System Effects

Download or read book System Effects written by Robert Jervis and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1998-12-28 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on more than three decades of observation, Robert Jervis concludes in this provocative book that the very foundations of many social science theories--especially those in political science--are faulty. Taking insights from complexity theory as his point of departure, the author observes that we live in a world where things are interconnected, where unintended consequences of our actions are unavoidable and unpredictable, and where the total effect of behavior is not equal to the sum of individual actions. Jervis draws on a wide range of human endeavors to illustrate the nature of these system effects. He shows how increasing airport security might actually cost lives, not save them, and how removing dead trees (ostensibly to give living trees more room) may damage the health of an entire forest. Similarly, he highlights the interconnectedness of the political world as he describes how the Cold War played out and as he narrates the series of events--with their unintended consequences--that escalated into World War I. The ramifications of developing a rigorous understanding of politics are immense, as Jervis demonstrates in his critique of current systemic theories of international politics--especially the influential work done by Kenneth Waltz. Jervis goes on to examine various types of negative and positive feedback, bargaining in different types of relationships, and the polarizing effects of alignments to begin building a foundation for a more realistic, more nuanced, theory of international politics. System Effects concludes by examining what it means to act in a system. It shows how political actors might modify their behavior in anticipation of system effects, and it explores how systemic theories of political behavior might account for the role of anticipation and strategy in political action. This work introduces powerful new concepts that will reward not only international relations theorists, but also all social scientists with interests in comparative politics and political theory.

Download or read book A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-06-17 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans' well-being than any other human activity. The food industry is the largest sector of our economy; food touches everything from our health to the environment, climate change, economic inequality, and the federal budget. From the earliest developments of agriculture, a major goal has been to attain sufficient foods that provide the energy and the nutrients needed for a healthy, active life. Over time, food production, processing, marketing, and consumption have evolved and become highly complex. The challenges of improving the food system in the 21st century will require systemic approaches that take full account of social, economic, ecological, and evolutionary factors. Policy or business interventions involving a segment of the food system often have consequences beyond the original issue the intervention was meant to address. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System develops an analytical framework for assessing effects associated with the ways in which food is grown, processed, distributed, marketed, retailed, and consumed in the United States. The framework will allow users to recognize effects across the full food system, consider all domains and dimensions of effects, account for systems dynamics and complexities, and choose appropriate methods for analysis. This report provides example applications of the framework based on complex questions that are currently under debate: consumption of a healthy and safe diet, food security, animal welfare, and preserving the environment and its resources. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System describes the U.S. food system and provides a brief history of its evolution into the current system. This report identifies some of the real and potential implications of the current system in terms of its health, environmental, and socioeconomic effects along with a sense for the complexities of the system, potential metrics, and some of the data needs that are required to assess the effects. The overview of the food system and the framework described in this report will be an essential resource for decision makers, researchers, and others to examine the possible impacts of alternative policies or agricultural or food processing practices.

Download or read book The Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System written by Bertha Madras and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 625 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drug use and abuse continues to thrive in contemporary society worldwide and the instance and damage caused by addiction increases along with availability. The Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System presents objective, state-of-the-art information on the impact of drug abuse on the human nervous system, with each chapter offering a specific focus on nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, sedative-hypnotics, and designer drugs. Other chapters provide a context for drug use, with overviews of use and consequences, epidemiology and risk factors, genetics of use and treatment success, and strategies to screen populations and provide appropriate interventions. The book offers meaningful, relevant and timely information for scientists, health-care professionals and treatment providers. - A comprehensive reference on the effects of drug addiction on the human nervous system - Focuses on core drug addiction issues from nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, and other commonly abused drugs - Includes foundational science chapters on the biology of addiction - Details challenges in diagnosis and treatment options

Download or read book Beyond Probiotics: Dietary Microbial Modulators of the Immune System - Effects and Mechanisms written by Margarida Castell and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-03-25 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Nutritional and Environmental Modulation of the Endocrine System: Effects on Metabolism and Growth written by Oliana Carnevali and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present eBook is the result of the Frontiers Research Topic entitled “Nutritional and environmental modulation of the endocrine system: effects on metabolism and growth”. It contains 12 chapters, comprising 7 original research articles, 3 reviews, and 2 minireviews. The objective of the Research Topic was to provide a multidisciplinary approach of cutting-edge research on metabolism and growth aiming to address key questions about the interplay between nutritional, environmental or other external factors (i.e. temperature or pollutants) and signals modulating feed intake with the endocrine system, regulating these processes. Evidences about the molecular principle behind the complex interactions of all these factors on the control of the endocrine and nervous systems regulating the metabolic process are presented. The knowledge provided by this eBook focusing in cells, model organisms and farmed species, have highlighted the importance of dietary and environmental factors, and their interactions with the endocrine system to regulate growth and metabolism.

Download or read book Septic Tank System Effects on Ground Water Quality written by Canter and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-01 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This valuable reference delineates the ground water quality concerns associated with the planning and usage of septic tank systems. Septic tank systems represent a significant source of ground water pollution in the United States. Since many existing systems are exceeding their design life by several-fold, the usage of synthetic organic chemicals in the household and for system cleaning is increasing, and larger-scale systems are being designed and used.

Download or read book Central-nervous-system Effects as Measured by Reaction Time in Squirrel Monkeys Exposed for Short Periods to Extremely Low-frequency Magnetic Fields written by James D. Grissett and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: