Plants are in intimate association with taxonomically structured microbial communities called the plant microbiota. There is growing evidence that the plant microbiota contributes to the holistic performance and general health of plants, especially under unfavorable situations. Despite the attached benefits, surprisingly, the plant microbiota in nature also includes potentially pathogenic strains, signifying that the plant hosts have tight control over these microbes. Despite the conceivable role of plant immunity in regulating its microbiota, we lack a complete understanding of its role (...) in governing the assembly, maintenance, and function of the plant microbiota. Here, we highlight the recent progress on the mechanistic relevance of host immunity in orchestrating plant‐microbiota dialogues and discuss the pluses and perils of these microbial assemblies. (shrink)

Ariga Tetsutaro (1899–1977) war Professor für das Studium des Christentums an der Universität Kyoto und gehörte dort der zweiten Professoren-generation an. Er legte die Grundlagen der Patristik und der Erforschung des Christentums in Japan. In seinem Hauptwerk “Origenes” hatte er den Historismus in der Theologie erforscht, aber nachdem er seinen Dienst als Professor an der staatlichen Universität aufgenommen hatte, die die Trennung von Staat und Religion hochhielt, suchte er nach Wegen, ein ‘Studium des Christlichen’ zu etablieren, das sich von der (...) Theologie unterschied. Dabei dienten ihm Schleiermachers “Kurze Darstellung des theologischen Studiums” und die Tradition des deutschen liberalen Protestantismus als Anhaltspunkte. Anstatt der Theologie, die den Glauben als methodischen Ausgangspunkt hat, und der Religionswissenschaft, die nur die distanzierte Objektivität als Ausgangspunkt wählt, schlug er als neuen Versuch ein Christliches Studium mit akademischem Standpunkt vor, bei dem der Gelehrte eine Forschungshaltung einnimmt, die durch ein Mindestmaß an vernünftiger Kritik und ‘Ur-Sympathie’ gegenüber der Religion geprägt ist. (shrink)

日本知名學者津田左右吉 著眼《論語》中孔子言論的捏造、錯植與改寫等問題， 以原典批評的實證方法， 透過文本與前後時期諸史料的相互對照、比較， 釐清《論語》與孔子思想、言論的關係。 津田左右吉先生一路抽絲剝繭，先確立孔子言論，進而對孔子思想加以評析，闡述《論語》與孔子思想是如何被儒家承襲、變改、甚而運用操作，同時亦探討《論語》一書成立的原委以及儒學形成的脈絡，思考孔子思想在儒學脈 絡中所扮演的角色問題。 津田左右吉身為歷史學暨思想史學家，對於日本與中國的歷史、思想、文化等領域多所鑽研，著述豐碩。而在研究中國思想、特別是儒家思想之際，一如本書「緒言」開頭所述，津田開宗明義表示欲通曉儒家思想，必先明白孔子 思想，而要明白孔子思想，必得好好研讀《論語》。然而津田在研究考察《論語》一書的過程中，發現《論語》所記載的孔子言論有諸多不一致與矛盾之處，似非出自孔子所言，後人假借孔子之名偽作或新創的情況不少，於是其 以原典批評的實證方法，透過《論語》文本與其前後時代諸多史料典籍的相互對照比較，試釐清《論語》和孔子思想、言論的關係，《論語》一書成立的原委，並更進一步地探討儒學形成的脈絡，以及孔子思想在這樣的儒學中又 扮演了什麼樣的角色等問題。津田認為，過去學者們沒有注意到文本中孔子言論的捏造、錯植和改寫等問題，是研究上極大的致命傷。而在本書中，津田從最根本的問題著手，將《論語》中有哪些章句確定是孔子所言，又有哪些 不是孔子所說，而非孔子所言者是在何時、又為何會被視作孔言等問題，都做了詳盡的查證與精闢的分析。一路抽絲剝繭，先確立孔子言論，進而對孔子思想的內涵加以評析，闡述《論語》與孔子思想是如何被儒家承襲、變改、 甚而運用操作等問題。本書在《論語》與孔子思想關係的釐清上，特別是先秦至西漢時期孔子言論竄作改寫過程的解明等，都對現今儒學研究有實質上的助益。.

Recently, agent technologies have attracted a lot of interest as an emerging programming paradigm. With such agent technologies, services are provided through collaboration among agents. At the same time, the spread of mobile technologies and communication infrastructures has made it possible to access the network anytime and from anywhere. Using agents and mobile technologies to realize ubiquitous computing systems, we propose a new framework based on KODAMA and VPC. KODAMA provides distributed management mechanisms by using the concept of community and (...) communication infrastructure to deliver messages among agents without agents being aware of the physical network. VPC provides a method of defining peer-to-peer services based on agent communication with policy packages. By merging the characteristics of both KODAMA and VPC functions, we propose a new framework for ubiquitous computing environments. It provides distributed management functions according to the concept of agent communities, agent communications which are abstracted from the physical environment, and agent collaboration with policy packages. Using our new framework, we conducted a large-scale experiment in shopping malls in Nagoya, which sent advertisement e-mails to users' cellular phones according to user location and attributes. The empirical results showed that our new framework worked effectively for sales in shopping malls. (shrink)

I would like to emphasize the significance of chaotic dynamics at both local and macroscopic levels in the cortex. The basic notions dealt with in this commentary will be noise-induced order, chaotic “itinerancy” and dissipative structure. Wright & Laley's theory would be partially misleading, since emergent nonlinearity rather than the linearity at even a macroscopic level can actually subserve cortical functions.

We propose a new dynamical mechanism for information processing in mind and brain. We emphasize that a hermeneutic process is one of the key processes manifesting the functions of the brain and that it can be formulated as an itinerant motion in ultrahigh dimensional dynamical systems, which may give a new realm of the dynamic information processing. Our discussions are based on the notion of chaotic information processing and the observations of biological chaos.

Using the concepts of chaotic dynamical systems, we present an interpretation of dynamic neural activity found in cortical and subcortical areas. The discovery of chaotic itinerancy in high-dimensional dynamical systems with and without a noise term has motivated a new interpretation of this dynamic neural activity, cast in terms of the high-dimensional transitory dynamics among “exotic” attractors. This interpretation is quite different from the conventional one, cast in terms of simple behavior on low-dimensional attractors. Skarda and Freeman (1987) presented evidence (...) in support of the conclusion that animals cannot memorize odor without chaotic activity of neuron populations. Following their work, we study the role of chaotic dynamics in biological information processing, perception, and memory. We propose a new coding scheme of information in chaos-driven contracting systems we refer to as Cantor coding. Since these systems are found in the hippocampal formation and also in the olfactory system, the proposed coding scheme should be of biological significance. Based on these intensive studies, a hypothesis regarding the formation of episodic memory is given. Key Words: Cantor coding; chaotic itinerancy; dynamic aspects of the brain; dynamic associative memory; episodic memory; high-dimensional dynamical systems; SCND attractors. (shrink)

This book examines the broad historical process of introducing engineering ethics in Japan from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth century. The author discusses this process from a comprehensive perspective, including not only engineering education but also various issues in science, technology, and society studies.

Despite the exponential progress in computing power of digital computers, the development of lifelike cognitive systems appears has not yet reached the complexity of the simplest kinds of organisms. This may be explained by the lack of robustness of digital computers due to the requirements of structural programmability in the conventional computing architectures. In contrast, biological systems appear to operate in a different mode of information processing. In order to approach more lifelike artificial cognitive systems, the integration of natural and (...) unnatural systems may open a path to investigate the possibilities of the desired biological functions such as through the creation of hybrid architectures that interface nature's computing brains with artificial devices such as using the behaviour of the slime mouldPhysarum polycephalumto influence the behaviour of a mechanical robot. (shrink)

Kampis proposes the study of chaotic itinerancy, pointing out its significance in domains of cognitive science and philosophy. He has discovered in the concept of chaotic itinerancy the possibility for a new dynamical approach that elucidates mental states with a physical basis. This approach may therefore provide the means to go beyond the connectionist approach. In accordance with his theory, I here highlight three issues regarding chaotic itinerancy: transitory dynamics, diversity, and self-modifying system.

Name der Zeitschrift: Frühmittelalterliche Studien Jahrgang: 49 Heft: 1 Seiten: 21-48.

Cultural psychology has great potential to expand its research frameworks to more applied research fields in business such as marketing and organizational studies while going beyond basic psychological processes to more complex social practices. In fact, the number of cross-cultural business studies has grown constantly over the past 20 years. Nonetheless, the theoretical and methodological closeness between cultural psychology and these business-oriented studies has not been fully recognized by scholars in cultural psychology. In this paper, we briefly introduce six representative (...) cultural constructs commonly applied in business research, which include (1) individualism vs. collectivism, (2) independence vs. interdependence, (3) analytic vs. holistic cognition, (4) vertical vs. horizontal orientation, (5) tightness vs. looseness, and (6) strong vs. weak uncertainty avoidance. We plot the constructs on a chart to conceptually represent a common ground between cultural psychology and business research. We then review some representative empirical studies from the research fields of marketing and organizational studies which utilize at least one of these six constructs in their research frameworks. At the end of the paper, we recommend some future directions for further advancing collaboration with scholars in the field of marketing and organizational studies, while referring to theoretical and methodological issues. (shrink)