Foundations of Evolutionary Economics, Chapter Five: Networks

(2003). Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Forrester, and a Foundation for Evolutionary Economics. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 37, A Symposium on David Hamilton's Evolutionary Economics: A Study of Change in Economic Thought, pp. 133-173.

The debriefing phase in human patient simulation is considered to be crucial for learning. To ensure good learning conditions, the use of small groups is recommended, which poses a major challenge when the student count is high. The use of large groups may provide an alternative for typical lecture-style education and contribute to a more frequently and repeated training which is considered to be important for achieving simulation competency. The purpose of the present study was to describe nursing students’ experiences obtained during the debriefing conducted in small and large groups with the use of a qualitative descriptive approach. The informants had participated in a human patient simulation situation either in large or small groups. Data was collected through the use of five focus-group interviews and analysed by content analysis. The findings showed that independent of group-size the informants experienced the learning strategies to be unfamiliar and intrusive, and in the large groups to such an extent that learning was hampered. Debriefing was perceived as offering excellent opportunities for transferable learning, and activity, predictability and preparedness were deemed essential. Small groups provided the best learning conditions in that safety and security were ensured, but were perceived as providing limited challenges to accommodate professional requirements as a nurse. Simulation competency as a prerequisite for learning was shown not to be developed isolated in conjunction with simulation, but depends on a systematic effort to build a learning community in the programme in general. The faculty needs to support the students to be conscious and accustomed to learning as a heightened experience of learning out of their comfort zone.

The ecological-constraints model proposes that increased group size increases within-group feeding competition, necessitating increased travel and, consequently, constraining group size. Previous studies have supported the model for frugivores, but its applicability to folivores remains untested. This study evaluated the generality of the model by re-examining the relationship between day range and group size for a folivorous species for which published accounts have not found a relationship between these factors. This study differs from earlier studies by accounting for variation in food availability, which may drive changes in day range. We quantified the relationships among food availability, day range, and group size for two red colobus groups at Kibale National Park, Uganda. Mean day range and home range were significantly greater for the group of 48 individuals compared to the group of 24 individuals. The large group traveled more and rested less than the small group. The large group also traveled more rapidly than the small group. Food availability significantly predicted mean day range for the large group, but not for the small group. Analyses of covariance demonstrated that the large and small group responded differently to changes in food availability. These observations suggest that the large red colobus group experiences greater levels of within-group feeding competition than the small group. This study provides added support for the generality of the ecological-constraints model and contributes toward an understanding of the mechanisms controlling feeding competition and social organization in primates.

The author presents a survey of the development of large group theory. Older publications (e.g. Kreeger, Turqet, also drawing on Freud, M. Klein, Bion) describe the chaotic-aggressive, near-psychosis character of the large group, a certain contrast between the seemingly ‘benign’ small group and the ‘destructive’ large group and a predominantly dyadic relationship between the conductor and the large group. More recent publications (Wilke, Island, formerly also de Maré) underline the creative-constructive potential of the large group and the intersubjective interweaving of the conductor and the large group. Experiences with a conductor-pair in the daily large group of the Altaussee workshop instead of one conductor are discussed. The author pleads for the application of modern intersubjective theorizing to the large group. The analytic attitude and intervention technique would be changed: the traditional position of strict neutrality, anonymity and abstinence as well as the emphasis on whole-group interpretations would be substituted by a more open stance that does not hide the subjectivity of the conductor(s) but rather reveals and uses the conductor’s subjectivity to promote the analytic process.

For social groups to form and be stable over time, animals must develop strategies to cope with conflict among group members. Animals may behave submissively either by fleeing from an aggressor, or by signalling submission. The use of these two submissive responses may vary depending on the social and ecological context. Group size is a key aspect of social context for group living animals, as individuals in smaller groups may respond to aggression differently than those from larger groups. Here, we examine the relationship between group size and submissive behaviour in a cooperatively breeding fish, the daffodil cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher). We found that subordinate fish showed similar levels of submission signals in response to dominant aggression in larger and smaller groups, however, subordinates from larger groups were less likely to flee from dominant aggression than those in smaller groups. Subordinates in larger groups also showed more digging behaviour which may be also used to avoid conflict with the dominant group members. Our data show that social context affects submissive behaviour in a cooperatively breeding fish.

