Functional Coordination Research Articles

Development of the text of the Ramsar Convention: 1965–1971

The ‘Ramsar’ Convention on Wetlands was the first of the modern era global biodiversity conventions and remains the only multilateral environmental agreement focused on a single group of ecosystem types. At the time of initial discussions within the wetland conservation science community in the late 1960s, its ambition was unprecedented, with no successful models to draw upon, especially with regard to novel concepts such as the modus for an ‘internationally protected site’. Drawing on previously unpublished draft texts, we track the Convention’s textual development to its ultimate agreement in 1971. During this period its geographic scope changed from an initial European to global focus, whereas core obligations related to the designation of internationally important wetlands and the provision of secretariat coordination functions were substantively developed. We present (as supplementary material) all draft texts, from 1965 to 1971, previously unavailable online.

Ocean warming and acidification degrade shoaling performance and lateralization of novel tropical-temperate fish shoals.

Gregarious behaviours are common in animals and provide various benefits such as food acquisition and protection against predators. Many gregarious tropical species are shifting poleward under current ocean warming, creating novel species and social interactions with local temperate taxa. However, how the dynamics of these novel shoals might be altered by future ocean warming and acidification remains untested. Here we evaluate how novel species interactions, ocean acidification and warming affect shoaling dynamics, motor lateralization and boldness of range-extending tropical and co-shoaling temperate fishes under controlled laboratory conditions. Fishes were exposed to 1 of 12 treatments (combinations of three temperature levels, two pCO2 levels and two shoal type levels: mixed species or temperate only) for 38days. Lateralization (a measure of asymmetric expression of cognitive function in group coordination and predator escape) of tropical and temperate species was right-side biased under present-day conditions, but side bias significantly diminished in tropical and temperate fishes under ocean acidification. Ocean acidification also decreased shoal cohesion irrespective of shoaling type, with mixed-species shoals showing significantly lower cohesion than temperate-only shoals irrespective of climate stressors. Tropical fish became bolder under ocean acidification (after 4 weeks), and temperate fish became bolder with increasing temperature, while ocean acidification dampened temperate fish boldness. Our findings highlight the direct effect of climate stressors on fish behaviour and the interplay with the indirect effects of novel species interactions. Because strong shoal cohesion and lateralization are key determinants of species fitness, their degradation under ocean warming and acidification could adversely affect species performance in novel assemblages in a future ocean, and might slow down tropical species range extensions.

Удосконалення конституційних основ місцевого самоврядування в Україні

The article reveals the problems of constitutional and legal regulation of municipal reform, which negatively affect its effectiveness. There is a need to improve the legal personality of the territorial community in terms of the right to exercise power directly, which would strengthen its position as the primary subject of local self-government. The problem could be solved positively by granting the status of a legal entity under public law to the territorial community, but currently, in the conditions of hostilities in the east of the state and temporary occupation of Ukraine, it is impractical to change its status due to the threat of loss of territorial integrity. It is argued that the lack of the right of district and oblast councils to have their own executive bodies has a negative impact on the efficiency and completeness of functioning in the system of local self-government. It is proposed that in order to successfully continue the reform of local self-government, it is proposed to adopt laws that would regulate the issues of the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine and strengthen supervision over the legality of decisions of local self-government bodies. The objective need to amend the Constitution of Ukraine in terms of improving the legal status of territorial communities, granting the right to regional and district councils to create executive bodies, delimitation of public authority on the basis of decentralization and subsidiarity, consolidation of a new system of administrative-territorial organization with division into regions, districts and communities, transformation of local state administrations into prefectural bodies and endowing them with coordination and supervisory functions. Prior to the introduction of these constitutional changes, it is necessary to adopt laws within the current Constitution of Ukraine, which will ensure the continuation of local self-government reform.

Multisector Partnerships and Service Colocation to Increase Adoption of Influenza Vaccines and Address Food Insecurity.

Multisector Partnerships and Service Colocation to Increase Adoption of Influenza Vaccines and Address Food Insecurity.

