The Economics of Altruistic Punishment and the Demise of Cooperation

Explaining the evolution and maintenance of cooperation among unrelated individuals is one of the fundamental problems in biology and the social sciences. Recent experimental evidence suggests that altruistic punishment is an important mechanism to maintain cooperation among humans. In this paper we explore the boundary conditions for altruistic punishment to maintain cooperation by systematically varying the cost and impact of punishment, using a subject pool which extends beyond the standard student population. We find that the economics of altruistic punishment lead to the demise of cooperation when punishment is relatively expensive and/or has low impact. Our results indicate that the 'decision to punish' comes from an amalgam of emotional response and cognitive cost-benefit analysis. Additionally, earnings are lowest when punishment promotes cooperation, suggesting that the scope for altruistic punishment as a means to maintain cooperation is limited.

Comparing combinatorial models of moduli space and their compactifications

In this paper we compare two combinatorial models for the moduli space of two-dimensional cobordisms: B\"odigheimer's radial slit configurations and Godin's admissible fat graphs, producing an explicit homotopy equivalence using a "critical graph" map. We also discuss natural compactifications of these two models, the unilevel harmonic compactification and Sullivan diagrams respectively, and prove that the homotopy equivalence induces a cellular homeomorphism between these compactifications.Comment: 37 pages, 21 figures. Numerous small correction

Ti’a Joyo [Spiritual Search]: A Virtual Reality Immersive Environment

This project is focused on a long live tradition of the Siona culture (an ethnical group of the Ecuadorian and Colombian tropical forest): The Yage ritual. Which consists of a soul searching and cleansing personal activity, that temporarily connects you with Mai Ja’que (the creator god) and the spiritual world. This is achieved by creating a virtual reality environment with an Oculus Rift (Virtual Reality headset) and B-format audio to place the user inside of a magical Ecuadorian tropical forest. The exploration inside it triggers different sounds, musical samples and imagery inspired in the different stages of the ceremony.https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-production-technology/1105/thumbnail.jp

Fundamentos del neuromarketing desde la neurociencia del consumidor para la generación de confianza

[Resumen] Este documento recopila, a través de una revisión bibliográfica, los fundamentos del neuromarketing, desde la neurociencia del consumidor, para la generación de confianza a través de los medios sociales digitales. Concluye con tres principios aplicables en Neuromarketing para la generación de confianza; sensaciones de compra inteligente, influencia de la recomendación y contenidos de empatía que incluso puedan generar acciones colectivas.[Abstract] This document compiles literature review from consumer neuroscience field applied to neuromarketing to generate trust within digital social media content. It concludes with three principles to be applied in Neuromarketing in order to generate trust through digital social media; smart purchase feeling, recommendation influence and empathy content which may even generate collective actions

The Doha Round A tool to eradicate hunger

Hunger is a worldwide problem seen as a common and out of control situation. However, hunger is not linked with poverty but with injustice and unfair trade. This study is focused in a way in which cooperation from states, translated into fair trade, might be the solution for world’s hunger. In order to get results I analyzed fives pieces of reading in the literature review, together with a theoretical framework made out of International Relations theory. I applied the theory, liberalism, to the problem of hunger in order to find out how theory could change the behavior of states and therefore turn into decisions that might eradicate hunger. As a result of completing the above procedure, the answer gotten was that states behaviors can change and can show cooperation through international organizations such as the WTO’s Doha Round. This cooperation is then the answer to the problem of hunger that throughout different approaches such as lowering tariffs and barriers, and making rules more equal to everybody, can accomplish the eradication of hunger.El hambre es un problema mundial visto como una situación común y fuera de control. Sin embargo, el hambre no tiene ninguna relación con la pobreza, sino con la injusticia y el comercio injusto. Este estudio está dirigido en un sentido en el que la cooperación de los estados, traducida en comercio justo, puede ser una solución para el hambre del mundo. Para poder conseguir resultados, he analizado cinco lecturas en la revisión de la literatura, junto con el marco teórico el cual está compuesto por teorías de Relaciones Internacionales. Apliqué la teoría, liberalismo, al problema del hambre para poder descubrir cómo la teoría puede cambiar el comportamiento de los estados y así obtener decisiones que puedan llegar a erradicar el hambre. Al terminar el procedimiento mencionado, la respuesta obtenida fue que el comportamiento de los estados puede cambiar y demostrar cooperación a través de organismos internacionales como la OMC y su Ronda de Doha. La cooperación es entonces la respuesta ante el problema del hambre, que a través de diferentes medidas como la reducción de tarifas y barreras, y al crear reglas más equitativas para todos, pueden lograr erradicar el hambre