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This article takes up the sport policy and sports science debate on the recognition of competitive computer and video games—so-called eSport—as sport and pursues the goal of differentiating sport and eSport on the basis of systems theory considerations and reflecting on the functions and consequences of recognizing eSport as sport. It begins by addressing the questions of how sport can be observed at all with the help of theories and which epistemological position underlies the systems theory approach. This is followed by a consideration of sport in terms of systems theory as a social functional system and by reflection on forms of structural coupling between the sport system and other social functional systems. In light of these theoretical considerations, the connectivity of eSport to the sport system as well as the functions and consequences of such an integration for structural couplings between the sport system and the systems of health, education, the economy, mass media, and politics are analyzed. The article concludes with an outline of perspectives for future scientific observation of sport and eSport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to reflect on the (in)sufficiency of a constitutional model resulting from the structural coupling between politics and law in the globalized scenario and what alternative(s) are presented. Based on a theoretical-descriptive methodology followed by critical reflections, that support the reflections and results found, it starts from the concept of constitution as a structural coupling between the subsystems of law and politics, proposed by Luhmann's systemic theory (2016), and which responds to a society that has a political subsystem model with the state as its center. The insufficiency of this model of national-state constitution has been highlighted by the phenomenon of globalization, in which partial social spheres go beyond the borders of the state, with new actors, and social sectors have begun to differentiate on a global scale. The problem that arises is how the relationship between the subsystems of law and politics and other partial social spheres comes to be configured in the formation of a new constitutional order. The main conclusion is that, in this new configuration, the constitutionalization of partial spheres will occur through the structural coupling between the reflexive mechanisms of the legal subsystem and those of each constituted subsystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical issue in the study of scientific communication from a systems theoretical perspective is its role in multiple intersystem relationships. During COVID-19, politics has adopted scientific findings to inform political decisions. However, science has in response actively coordinated its operations for providing desired stimuli to politics. Luhmann identified advice as a form of structural coupling that links political and scientific systems. Advice is not a monolithic intervention by which one side acts on the other but is rather an interface that enables the two systems to relate through distancing. In this article, I empirically illustrate how the structural coupling of the political system and scientific system through advice manifests itself in an examination of the roles that various organizations (expert meeting and cluster task forces) have played in Japan's response to COVID-19. Through this analysis, I provide a theoretical insight regarding these organizations and a more detailed case analysis of the transformation of certain organizations to re-describe the system theoretical insights of advice in the form of scientific communication between politics and science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution explores how practices, concepts, and ideas about including and excluding pupils in schools are connected to different arenas of knowledge and how their inter-connectedness produced specific subject positions for pupils. By applying Niklas Luhmann's concept of structural coupling as an analytical approach this article discusses the problem of non-promotion and the emergence of the "deficient child" to grasp the connections between the different social systems involved in these processes. Based on two case studies that deal with specific iterations of efforts to alleviate non-promotion, the contribution exemplifies how structural coupling can help to identify connections between and resulting activities in different social systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the machine tool dynamics at the tooltip is a crucial input for chatter prediction, obtaining these dynamics for industrial applications is neither feasible through experimental impact testing for numerous tool-holder-spindle combinations nor feasible through physics-based modeling of the entire machine tool due to their sophisticated complexities and calibrations. Hence, the often-chosen path is a mathematical coupling of experimentally measured machine tool dynamics to model-predicted tool-holder dynamics. This paper introduces a novel measurement device for the experimental characterization of machine tool dynamics. The device can be simply mounted to the spindle flange to automatically capture the corresponding dynamics at the machine tool side, eliminating the need for expertise and time-consuming setup efforts thus presenting a viable solution for industries. The effectiveness of this method is evaluated against conventional spindle receptance measurement attempts using impact tests. The obtained results are further validated in the prediction of tooltip dynamics and stability boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many mechanical systems, it is very common to bring together different structural elements or subsystems produced by different producers and create a whole coupled system. It is often not possible to manufacture an entire mechanical system in one place. Although the dynamic properties of each of the subsystems produced by different manufacturers are known, it is a matter that should be known and studied how the dynamic behavior of the new system will be after the creation of a new system by combining these subsystems. In this study, a method for structural coupling of mechanical systems is presented in order to contribute to the solution of structural dynamic problems. It is based on Sherman–Morrison formula known for solving mathematical inverse problems of modified matrices. The method is very useful and practical for real mechanical engineering applications due to only the frequency response functions belong to the coupling coordinates of the subsystems are used. The main highlight of the presented method is there is no need a matrix inversion for calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Galatasaray Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of GALATASARAY UNIVERSITESI HUKUK FAKULTESI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