The Visuospatial and Sensorimotor Functions of Posterior Parietal Cortex in Drawing Tasks: A Review.

Drawing is a comprehensive skill that primarily involves visuospatial processing, eye-hand coordination, and other higher-order cognitive functions. Various drawing tasks are widely used to assess brain function. The neuropsychological basis of drawing is extremely sophisticated. Previous work has addressed the critical role of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in drawing, but the specific functions of the PPC in drawing remain unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiological studies found that drawing activates the PPC. Lesion-symptom mapping studies have shown an association between PPC injury and drawing deficits in patients with global and focal cerebral pathology. These findings depicted a core framework of the fronto-parietal network in drawing tasks. Here, we review neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies applying drawing paradigms and discuss the specific functions of the PPC in visuospatial and sensorimotor aspects. Ultimately, we proposed a hypothetical model based on the dorsal stream. It demonstrates the organization of a PPC-centered network for drawing and provides systematic insights into drawing for future neuropsychological research.

Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels: A Prominent Target of Marine Toxins.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are considered to be one of the most important ion channels given their remarkable physiological role. VGSCs constitute a family of large transmembrane proteins that allow transmission, generation, and propagation of action potentials. This occurs by conducting Na+ ions through the membrane, supporting cell excitability and communication signals in various systems. As a result, a wide range of coordination and physiological functions, from locomotion to cognition, can be accomplished. Drugs that target and alter the molecular mechanism of VGSCs’ function have highly contributed to the discovery and perception of the function and the structure of this channel. Among those drugs are various marine toxins produced by harmful microorganisms or venomous animals. These toxins have played a key role in understanding the mode of action of VGSCs and in mapping their various allosteric binding sites. Furthermore, marine toxins appear to be an emerging source of therapeutic tools that can relieve pain or treat VGSC-related human channelopathies. Several studies documented the effect of marine toxins on VGSCs as well as their pharmaceutical applications, but none of them underlined the principal marine toxins and their effect on VGSCs. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the neurotoxins produced by marine animals such as pufferfish, shellfish, sea anemone, and cone snail that are active on VGSCs and discuss their pharmaceutical values.

Synchrony of sarcomeric movement regulates left ventricular pump function in the in vivo beating mouse heart.

Sarcomeric contraction in cardiomyocytes serves as the basis for the heart's pump functions. It has generally been considered that in cardiac muscle as well as in skeletal muscle, sarcomeres equally contribute to myofibrillar dynamics in myocytes at varying loads by producing similar levels of active and passive force. In the present study, we expressed α-actinin-AcGFP in Z-disks to analyze dynamic behaviors of sequentially connected individual sarcomeres along a myofibril in a left ventricular (LV) myocyte of the in vivo beating mouse heart. To quantify the magnitude of the contribution of individual sarcomeres to myofibrillar dynamics, we introduced the novel parameter "contribution index" (CI) to measure the synchrony in movements between a sarcomere and a myofibril (from -1 [complete asynchrony] to 1 [complete synchrony]). First, CI varied markedly between sarcomeres, with an average value of ∼0.3 during normal systole. Second, when the movements between adjacent sarcomeres were asynchronous (CI < 0), a sarcomere and the ones next to the adjacent sarcomeres and farther away moved in synchrony (CI > 0) along a myofibril. Third, when difference in LV pressure in diastole and systole (ΔLVP) was lowered to <10 mm Hg, diastolic sarcomere length increased. Under depressed conditions, the movements between adjacent sarcomeres were in marked asynchrony (CI, -0.3 to -0.4), and, as a result, average CI was linearly decreased in association with a decrease in ΔLVP. These findings suggest that in the left ventricle of the in vivo beating mouse heart, (1) sarcomeres heterogeneously contribute to myofibrillar dynamics due to an imbalance of active and passive force between neighboring sarcomeres, (2) the force imbalance is pronounced under depressed conditions coupled with a marked increase in passive force and the ensuing tug-of-war between sarcomeres, and (3) sarcomere synchrony via the distal intersarcomere interaction regulates the heart's pump function in coordination with myofibrillar contractility.

