higher proportion of their budget on energy than those with high expenditures, but a lower proportion on transport, especially vehicle purchases. However, all groups spend a much higher proportion of expenditure on transport than on energy, although purchased (i.e. non-private motoring and public) transport is a small proportion of transport spending, even for low expenditure groups. Pensioners spend a relatively high proportion of their budgets on package tours, especially compared to the other 'at risk' groups

Workshop on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere

Thirty-three papers based on the state of our knowledge prior to the anticipated new results from Mars Observer were presented at the workshop. Because of the nature of the subject, the scope of the papers covered a broad disciplinary range encompassing astronomy and solar physics, geology and geophysics, climatology, atmospheric science, aeronomy, and space physics. The 42 participants heard about topics from the evolution of solar-type stars to candidate instrumentation for measuring escape to space on yet-unscheduled future missions

Trust, regulatory processes and NICE decision-making: Appraising cost-effectiveness models through appraising people and systems.

This article presents an ethnographic study of regulatory decision-making regarding the cost-effectiveness of expensive medicines at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England. We explored trust as one important mechanism by which problems of complexity and uncertainty were resolved. Existing studies note the salience of trust for regulatory decisions, by which the appraisal of people becomes a proxy for appraising technologies themselves. Although such (dis)trust in manufacturers was one important influence, we describe a more intricate web of (dis)trust relations also involving various expert advisors, fellow committee members and committee Chairs. Within these complex chains of relations, we found examples of both more blind-acquiescent and more critical-investigative forms of trust as well as, at times, pronounced distrust. Difficulties in overcoming uncertainty through other means obliged trust in some contexts, although not in others. (Dis)trust was constructed through inferences involving abstract systems alongside actors’ oral and written presentations-of-self. Systemic features and ‘forced options’ to trust indicate potential insidious processes of regulatory capture

Weak, Quiet Magnetic Fields Seen in the Venus Atmosphere.

The existence of a strong internal magnetic field allows probing of the interior through both long term changes of and short period fluctuations in that magnetic field. Venus, while Earth's twin in many ways, lacks such a strong intrinsic magnetic field, but perhaps short period fluctuations can still be used to probe the electrical conductivity of the interior. Toward the end of the Venus Express mission, an aerobraking campaign took the spacecraft below the ionosphere into the very weakly electrically conducting atmosphere. As the spacecraft descended from 150 to 140 km altitude, the magnetic field became weaker on average and less noisy. Below 140 km, the median field strength became steady but the short period fluctuations continued to weaken. The weakness of the fluctuations indicates they might not be useful for electromagnetic sounding of the atmosphere from a high altitude platform such as a plane or balloon, but possibly could be attempted on a lander

La economía de la sociedad como sistema autopoiético

Every society has to solve economic problems. In modern society this occurs with the help of a differentiated economic system. In spite of all its interdependencies and causal links, which tend to increase due to functional differentiation of society, economic system operates as an "autopoietic" subsystem under functional autonomy. This system is closed by its recursive circularity. It consists of payments that are based on other payments and that allow further payments. In this sense, the elements of the system are produced by the elements of the system and the environment of the system contains no elements of that type. Economic system is at the same time an open system since its operations are adapted to the needs of its social and human environment, and because its function consists of ensuring the prospect that future demands will be satisfied in a nearby future. In this sense the closeness of the system is the condition for its openness and vice versa. This article outlines some consequences of this theoretical approach.Toda sociedad tiene que resolver problemas económicos. En la sociedad moderna esto sucede con la ayuda de un sistema económico diferenciado. A pesar de todas sus interdependencias y vínculos causales, los cuales se incrementan aún más debido a la diferenciación funcional de la sociedad, el sistema económico opera como un subsistema "autopoiético" bajo autonomía funcional. Este sistema se encuentra cerrado por su circularidad recursiva. Está compuesto de pagos que son posibles en base a otros pagos y que permiten pagos adicionales. En este sentido, los elementos del sistema son producidos por los elementos del sistema y el entorno del sistema no contiene ningún elemento de este tipo. El sistema económico es al mismo tiempo un sistema abierto, ya que sus operaciones están adaptadas a las necesidades de su entorno social y humano, y debido a que su función consiste en garantizar la perspectiva que ulteriores demandas serán satisfechas en un futuro cercano. En este sentido la clausura del sistema es condición de su apertura, y viceversa. El presente artículo traza algunas consecuencias de este enfoque teórico