According to Niklas Luhmann, causality is both an impossibility and a necessity in education. On the one hand, the task of the teacher is an impossible one, because teaching as communication is a closed system that cannot determine the learning of pupils' psychical system in any causal sense. On the other hand, one cannot practice as a teacher without a belief in causality, i.e., in a causal connection between teaching and learning. In his article "The Child as the Medium of Education," Luhmann focuses on the enablement of education, despite its impossibility. His answer is that one thing that makes education possible is the emergence of the symbolically generalized medium "the child." In this article, Lars Qvortrup focuses on Luhmann's understanding of causality. According to Luhmann, causality is not a simple, ontological fact, but the result of the attribution of certain causes to certain effects. The conclusion is that causality as an attribution category — and not causality as an ontological fact — is another thing that makes education possible. Qvortrup also concludes, however, that Luhmann is not alone in criticizing the traditional, mechanical concept of causality. Other contemporary philosophers and sociologists have pointed out that in order to analyze causality in complex social systems, one has to select some causal factors and ignore others. While others do this based on seemingly pure scientific and statistical criteria, Luhmann focuses on attribution as a social construction of causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 20 years ago, Humberto Maturana and Ximena Dávila initiated a research program on the nature of human coexistence within the framework of molecular-autopoietic systems and the understanding of the organism-niche ecological dynamic unit (UDEON). In this article, we focus on the potential of conversation and reflection of living beings as transformative and liberating practices in the configuration of intimate feelings that define at every moment their emotional-relational operation as a totality in the understanding of the worlds they generate. We refer to the main contributions of cultural-biology which invite us to a journey through the nature of knowing, of human pain and suffering, of languaging, conversation, and reflection as cultural-biology beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to reflect on the (in)sufficiency of a constitutional model resulting from the structural coupling between politics and law in the globalized scenario and what alternative(s) are presented. Based on a theoretical-descriptive methodology followed by critical reflections, that support the reflections and results found, it starts from the concept of constitution as a structural coupling between the subsystems of law and politics, proposed by Luhmann's systemic theory (2016), and which responds to a society that has a political subsystem model with the state as its center. The insufficiency of this model of national-state constitution has been highlighted by the phenomenon of globalization, in which partial social spheres go beyond the borders of the state, with new actors, and social sectors have begun to differentiate on a global scale. The problem that arises is how the relationship between the subsystems of law and politics and other partial social spheres comes to be configured in the formation of a new constitutional order. The main conclusion is that, in this new configuration, the constitutionalization of partial spheres will occur through the structural coupling between the reflexive mechanisms of the legal subsystem and those of each constituted subsystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Antropología Social is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper responds to the significant challenges to Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and clarifies its practical value as a theoretical framework. Through thorough theoretical analysis, this paper examines how IWRM can be applied to distinguish water resource management (WRM) as an observable domain with an open boundary and foster sustainable ecosystem management by emphasizing the functional differentiation of WRM. Compared to the examination made solely from the WRM perspective, an IWRM perspective can better develop the structural complexity of the WRM domain and help expose misunderstandings regarding integration issues. Most importantly, IWRM is not merely an explanatory theoretical framework but also a defensive one. It can facilitate structural coupling between WRM and other domains to reduce conflicts and enable concerted action. However, this role of IWRM has been overlooked for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper seeks to investigate the interaction between Law, society, and social change in the context of a judicial case. For this purpose, the case of Colombian Constitutional Court decision C-075 of 2007, on the recognition of patrimonial rights of same-sex couples, will be analyzed. The objective is to determine how social change was identified, proven, and used to change the law in this case. The premises of Luhmann and Teubner were employed to develop the analysis alongside certain final reflections on the relationship between society and Law. The conclusion in this case is that identification of social change was based on the arguments presented in the legal discussion. The evidence consisted of reasonable interpretations of notorious facts and social change, how social change was used to lift the res judicata, support the need for change in the law, and justify the legal empowerment of the Constitutional Court to directly remedy the situation.

