Mean-Field and Non-Mean-Field Behaviors in Scale-free Networks with Random Boolean Dynamics

We study two types of simplified Boolean dynamics over scale-free networks, both with synchronous update. Assigning only Boolean functions AND and XOR to the nodes with probability $1-p$ and $p$, respectively, we are able to analyze the density of 1's and the Hamming distance on the network by numerical simulations and by a mean-field approximation (annealed approximation). We show that the behavior is quite different if the node always enters in the dynamic as its own input (self-regulation) or not. The same conclusion holds for the Kauffman KN model. Moreover, the simulation results and the mean-field ones (i) agree well when there is no self-regulation, and (ii) disagree for small $p$ when self-regulation is present in the model.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

A Political Economy Model of Regulation Explained Through Fuzzy Logics

The basic problem of environmental regulation involves the government trying to induce a polluter to take socially desirable actions, which ostensibly are not in the best interest of the polluter. But the government may not always be able to precisely control the polluter. To further complicate matters the government faces a complex problem of determining exactly what level of pollution is best for society. In reality the government faces pressures from consumers and polluters. There are some important lessons to gather from the analysis of current models of regulation. One is that there are many imperfect links between the legislature and the pollution-generating process. In this case regulation may be excessively costly, may result in considerable cheating, and may result in excessive pollution. Another lesson is that legislature does not necessarily act as an efficient benevolent maximizer of social well-being. The authors intend in this paper to explain the current view of political models of regulation, analysing them for their complexity, and attempt to provide a reasonable explanation of their functioning recurring to fuzzy logics. Understanding how the browns and greens interact with the legislature and regulatory agencies can to some extent explain the current environmental regulations. The fuzzy approach, intends to allow for easier understanding of these interactions, and provide an answer for more effective decision making. Keywords: Environmental Regulation, Environmental Economics, Fuzzy Logics, Models, Pollution Control, Sustainability

Positive solutions to find a job: cultural mismatches between companies and employees

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsPsychology is not just the study of disease, weakness, and damage; it also is the study of strength and virtue (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Attempts to change this thinking school is the theory of Positive Psychology from Seligman which is the base for this dissertation. The methodology used in our model followed the hypothesis testing in order to assess the veracity of positive behaviors affecting the outcome of finding a job. Therefore, through the use of Logistic Regressions, several results proved that positive behaviors such as optimism are indeed affecting the way we apply to a job and how satisfied we are with it. Thus, since each country presents a different set of cultural behaviors such as the level of optimism and self-determination, companies and education systems that are internationalizing should concern cultural impacts and maybe mind about cultural teachings to local workers to improve their adaptation to the institution. The models studied in this dissertation should be tested again with different samples in order to bring more consistency to this subject

Imaginação, linguagem e consumo

Com base em um conto do livro Marcovaldo ou as estações da cidade (1973), do escritor Italo Calvino, podemos inferir uma série de entendimentos da literatura acerca do consumo compreendido neste texto pela visão heideggeriana, que sustenta ser o consumo uma necessidade ontológica. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTBased on a short story in the book Marcovaldo ou as estações da cidade (1973), by Italo Calvino, we can infer a series of understanding about consumption. We accept here Heiddegger’s point of view according to which consumption is an onthological necessity