Signals without teleology

The article discusses the discourse on the methodological foundations of political science research and the need to outline the existing paradigms of political science research, both in the temporal-retrospective dimension and in the dimension of the subject area. It is emphasized that the determinants of defining the value of paradigm in modern political science research is the prospect of acquiring scientific novelty at the stage of determining the research topic. The focus is on the need for a more thorough consideration of specific paradigmatic means of determining the methodological design of contemporary political science research. It is noted that on the basis of linguistic analysis of subject aspects of political science, one can easily see the multivariate interpretation of many essential concepts of the modern political sphere. It is argued that one can also see expansive interpretations of particular concepts and processes from a non-professional perspective. The importance of interdisciplinary natural science paradigms has been established. Attention is paid to identifying the possibility of forming a new conceptual apparatus, taking into account the concepts that have become widespread in the scientific environment. The role of the concept of "paradigm approach in modern political science" is revealed, which is aimed at understanding the peculiarities of considering political science subject within other scientific disciplines. It is proved that the leading task of paradigm as a discipline of political science is the formation of paradigmatic choice of young researcher. The peculiarities of searching for a scientist’s own «paradigm face» have been found. The ability to use the task of defining scientific novelty is emphasized to some extent. The specificity of choosing a paradigm vector of a researcher-political scientist with consideration of the requirements of interdisciplinarity is considered. The purpose of the article is to identify paradigm in political studies as a factor in the formation of authorial conceptualism against the backdrop of interdisciplinary imperatives. The purpose of the article is to highlight the main directions of paradigm and their correlation with modern political theories. It is proved that the choice of the paradigm vector of the researcher-political scientist is confronted with interdisciplinary, first of all philosophical meanings of cognition as a form of social activity. The idea that choosing one’s own paraligmal vector for a specialist political scientist is presented is important because of the need to overcome the Soviet and post-Soviet paradigmatic provinces. It turned out that the formation of the national paradigm of political science, which should be carried out only on condition that the fullest representation of all paradigm directions. The situation of paradigm choices and orientation of political scientist researcher in the world paradigm mainstream is revealed. The necessity of finding a researcher in the environment of those paradigms that give the most significant scientific result is proved. The article establishes that the combination of the universality of interdisciplinary paradigms and the optionality of paradigms for a particular political science study is carried out on the basis of a conceptual and categorical apparatus of political epistemology. It is argued that on the basis of the notion of "scientific truth (episteme)", the formation of the author’s own attitude to the subject of research and the prospect of solving his problem is carried out.