Computational systems, by being procedural and interactive, encompass new radical possibilities and augment and extend the way we tell stories. The Interactive Digital Narratives that are created with them are ontological machines that can be formally understood in terms of processes and representations that expose and mask selections of potential action and movement. These qualities change how they construct and establish meaning for readers. This paper will explore meaning-making in Interactive Digital Narratives through an interdisciplinary approach that combines the cognitive theory of enaction with the analysis of the narrative structure in Florence and Her Story. By identifying the different forms that the narrative can take based on the readers’ choices, we seek to comprehend how readers and systems become structurally coupled. We research how the emergent and continuous interactions developed during the reading of an Interactive Digital Narrative are closely intertwined with the readers’ sensory-motor experiences. We shape narratives through how we perceive them, which is essential for sense-making and how we attend to the medium’s specificity.

• Compact, thin terahertz absorber with extremely wide bandwidth was designed. • Absorber shows wide-angle absorption, polarization-insensitive. • Fermi level adjustment can control the absorption characteristics of absorber. In order to overcome the limitations exhibited by traditional absorbers in electromagnetic wave absorption, such as the extremely narrow absorption bandwidth and uncontrollable absorption results, this paper proposes a novel tunable broadband metamaterial absorber based on graphene. Compared to other terahertz absorbers, the absorber designed in this study exhibits simpler structural design, compact form, thin thickness, efficient absorption performance, and a broader bandwidth. This absorber adopts a three-layer structure, including a patterned monolayer graphene metasurface, a dielectric layer, and a metal substrate. The structure of this patterned graphene consists of four triangular graphene resonators, achieving both high absorption efficiency and maintaining an exceptionally wide absorption bandwidth. The simulation results indicate that at a Fermi energy level E f of 0.45 eV, the absorber achieves a broadband absorption rate of over 90 % in the 3.287 THz to 5.247 THz frequency range under normal terahertz wave incidence conditions. By analyzing different quantities of the triangular graphene structure on the top of the absorber, we found that the wide absorption bandwidth of the absorber is mainly attributed to the structural coupling of the top-layer graphene in the absorber. Furthermore, through the study of electric field amplitude and current distribution, we stumbled upon that when terahertz waves are incident on the absorber, due to the structural coupling between the graphene layers, electric resonance and magnetic resonance occur within the absorber, resulting in the absorption effect. Finally, through the study of geometric parameters, different polarization angles and oblique incidence angles of the incident waves, as well as different Fermi energy levels of graphene, we discovered that by adjusting the Fermi energy level of graphene, the bandwidth and absorption performance of the absorber can be flexibly tuned. In addition, this absorber exhibits wide-angle absorption characteristics and polarization-insensitive properties, providing potential application prospects in fields such as terahertz thermal imaging and stealth technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilayers composed of high- T c cuprate superconductors (HTS) with manganites have garnered significant attention due to the complex interaction between two layers, leading to competition among various ordering phenomena. When HTS and manganties are interfaced, new functionalities can emerge that are absent in the individual components. Notably, epitaxial strain can alter crystal structures and electronic states, significantly impacting superconductivity in HTS/manganite heterostructures. In this study, we analyze the superconducting and ferromagnetic behaviors of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (GdBCO)/La 0.7 A 0.3 MnO 3 (LAMO, where A=Sr and Ca) bilayers, maintain a constant GdBCO thickness of 500 nm while varying the LAMO thickness from 25 to 100 nm. We focus on the local structural correlations between the two layers. Temperature-dependent EXAFS spectra were systematically measured at the Cu and Mn K-edges to investigate the local atomic structures of both layers across the superconducting transition temperature (T c). Our spectroscopic measurements reveal distinct conformations of the MnO 6 octahedra near T c , which are absent in single-layer LSMO, indicating structural coupling between the layers. Additionally, our magnetization studies show a strong relationship between the structural coupling, magnetic anisotropy (MA), and the superconducting transition of the GdBCO/LAMO bilayers. The additional distortion of the MnO 6 octahedra in the GdBCO/LAMO bilayer, likely stemming from structural coupling, may account for the changes in the superconducting transition associated with magnetic anisotropy. This modification of structural coupling can be controlled by adjusting the LAMO thickness, yet it remains highly dependent on the bond geometry of LAMO. The Mn-O bond