724 research outputs found
Productive restructuring and the reallocation of work and employment: a survey of the ânewâ forms of social inequality
O propĂłsito do presente artigo consiste
em questionar a inevitabilidade dos processos de
segmentação e precarização das relaçÔes de trabalho
e emprego, responsåveis pela inscrição de
ânovasâ formas de desigualdade social que alicerçam
o actual modelo de desenvolvimento das economias
e sociedades. Visa-se criticar os limites da
lĂłgica econĂŽmica e financeira, de contornos globais,
que configuram um ânovo espĂrito do capitalismoâ,
ou seja, uma espécie de divinização da
ordem natural das coisas. ImpÔe-se fazer, por isso,
um pĂ©riplo analĂtico pelas transformaçÔes em curso
no mercado de trabalho, acompanhado pela vigilĂąncia
epistemolĂłgica que permita enquadrar e
relativizar as (di)visÔes neoliberais e teses tecnodeterministas
dominantes. A perspectivação de cenårios
sobre o futuro do trabalho encerrarĂĄ este
périplo, permitindo-nos alertar para os condicionalismos
histĂłrico-temporais, para a urgĂȘncia de
se desocultar o que de ideolĂłgico e polĂtico existe
nas actuais lógicas de racionalização e para os
processos de ressimbolização do trabalho e emprego
enquanto âexperiĂȘncia social centralâ na
contemporaneidade.The scope of this paper is to question
the inevitability of the processes of segmentation
and increased precariousness of the relations
of labor and employment, which are responsible
for the introduction of ânewâ forms of
social inequality that underpin the current model
of development of economies and societies. It
seeks to criticize the limits of global financial and
economic logic, which constitute a ânew spirit of
capitalism,â namely a kind of reverence for the
natural order of things. It is therefore necessary
to conduct an analytical survey of the ongoing
changes in the labor market, accompanied by epistemological
vigilance which makes it possible to
see neoliberal (di)visions and dominant technodeterministic
theses in context. The enunciation
of scenarios on the future of work will conclude
this survey and will make it possible to draw attention
to both the historical and temporal constraints
and to the urgent need to unveil what is
ideological and political in the prevailing logic of
rationalization and processes to reinstate work
and employment as a âcentral social experienceâ
in contemporary times
N-player quantum games in an EPR setting
The -player quantum game is analyzed in the context of an
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) experiment. In this setting, a player's
strategies are not unitary transformations as in alternate quantum
game-theoretic frameworks, but a classical choice between two directions along
which spin or polarization measurements are made. The players' strategies thus
remain identical to their strategies in the mixed-strategy version of the
classical game. In the EPR setting the quantum game reduces itself to the
corresponding classical game when the shared quantum state reaches zero
entanglement. We find the relations for the probability distribution for
-qubit GHZ and W-type states, subject to general measurement directions,
from which the expressions for the mixed Nash equilibrium and the payoffs are
determined. Players' payoffs are then defined with linear functions so that
common two-player games can be easily extended to the -player case and
permit analytic expressions for the Nash equilibrium. As a specific example, we
solve the Prisoners' Dilemma game for general . We find a new
property for the game that for an even number of players the payoffs at the
Nash equilibrium are equal, whereas for an odd number of players the
cooperating players receive higher payoffs.Comment: 26 pages, 2 figure
Imaging the Two Gaps of the High-TC Superconductor Pb-Bi2Sr2CuO6+x
The nature of the pseudogap state, observed above the superconducting
transition temperature TC in many high temperature superconductors, is the
center of much debate. Recently, this discussion has focused on the number of
energy gaps in these materials. Some experiments indicate a single energy gap,
implying that the pseudogap is a precursor state. Others indicate two,
suggesting that it is a competing or coexisting phase. Here we report on
temperature dependent scanning tunneling spectroscopy of Pb-Bi2Sr2CuO6+x. We
have found a new, narrow, homogeneous gap that vanishes near TC, superimposed
on the typically observed, inhomogeneous, broad gap, which is only weakly
temperature dependent. These results not only support the two gap picture, but
also explain previously troubling differences between scanning tunneling
microscopy and other experimental measurements.Comment: 6 page
Comparing administrative and survey data for ascertaining cases of irritable bowel syndrome: a population-based investigation
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Administrative and survey data are two key data sources for population-based research about chronic disease. The objectives of this methodological paper are to: (1) estimate agreement between the two data sources for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and compare the results to those for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); (2) compare the frequency of IBS-related diagnoses in administrative data for survey respondents with and without self-reported IBS, and (3) estimate IBS prevalence from both sources.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This retrospective cohort study used linked administrative and health survey data for 5,134 adults from the province of Manitoba, Canada. Diagnoses in hospital and physician administrative data were investigated for respondents with self-reported IBS, IBD, and no bowel disorder. Agreement between survey and administrative data was estimated using the Îș statistic. The Ï<sup>2 </sup>statistic tested the association between the frequency of IBS-related diagnoses and self-reported IBS. Crude, sex-specific, and age-specific IBS prevalence estimates were calculated from both sources.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 3.0% of the cohort had self-reported IBS, 0.8% had self-reported IBD, and 95.3% reported no bowel disorder. Agreement was poor to fair for IBS and substantially higher for IBD. The most frequent IBS-related diagnoses among the cohort were anxiety disorders (34.4%), symptoms of the abdomen and pelvis (26.9%), and diverticulitis of the intestine (10.6%). Crude IBS prevalence estimates from both sources were lower than those reported previously.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Poor agreement between administrative and survey data for IBS may account for differences in the results of health services and outcomes research using these sources. Further research is needed to identify the optimal method(s) to ascertain IBS cases in both data sources.</p
Coordinated optimization of visual cortical maps (II) Numerical studies
It is an attractive hypothesis that the spatial structure of visual cortical
architecture can be explained by the coordinated optimization of multiple
visual cortical maps representing orientation preference (OP), ocular dominance
(OD), spatial frequency, or direction preference. In part (I) of this study we
defined a class of analytically tractable coordinated optimization models and
solved representative examples in which a spatially complex organization of the
orientation preference map is induced by inter-map interactions. We found that
attractor solutions near symmetry breaking threshold predict a highly ordered
map layout and require a substantial OD bias for OP pinwheel stabilization.
Here we examine in numerical simulations whether such models exhibit
biologically more realistic spatially irregular solutions at a finite distance
from threshold and when transients towards attractor states are considered. We
also examine whether model behavior qualitatively changes when the spatial
periodicities of the two maps are detuned and when considering more than 2
feature dimensions. Our numerical results support the view that neither minimal
energy states nor intermediate transient states of our coordinated optimization
models successfully explain the spatially irregular architecture of the visual
cortex. We discuss several alternative scenarios and additional factors that
may improve the agreement between model solutions and biological observations.Comment: 55 pages, 11 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:1102.335
Buses, cars, bicycles and walkers the influence of the type of human transport on the flight responses of waterbirds
One way to manage disturbance to waterbirds in natural areas where humans require access is to promote the occurrence of stimuli for which birds tolerate closer approaches, and so cause fewer responses. We conducted 730 experimental approaches to 39 species of waterbird, using five stimulus types (single walker, three walkers, bicycle, car and bus) selected to mimic different human management options available for a controlled access, Ramsar-listed wetland. Across species, where differences existed (56% of 25 cases), motor vehicles always evoked shorter flight-initiation distances (FID) than humans on foot. The influence of stimulus type on FID varied across four species for which enough data were available for complete cross-stimulus analysis. All four varied FID in relation to stimuli, differing in 4 to 7 of 10 possible comparisons. Where differences occurred, the effect size was generally modest, suggesting that managing stimulus type (e.g. by requiring people to use vehicles) may have species-specific, modest benefits, at least for the waterbirds we studied. However, different stimulus types have different capacities to reduce the frequency of disturbance (i.e. by carrying more people) and vary in their capacity to travel around important habita
Predictors of linkage to care following community-based HIV counseling and testing in rural Kenya