The phenomena of adventitious and synanthropic flora can be considered both from biological positions - then they are studied as elements of phytocenosis and biocenosis as a whole, and from geographical ones – then the basic concept in the research becomes the landscape. Adventitious and synanthropic species are elements of biocenosis and landscape at the same time, but it is the landscape approach that makes it possible to highlight the above-mentioned scientific problem in the most complete way. Studies of adventitious and synanthropic phytocenoses are interdisciplinary. Due to the key role of a human bein in spreading the processes of adventitization, synanthropization and phytoinvasions, the scientific discipline that puts such studies in the center of attention is anthropic phytocenology. The methodological basis of anthropic phytocenological studies is the provisions of anthropogenic landscape science, modern ecology, noospherology, the concept of sustainable development, the doctrine of the interaction of nature and society, as well as the laws of dialectics, systemic and synergistic approaches, etc. Anthropic phytocenology is connected by genetic interdisciplinary connections with botany and ecology, in particular, phytocenology. Its object-subject sphere partially coincides with these sciences. In particular, specific (real) objects of research - plants – are connected with botany. Anthropic phytocenology combines with ecology the study of a conceptual object – connections and relations between elements of the ecosystem, namely – aboriginal and adventitious species. As for phytocenology, we consider anthropic phytocenology as one of its sections, which studies adventitious plant species and synanthropic phytocenoses. Information ties of anthropic phytocenology are manifested at its boundary with geography, transport technologies, and plant ecology. Thus, from the geography of plants, anthropic phytocenology takes data on the limitation of species to certain conditions of the geographical environment – geomorphological, climatic, etc. Thanks to the geography of transport, anthropic phytocenology receives information about the main directions of movement of plants, in particular by railway transport. From landscape science, anthropic phytocenology obtains data on the ratio of natural landscapes in which one or another species is aboriginal or adventitious. The study of transport technologies makes it possible to obtain information about some parameters of plant movement. Plant ecology provides insight into the mechanisms of competition between native and adventitious species in a given area. The commonality of the object of the research shows the interdisciplinary connections of anthropic phytocenology with anthropogenic landscape science, synecology. By the commonality of methods, anthropic phytocenology is connected with almost all earth sciences, in which research is impossible without observing objects and their fixation. Connections with geography are of particular importance, from which anthropic phytocenology borrows cartographic and – in part – mathematical methods. Anthropic phytocenology as a scientific discipline needs its own conceptual and terminological apparatus. Its components are, first of all, concepts and terms of landscape science in general and anthropogenic landscape science in particular, as well as plant ecology, especially phytocenology. The geographical component of the conceptual and terminological apparatus of anthropic phytocenology consists mainly of concepts and terms related to the category «landscape». Concepts expressing its structural components, such as «locality», «tract», «facies», are related to the latter. Of the concepts and terms used in plant ecology, those containing the words «aboriginal», «adventitious», «invasive», «synanthropic», etc., as well as «biotope», «biocenosis», «biogeocenosis», are related to anthropic phytocenology, «local growth», «ecological niche», «phytocenosis», etc. Keywords: adventitious flora, synanthropic flora, landscape, phytocenosis, interdisciplinary connections, conceptual and terminological apparatus.

Backgrounds and the evolution of visual signals

Analyzing the courtship behavior of long-legged flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), we focus on the evolutionary development of courtship signals. Long-legged flies may serve as a model for this evolutionary process, because males of some species present sexually dimorphic badges during courtship, whereas others do not exhibit such conspicuous signals but present lavish courtship behavior, including dynamic flight maneuvers. A comparison of these two groups within a single taxonomic family provides insight into the evolution of courtship signals and the corresponding behavior. Males of the closely related Empididae do not possess such badges. Within the super-family Empidoidea, we propose an evolutionary shift from dynamically courting and mating on the wing (in Empididae) to courting and mating on ground (in Dolichopodidae), accompanied by signaling through badge-waving. By comparing previously published data and observations on courtship behavior in Dolichopodidae, we present the hypothesis that the latter replaced the former energetically expensive behavior as a case of automimicry and sensory trap. Copyright 2003.

This article is about the philosophy of media developed in Germany as early as at the end of the 20th century. It was appeared as the Medienphilosophie – media philosophy – due to a coincidence of two different events that happened in social theory and practice – it’s when the end of certain period in German philosophy coincided then with the beginning of cyber civilization. The understanding of the latter situation demands the creation of a new language – a new analytical and critical apparatus capable of grasping reality becoming more and more medialized. The problem is not so much a question of particular media, but mediality itself. The reconstruction of the philosophy in question does not consist of the presentation of the views expressed by all its authors. It is less about substantive findings of this philosophy and more about its meta-theoretical aspects – the ontological and epistemological assumptions, conceptual apparatus, modes of justification. This text consists of five parts. The first two ones present origins and contexts of the development of the Medienphilosophie. The following two parts are concerned with the identity of media philosophy – its metatheoretical characteristics contained in the writings of two prominent figures – Frank Hartmann and Sybille Krämer. The last part is devoted to the specificity of the scientific and philosophical discipline after the so-called media turn.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) are a powerful platform for uncovering disease mechanisms and assessing drugs for efficacy/toxicity. However, the accuracy with which hiPSC-CMs recapitulate the contractile and remodeling signaling of adult cardiomyocytes is not fully known. We used β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) signaling as a prototype to determine the evolution of signaling component expression and function during hiPSC-CM maturation. In "early" hiPSC-CMs (less than or equal to d 30), β2-ARs are a primary source of cAMP/PKA signaling. With longer culture, β1-AR signaling increases: from 0% of cAMP generation at d 30 to 56.8 ± 6.6% by d 60. PKA signaling shows a similar increase: 15.7 ± 5.2% (d 30), 49.8 ± 0.5% (d 60), and 71.0 ± 6.1% (d 90). cAMP generation increases 9-fold from d 30 to 60, with enhanced coupling to remodeling pathways (e.g., Akt and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II) and development of caveolin-mediated signaling compartmentalization. By contrast, cardiotoxicity induced by chronic β-AR stimulation, a major component of heart failure, develops much later: 5% cell death at d 30vs 55% at d 90. Moreover, β-AR maturation can be accelerated by biomechanical stimulation. The differential maturation of β-AR functionalvs remodeling signaling in hiPSC-CMs has important implications for their use in disease modeling and drug testing. We propose that assessment of signaling be added to the indices of phenotypic maturation of hiPSC-CMs.-Jung, G., Fajardo, G., Ribeiro, A. J. S., Kooiker, K. B., Coronado, M., Zhao, M., Hu, D.-Q., Reddy, S., Kodo, K., Sriram, K., Insel, P. A., Wu, J. C., Pruitt, B. L., Bernstein, D. Time-dependent evolution of functionalvs remodeling signaling in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and induced maturation with biomechanical stimulation.