in LCMO is stiffer than in LSMO, resulting in a smaller change in structural coupling with varying thickness in LCMO compared to LSMO. The disparity in structural coupling directly impacts the magnetic properties of the LAMO layer and subsequently influences the superconducting property Δ T c. Our findings highlight the significance of structural coupling as a critical factor affecting the superconductivity of GdBCO/LAMO bilayers. Furthermore, this study provide foundational insight for designing various applications, such as magnetic sensors and spintronic devices, by enhancing our understanding of local dynamics at the interface between ferromagnets and superconductors. • GdBCO/LAMO (A = Sr, Ca) bilayers with different thickness of LAMO were deposited. • Structural coupling exists between Cu-O bond in GdBCO and Mn-O bond in LAMO. • Structural coupling is found to depend on stiffness of Mn-O bond. • Superconducting transition of GdBCO depends on magnetic property of LAMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their lightness, the capacity to adapt to the flow conditions, and the safety when operating near humans, the use of membrane-resistant structures has increased in fields as micro aerial vehicles and yachts sails. This work focuses on the computational methodology required for simulating the aeroelastic coupling of the structure with the incident wind flow. A semi-monocoque structure (composed of a main spar, a set of ribs, and an external membrane) inside a wind tunnel is simulated using two different methodologies. Firstly, a complete fluid-structure interaction is calculated by combining the finite element methodology for the solid and the unsteady Reynolds average Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics for the air, including nonlinear effects and prestress. Then, a low-fidelity model is applied, obtaining the linear aeroelastic eigenvalues and the temporal response of the wing. Both methodologies results are in agreement with estimating the transient mean deformation and flutter velocity. However, the modal analysis tends to overestimate the aeroelastic effects, as it calculates potential aerodynamics, predicting an instability velocity lower than that provided by the transient simulations. • Development and validation of a low-fidelity model for aeroelastic simulation of flexible membrane wings. • Analysis of the shell behavior of the membrane and limitations of the low-fidelity model. • Analysis of the effects of prestressing the membrane. • Prediction of aeroelastic instabilities through the low-fidelity model. • Analysis of the interaction between the membrane distortion and the aeroelastic behavior of the wing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Direito GV is the property of Fundacao Getulio Vargas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The tubed vortex reducer in the axial compressor can destroy the vortex in the disk cavity, by a thin-walled tube, to reduce the total pressure loss. The tube may suffer from vibration problems, such as flutter and forced vibration, which are closely related to aerodynamic damping. In this paper, the energy method and the influence coefficient method are used to study the aerodynamic damping of the tube. Based on the modal characteristics, steady and unsteady flow characteristics of the tube, the first and second modes with lower frequencies and greater vibration risk are selected as the analysis objects. The energy method is used to calculate the aerodynamic damping of the tube with different amplitudes, which shows that the results approximately meet the linear assumption and are accurate. The results obtained by the influence coefficient method show that the aerodynamic influence between adjacent tubes is very small, and the effect of inter-tube phase angle on the aerodynamic damping can be ignored. Finally, it is found that the effect of structural coupling caused by the support ring on the aerodynamic damping of the tube is mainly reflected in two aspects: frequency reduction and tube mode coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • Humberto Maturana's theory of autopoiesis and cognition, developed in collaboration with Francisco Varela, forms the very core of a new systemic understanding of life, integrating life's biological and cognitive dimensions. Problem • The divide between mind, matter and life has persisted through human history and led to endless schisms philosophically and academically. Though Maturana's work provides the epistemological and ontological basis for a unification between these distinctions, this is not fully recognized or acknowledged. Method • I review the historical development of Maturana's ideas, including his early collaboration with Varela. Thereby, I show the path from understanding the circularity of life to the necessary structurally mediated relationship with the environment as the basis of cognition. Also, I draw attention to parallels with the work of Gregory Bateson, Ilya Prigogine, and Geoffrey Chew. Results • Maturana's great achievement is presenting a scientific theory that overcomes the Cartesian division of mind and matter, as it shows that, at all levels of life, mind and matter, process and structure, are inseparably connected. Implications • Maturana presented a path for the unification of mind, matter and life that will enable researchers in each field to support one another