Cinematic and aesthetic cartographies of subjective mutation

This article exmaines the use of cinema as a mapping of subjective mutation in the work of Deleuze, Gauttari and Berardi. Drawing on Deleuze's distinciton between the reduction of the art-work to the symptom and the idea of art as symptomatology, the article focuses on Berardi's use of cinematic examples, posing the quesiton in each case of to what extent they function as symptomatologies or mere symptoms of cultural and subjective mutations in examples ranging from Bergman's Persona to Van Sant's Elephant to finish on speculations about Fincher's The Social Network as a cirtical engagement with subjective mutation in the 21st Century

Visualizing the Anthropocene dialectically: Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens’ eco-crisis trilogy

The ambition of this article is to propose a way of visualizing the Anthropocene dialectically. As suggested by the Dutch atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen and the professor of biology Eugene F. Stoermer, the term Anthropocene refers to a historical period in which humankind has turned into a geological force that transforms the natural environment in such a way that it is hard to distinguish between the human and the natural world. Crutzen and Stoermer explain that the Anthropocene has begun after the Holocene, the geological epoch that followed the last ice age and lasted until the industrial revolution. Drawing on a number of figures such as the “tenfold” increase in urbanisation, the extreme transformation of land surface by human action, the use of more than 50% of all accessible fresh water by humans, and the massive increase in greenhouse emissions, Crutzen and Stoermer conclude that the term Anthropocene describes aptly mankind's influence on ecological and geological cycles (Crutzen & Stoermer, 2000, p.17). The wager of this article is that we need to identify ways to visualize the Anthropocene dialectically and I proceed to do so using as a case study Jessica Woodworth's and Peter Brosen's trilogy on the conflict between humans and nature, which consists of Khadak (2006), Altiplano (2009), and The Fifth Season (La Cinquième Saison, 2012)

Topological Strata of Weighted Complex Networks

The statistical mechanical approach to complex networks is the dominant paradigm in describing natural and societal complex systems. The study of network properties, and their implications on dynamical processes, mostly focus on locally defined quantities of nodes and edges, such as node degrees, edge weights and --more recently-- correlations between neighboring nodes. However, statistical methods quickly become cumbersome when dealing with many-body properties and do not capture the precise mesoscopic structure of complex networks. Here we introduce a novel method, based on persistent homology, to detect particular non-local structures, akin to weighted holes within the link-weight network fabric, which are invisible to existing methods. Their properties divide weighted networks in two broad classes: one is characterized by small hierarchically nested holes, while the second displays larger and longer living inhomogeneities. These classes cannot be reduced to known local or quasilocal network properties, because of the intrinsic non-locality of homological properties, and thus yield a new classification built on high order coordination patterns. Our results show that topology can provide novel insights relevant for many-body interactions in social and spatial networks. Moreover, this new method creates the first bridge between network theory and algebraic topology, which will allow to import the toolset of algebraic methods to complex systems.Comment: 26 pages, 19 figures, 1 tabl

Evaluation of fast atmospheric dispersion models in a regular street network

The need to balance computational speed and simulation accuracy is a key challenge in designing atmospheric dispersion models that can be used in scenarios where near real-time hazard predictions are needed. This challenge is aggravated in cities, where models need to have some degree of building-awareness, alongside the ability to capture effects of dominant urban flow processes. We use a combination of high-resolution large-eddy simulation (LES) and wind-tunnel data of flow and dispersion in an idealised, equal-height urban canopy to highlight important dispersion processes and evaluate how these are reproduced by representatives of the most prevalent modelling approaches: (i) a Gaussian plume model, (ii) a Lagrangian stochastic model and (iii) street-network dispersion models. Concentration data from the LES, validated against the wind-tunnel data, were averaged over the volumes of streets in order to provide a high-fidelity reference suitable for evaluating the different models on the same footing. For the particular combination of forcing wind direction and source location studied here, the strongest deviations from the LES reference were associated with mean over-predictions of concentrations by approximately a factor of 2 and with a relative scatter larger than a factor of 4 of the mean, corresponding to cases where the mean plume centreline also deviated significantly from the LES. This was linked to low accuracy of the underlying flow models/parameters that resulted in a misrepresentation of pollutant channelling along streets and of the uneven plume branching observed in intersections. The agreement of model predictions with the LES (which explicitly resolves the turbulent flow and dispersion processes) greatly improved by increasing the accuracy of building-induced modifications of the driving flow field. When provided with a limited set of representative velocity parameters, the comparatively simple street-network models performed equally well or better compared to the Lagrangian model run on full 3D wind fields. The study showed that street-network models capture the dominant building-induced dispersion processes in the canopy layer through parametrisations of horizontal advection and vertical exchange processes at scales of practical interest. At the same time, computational costs and computing times associated with the network approach are ideally suited for emergency-response applications