The main incentive for carrying out this research work was the need to specify the meaningful paradigm of Ukrainian cultural research through the definition of its subject, as a complex-structural concept of “culture”. The subject is the basis of science, similarly to the methodology and the conceptual and categorical apparatus. Given the aggravation of the crisis state of modern Ukrainian cultural studies, the study of such thematic direction is of quite urgent importance. The article reveals one of the key hindering factors in understanding the specifics of cultural research, which in turn creates a pluralism of interpretations of the essence of this science. The problem of defining the specificity of “scientific” in relation to cultural research and other types of scientific practices is analyzed. The content variability of the subject of cultural knowledge during the historical development of cultural research as a science is considered, similar to the evolution of the research subject of other scientific disciplines. Information is provided regarding the approximate number of currently existing definitions of the concept of “culture” as a subject of the study of cultural research, according to the calculations of various scientists. A typology of interpretations of culture based on content and a complex of means of conceptual expression is established. A comparative analysis was carried out and an integrating synthesis was made of various definitions of culture, the authors of which are well-known representatives of cultural thought – E. Taylor, U. Thomas, L. White and others.

The article examines the potential of neuromarketing in the system of new high-tech networked pedagogyof the XXI century. The author analyzed the scientific, theoretical and methodological foundationsof neuromarketing; identified problems and prospects for the use of neuromarketing in online education.The research methodology includes systemic and interdisciplinary approaches, analysis of scientific andeducational literature, including neurophysiological, neuromarketing and psychological and pedagogicalresearch, as well as methods of observation, study and generalization of the pedagogical practice ofusing neuromarketing technologies. In the course of the study of neuromarketing in online education,the following results were achieved: based on the analysis of scientific publications, the conceptual andterminological apparatus of the new scientific discipline was clarified, indicating its interdisciplinarynature and experimental research content; formulated the concept of neuromarketing as a subsection ofneuroeconomics; shows the features and possibilities of combining the methods of “classical” marketingresearch and neuromarketing research; the definition of neuroeducation is given; identified the problemsand prospects of neuromarketing in online education. The author’s main conclusion confirmed the originalhypothesis of the study, which is that neuromarketing is not a well-established scientific disciplinefor its widespread use in online education. This article expands the scientific understanding of neuromarketingin online education, identifies current problems, its limitations and opportunities inherent inneuromarketing as a new applied scientific discipline.Key words: neuromarketing, online education, online learning, neuroscience, neuroeducation.

