7,827 research outputs found
An investigation of entorhinal spatial representations in self-localisation behaviours
Spatial-modulated cells of the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) and neighbouring cortices are thought to provide the neural substrate for self-localisation behaviours. These cells include grid cells of the MEC which are thought to compute path integration operations to update self-location estimates. In order to read this grid code, downstream cells are thought to reconstruct a positional estimate as a simple rate-coded representation of space.
Here, I show the coding scheme of grid cell and putative readout cells recorded from mice performing a virtual reality (VR) linear location task which engaged mice in both beaconing and path integration behaviours. I found grid cells can encode two unique coding schemes on the linear track, namely a position code which reflects periodic grid fields anchored to salient features of the track and a distance code which reflects periodic grid fields without this anchoring. Grid cells were found to switch between these coding schemes within sessions. When grid cells were encoding position, mice performed better at trials that required path integration but not on trials that required beaconing. This result provides the first mechanistic evidence linking grid cell activity to path integration-dependent behaviour.
Putative readout cells were found in the form of ramp cells which fire proportionally as a function of location in defined regions of the linear track. This ramping activity was found to be primarily explained by track position rather than other kinematic variables like speed and acceleration. These representations were found to be maintained across both trial types and outcomes indicating they likely result from recall of the track structure.
Together, these results support the functional importance of grid and ramp cells for self-localisation behaviours. Future investigations will look into the coherence between these two neural populations, which may together form a complete neural system for coding and decoding self-location in the brain
UNCOVERING THE MENTAL WORLD OF CHILDREN: ATTACHMENT QUALITY, MENTALIZATION, AND CHILDRENâS DRAWINGS
Although we have long been aware of the widespread benefits of drawing for children (Goodenough, 1926), there is much to learn from a clinical perspective about childrenâs attachment patterns and mentalization capacities in analyzing their drawings. The present study utilized archival data to uncover trends associated with childrenâs drawing characteristics, attachment qualities, and mentalization capacities. This study further explored the extent to which mentalization mediates the relationship between attachment quality and Formal Elements (FE) scores as well as the relationship between attachment quality and Content scores of childrenâs drawings. Two samples of 5â12-year-old children and their caregivers were recruited: one child sample from a public elementary school in White Plains, NY (n = 54), and the other child sample recruited consecutively following admission to a child psychiatric inpatient unit in White Plains, NY (n = 45). Each of the 99 children, including both the inpatient and nonpatient samples, completed three drawings: a drawing of family, primary caregiver, and self, totaling 297 drawings. These drawings were coded using the Formal Elements and Content rating scales (Tuman, 1998, 1999a). Attachment quality and mentalization data for these samples were obtained from previous studies, using the Attachment Story-Completion Task (ASCT) and Childrenâs Apperception Test (CAT). Attachment quality was found to have a significant positive relationship with the Content scores of family drawings within the inpatient sample. Attachment quality was also found to have a significant positive relationship with mentalization in both the nonpatient and inpatient samples. Mentalization was found to have a significant positive relationship with the Content and FE scores of childrenâs drawings. This relationship held true for Content scores of caregiver drawings and FE scores of family drawings within the nonpatient sample, and for both the Content and FE scores of family drawings within the inpatient sample. In general, drawings appear to hold promise as tools to access both psychiatrically compromised and nonpatient childrenâs internal working models and mental states. Gender differences and clinical implications are discussed
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Production networks in the cultural and creative sector: case studies from the publishing industry
The CICERONE project investigates cultural and creative industries through case study research, with a focus on production networks. This report, part of WP2, examines the publishing industry within this framework. It aims to understand the industryâs hidden aspects, address statistical issues in measurement, and explore the industryâs transformation and integration of cultural and economic values. The report provides an overview of the production network, explores statistical challenges, and presents qualitative analyses of two case studies. It concludes by highlighting the potential of the Global Production Network (GPN) approach for analyzing, researching, policymaking, and intervening in the European publishing network.
The CICERONE projectâs case study research delves into the publishing industry, investigating its production networks and examining key aspects often unseen by the public. The report addresses statistical challenges in measuring the industry and sheds light on its ongoing transformations and integration of cultural and economic values. It presents an overview of the production network, explores statistical issues, and provides qualitative analyses of two case studies. The report emphasizes the potential of the GPN approach for analyzing and intervening in the European publishing network, ultimately contributing to research, policymaking, and understanding within the industry
âOh my god, how did I spend all that money?â: Lived experiences in two commodified fandom communities
This research explores the role of commodification in participation in celebrity-centric fandom communities, applying a leisure studies framework to understand the constraints fans face in their quest to participate and the negotiations they engage in to overcome these constraints.
