Child education and work choices in the presence of a conditional cash transfer programme in rural Colombia

This research is part of a large evaluation effort, undertaken by a consortium formed by IFS, Econometria and SEI, which has considered the effects of Familias en Accion on a variety of outcomes one year after its implementation. In early reports, we focussed on the effects of the programme on school enrolment. In this paper, we both expand those results, by carefully analysing anticipation effects along with other issues, and complement them with an analysis of child labour - both paid and unpaid (including domestic) work. The child labour analysis is made possible due to a rich time use module of the surveys that has not previously been analysed. We find that the programme increased the school participation rates of 14 to 17 year old children quite substantially, by between 5 and 7 percentage points, and had lower, but non-negligible effects on the enrolment of younger children of between 1.4 and 2.4 percentage points. In terms of work, the effects are generally largest for younger children whose participation in domestic work decreased by around 10 to 12 percentage points after the programme but whose participation in income-generating work remained largely unaffected by the programme. We also find evidence of school and work time not being fully substitutable, suggesting that some, but not all, of the increased time at school may be drawn from children's leisure time

From Simple to Complex and Ultra-complex Systems:\ud A Paradigm Shift Towards Non-Abelian Systems Dynamics

Atoms, molecules, organisms distinguish layers of reality because of the causal links that govern their behavior, both horizontally (atom-atom, molecule-molecule, organism-organism) and vertically (atom-molecule-organism). This is the first intuition of the theory of levels. Even if the further development of the theory will require imposing a number of qualifications to this initial intuition, the idea of a series of entities organized on different levels of complexity will prove correct. Living systems as well as social systems and the human mind present features remarkably different from those characterizing non-living, simple physical and chemical systems. We propose that super-complexity requires at least four different categorical frameworks, provided by the theories of levels of reality, chronotopoids, (generalized) interactions, and anticipation

From Simple to Complex and Ultra-complex Systems:\ud A Paradigm Shift Towards Non-Abelian Systems Dynamics

Atoms, molecules, organisms distinguish layers of reality because of the causal links that govern their behavior, both horizontally (atom-atom, molecule-molecule, organism-organism) and vertically (atom-molecule-organism). This is the first intuition of the theory of levels. Even if the further development of the theory will require imposing a number of qualifications to this initial intuition, the idea of a series of entities organized on different levels of complexity will prove correct. Living systems as well as social systems and the human mind present features remarkably different from those characterizing non-living, simple physical and chemical systems. We propose that super-complexity requires at least four different categorical frameworks, provided by the theories of levels of reality, chronotopoids, (generalized) interactions, and anticipation

Reading “On Time and Being” to Construct the ‘Missing’ Division III of Being and Time – or “time and Being” –

This paper will articulate the conditions of thinking about the transition of Division II in Heidegger’s Being and Time in order to imagine the architecture of the missing Division III, which never appeared in the published Part I of Being and Time. The paper explores questions of temporality, historical temporality, and Heidegger’s confrontation with Hegel at the end of Being and Time while enlisting the resources of his very late lecture of 1962 – “On Time and Being” – to lay down the conditions of possibility to reconstruct the missing Division III. The paper argues that this feat has yet to be adequately accomplished given 90 years that have elapsed since the publication of Being and Time