The article deals with the essence and content of the concept of general pedagogy in the context of itscorrelation with the multiplicity of knowledge about education, its development and improvement of the conceptual and terminological apparatus of modern pedagogical research. It has been emphasized that general pedagogy is understood as science and as a scientific discipline, and the definition of general pedagogy, as a rule, includes both aspects. The article concludes that general pedagogy is the core of pedagogical science; it forms its basis, which at the substantive-essential level distinguishes pedagogical science from all other branches of scientific knowledge. General pedagogy studies and discloses key pedagogical categories, notions, concepts, paradigms, approaches, laws, patterns, principles according to which any pedagogical phenomenon or pedagogical process are opened out, develops a methodology for building pedagogical science and conducting pedagogical research, methods and methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of pedagogical phenomena and processes, criteria of the scientific and pedagogical activity effectiveness, analysis of general pedagogical and philosophical doctrines. The actual problems of general pedagogy are the methodology of pedagogical research, problems of the upbringing and socialization of children and youth, history of pedagogy, comparative pedagogy, problems of managing educational institutions and strategies for their development. The modernity of the solution of the indicated problems is determined by the completeness of the account of the conditions in which people find themselves today: the globalized world, technological challenges, expansion of the media space and its impact on human consciousness, a crisis of values, problems of intercultural communication, and the like. The study of these complex problems requires a new methodology of pedagogical research at the level of multi- and interdisciplinarity. The development of such a methodology is an urgent need for modern pedagogical science and practice.

The article outlines state policy of Ukraine on implementing information, communication and digi-tal technologies in educational institutions of various types and forms of ownership. Special atten-tion is paid to online research as the main direction of scientific and pedagogical activity. Peculiari-ties of different types of research, such as Internet surveys via special applications, internet surveys on web pages and online focus groups, are revealed. Advantages and disadvantages of online in-depth interviews and other widely spread methods of research on the Internet are defined. Classifi-cations of online studies are presented, for example, one-time and recurring (special, continuous, evaluating, experimental, and panel research). The activity of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine is characterized. Specific examples of online surveys of teachers during the last four years, their dynamics and effectiveness are described. The importance of online thesis researches in pedagogy is emphasized.It is proven that the methodology and methods of online research require further substantiation and constant updating of the conceptual terminological apparatus, which cannot be considered narrowly and develop within the framework of only one subject area (pedagogy, psychology, soci-ology, etc.). The interdisciplinarity of scientific research becomes an objective need. Psychopeda-gogy and digital pedagogy as scientific disciplines in the 21st century acquire special importance and are prospective branches of online research. The use of a complex of psycho-pedagogical and digital research methods has its specifics and requires the use of new interdisciplinary constructs under the conditions of digitalization.

Economic models of animal communication are theoretical frameworks that attempt to explain the evolution and function of communication signals in animals from an economic perspective. These models typically assume that animals have limited resources, and that communication is a way for them to allocate these resources effectively and efficiently. One of the most well-known economic models of animal communication is the handicap principle, which was first proposed by Amotz Zahavi in 1975. The handicap principle suggests that some animals have evolved to produce costly signals, such as elaborate courtship displays or loud vocalizations, as a way of demonstrating their genetic quality to potential mates or rivals. The theory is that only animals with high genetic quality can afford to produce such costly signals without harming their overall fitness, and therefore these signals serve as honest indicators of genetic quality. Another economic model of animal communication is the game theory model, which was developed by John Maynard Smith and Richard Dawkins in the 1970s. The game theory model assumes that communication signals are used by animals to signal their intentions or strategies in competitive situations, such as fights over resources or mate choice. The model predicts that communication signals will be honest and reliable when both the sender and receiver have a shared interest in the outcome of the interaction, but may be deceptive or unreliable when there is a conflict of interest between the two parties. Other economic models of animal communication include the public information model, which suggests that animals use communication signals to gather information about their environment and the behaviour of other animals, and the sensory drive model, which proposes that animals use communication signals to attract mates or communicate with conspecifics in environments where there is strong selection for signal detection. Overall, economic models of animal communication provide a useful framework for understanding the evolution and function of communication signals in animals, and have led to a number of important insights into the dynamics of animal behaviour and social interactions. Animals use signs to communicate, such as visual, auditory, or sound-based cues; Pheromones, or tactile, tactile signals, are examples of chemicals. Animals that communicate with one another find partners, establish dominance, defend their territory, plan group behavior, and tend to their young. Several species rely on calls, non-vocal auditory bursts like a dolphin's tail grabbing in the water, bioluminescence, olfactory cues, chemical cues, tactile cues, visual clues, and postural movements as ways of communication. Animals’ communication is the exchange of information that influences the present or future behavior of the recipients between one or more animals (the recipient or recipients) and one or more animals (the sender or senders). Auditory, tactile, and visual communication are the three main modes of communication between people and animals. An early illustration of auditory communication is when a dog barks at its owner to show its happiness at receiving food. Animals' ability to communicate is an adaptation that aids in survival. Audio, visual, tactile, and chemical (taste and smell) forms of communication are all possible. Animals utilize communication to identify themselves, indicate territory, warn off predators, and attract mates.

