Does \u2018bigger\u2019mean \u2018better\u2019? Pitfalls and shortcuts associated with big data for social research

\u2018Big data is here to stay.\u2019 This key statement has a double value: is an assumption as well as the reason why a theoretical reflection is needed. Furthermore, Big data is something that is gaining visibility and success in social sciences even, overcoming the division between humanities and computer sciences. In this contribution some considerations on the presence and the certain persistence of Big data as a socio-technical assemblage will be outlined. Therefore, the intriguing opportunities for social research linked to such interaction between practices and technological development will be developed. However, despite a promissory rhetoric, fostered by several scholars since the birth of Big data as a labelled concept, some risks are just around the corner. The claims for the methodological power of bigger and bigger datasets, as well as increasing speed in analysis and data collection, are creating a real hype in social research. Peculiar attention is needed in order to avoid some pitfalls. These risks will be analysed for what concerns the validity of the research results \u2018obtained through Big data. After a pars distruens, this contribution will conclude with a pars construens; assuming the previous critiques, a mixed methods research design approach will be described as a general proposal with the objective of stimulating a debate on the integration of Big data in complex research projecting

A Proposal of Standardised Data Model for Cloud Manufacturing Collaborative Networks

[EN] The growing amount of data to be handled by collaborative networks raises the need of introducing innovative solutions to fulfil the lack of affordable tools, especially for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, to manage and exchange data. The European H2020 Project Cloud Collaborative Manufacturing Networks develops and offers a structured data model, called Standardised Tables, as an organised framework to jointly work with existing databases to manage big data collected from different industries belonging to the CNs. The information of the Standardised Tables will be mainly used with optimisation and collaboration purposes. The paper describes an application of the Standardised Tables in one of the pilots of the aforementioned project, the automotive industry pilot, for solving the collaborative problem of a Materials Requirement Plan.The research leading to these results is in the frame of the “Cloud Collaborative Manufacturing Networks” (C2NET) project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 636909.Andres, B.; Sanchis, R.; Poler, R.; Saari, L. (2017). A Proposal of Standardised Data Model for Cloud Manufacturing Collaborative Networks. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. 560:77-85. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65151-4_7S7785560Andres, B., Poler, R.: Models, guidelines and tools for the integration of collaborative processes in non-hierarchical manufacturing networks: a review. Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 2(29), 166–201 (2016)Zikopoulos, P., Eaton, C.: Understanding Big Data: Analytics for Enterprise Class Hadoop and Streaming Data. McGraw-Hill Osborne Media, New York (2011)Zhou, B., Wang, S., Xi, L.: Data model design for manufacturing execution system. J. Manuf. Technol. Manag. 16(8), 909–935 (2005)Steven, W.: Getting the MES model – methods for system analysis. ISA Trans. 35(2), 95–103 (1996)Reda, A.: Extracting the extended entity-relationship model from a legacy relational database. Inf. Syst. 28(6), 597–618 (2003)Teorey, T.J., Yang, D., Fry, J.P.: A logical design methodology for relational database using the extended entity-relationship model. ACM Comput. Surv. 18(2), 197–222 (1986)Victor, M., Arie, S.: Representing extended entity-relationship structures in relational databases: a modular approach. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 17(3), 423–464 (1992)CORDIS Europa, Factories of the Future, H2020-EU.2.1.5.1. - Technologies for Factories of the Future (2014)H2020 Project C2NET (2015). http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/193440_en.htmlAndres, B., Sanchis, R., Poler, R.: A cloud platform to support collaboration in supply networks. Int. J. Prod. Manag. Eng. 4(1), 5–13 (2016)APICS, “SCOR Framework,” Supply Chain Operations Reference model (SCOR) (2017)Orbegozo, A., Andres, B., Mula, J., Lauras, M., Monteiro, C., Malheiro, M.: An overview of optimization models for integrated replenishment and producction planning decisions. In: Building Bridges Between Researchers and Practitioners. Book of Abstracts of the International Joint Conference CIO-ICIEOM-IISE-AIM (IJC2016), p. 68 (2016)Andres, B., Poler, R., Saari, L., Arana, J., Benaches, J.V., Salazar, J.: Optimization models to support decision-making in collaborative networks: a review. In: Building Bridges Between Researchers and Practitioners. Book of Abstracts of the International Joint Conference CIO-ICIEOM-IISE-AIM (IJC2016), p. 70 (2016)Andres, B., Sanchis, R., Lamothe, J., Saari, L., Hauser, F.: Combined models for production and distribution planning in a supply chain. In: Building Bridges Between Researchers and Practitioners. Book of Abstracts of the International Joint Conference CIO-ICIEOM-IISE-AIM (IJC2016), p. 71 (2016

Oxidative stress-driven parvalbumin interneuron impairment as a common mechanism in models of schizophrenia.