Investigating the reward cycle for play in young pigs

A reward cycle for investigating the emotional status in animals has been developed and it requires that animals go through three main phases, i.e. anticipation, consumption and relaxation. The reward cycle has not been tested previously for access to play in pigs. Therefore, the aim of this Master thesis was to investigate if growing pigs showed more behaviours indicative of excitement than pigs that were not allowed to play, performed play in a play arena and showed more behaviours indicative of relaxation after play when they were back to their home pen than pigs that were in their home pen the whole time. Forty undocked piglets (10 litters of Specific Pathogen Free half pure-bred Yorkshire and half hybrids of Yorkshire x Landrace balanced for breed between two treatments were used. From 44 days of age the selected pigs were housed in a weaner stable with four per pen, two castrated males and two females with the most average weights, in their original litter in pens with a size of 6.5 m2 called “home pen”. Within each litter two non-play and two play pigs were randomly selected. Focal animals were individually marked by pig marking spray. After five days of acclimatization to the new environment, four days of training started during which two pigs were allowed to walk to the holding pen (2.0 m2) where they were kept for three minutes. After that the mesh gate opened and the pigs walked in freely to the play arena (5.8 m2) where they stayed for 15 minutes. Two of each of the following objects were used as toys in the play arena: wellingtons, brush, traffic cone, rubber pipe, ball and knotted rope. Half of the piglets had previous experience of objects (i.e. knotted rope, ball and tire) around weaning. Play pigs were observed (instantaneously at 30 s intervals and continuously within each 30 s) 3 min. in the holding pen and 15 min. in the play arena. Non-play pigs were only taken to the holding pen (3 min.) and brought back to their home pen. Play pigs were directly after coming back to the home pen observed for 10 min. and non-play pigs were observed on days without play sessions for 10 min. Statistical analysis was done with Generalized Linear Model for Mixed procedures that tested effect of treatment, time, week, sex and previous toy experience. In the holding pen play pigs performed significantly more locomotor play (P<0.01), play fight (P<0.05), elimination (P<0.01) and had more curled tail position (P<0.01) than non-play pigs. However, non-play pigs performed significantly more explore bar than play pigs (P<0.05) in the holding pen. Pigs of both treatments were numerically more often recorded in zone 1 and orient 1 (i.e. closest proximity to the play arena). In the play arena object play was the most performed play type and then locomotor play which both decreased over time (P<0.001). Social play was the least performed play behaviour but even if it stayed close to zero it showed a slight gradual increase over time (P<0.001). Thus, as predicted they performed all three types of play. The most and the least preferred toys were numerically the brush and the ball respectively. In the home pen play pigs performed significantly more social contact (P<0.001), moving (P<0.001) and exploring (P<0.001), a tendency for drinking more (P<0.1) and significantly less locomotor play (P<0.05) than non-play pigs. In the home pen, non-play pigs performed significantly more lying (P<0.001) and had the tail in a hanging position more (P<0.001). Those behaviours expected to be relaxation-related, such as drinking, eating and rubbing against pen structures, were not significantly higher in play pigs. In conclusion, play pigs showed some behaviours indicative of anticipation in the holding pen, they performed all three types of play in the play arena. However, play pigs did not show behaviours expected to indicate relaxation in the home pen.En belöningscykel för att undersöka det emotionella tillståndet hos djur har utvecklats och den kräver att djur går igenom tre faser, dvs. förväntan, konsumtion och avkoppling. Belöningscykeln har inte testats tidigare för tillgång till lek hos grisar. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka om växande grisar visade fler beteenden som tyder på förväntan att leka än grisar som inte fick möjlighet att leka, om de utförde lekbeteenden i en lekarena och om de visade flera beteenden som tyder på avkoppling efter lek när de var tillbaka i sin hembox än grisar som var i sin hembox hela tiden. Fyrtio ej svanskuperade smågrisar (10 kullar) av specifikt patogenfria halvt renrasiga Yorkshire och halvt hybrider av Yorkshire x Lantras som balanserades för ras mellan två behandlingar användes. Från 44 dagars ålder hölls de utvalda grisarna i ett avväjningsstall med fyra per box, två kastrerade hanar och två honor med de mest genomsnittliga vikterna, i sin ursprungliga kull i boxar med en storlek på 6,5 m2 kallade "hembox". Inom varje kull valdes slumpmässigt två lekgrisar och två icke-lekgrisar ut. Fokaldjuren märktes individuellt med grismärkspray. Efter fem dagars acklimatisering till den nya miljön, började fyra dagars träning under vilka två grisar fick gå till förväntansboxen (2,0 m2) där de hölls under tre min. Efter att gallergrinden öppnades fick grisarna gå fritt i lekarenan (5,8 m2) där de stannade i 15 min. Två av vart och ett av följande objekt användes som leksaker i lekarenan: stövel, borste, trafikkon, gummirör, boll och knutet rep. Hälften av smågrisarna hade tidigare erfarenhet av objekt (dvs. knutet rep, boll och däck) runt avvänjningen. Lekgrisar observerades (momentant med 30 s intervall och kontinuerligt inom varje 30 s intervall) 3 min. i förväntansboxen och 15 min. i lekarenan. Icke-lek grisar togs endast till förväntansboxen (3 min.) och togs sedan tillbaka till sin hembox. Lekgrisarna observerades 10 min. direkt efter det att de kom tillbaka till hemboxen och icke-lek grisar observerades under 10 min. på dagar utan lek. Statistisk analys gjordes med generaliserad linjär modell för blandade förfaranden och testade effekten av behandling, tid, vecka, kön och tidigare leksakserfarenhet. I förväntansboxen utförde grisarna signifikant mer rörelselek (P<0,01), kamplek (P<0,05), eliminering (P<0,01) och hade mer knorr på svansen (P <0,01) än icke-lek grisar. Men, icke-lek grisar utförde signifikant mer undersökande av gallergrinden än lekgrisarna (P<0,05) i förväntansboxen. Grisar av båda behandlingarna var numeriskt oftare i zon 1 och orientering 1 (dvs. närmast lekarenan). I lekarenan var objektetlek den mest utförda lektypen och sedan rörelselek som båda minskade över tid (P<0,001). Social lek var det minst utförda lekbeteendet, men även om det stannade nära noll visade det en svag successiv ökning över tid (P<0,001). Som förväntat utförde de alla tre typer av lek. De mest och de minst föredragna leksakerna var numeriskt borsten respektive bollen. I hemboxen utförde lekgrisarna signifikant mer social kontakt (P<0,001), förflyttning (P<0,001) och undersökning (P<0,001), en tendens till att dricka mer (P<0,1) och signifikant mindre rörelselek (P<0,05) än icke-lek grisar. I hemboxen utförde icke-lek grisar signifikant mer liggande (P <0,001) och hade svansen mer i en hängande position (P<0,001). De beteenden som ansågs vara avkopplingsrelaterade, såsom dricka, äta och stryka kroppen mot inredningen, var inte signifikant högre hos lekgrisar. Sammanfattningsvis visade lekgrisarna vissa beteenden som indikerar förväntan i förväntansboxen, utförde alla tre typer av lek i lekarenan. Däremot visade lekgrisarna inte beteenden som ansågs indikera avkoppling i hemboxen

The implosion of reality: schizophrenia, the anterior cingular cortex and anticipation

In contemporary neuroscientific and psychiatric research into schizophrenia, we can observe a shift in focus from the clinical dysfunctions (positive and negative symptoms) towards a mapping of the cognitive function. In this paper we look at a specific cognitive problem area in schizophrenic brain functioning, the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC). We show what the ACC is, what it probably does and how this is relevant in research concerning certain psychiatric disorders. Then we explain the role of the ACC in choice anticipation. In this we underline the possible link between choice anticipation and the lack of ‘Error Related Negativity’ (ERN) in this specific area. Lastly we incorporate this approach to the problem of schizophrenic anticipation within the neuropsychoanalytical framework and the role it might play in the formation of hallucinations and delusion