while reducing the fragmentation of the sciences. However, further work is required to determine the proper applicability of autopoiesis so that it can be used in various disciplines. Many details remain to be clarified and integrated, and many implications remain to be explored in depth. In particular, I encourage researchers interested in systemic, multidisciplinary approaches to explore the extensions of the concept of molecular autopoiesis to the cellular, social, ecological, and planetary levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I am arguing for the recognition of the implicit structural and emotional links between the development of mind and psyche and the more-than-human world. I suggest that it is because of this interpenetration that the uncanny experience of displacement anxiety and its effects on our capacities to think and make links is an under-appreciated aspect of our constant 'forgetting' of the building syndrome of our Earth's symptomatology. I make use of my own theory of the 'organizing gestalt' and the thinking of Maturana, Ingold and Colman to offer a framework for the consideration of the uncanny links between what we know about vanishing biodiversity, broken ecosystems and the breaking down of previously integrated Earth systems and the breaking down of our ways of thinking about our relationships with the more-than-human-world. I suggest that, taken together, such a framework feels remarkably akin to Australian indigenous ways of being in the world. Finally, I ask the question, what might it mean to think ecologically in our psychoanalytic work? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I argue for the adoption of enactive cognition (which includes emotional and social components) as a basis for understanding the nature of learning in, through and about movement in physical education. Enactivists argue that the process of learning is not one of developing an internal intellectualist understanding of the world or simply learning to adapt to and exploit affordances that exist in a detached external world, but rather a process of meaningfully enacting a world as consciously engaged individuals. For enactivists the world for all individuals is a self-centred world, it is not pre-existing, as the world does not exist as a single entity. In the enactive process, we create our world and ourselves simultaneously. Although our self-centred world is experienced through our biological embodiment within a physical surrounding, it is also embued with emotional and social couplings that impact differently on different individuals. One has to feel and experience one's emotional and social world through the enactive process. Our PE classes are physically enactive learning contexts that inherently involve embodied learning experiences. For this reason, this article aims to highlight the synergies, or natural coupling, between enactive theorising and school physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delineates the notion of conjectural artworks—that is, ways of thinking and explaining formal and relational phenomena by visual means—and presents an appraisal and review of the use of such visual ways in the work of Chilean biologists and philosophers Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela. Particularly, the article focuses on their recurrent uses of Cellular Automaton, that is, discrete, locally interacting, rule-based mathematical models, as conjectural artworks for understanding the concepts of autopoiesis, structural coupling, cognition and enaction: (i.e. Protobio and Bittorio). Additionally, the article proposes a new model of conjectural artwork based on an extension of cellular automaton: random Boolean networks namely, binary systems with variable local connections. Such model, as it is argued, is useful to connect the theoretical frameworks by Maturana and Varela, especially structural coupling and enaction, with other relevant fields such as biosemiotics' Umwelt-research and cognitive landscapes in neurodynamics, and to advance and explore the concepts of structurally coupled categorization and generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several ways of defining organizational identity and identity management. This article considers a less exploited one, namely, defining identity as a set of structural couplings that the organization has, and identity management as an activity aimed at maintaining these couplings. The concept of structural coupling comes from biological cybernetics, and it means that a system during its evolution becomes entangled with few other systems. The system at hand evolves together with these systems, adapts to them and causes them to adapt to it. The concept of structural coupling is applied in a study of an institution of higher education. To identify structural couplings, the authors use a so-called Fractal Enterprise Model that presents both internal structure of an organization and its business environment. The article analyzes to which elements of the environment an institution of higher education is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The article provides examples of how well maintaining identity works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in the department. The article concludes with suggesting a generic procedure for identifying structural couplings and defining a strategy of maintaining these couplings.