Despite innovations in HIV counseling and testing (HCT), important gaps remain in understanding linkage to care. We followed a cohort diagnosed with HIV through a community-based HCT campaign that trained persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) as navigators. Individual, interpersonal, and institutional predictors of linkage were assessed using survival analysis of self-reported time to enrollment. Of 483 persons consenting to follow-up, 305 (63.2%) enrolled in HIV care within 3 months. Proportions linking to care were similar across sexes, barring a sub-sample of men aged 18â25 years who were highly unlikely to enroll. Men were more likely to enroll if they had disclosed to their spouse, and women if they had disclosed to family. Women who anticipated violence or relationship breakup were less likely to link to care. Enrolment rates were significantly higher among participants receiving a PLHA visit, suggesting that a navigator approach may improve linkage from community-based HCT campaigns.Vestergaard Frandse
Comparison of Four ChIP-Seq Analytical Algorithms Using Rice Endosperm H3K27 Trimethylation Profiling Data
Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high throughput DNA Sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for genome wide profiling of the binding sites of proteins associated with DNA such as histones and transcription factors. However, no peak calling program has gained consensus acceptance by the scientific community as the preferred tool for ChIP-Seq data analysis. Analyzing the large data sets generated by ChIP-Seq studies remains highly challenging for most molecular biology laboratories
The Synovial Sarcoma-Associated SYT-SSX2 Oncogene Antagonizes the Polycomb Complex Protein Bmi1
This study demonstrates deregulation of polycomb activity by the synovial sarcoma-associated SYT-SSX2 oncogene, also known as SS18-SSX2. Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue cancer associated with a recurrent t(X:18) translocation event that generates one of two fusion proteins, SYT-SSX1 or SYT-SSX2. The role of the translocation products in this disease is poorly understood. We present evidence that the SYT-SSX2 fusion protein interacts with the polycomb repressive complex and modulates its gene silencing activity. SYT-SSX2 causes destabilization of the polycomb subunit Bmi1, resulting in impairment of polycomb-associated histone H2A ubiquitination and reactivation of polycomb target genes. Silencing by polycomb complexes plays a vital role in numerous physiological processes. In recent years, numerous reports have implicated gain of polycomb silencing function in several cancers. This study provides evidence that, in the appropriate context, expression of the SYT-SSX2 oncogene leads to loss of polycomb function. It challenges the notion that cancer is solely associated with an increase in polycomb function and suggests that any imbalance in polycomb activity could drive the cell toward oncogenesis. These findings provide a mechanism by which the SYT-SSX2 chimera may contribute to synovial sarcoma pathogenesis
Spontaneous and deliberate future thinking: A dual process account
© 2019 Springer Nature.This is the final published version of an article published in Psychological Research, licensed under a Creative Commons Attri-bution 4.0 International License. Available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01262-7.In this article, we address an apparent paradox in the literature on mental time travel and mind-wandering: How is it possible that future thinking is both constructive, yet often experienced as occurring spontaneously? We identify and describe two âroutesâ whereby episodic future thoughts are brought to consciousness, with each of the âroutesâ being associated with separable cognitive processes and functions. Voluntary future thinking relies on controlled, deliberate and slow cognitive processing. The other, termed involuntary or spontaneous future thinking, relies on automatic processes that allows âfully-fledgedâ episodic future thoughts to freely come to mind, often triggered by internal or external cues. To unravel the paradox, we propose that the majority of spontaneous future thoughts are âpre-madeâ (i.e., each spontaneous future thought is a re-iteration of a previously constructed future event), and therefore based on simple, well-understood, memory processes. We also propose that the pre-made hypothesis explains why spontaneous future thoughts occur rapidly, are similar to involuntary memories, and predominantly about upcoming tasks and goals. We also raise the possibility that spontaneous future thinking is the default mode of imagining the future. This dual process approach complements and extends standard theoretical approaches that emphasise constructive simulation, and outlines novel opportunities for researchers examining voluntary and spontaneous forms of future thinking.Peer reviewe
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