Coordination among multiple receptor tyrosine kinase signals controls Drosophila developmental timing and body size.

SUMMARYIn holometabolous insects, metamorphic timing and body size are controlled by a neuroendocrine axis composed of the ecdysone-producing prothoracic gland (PG) and its presynaptic neurons (PGNs) producing PTTH. Although PTTH/Torso signaling is considered the primary mediator of metamorphic timing, recent studies indicate that other unidentified PGN-derived factors also affect timing. Here, we demonstrate that the receptor tyrosine kinases anaplastic lymphoma kinase (Alk) and PDGF and VEGF receptor-related (Pvr), function in coordination with PTTH/Torso signaling to regulate pupariation timing and body size. Both Alk and Pvr trigger Ras/Erk signaling in the PG to upregulate expression of ecdysone biosynthetic enzymes, while Alk also suppresses autophagy by activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt. The Alk ligand Jelly belly (Jeb) is produced by the PGNs and serves as a second PGN-derived tropic factor, while Pvr activation mainly relies on autocrine signaling by PG-derived Pvf2 and Pvf3. These findings illustrate that a combination of juxtacrine and autocrine signaling regulates metamorphic timing, the defining event of holometabolous development.

Winning Without a Champion: Ecosystem Emergence Under Distributed Agency

The emergence process, through which actors construe the value creation, value capture, and coordination functions of an ecosystem, has recently sparked considerable scholarly interest. To date, most studies have focused on the central role of “champions”, actors controlling key resources, in constructing the ecosystem. However, many ecosystems emerge under conditions of distributed agency, in which initiative and key resources are spread across multiple nominally independent actors. We investigate the processes along which the three canonical functions of an ecosystem tend to emerge when champions are lacking. We conduct an in-depth, historically embedded study of the emergence of the Dutch ornamental crop breeding industry, a globally leading ecosystem that has been built under conditions of distributed agency. Our process model shows that distributed-agency ecosystems tend to emerge through various phases, in which the simultaneous construction of the value creation and value capture functions often leads to frictions between the individual economic incentives and the normative values that are collectively held by all actors in the ecosystem. Due to the property of distributed agency, actors must act collectively in self-enforcing institutions or appeal to third parties to resolve these frictions. We find that these coordinating institutions engage in three types of work: values work to advocate and enforce a set of normative values, friction-resolving work to stimulate collective value creation and to impose legal and moral boundaries on value capture rule structures, and sedimentation work to harmonize the new elements and the persisting old structures of the ecosystem.

Construction of Ecological Mode of College English Teaching under the Internet Plus Background

The modernization of industry is inseparable from the development of English teaching.Under the background of "Internet plus", constructing an ecological mode of College English teaching has become an effective way to promote the reform of College English teaching. Based on the analysis of the imbalance of the function of the Internet plus teaching structure, the imbalance between the coordination functions of the ecological subjects, the imbalance between the ecological subjects and the Internet information technology, this paper puts forward the concept of improving the information literacy of the teaching subject and innovating the "teaching and learning". This paper expounds the idea of creating a network ecological teaching environment and giving full play to teachers' guiding role. At the same time, this paper constructs a multi-dimensional interactive ecological classroom, harmonious teacher-student relationship and other specific strategies to build an ecological model of College English teaching, in order to play the role of ecological subject and improve the effect of College English teaching.

Upaya Kepolisian dalam Menanggulangi Tindak Pidana Korupsi

The purpose of this study was to analyze the efforts of the police in overcoming criminal acts of corruption and to analyze the obstacles faced by the police in overcoming criminal acts of corruption. The study used empirical research type. Data collection techniques in this study were through direct interviews with respondents as the primary data source and through literature study as a secondary data source. The data analysis technique used was qualitative technique. The results showed that the efforts made by the police to tackle corruption were in the form of preemptive, preventive, and repressive measures. Preemptive efforts were in the form of educating the public through pamphlets, brochures, and banners that contained all matters relating to corruption. Preventive efforts by way of synergizing with law enforcement officials, improving coordination, investigation, and investigation functions in ten areas prone to corruption, and responding to public demanded to accelerate investigations. Repressive measures in the form of sanctions against corruptors in accordance with the law. The obstacles faced in overcoming corruption were internal constraints, namely the slow disbursement of program budgets for pre-emptive and preventive activities, as well as external obstacles, namely the lack of understanding of corruption by the public.