As extracted from the Systems Theory founded by Niklas Luhmann, political and legal systems are separate, independent systems, operating under their own codes. However, this does not mean that such systems ignore the existence of the other, or the environment that surrounds them. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the legal system and the political system provoke and interact, as well as how they do so. The Constitution, as will be seen, represents the structural coupling between the legal and political systems. The literature review was used for this task, with conclusive results about this interaction analysis. It is concluded, therefore, that through mutual irritations and their structural coupling, the systems interact and justify this interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Jurídica (0103-3506) is the property of Revista Juridica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) still face many challenges in improving platform stability. A fully submersible FOWT platform with inclined side columns is designed to tackle the current technical bottleneck of the FOWT platform, combining the structural characteristics of the semi-submersible and Spar platform. An integrated numerical model of FOWT is established considering the fully coupled effect, and the hydrodynamic performance of the novel FOWT, the semi-submersible FOWT, and the Spar FOWT are compared and analyzed under different wave incidence angles and wave frequencies, as well as the blade and tower dynamic response of the three FOWTs under the coupling effect of wind, wave, and current. The results show that the novel floating platform can significantly optimize the hydrodynamic performance and has a better recovery ability after being subjected to external loads. The novel floating platform can significantly reduce the heave peak and its corresponding wave frequency compared to the semi-submersible platform, reducing the possibility of heave resonance. FOWT operation should ensure positive wave inflow as far as possible to avoid excessive wave forces in the lateral direction. Both blade and tower dynamic response are affected by rotor rotation and tower vibration to varying degrees, while tower dynamic response is mainly affected by platform motion. This study suggests that the application of the novel FOWT concept is feasible and can be an alternative in offshore wind exploitation in deep water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article links two seemingly different fundamental theoretical concepts of autopoiesis and homeostasis and tries to apply them to the realm of socio-technical systems with the use of the Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM). Autopoiesis is the property of a system that constantly reproduces itself. Homeostasis describes a way a complex system constantly maintains its identity while adapting to changes in its internal and external environment. To be able to use FEM for this task, the original version of FEM has been extended by adding special elements for representing the system's context – part of the environment to which the system is structurally coupled. The approach taken in this article differs from other works in the same field in having the focus on the “body” (concrete elements being reproduced) of the socio-technical system, as well as on identifying concrete processes that reproduce the system, and demonstrating concrete ways of how a specific system adapts or can adapt to the perturbations in the environment (i.e. internal and external disturbances that affect the system).