Evolutionary dynamics of group formation

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Group formation is a quite ubiquitous phenomenon across different animal species, whose individuals cluster together forming communities of diverse size. Previous investigations suggest that, in general, this phenomenon might have similar underlying reasons across the interested species, despite genetic and behavioral differences. For instance improving the individual safety (e.g. from predators), and increasing the probability to get food resources. Remarkably, the group size might strongly vary from species to species, e.g. shoals of fishes and herds of lions, and sometimes even within the same species, e.g. tribes and families in human societies. Here we build on previous theories stating that the dynamics of group formation may have evolutionary roots, and we explore this fascinating hypothesis from a purely theoretical perspective, with a model using the framework of Evolutionary Game Theory. In our model we hypothesize that homogeneity constitutes a fundamental ingredient in these dynamics. Accordingly, we study a population that tries to form homogeneous groups, i.e. composed of similar agents. The formation of a group can be interpreted as a strategy. Notably, agents can form a group (receiving a ‘group payoff’), or can act individually (receiving an ‘individual payoff’). The phase diagram of the modeled population shows a sharp transition between the ‘group phase’ and the ‘individual phase’, characterized by a critical ‘individual payoff’. Our results then support the hypothesis that the phenomenon of group formation has evolutionary roots.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Can Charisma Be Taught? Tests of Two Interventions

We tested whether we could teach individuals to behave more charismatically, andwhether changes in charisma affected leader outcomes. In Study 1, a mixed-design fieldexperiment, we randomly assigned 34 middle-level managers to a control or anexperimental group. Three months later, we reassessed the managers using theircoworker ratings (Time 1 raters = 343; Time 2 raters = 321). In Study 2, a within-subjectslaboratory experiment, we videotaped 41 MBA participants giving a speech. We thentaught them how to behave more charismatically, and they redelivered the speech6 weeks later. Independent assessors (n = 135) rated the speeches. Results from thestudies indicated that the training had significant effects on ratings of leader charisma(mean D = .62) and that charisma had significant effects on ratings of leaderprototypicality and emergence...............................................................................................................................

Time perception in cerebellar and basal ganglia stroke patients

The neural mechanisms underlying time perception remain elusive. Although the cerebellum (CE) and basal ganglia (BG) are considered fundamental, evidence primarily stems from studies on neurodegenerative diseases, where progressive and widespread damage complicates linking deficits to specific brain structures. In contrast, brain stroke affects focal areas suddenly, allowing for the assessment of immediate functional consequences. Here, we compared patients with acute stroke in the CE and BG to age-matched healthy controls (HC) on both explicit (time bisection, free and 1-second finger tapping) and implicit (rhythmic, temporal orienting) timing tasks. Concerning explicit timing, both CE and BG patients were faster than HC in their free finger tapping, while BG lesions showed greater variability than HC in the 1-second tapping. Similarly, performance on the bisection task suggested deficits more related to cognitive complaints in stroke than specific temporal dysfunction. In implicit timing tasks, BG patients, like HC, effectively used information provided by the rhythm and the temporal orienting cues to anticipate the target onset, whereas CE patients failed and showed longer reaction times. Therefore, before compensatory mechanisms can take effect, acute CE damage might hinder implicit timing, whereas BG lesions could disrupt explicit temporal representation when processed alongside other cognitive functions

Proactivity-and-consequence-based safety incentive (PCBSI) developed with a fuzzy approach to reduce occupational accidents

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. This study introduces a new reward system for enhancing safety during work activities, by improving workers' motivation in performance and thereby reducing occupational accidents. The reward system is based on a safety incentive that can be defined by means of two parameters: the worker behavior, which is measured especially in terms of proactivity (namely workers' attitude in reporting potentially hazardous situations) and the consequences that could be avoided thanks to the reporting activity. In doing this, the fuzzy logic theory can be usefully applied, because it offers the opportunity to quantify the two parameters taking into account their vagueness, through the concept of degree of membership and then it also allows to combine them into the final value of the safety incentive through a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). The model, named "Proactivity-and-Consequence Based Safety Incentive" (PCBSI), has been tested in an Italian chemical plant, with the purpose to evaluate its effectiveness

Frontotemporal Dementia, Where Do We Stand? A Narrative Review

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease of growing interest, since it accounts for up to 10% of middle-age-onset dementias and entails a social, economic, and emotional burden for the patients and caregivers. It is characterised by a (at least initially) selective degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobe, generally leading to behavioural alterations, speech disorders, and psychiatric symptoms. Despite the recent advances, given its extreme heterogeneity, an overview that can bring together all the data currently available is still lacking. Here, we aim to provide a state of the art on the pathogenesis of this disease, starting with established findings and integrating them with more recent ones. In particular, advances in the genetics field will be examined, assessing them in relation to both the clinical manifestations and histopathological findings, as well as considering the link with other diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Furthermore, the current diagnostic criteria will be explored, including neuroimaging methods, nuclear medicine investigations, and biomarkers on biological fluids. Of note, the promising information provided by neurophysiological investigations, i.e., electroencephalography and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, concerning the alterations in brain networks and neurotransmitter systems will be reviewed. Finally, current and experimental therapies will be considered