MODEL PERLINDUNGAN DAN PENGELOLAAN LINGKUNGAN HIDUP DALAM MEWUJUDAN GOOD GOVERNANCE

This research is a research that aims to identify and examine the application of authority related to environmental management in Way Kanan Regency and to find a model of good environmental supervision and management in the district by the Environment Agency in realizing good governance. The method used in this study is a normative-empirical research method using a statute approach and in-depth interviews. The findings of this study are that the implementation of the authority of the environmental services in the regions is not optimal so that environmental damage occurs and the model of environmental protection and management, waste and waste that uses the principles of good governance is optimal. It is hoped that future regulations related to the authority of the environmental services in the regions must have broad powers, covering aspects of planning, implementation, supervision and law enforcement. Its duties and functions must integrate the coordination and operational functions, and there is a clear arrangement of relations between institutions related to environmental management.

Comprehensive characterization of motor and coordination functions in three adolescent wild-type mouse strains

Neuropsychiatric disorders are often associated with motor and coordination abnormalities that have important implications on the etiology, pathophysiology, and management of these disorders. Although the onset of many neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder emerges mainly during infancy and adolescence, most of the behavioral studies in mice modeling neuropsychiatric phenotypes are performed in adult animals, possibly missing valuable phenotypic information related to the effect of synaptic maturation during development. Here, we examined which behavioral tests assessing both motor and coordination functions can be performed in mice at two different adolescent stages. As strain and sex affect mouse behavior, our experiments covered both male and female mice of three inbred wild-type strains, C57BL/6N, DBA/2, and FVB/N. Adolescent mice of both postnatal days (P)22–30 and P32–40 developmental stages were capable of mastering common motor and coordination tests. However, results differed significantly between strains and sexes. Moreover, the 10-day interval between the two tested cohorts uncovered a strong difference in the behavioral results, confirming the significant impact of maturation on behavioral patterns. Interestingly, the results of distinct behavioral experiments were directly correlated with the weight of mice, which may explain the lack of reproducibility of some behavioral results in genetically-modified mice. Our study paves the way for better reproducibility of behavioral tests by addressing the effect of the developmental stage, strain, sex, and weight of mice on achieving the face validity of neuropsychiatric disorder-associated motor dysfunctions.

Penyusunan Peraturan Desa Tentang Bale Mediasi Melalui Penyuluhan dan Monitoring Pada Desa Rumak, Kecamatan Kediri, Kabupaten Lombok Barat

This extension and monitoring activity aims to provide knowledge and understanding to the people of Rumak Village about how the basic mechanisms and knowledge in drafting a village regulation, in this case Bale Mediation, is an institution that carries out mediation, guidance and coordination functions in the implementation of mediation in the community in accordance with local wisdom. This counseling also simultaneously monitors conditions or problems that occur in the Rumak Village community which can be resolved through mediation or non-litigation. This outreach activity was held thanks to the cooperation of various parties, namely: Rumak Village Officials consisting of the government of Village, the Secretary of the Hamlet and Bhabinkamtibmas, the NTB Province Bale Mediation Institute and Law Faculty Lecturers from various existing universities. Extension activities are carried out using the lecture and discussion method. All extension participants followed the series of events well to the end and were very enthusiastic by providing various kinds of questions that often occur. Therefore, it can be concluded that the implementation of this counseling went well and was successful where the material presented could be well absorbed by the Rumak Village officials and they would implement everything to be applied to the Rumak Village community.