To our knowledge, there is a need to develop a methodological approach to the assessment of united communities` human resources` level of interactions, as a large group, and of separate structural unit’s – a small group. This allows us to determine the dependence of the level of interactions on the number of people who interact within a particular structure and the nature of the activity they carry out – intellectual or manual labor. The purpose of our research is to develop a methodological approach to the assessment of the level of human resources` interactions, which allows us to identify key areas and policy measures. Expert assessments and analytical dependencies are used as research tools in the article. These tools allow us to quantitatively determine the level of human resources` interactions for an individual entity. Empirical implementation of the proposed approach, using the example of two entities varying in size and nature of labor, allowed us to make a comparative analysis and to distinguish the characteristic features that are the basis for making managerial decisions. A manager acts as an expert who assesses the presence or absence of a particular event in the subordinate unit. The indicator, which characterizes the presence or absence of certain activities and the level of participation in them, is defined on the basis of managerial assessment. The next stage is to determine the interaction rate by means of certain mathematical dependencies and results` analysis. As a result of the research, we got the assessment of the level of human resources` interactions between two entities – a united community and a structural unit. The assessment revealed a dependence on the level of interactions on the entity`s size (small and large groups) and the nature of labor. The results showed that a structural unit, focused on intellectual labor and presented by a small group, has a greater level of interactions than a united community, which has a bigger size and a predominance of manual labor.

Patients who undergo orbital exenteration often experience social problems because of their facial disfigurement. The authors studied the interaction of cancer patients who had undergone orbital exenteration with family members and friends (primary groups) and with acquaintances and strangers (secondary groups) in small and large groups. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with 12 patients treated at a cancer center (7 men and 5 women aged 51-81 years) and 12 family members (8 spouses and 4 children or siblings). Three patients had adenoid cystic carcinoma of lacrimal gland, 3 had squamous cell carcinoma of conjunctiva/eyelid, and 1 each had conjunctival melanoma, eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma of lacrimal sac, adenocarcinoma of orbit, neuroendocrine carcinoma of orbit, and basal cell carcinoma of eyelid. Time from orbital exenteration to interview ranged from 8 months to 36 years (median, 44 months). Two patient groups were identified according to comfort in interactions with acquaintances and strangers. Always comfortable patients were always at ease. Occasionally comfortable patients were at ease in large groups in situations of "benign neglect" and in small groups when they received "sympathy"; were uncomfortable in large and small groups when episodes of "intrusion" occurred; and had mixed responses to benign neglect in small groups and sympathy in large groups. Both patient groups felt comfortable with family members and friends. Patients who will undergo orbital exenteration should be warned about possible difficulties with social interactions. Healthcare personnel should be trained to help patients and family members prepare for such difficulties.