Parvalbumin inhibitory interneurons (PVIs) are crucial for maintaining proper excitatory/inhibitory balance and high-frequency neuronal synchronization. Their activity supports critical developmental trajectories, sensory and cognitive processing, and social behavior. Despite heterogeneity in the etiology across schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder, PVI circuits are altered in these psychiatric disorders. Identifying mechanism(s) underlying PVI deficits is essential to establish treatments targeting in particular cognition. On the basis of published and new data, we propose oxidative stress as a common pathological mechanism leading to PVI impairment in schizophrenia and some forms of autism. A series of animal models carrying genetic and/or environmental risks relevant to diverse etiological aspects of these disorders show PVI deficits to be all accompanied by oxidative stress in the anterior cingulate cortex. Specifically, oxidative stress is negatively correlated with the integrity of PVIs and the extracellular perineuronal net enwrapping these interneurons. Oxidative stress may result from dysregulation of systems typically affected in schizophrenia, including glutamatergic, dopaminergic, immune and antioxidant signaling. As convergent end point, redox dysregulation has successfully been targeted to protect PVIs with antioxidants/redox regulators across several animal models. This opens up new perspectives for the use of antioxidant treatments to be applied to at-risk individuals, in close temporal proximity to environmental impacts known to induce oxidative stress

Higher-Order Analysis of Three-Dimensional Anisotropy in Imbalanced Alfv\'enic Turbulence

We analyze in-situ observations of imbalanced solar wind turbulence to evaluate MHD turbulence models grounded in "Critical Balance" (CB) and "Scale-Dependent Dynamic Alignment" (SDDA). At energy injection scales, both outgoing and ingoing modes exhibit a weak cascade; a simultaneous tightening of SDDA is noted. Outgoing modes persist in a weak cascade across the inertial range, while ingoing modes shift to a strong cascade at $\lambda \approx 3 \times 10^{4} d_i$, with associated spectral scalings deviating from expected behavior due to "anomalous coherence" effects. The inertial range comprises two distinct sub-inertial segments. Beyond $\lambda \gtrsim 100 d_i$, eddies adopt a field-aligned tube topology, with SDDA signatures mainly evident in high amplitude fluctuations. The scaling exponents $\zeta_{n}$ of the $n$-th order conditional structure functions, orthogonal to both the local mean field and fluctuation direction, align with the analytical models of Chandran et al. 2015 and Mallet et al. 2017, indicating "multifractal" statistics and strong intermittency; however, scaling in parallel and displacement components is more concave than predicted, possibly influenced by expansion effects. Below $\lambda \approx 100 d_i$, eddies become increasingly anisotropic, evolving into thin current sheet-like structures. Concurrently, $\zeta_{n}$ scales linearly with order, marking a shift towards "monofractal" statistics. At $\lambda \approx 8 d_i$, the increase in aspect ratio halts, and the eddies become quasi-isotropic. This change may signal tearing instability, leading to reconnection, or result from energy redirection into the ion-cyclotron wave spectrum, aligning with the "helicity barrier". Our analysis utilizes 5-point structure functions, proving more effective than the traditional 2-point method in capturing steep scaling behaviors at smaller scales

Parallel Driving and Modulatory Pathways Link the Prefrontal Cortex and Thalamus

Pathways linking the thalamus and cortex mediate our daily shifts from states of attention to quiet rest, or sleep, yet little is known about their architecture in high-order neural systems associated with cognition, emotion and action. We provide novel evidence for neurochemical and synaptic specificity of two complementary circuits linking one such system, the prefrontal cortex with the ventral anterior thalamic nucleus in primates. One circuit originated from the neurochemical group of parvalbumin-positive thalamic neurons and projected focally through large terminals to the middle cortical layers, resembling ‘drivers’ in sensory pathways. Parvalbumin thalamic neurons, in turn, were innervated by small ‘modulatory’ type cortical terminals, forming asymmetric (presumed excitatory) synapses at thalamic sites enriched with the specialized metabotropic glutamate receptors. A second circuit had a complementary organization: it originated from the neurochemical group of calbindin-positive thalamic neurons and terminated through small ‘modulatory’ terminals over long distances in the superficial prefrontal layers. Calbindin thalamic neurons, in turn, were innervated by prefrontal axons through small and large terminals that formed asymmetric synapses preferentially at sites with ionotropic glutamate receptors, consistent with a driving pathway. The largely parallel thalamo-cortical pathways terminated among distinct and laminar-specific neurochemical classes of inhibitory neurons that differ markedly in inhibitory control. The balance of activation of these parallel circuits that link a high-order association cortex with the thalamus may allow shifts to different states of consciousness, in processes that are disrupted in psychiatric diseases