How does the strength of ties influence relationship quality in Chinese megaprojects? The mediating role of contractual flexibility

PurposeThis study aims to explore the influence of the strength of ties (strong ties and weak ties) on contractual flexibility (term flexibility and process flexibility) and relationship quality among stakeholders in a megaproject network.Design/methodology/approachThis study, via a questionnaire survey, collected 380 valid responses from megaproject professionals (including project managers, department managers and project engineers). The data were analyzed using least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results show that both strong ties and weak ties have positive effects on relationship quality. The introduction of contractual flexibility can help improve relationship quality by combining the positive effects of the strength of ties. Interestingly, the indirect influence of strong ties on relationship quality is mainly due to term flexibility. However, the influence of process flexibility is not significant, while weak ties have an indirect influence through term flexibility and process flexibility.Research limitations/implicationsThis study, while helpful to megaproject management both in theory and practice, is nevertheless subject to several limitations. First, this study only considers the impact of the strength of ties on contractual flexibility and relationship quality; other factors, such as environmental uncertainty, are not explored. Second, the sample data are limited to just a few regions of China. Future research should cover other influencing factors, in order to make the model more substantial; data should also be collected from different cultural and industrial sources, thereby extending and further verifying the results.Originality/valueThis study makes three contributions to extant megaproject literature. First, this study provides a deep and nuanced understanding of the strength of ties. With the distinction between strong ties and weak ties clearly explained, this research furnishes a subtler understanding of relationship governance than has previously been achieved. Second, by precisely identifying the mechanism of how contract flexibility improves contract control and coordination functions, this research offers a complementary view of how contractual flexibility positively contributes to cooperation and relationship quality. Third, this study identifies which dimension of the strength of ties is more influential. This brings a new explanation for the previous controversy and offers some insight into the determinants of how to improve relationship quality in Chinese megaprojects.

Temporo-Frontal Coherences and High-Frequency iEEG Responses during Spatial Navigation in Patients with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy.

The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus function in tight coordination during multiple cognitive processes. During spatial navigation, prefrontal neurons are linked to hippocampal theta oscillations, presumably in order to enhance communication. Hippocampal ripples have been suggested to reflect spatial memory processes. Whether prefrontal-hippocampal-interaction also takes place within the ripple band is unknown. This intracranial EEG study aimed to investigate whether ripple band coherences can also be used to show this communication. Twelve patients with epilepsy and intracranial EEG evaluation completed a virtual spatial navigation task. We calculated ordinary coherence between prefrontal and temporal electrodes during retrieval, re-encoding, and pre-task rest. Coherences were compared between the conditions via permutation testing. Additionally, ripples events were automatically detected and changes in occurrence rates were investigated excluding ripples on epileptic spikes. Ripple-band coherences yielded no general effect of the task on coherences across all patients. Furthermore, we did not find significant effects of task conditions on ripple rates. Subsequent analyses pointed to rather short periods of synchrony as opposed to general task-related changes in ripple-band coherence. Specifically designed tasks and adopted measures might be necessary in order to map these interactions in future studies.

Multipurpose Cooperative Member Participation in Agricultural Input Marketing and Its Associated Factors: Kersa District, Jimma Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Multipurpose cooperatives are often seen as key institutional intervention in enhancing farmers’ access to markets, as one form of institution that fulfill exchange and co-ordination functions in an economy. This study Presented multipurpose cooperatives member participation in agricultural input marketing and associated factors at kersa woreda, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Two-stage sampling procedures were used in this study. Primary data were collected through key informant interview, focus group discussions and personal observations while secondary data were collected through review of related literatures and different reports. Binary logit model was used to analyze quantitative data. Twelve independent variables were hypothesized and five of them positively influencing agricultural input marketing of multipurpose cooperative member’s participation. The result showed that 66.36% of cooperative members were participants in agricultural input marketing where as 33.64% were non-participants. The binary logit model result showed that age, education, landholding, change in standard of living due to joining of cooperative, membership in other cooperatives other than Multipurpose Cooperatives has influence agricultural input marketing of multipurpose cooperative member positively and significantly while the other two variables determined negatively and significantly. In conclusion, multipurpose cooperative members who are nearer to their office tend to more participate in marketing activity of agricultural input marketing than those who are far from their office. Therefore, the government has to facilitate road accessibility and District Cooperative promotion Agency has to give attention to address and support those who have no proximity to their office.