In fan studies scholarship, there is a propensity to focus on the ways fans oppose commodified industry structures; however, this ignores the many fans who happily participate within them. Using the fandoms for the pop star Taylor Swift and the television series Supernatural as case studies, this project uses a mixed-methodological approach to speak directly to fans via surveys and semistructured interviews to develop an understanding of fansâ lived experiences based on their own words.
By focusing on celebrity-centric fandom communities rather than on the more frequently studied textual fandoms, this thesis turns to the role of the celebrity in fansâ ongoing desire to participate in commodified spaces. I argue that fans are motivated to continue spending money to participate within their chosen fandom when this form of participation is tied to the opportunity for engagement with the celebrity. While many fans seek community from their fandom participation, this research finds that for others, social ties are a secondary outcome of their overall desire for celebrity attention, which becomes a hobby in which they build a âleisure careerâ (Stebbins 2014). When fans successfully gain attention from their celebrity object of fandom, they gain status within their community, creating intra-fandom hierarchies based largely on financial resources and on freedom from structural constraints related to education, employment, and caring.
Ultimately, this thesis argues that the broad neglect of celebrity fandom practices means we have overlooked the experiences of many fans, necessitating a much broader future scope for the field
Comparing the Performance of Initial Coin Offerings to Crowdfunded Equity Ventures
Uncertainty in markets increases the likelihood of market failure due to volatility and suboptimal functioning. While initial coin offerings (ICOs) and crowdfunded equity (CFE) offerings may improve functioning in growing markets, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding pertaining to the relative efficiency and behavior of ICO markets compared to CFE markets, potentially perpetuating and thwarting the various communities they are intended to serve. The purpose of this correlational study was to compare a group of ICOs with a group of CFE offerings to identify predictive factors of funding outcomes related to both capital offering types. Efficient market hypothesis was the studyâs theoretical foundation, and analysis of variance was used to answer the research question, which examined whether capital offering type predicted the amount of funds raised while controlling for access to the offering companiesâ secondary control factors: historical financial data, pro forma financial projections, detailed product descriptions, video of product demonstrations, company website, company history, company leadership, and company investors. Relying on a random sample of 115 campaigns (84 ICOs and 31 CFE) from websites ICOdrops.com, localstake.com, fundable.com, and mainvest.com, results showed differences in mean funds raised between CFEs and ICOs (4,756,464, respectively). ANOVA results showed no single secondary control factors and only one two-factor interaction (company leadership and company investors) influenced mean funds raised. This study may contribute to positive social change by informing best practices among market participants including entrepreneurs, regulators, scholars, and investors
The Slightest Attachment: When Psychiatric Spaces Enact Affinities
While the disciplinary architecture of hospitals has long prevailed in psychiatry, many care teams now work in smaller structures, within communities. The author explores one of these places: Drawing on fieldwork in a psychiatric day center for teenagers, she traces how spatial arrangements matter in the care practice. From a corner in which one can withdraw, to a kitchen inviting to hang around, or displayed artworks that pique one's curiosity, caregivers use the material environment to stir up the slightest affinity from teenagers. This study thus expands our idea of what attachment is, and makes us more able to recognize the subtle dynamics between care, things, and spaces. With a preface by Jeannette Pols
Otocky : adventures in improvisational musicking
This paper analyses the game Otocky (SEDIC 1987), focusing primarily on the innovative forms of musical
participation it affords. Rooted in the experimental artistic practices of its creator Toshio Iwai, the game
anticipated several contemporary topics in game musicking and game design. In fact, Otocky challenged coeval practices of musical creativity and improvisation; pioneered technologically augmented musical techniques; and subverted traditional notions related to foundational characteristic of (digital or analog) games. While being often referenced in relation to its musical advancements, Otocky will be here presented within its original context, focusing not only on its musical merits, but also on its avant-garde, ante litteram characteristics. In this sense, this paper intends to contribute to the historicization of Otocky, elaborating on the experimental cultural context that Iwai imported from media art.peer-reviewe
Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management
This book is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management' that was published in the journal Buildings
The Politics of Platformization: Amsterdam Dialogues on Platform Theory
What is platformization and why is it a relevant category in the contemporary political landscape? How is it related to cybernetics and the history of computation? This book tries to answer such questions by engaging in multidisciplinary dialogues about the first ten years of the emerging fields of platform studies and platform theory. It deploys a narrative and playful approach that makes use of anecdotes, personal histories, etymologies, and futurable speculations to investigate both the fragmented genealogy that led to platformization and the organizational and economic trends that guide nowadays platform sociotechnical imaginaries
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