Research on the strategic coupling between regions and global lead firms has largely assumed that the regional assets for coupling are ready made and are largely unchanging throughout the coupling process. This article takes this assumption as its critical point of departure and presents a new framework that considers how regional assets are actively (re)configured across multiple scales in ways that could redefine the prevailing mode of strategic coupling. The empirical basis of this framework is derived from a long-term case study on the formation and evolution of Sino-German production networks in environmental goods and services (EGS) in Jieyang, a relatively peripheral city in Guangdong province in China. The analysis draws from thirty-three interviews and seven focus group discussions, conducted between 2014 and 2020, with nonstate and state actors in Jieyang. Findings highlight how Zhongde, a coalition of Jieyang-based firms, transcended the limitations of structural coupling, which exemplifies uneven power relations between regions and lead firms, and attained more balanced coupling relations with German-led EGS global production networks (GPNs) through realigning interests with those of national-level institutions. Responding positively to the structural constraints and opportunities within a Chinese state structure based on experimental governance, Zhongde connected German EGS lead firms to the highly profitable but protected EGS market in China. This ability to jump between scales underscores the cross-scalar and dynamic aspects of strategic coupling: Zhongde was able to meet German-led EGS GPNs' demand for market access and enhanced localization economies through reconfiguring regional assets. Abstracting from these findings, the article enhances the explanation of the evolution of strategic coupling by conceptualizing its intrinsic dynamism and incorporating state structural effects. Finally, it presents two directions for further research on GPN reconfigurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of the thickness of superconducting layer on the competition between ferromagnetism and superconductivity. The epitaxial bilayer systems consisting of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (GdBCO) with varying thickness and La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 (LSMO) were grown on (001) SrTiO 3 (STO) substrate. From the spectroscopic measurements, we observed an existence of a possible structural coupling between the GdBCO and the LSMO layers. The structural coupling is found to depend on the GdBCO thickness and to induce different types of strain on both layers, leading to the competition between the ferromagnetic and the superconducting orders. With respect to the flux pinning, an additional pinning contribution besides magnetic pinning induced by LSMO is emerged by the structural coupling, which is attributed to local atomic disorder. Controlling the thickness of GdBCO modifies the structural coupling and consequently, the degree of additional pinning contribution aroused by disorder on the CuO 2 plane can be adjusted. An appropriate structure with a certain thickness amplifies the hybrid effect of magnetic pinning and additional pinning, resulting in an enhancement of the critical current density at high magnetic fields. Our findings suggest a possibility of controlling complex flux pinning through an optimization of structural coupling between the GdBCO and the LSMO layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boundaries are prominent ingredients of reality, including—most importantly—the boundaries of organisms and the perceived boundaries of things (their surfaces). It is also customary to think of minds as kinds of bounded loci for thoughts, representations, and other internal entities, targeting the borderline between the internal domain and the external world as a genuine barrier. Therefore, not surprisingly, boundaries and surfaces have become targets of disciplined formal-ontological investigations. However, to have a boundary (or surface) is not only a purely geometrical or topological feature, for boundaries play certain roles. For that reason, this article unpacks boundaries in general, and surfaces in particular, in terms of interactions between structured entities, most importantly—living creatures capable of (minimal) cognition. It is argued that boundaries should be thought of as products of and at the same time as critical constraints imposed on structural coupling between complex beings, including the interactions between the (minimally) cognitive subjects and their surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents two key concepts of sociological systems theory – externalisation and structural coupling – and applies them to explain (a) the exponential growth of international large-scale student assessments and (b) the rise of 'policy-relevant' educational research. The author concludes with a comparison between key concepts used in systems theory and those used in comparative policy studies. She identifies resemblances with concepts of pathways in historical institutionalism, the multiple-streams approach and the notion of punctuated equilibrium advanced in the advocacy coalition framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tubed vortex reducer in the axial compressor can destroy the vortex in the disk cavity, by a thin-walled tube, to reduce the total pressure loss. The tube may suffer from vibration problems, such as flutter and forced vibration, which are closely related to aerodynamic damping. In this paper, the energy method and the influence coefficient method are used to study the aerodynamic damping of the tube. Based on the modal characteristics, steady and unsteady flow characteristics of the tube, the first and second modes with lower frequencies and greater vibration risk are selected as the analysis objects. The energy method is used to calculate the aerodynamic damping of the tube with different amplitudes, which shows that the results approximately meet the linear assumption and are accurate. The results obtained by the influence coefficient method show that the aerodynamic influence between adjacent tubes is very small, and the effect of inter-tube phase angle on the aerodynamic damping can be ignored. Finally, it is found that the effect of structural coupling caused by the support ring on the aerodynamic damping of the tube is mainly reflected in two aspects: frequency reduction and tube mode coupling.

