Emerging heterogeneities in Italian customs and comparison with nearby countries

In this work we apply techniques and modus operandi typical of Statistical Mechanics to a large dataset about key social quantifiers and compare the resulting behaviours of five European nations, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The social quantifiers considered are $i.$ the evolution of the number of autochthonous marriages (i.e. between two natives) within a given territorial district and $ii.$ the evolution of the number of mixed marriages (i.e. between a native and an immigrant) within a given territorial district. Our investigations are twofold. From a theoretical perspective, we develop novel techniques, complementary to classical methods (e.g. historical series and logistic regression), in order to detect possible collective features underlying the empirical behaviours; from an experimental perspective, we evidence a clear outline for the evolution of the social quantifiers considered. The comparison between experimental results and theoretical predictions is excellent and allows speculating that France, Italy and Spain display a certain degree of {\em internal heterogeneity}, that is not found in Germany and Switzerland; such heterogeneity, quite mild in France and in Spain, is not negligible in Italy and highlights quantitative differences in the customs of Northern and Southern regions. These findings may suggest the persistence of two culturally distinct communities, long-term lasting heritages of different and well-established cultures.Comment: in PLoS One (2015

Competency-Based Approach to Training Humanities Students at East Siberia State University of Technology and Management

AbstractThe state program of the Russian Federation “Development of Education” for 2013-2020 provides for content upgrade of the vocational education and enhancement of its quality. In connection to this, the paper considers the provisions of competency-based approach the content side of which lies in consolidating its practical constituent in the process of vocational training of students.The paper describes the process of teachers and students’ interaction as a result of which knowledge, abilities and skills are transferred and adopted that promote quality and production activity of students as future professionals. Special attention is paid to the content of education correlated with definite professional competencies provided for by the educational standards. Forming of key competencies in students encouraged the leading teachers to start searching for efficient teaching methods allowing to establish active joint interaction, communication and self-fulfillment of learners

Vertex degree distribution and arc endpoints degree distribution of graphs with a linear rule of preferential attachment and Pennock graphs

The article deals with two classes of growing random graphs following the preferential attachment rule with a linear weight function, L-graphs, and hybrid Pennock graphs. We determine the exact final vertex degree distribution and the exact final two-dimensional arcs degree distributions of graphs under consideration. The study proves that each hybrid Pennock graph is isomorphic to a certain L graph and that the converse does not hold since there are no Pennock graphs isomorphic to L graphs with negative displacements in the expression for the linear weight function. A formula is derived that makes it possible to determine the weight functions, which are used to generate graphs with the required asymptotic power-law vertex degree distribution. The reliability of the obtained results is confirmed by calculations using accurate numerical methods and simulation modeling, i.e. by direct generating of the graphs. The practical value of the results is demonstrated by an example of their effective application for accurate calibration of a growing graph that simulates a network of Internet at the level of autonomous systems.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, the article is prepared for the conference "Mechanical Science and Technology Update" (MSTU-2019

Learning from others is good, with others is better: the role of social interaction in human acquisition of new knowledge

Learning in humans is highly embedded in social interaction: since the very early stages of our lives, we form memories and acquire knowledge about the world from and with others. Yet, within cognitive science and neuroscience, human learning is mainly studied in isolation. The focus of past research in learning has been either exclusively on the learner or (less often) on the teacher, with the primary aim of determining developmental trajectories and/or effective teaching techniques. In fact, social interaction has rarely been explicitly taken as a variable of interest, despite being the medium through which learning occurs, especially in development, but also in adulthood. Here, we review behavioural and neuroimaging research on social human learning, specifically focusing on cognitive models of how we acquire semantic knowledge from and with others, and include both developmental as well as adult work. We then identify potential cognitive mechanisms that support social learning, and their neural correlates. The aim is to outline key new directions for experiments investigating how knowledge is acquired in its ecological niche, i.e. socially, within the framework of the two-person neuroscience approach. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'

Globalisation, Competitive Governments, and Constitutional Choice in Europe

The traditional school of economic policy analysis predicts that globalisation will give rise to predatory competition between the governments of the European nation states. The consequence is anticipated to be a marked reduction in, if not the destruction of, the benevolent Welfare State. The objective of this contribution is to present the main arguments that have led us to believe that, this traditional literature notwithstanding, a European constitution should not restrict but rather should encourage horizontal and vertical governmental competition. In our view the European political order, in defining the relationship among member states and also the relationship between the member states and the EU, ought to be inspired by what we know about competition in the commercial sphere.globalisation, globalization

The Cultural Evolution of Prototypical Paul in the First Five Centuries : A Distributional Semantic Analysis of Greek Christian Texts

Peer reviewe