The basic building blocks of communication are signals, assembled in various sequences and combinations, and used in virtually all inter- and intra-specific interactions. While signal evolution has long been a focus of study, there has been a recent resurgence of interest and research in the complexity of animal displays. Much past research on signal evolution has focused on sensory specialists, or on single signals in isolation, but many animal displays involve complex signaling, or the combination of more than one signal or related component, often serially and overlapping, frequently across multiple sensory modalities. Here, we build a framework of functional hypotheses of complex signal evolution based on content-driven (ultimate) and efficacy-driven (proximate) selection pressures (sensu Guilford and Dawkins 1991). We point out key predictions for various hypotheses and discuss different approaches to uncovering complex signal function. We also differentiate a category of hypotheses based on inter-signal interactions. Throughout our review, we hope to make three points: (1) a complex signal is a functional unit upon which selection can act, (2) both content and efficacy-driven selection pressures must be considered when studying the evolution of complex signaling, and (3) individual signals or components do not necessarily contribute to complex signal function independently, but may interact in a functional way.

The presented review of the textbook by Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Candidate of Political Sciences N.S. Kozyakova, published by INFRA-M publishing house in 2024, provides a general description and justifies the need for its publication for higher education in terms of an interdisciplinary approach of both political science and sociological disciplines. The key area of scientific interests of the textbook's author is the study of social aspects of politics and political science and the latest political history of Russia and foreign countries. The presented textbook "Political Sociology", recommended for undergraduates, undergraduates and postgraduates studying both political science and sociology, as well as other specialties, provides an assessment of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of political sociology, examines various types, roles and statuses of social institutions, social groups, their place and role in political life, personality typology. and the classification of human rights and freedoms, issues related to social mobility and stratification, the causes of, the course and resolution of socio-political conflicts (conflict strategies and tactics), as well as the problems of the development of society and power structures in the era of informatization, globalization and globalism. The author offers his vision of new trends and trends in political sociology affecting the sociology of imagination and postmodernity, characterized by alternative and multi-variant development of power structures and society caused by the emergence of a virtual environment characterized by simulations and simulacra. Kozyakova has published over 80 scientific papers on various issues of modern political and historical science over a period of more than twenty years of research and teaching.

This paper presents a new pricing function for noncooperative power control game in a single cell CDMA data network. Considering a utility function for each terminal, the purpose of power control in wireless data networks is to maximize network utility. In the proposed game, the pricing function is a linear function of the terminal's signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). We first prove that the new game is a supermodular game and then we show the strategy space of the new game is such that it is possible to reach better equilibrium point compared to pricing function based on terminal's power. Simulation results show that the game with the proposed pricing function can improve the utility and power consumption of the terminals at equilibrium.