Problematika Kewenangan Administrasi Kependudukan Sesuai Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 40 Tahun 2019

Kajian ini berupaya untuk memahami kendala-kendala eksternal yang muncul dalam pelaksanaan kewenangan administrasi kependudukan yang bersumber dari ketatnya regulasi kementerian terhadap daerah dan pembagian kewenangan antara pemerintah pusat dan daerah. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis potensi hambatan penyelenggaraan urusan administrasi kependudukan sesuai PP No 40/2019. Metode penelitian menggunakan studi pustaka, dimana penulis mengumpulkan data-data secara sistematis dan membuat sintesisnya. Pertama ditemukan hambatan distorsi dalam pelaksanaan asas penyelenggaraan pemerintahan daerah dimana terjadi benturan regulasi antara pusat dan daerah, pengaturan pusat cenderung sentralistis dan hal ini berpengaruh pada komposisi anggaran yang tidak berimbang menyebabkan daerah kesulitan untuk bekerja secara maksimal. Kedua, distribusi urusan administrasi kependudukan dan kriteria pembagian urusan. Dimana kementerian memberikan perintah yang tidak tertulis dalam PP 40/2019 serta mengerjakan urusan yang telah dikerjakan di daerah. Lalu pendistribusian fungsi pengawasan dan koordinasi yang lemah dalam pelaksanaan kegiatan menyebabkan konflik antara provinsi dan kabupaten/kota. Kesimpulannya pelaksanaan PP No. 40 Tahun 2019 menimbulkan hambatan dalam hubungan kewenangan, kelembagaan, keuangan, dan pengawasan antara pemerintah pusat dan daerah. Solusi yang ditawarkan yakni memperbaiki pola komunikasi dan koordinasi dan pemerintah pusat segera membentuk kantor perwakilan di provinsi, kabupaten/kota dan desa yang khusus mengerjakan kewenangan dekonsentasi/tugas pembantuan.

Selenacrown Macrocycle in Aqueous Medium: Synthesis, Redox-Responsive Self-Assembly, and Enhanced Disulfide Formation Reaction.

Organic selenides are famous for their coordination and catalytic functions in the organic phase, albeit challenging for aqueous medium. Herein, the combination of a hydrophilic body of crown ether and substitution of one oxygen atom with a selenium one provides a new type of design route for organic selenide entities with charming functions in aqueous solution. The selenacrown ether C9Se presented here intrinsically shows an amphiphile-like property. Its nanosphere structure in water readily expands the catalysis of organic selenide to aqueous substrates in thiol/disulfide conversion.

The manifestation of coordination failures in service triads

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate governance in service triads, specifically studying significant steering and connecting coordination failures, to reveal typically hidden characteristics and consequences.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on coordination functions and activities between a buyer (a government department), a customer (a military service) and two service providers. Rich data on these normally confidential service ties are drawn from an official report into the causes of a fatal accident involving a UK reconnaissance aircraft and specifically from the evidence presented regarding the earlier development of its complex safety case. The authors also analysed a range of additional secondary data sources.FindingsThe authors examine the sources, drivers and manifestation of coordination failures. The authors uncover a series of coordination failures driven from the bridge position, revealing that while bounded rationality and opportunism influenced steering coordination failures, connecting coordination failures were associated with knowledge asymmetry, dyadic inertia and unethical practices.Practical implicationsOrganisations and governments delivering complex projects and knowledge-intensive professional services should guard against outsourcing the “coordination” activity to a third party, thereby relinquishing the bridge position. Handing over the bridge position to an integrator would leave the client vulnerable to coordination dysfunctions such as bounded rationality, opportunism, knowledge asymmetry, dyadic inertia and unethical practices.Originality/valueThe study links the previously separate research streams of service triads and inter-organizational coordination. While extant research pays attention to mainly positive control functions, this study focuses on all three actors in two (failed) service triads – and highlights the impact of coordination activities and failures.