Existence and approximation of probability measure solutions to models of collective behaviors

In this paper we consider first order differential models of collective behaviors of groups of agents based on the mass conservation equation. Models are formulated taking the spatial distribution of the agents as the main unknown, expressed in terms of a probability measure evolving in time. We develop an existence and approximation theory of the solutions to such models and we show that some recently proposed models of crowd and swarm dynamics fit our theoretic paradigm.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figur

Generalized Wasserstein distance and its application to transport equations with source

In this article, we generalize the Wasserstein distance to measures with different masses. We study the properties of such distance. In particular, we show that it metrizes weak convergence for tight sequences. We use this generalized Wasserstein distance to study a transport equation with source, in which both the vector field and the source depend on the measure itself. We prove existence and uniqueness of the solution to the Cauchy problem when the vector field and the source are Lipschitzian with respect to the generalized Wasserstein distance

Conceptualization, operationalization, and validation of the digital data stream Readiness Index

This article describes how in their search for value creation, companies are investing considerable resources in so-called "Big Data" initiatives. A peculiar aspect of these initiatives is the increasing availability of real-time streams of data. Successfully leveraging these streams to extract value is emerging as a critical competence for the modern firm. Despite the significant attention received, scholarly research on Digital Data Stream (DDS) remains insufficient. More importantly, there are no specialized definitions and measurement instruments that can move the field forward by initiating a cumulative research tradition. This article can provide clarification on key definitions, differentiating DDS from Big Data. Drawing on the organizational readiness concept, the DDS readiness index develops as a measure of organizational readiness to exploit real-time digital data. This article will conceptualize, define, operationalize and validate the index. By identifying the four dimensions of mindset, skillset, dataset and toolset as the elements of the DDS readiness index and discussing its managerial and research implications

Travels in Architectural History

"Travel": Special collection 2016-2017 for the EAHN open access journal, Architectural Histories. 10 original essays stemming from an international call for papers; all double-blind peer reviewed following a pre-selection. This Special Collection explores how travel, as a collective and individual practice, has been implicated in diverse architectural cultures across a wide range of periods and geographies. It offers new perspectives on the architect’s journey, examines representations of places by travellers, and considers the place of architecture within modern tourist itineraries and practices. Travel is a powerful force in shaping the perception of the modern world and plays an ever-growing role within architectural and urban cultures. Inextricably linked to political and ideological issues, travel redefines places and landscapes through new transport infrastructures and buildings. Architecture, in turn, is reconstructed through visual and textual narratives produced by scores of modern travellers – including writers and artists along with architects themselves. In the age of the camera, travel is bound up with new kinds of imaginaries; private records and recollections often mingle with official, stereotyped views, as the value of architectural heritage increasingly rests on the mechanical reproduction of its images. Whilst students often learn about architectural history through image collections, the place of the journey in the formation of the architect itself shifts. No longer a lone and passionate antiquarian or an itinerant designer, the modern architect eagerly hops on buses, trains and planes in pursuit of personal as well as professional interests. Increasingly built on a presumption of mobility, architectural culture integrates travel into cultural debates and design experiments. By addressing such issues from a variety of perspectives, this collection prompts us to rethink the mobile conditions in which architecture has historically been produced and received

Reading ability of brazilian university students and foreign language teaching

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão

The neoliberal workings of The Family Meal campaign: Unfortunate others, European citizens, and the branding of the EU

Due to increased privatization of development assistance, humanitarian communication is usually considered to be the domain of non-governmental organizations. However, (inter)governmental and (supra)national institutions still play an important role in development assistance. Notably, the European Union has become a leading development actor globally – and also actively brands itself as such. In this process of branding, the European Union not only celebrates its empathic recognition of vulnerable non-European Others, but also aims to promote a sense of European citizenship. In this article, we examine this process in the context of The Family Meal, a 2014 awareness campaign on food assistance led by the Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department of the European Commission. We argue that the campaign reflects both the logic of neoliberal humanitarianism and the quest for European citizenship. To develop our argument, we will assess The Family Meal in three steps. First, we discuss how the campaign mimicked post-humanitarian tendencies in non-governmental campaigns aimed at raising funds. Second, we demonstrate how The Family Meal not only reported on (helping) non-European Others, but also, and importantly, promoted a sense of European belonging. Finally, we introduce the concept of successional campaigns – that is, campaigns that follow up on the action taken rather than preceding it – to show that The Family Meal largely appeared as the result of the neoliberal trend toward administering accountability and branding organizations. Altogether, we consider the campaign, with the neoliberal branding of the European Union and its citizens at its center, as emblematic for humanitarian communication within the rise of New Public Management in the 21st century

The LRRK2 Variant E193K Prevents Mitochondrial Fission Upon MPP+ Treatment by Altering LRRK2 Binding to DRP1

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) are associated with familial and sporadic Parkinson\u27s disease (PD). LRRK2 is a complex protein that consists of multiple domains, including 13 putative armadillo-type repeats at the N-terminus. In this study, we analyzed the functional and molecular consequences of a novel variant, E193K, identified in an Italian family. E193K substitution does not influence LRRK2 kinase activity. Instead it affects LRRK2 biochemical properties, such as phosphorylation at Ser935 and affinity for 14-3-3epsilon. Primary fibroblasts obtained from an E193K carrier demonstrated increased cellular toxicity and abnormal mitochondrial fission upon 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium treatment. We found that E193K alters LRRK2 binding to DRP1, a crucial mediator of mitochondrial fission. Our data support a role for LRRK2 as a scaffolding protein influencing mitochondrial fission

First steps to define murine amniotic fluid stem cell microenvironment

Stem cell niche refers to the microenvironment where stem cells reside in living organisms. Several elements define the niche and regulate stem cell characteristics, such as stromal support cells, gap junctions, soluble factors, extracellular matrix proteins, blood vessels and neural inputs. In the last years, different studies demonstrated the presence of cKit+ cells in human and murine amniotic fluid, which have been defined as amniotic fluid stem (AFS) cells. Firstly, we characterized the murine cKit+ cells present both in the amniotic fluid and in the amnion. Secondly, to analyze the AFS cell microenvironment, we injected murine YFP+ embryonic stem cells (ESC) into the amniotic fluid of E13.5 wild type embryos. Four days after transplantation we found that YFP+ sorted cells maintained the expression of pluripotency markers and that ESC adherent to the amnion were more similar to original ESC in respect to those isolated from the amniotic fluid. Moreover, cytokines evaluation and oxygen concentration analysis revealed in this microenvironment the presence of factors that are considered key regulators in stem cell niches. This is the first indication that AFS cells reside in a microenvironment that possess specific characteristics able to maintain stemness of resident and exogenous stem cells