Background: Smaller vessel PTCA account to approximately on third of all PTCA worldwide. With increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus and aging, this proportion can increase considerably. This is a region of interest for us because Indians, in particular, are known to have smaller coronaries. There are limited studies in coronary vessels < 2.5 are available. Most of the previous studies defined small vessel as < 3 or 2.75 mm.Methods and Results: This is an observational single center study where we analyzed 650 patients, 52 in the small vessel group(< 2.5 mm) and 598 in large vessel group(≥ 2.5 mm) with similar mean age between the both the groups (57.5±11.4 vs 57.9±11.1 yrs). Hypertension and smoking are more in large vessel group (74.7% vs 61.9, p=0.004; 22.1% vs 13.4%, p=0.007), whereas no difference for presence of diabetes (54.2% vs 54.3%) or type of CAD (CSA – chronic stable angina – 70.3% vs 76.1%, p=0.2). Large vessel group patients had more LV dysfunction (40.3% vs 24.6%, p=0.000).Mean Pre reference diameter was 1.9±0.5mm in small vessel group versus 2.9±0.5mm in large vessel group. Mean minimum lesion diameter in small vessel group is 0.8±0.3 mm versus 1.3±1.9 mm in large vessel group. Mean pre-lesion length is 16.7±3.5 mm in small vessel group versus 18.3±8.3mm in large vessel group. Mean stent size is 2.33mm in small vessel group versus 3.04mm in large vessel group. Mean stent length is 17.27mm in small vessel group versus 21.8mm in large vessel group. The success of PCI in small vessel group was 96% (not able to deliver stent in one patient and in one patient there was a non-flow limiting distal stent dissection) and 98% in large vessel group.In one year follow-up, 5 (3.5%) patients from small vessel group and 34 (4.5%) patients from large vessel group had MACCE which is not statistically significant (p=0.6)Conclusions: Small vessel (really small means less than 2.5 mm) PCI, not only acute but also one-year results are good with MACCE rate of 3.5% and comparable to large vessel PCI.

The effect of food resources on behavior has been difficult to measure. Here we use animals themselves to describe “effective” food abundance and distribution by comparing, relative to where individuals stopped to eat, movements of (1) adult females living in a small group of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) with those living in a large group and (2) vervets and patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas). Although females in the large vervet group travelled farther and stopped to eat more often than females in the small vervet group, these differences resulted from foraging in Acacia drepanolobium habitat. In A. xanthophloea habitat, females in the large group travelled less far, travelled shorter distances between foods, and stopped as often as females in the small group. Greater foraging costs of females in larger vervet groups may be offset by access to home ranges of better quality. Compared to patas, vervets travelled shorter distances, moved shorter distances between food sites, stopped less often, and had longer feeding bouts, suggesting that foods of vervets are denser and larger, overall, than foods of patas. When vervets foraged in A. drepanolobium habitat, also the habitat of patas, their foraging behavior became more like that of patas. Vervets travelled farther, stopped more often, and spent less time at food sites in A. drepanolobium habitat than in A. xanthophloea habitat, suggesting that foods are smaller and less usurpable in A. drepanolobium habitat. Distance between foods, a component of food distribution, did not increase, however. The critical variable underlying usurpability of foods may be food site depletion time, a temporal measure.

Luminal diameter ratio of Vieussens' arterial ring is valuable in determining appropriate clinical management for patients with pathologic Vieussens' arterial ring

Objective Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a blood clot arising in the brain parenchyma in the absence of trauma or surgery and accounts for 10% to 15% of all strokes, leading to higher rates of mortality and morbidity than either ischemic stroke or subarachnoid hemorrhage. We sought to investigate the potential association of DOCK1 with neurological deficits and outcomes in patients with spontaneous ICH. Methods Identification of methylation-regulated differentially expressed genes (MeDEGs) between ICH patients and matched controls was performed by analyzing the raw data from the GSE179759 and GSE125512 datasets deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus. A total of 114 patients who were admitted to our hospital for spontaneous ICH were retrospectively analyzed, with 108 healthy volunteers who had received physical examinations at the same period as controls. The mRNA expression of DOCK1 was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The hematoma volume was calculated according to the Coniglobus formula. The severity of neurological deficits was evaluated using National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and function outcomes were evaluated by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. Results A total of 15 MeDEGs between ICH patients and matched controls were identified. The mRNA expression of DOCK1 was remarkably higher in the serum samples of patients with spontaneous ICH than in the healthy controls. According to hematoma volume after ICH attack, small (<10 mL), medium (10 to 30 mL), and large (>30 mL) groups were arranged. The proportions of male patients and patients aged ≥60 years were significantly higher in the large group than in the small and medium groups (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of DOCK1 was significantly higher in the large group than in the small and medium groups (P < 0.05). According to NIHSS scores, mild (NIHSS scores ≤15), moderate (NIHSS scores from 16 to 30), and severe (NIHSS scores from 31 to 45) groups were classified. It was observed that the severe group had higher proportions of male patients and patients aged ≥60 years than the mild and moderate groups (P < 0.05). The severe group exhibited a higher mRNA expression of DOCK1 than the mild and moderate groups (P < 0.05). According to mRS scores, higher proportions of male patients and patients aged ≥60 years were observed in the unfavorable group than the favorable group (P < 0.05). The patients in the unfavorable group showed an elevated DOCK1 mRNA expression compared to those in the favorable group (P < 0.05). Conclusion The study provided evidence that male gender, older age, and higher DOCK1 mRNA expression were related to higher admission hematoma volume, neurologic deterioration, and poor function outcomes in patients with spontaneous ICH.