Parental care provided to current offspring such as food and/or protection increases offspring development and survival which contributes to the parent’s fitness. However parental investment by means of time and energy may also reduce future chance to reproduce and therefore entails parent’s lifetime reproductive success. We expect parents to adjust their parental investment equally among their different offspring within and between broods in order to maximise their fitness. From the point of view of one current offspring, parental care should be rather positively biased towards itself compared to current or future siblings. Thus the different genetic interest over the duration and amount of parental investment is expected to lead to parent-offspring conflict. Resolution of this conflict may be achieved by the evolution of an offspring solicitation signal that regulates parental care as predicted by various theories and models. Although several empirical studies have supported the presence of offspring solicitation signals, mostly in birds, the origin and driving forces for the evolved signalling function have not been clearly demonstrated. 
\nThe European earwig, Forficula auricularia, displays facultative maternal care, i.e. offspring can survive in absence of a caring mother but have significantly higher survival when attended by a mother. Thus one can test the on-going selection for an offspring cue to evolve a function of solicitation signal, which is predicted to be condition-dependent and regulating maternal care. Chemical cues are the main means of communication in insects (i.e. pheromones), which also regulate reproductive physiology (i.e. hormones). Therefore I decided for my thesis to explore the possible evolution of chemical signalling by offspring in the context of maternal care in the European earwig. 
\nIn a first experiment, I manipulated the nutritional condition (low-food, LF, versus high-food, HF) of earwig first instar nymphs and extracted their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Caring mothers were presented to these different extracts or a solvent control (C) and their effects on maternal foraging as well as food provisioning to their brood were measured. By gas-chromatography coupled with mass-spectrum analysis, I found that nymphs of different nutritional state produce similar total amount of CHCs but they differ in the relative abundance of specific chemical compounds, particularly long-chain CHCs. Mothers exposed to offspring condition-dependent CHCs adjusted their maternal care behaviours. They foraged and later provisioned significantly more food to their brood when exposed to extract from HF. This first result demonstrated that CHCs of offspring are used as solicitation signals and that mothers may select for an offspring chemical signal of quality.
\nIn a second experiment, I investigated the effects of offspring condition-dependent chemical signals on the maintenance of maternal care among broods and the distribution of maternal food within broods. Mothers were isolated from their 1st instar brood for 3 days and continuously exposed to chemical signals extracted from broods of experimentally manipulated nutritional state (HF, LF). After re-introducing mothers to their brood, a range of maternal behaviours were quantified. I found that earwig mothers groomed their offspring significantly more after exposure to chemical extract from HF brood in comparison with mothers exposed to extract from LF brood, which in turn displayed significantly more aggressive behaviour. Furthermore, I manipulated offspring individual nutritional condition within the brood to evaluate the effect of offspring state on the within-brood food distribution. Within broods, poorly fed individuals received significantly more food than well-fed individuals. These contrasting results of offspring condition-dependent signals observed at the brood and individual levels suggest various selective pressures, such as scramble competition within brood and maternal selection among broods, shaping offspring solicitation signals. 
\nFinally, to test whether offspring chemical signals can per se manipulate the lifetime reproductive success of mothers, I measured long term consequences of exposure to offspring chemical signals on mothers’ residual fecundity. The probability to have a second clutch by females was not affected by offspring chemical signals. However, the predictability for females to lay a second clutch within a certain interval was significantly affected by the condition-dependent chemical signals produced by offspring. The date of laying a second clutch was highly related to date of first clutch laying/hatching and strongly predictable when females were exposed to extract from HF offspring. The importance of timing of the second clutch may be critical for seasonal species like F. auricularia in order to ensure offspring survival. This last result confirms the potential for offspring chemical signals to manipulate maternal future fecundity, yet mothers may actively select for this offspring signal of quality in their best interest in order to optimally adjust their investment between current and future broods.
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\nIn conclusion, I showed that earwig first instar nymphs produce CHCs that vary in their relative abundances depending on offspring nutritional state. Earwig mothers adjust their maternal care behaviours (food provisioning, grooming vs. aggressiveness) according to these condition-dependent . Higher food provisioning and more grooming by mothers exposed to HF brood extract suggest maternal selection for offspring chemical cues of quality. Finally, the potential of offspring chemical cues per se to influence future maternal fecundity confirms their evolving function as solicitation pheromone in the context of maternal care.
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