Social innovation projects commonly refer to operationalized theories of change to inform strategy and to deliver intended outcomes. Community‐based sustainability campaigns, as one example, emphasize the elicitation of pro‐environmental activities and decision‐making among members of a host community, drawing on mainstream psychological theories of behaviour, motivation and cognitive (mental) processes. Locating an argument within the neurobiological base of structure determinism, this paper explores how theories of change for sustainability campaigns might be reimagined through the lens of enactive theory. Following a brief introduction to the enactive model of embodied cognition, implications associated with trying to operationalize the model to inform how theories of change are mapped out and used in sustainability initiatives are discussed. The paper concludes by drawing on insights from approaches to psychotherapy, which also endeavoured to apply this model of mind, and considers these within the strategic context of sustainability initiatives and public engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present a long-term study in which a social robot was used as an embodied feedback channel during a series of university lectures spanning over one academic year. We used a Pepper robot from Softbank Robotics within an enactive didactics framework in order to reinforce the structural coupling between the teacher, the students and the content of the lecture. The robot provided different types of feedback during the lectures. In this paper we will focus on feedback that informed the students of their learning progress and that helped the teacher to understand how the students were able to follow each lecture. At the end of the lecture series we used questionnaires as qualitative measures for how the students perceived the feedback of the robot. Our results show a positive response of the students to the robot. We asked the students also how they thought the robot's feedback affected their learning progress. The vast majority of the students reported that the robot indeed helped them to reflect about their level of understanding of the content of the lecture and facilitated the initiation of interventions to improve their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a contemporary Maya story about the relationship between humanity and maize in the Yucatan Peninsula: José Manuel Tec Tun's, U tsikbalo’ob XNuk Nal / Los cuentos de la Abuela Mazorca [Tales of Old Mother Corn]. It argues that the story depicts a process that the recent biological field of biosemiotics terms “semiotic emergence” (Hoffmeyer): the evolution of higher stages of complexity through the interaction between previous levels. This argument is advanced through the lens of the Maya concept of óol or “existential growth” which displays close similarities with the concept of “final cause” as defined by the philosopher, Charles Sanders Peirce, a major influence in biosemiotics. Through textual analysis of the Maya and Spanish versions, the article shows how Tec Tun's story depicts maize and humanity as mutually oriented towards nurturing each other in a relationship of “structural coupling” (Maturana and Varela): the co-constitution of habitat and inhabitant. This interaction results in the emergence of symbolism, a complex stage of semiotic emergence that can, at least partially, account for the central role of maize in human consciousness for Maya cosmology.

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) still face many challenges in improving platform stability. A fully submersible FOWT platform with inclined side columns is designed to tackle the current technical bottleneck of the FOWT platform, combining the structural characteristics of the semi-submersible and Spar platform. An integrated numerical model of FOWT is established considering the fully coupled effect, and the hydrodynamic performance of the novel FOWT, the semi-submersible FOWT, and the Spar FOWT are compared and analyzed under different wave incidence angles and wave frequencies, as well as the blade and tower dynamic response of the three FOWTs under the coupling effect of wind, wave, and current. The results show that the novel floating platform can significantly optimize the hydrodynamic performance and has a better recovery ability after being subjected to external loads. The novel floating platform can significantly reduce the heave peak and its corresponding wave frequency compared to the semi-submersible platform, reducing the possibility of heave resonance. FOWT operation should ensure positive wave inflow as far as possible to avoid excessive wave forces in the lateral direction. Both blade and tower dynamic response are affected by rotor rotation and tower vibration to varying degrees, while tower dynamic response is mainly affected by platform motion. This study suggests that the application of the novel FOWT concept is feasible and can be an alternative in offshore wind exploitation in deep water.