The ecological constraints model is well supported by data from most frugivorous primates; however, the prediction power of the model is weak for folivorous primates. From September 2016 to August 2017, we collected comparative data on time budgets, daily path lengths and diets of four groups of white-headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus), including two large groups (G-DS and G-ZWY) and two small groups (G-LZ and G-NN) in Chongzuo White-Headed Langur National Nature Reserve, Guangxi Province, Southwest China. The aim was to obtain evidence of foraging competition and to test the ecological constraints model on this highly folivorous primate in its karst habitat. The results showed that langurs in the larger groups spent more time traveling, less time resting, and had a longer average daily path length than those in the small groups. Diet composition and dietary diversity were not significantly different between the large and small groups. Our study demonstrates that langurs from large groups suffer scramble competition in limestone forests and supports the validity of the ecological constraints model for folivores.

This study aims to develop an online mathematic module using Dick and Carey's development model. This research was conducted at SMP Al-Kahfi Sepulu Bangkalan Regency. The validation and quality assessment was conducted by questionnaire, namely questionnaires of expert modules, design experts, and teachers' colleagues. The trials were carried out by students in small groups and large groups. The researchers first tried it in a small group (5 students) before implementing it to a large group of students. The results of this research are obtained from the subject matter expert assessment, peer teacher's questionnaire, and field tests for small and large groups of students. These processes are required to fulfill the validation requirements so that the learning media produced is of high quality. The researcher concluded that the online learning module was feasible. Therefore, this product could be distributed to teachers and students for a better learning experience.

The aim of developing an online-based journalism training module is to determine the effectiveness of using the module to improve online news writing skills. The research uses the Dick and Carey model. The target of the research was a small group of 7 journalists, and a large group of 15 journalists. Test targets for novice journalists on the Tribunjambi.com portal. The results of the small group test stated that it was good 50. Very good 48 and quite good 7. It was concluded that the module helped journalists write online news. In the large group test, the most statements were very good, there were 195. 26 statements were good and 4 statements were quite good. There are visible differences in the results of the small and large group choices. The results of small group tests are often selected as good statements. The results of the large group test after the revision of the module stated that many people chose very good. This means that the results of this trial after the module was revised were at a very good level, because 87 percent of the training participants chose statements in the very good category.

The relation of oxygen consumption to ambient temperature and group size was studied in juvenile American shad Alosa sapidissima at three group sizes: 5 or 6 (small), 9–13 (medium), and 41–48 (large) fish per 500-L tank. Oxygen consumption rates, water temperatures, and behavior were measured concurrently in the three group-size treatments. Schooling predominated in large groups, whereas aggregating behavior dominated medium and small groups. Fish in small or medium groups consumed oxygen at two to four times the rate of fish in large groups (0.36 or 0.25 versus 0.11 mg O2/[g biomass·h]). This group-size-related respiratory rate reduction could be caused by the effect of calming, type of swimming, swimming speed, or hydrodynamic advantage.