A bridge between liquids and socio-economic systems: the key role of interaction strengths

One distinctive and pervasive aspect of social systems is the fact that they comprise several kinds of agents. Thus, in order to draw parallels with physical systems one is lead to consider binary (or multi-component) compounds. Recent views about the mixing of liquids in solutions gained from neutron and X-ray scattering show these systems to have a number of similarities with socio-economic systems. It appears that such phenomena as rearrangement of bonds in a solution, gas condensation, selective evaporation of molecules can be transposed in a natural way to socio-economic phenomena. These connections provide a novel perspective for looking at social systems which we illustrate through some examples. For instance, we interpret suicide as an escape phenomenon and in order to test that interpretation we consider social systems characterized by very low levels of social interaction. For those systems suicide rates are found to be 10 to 100 times higher than in the general population. Another interesting parallel concerns the phase transition which occurs when locusts gather together to form swarms which may contain several billion insects. What hinders the thorough investigation of such cases from the standpoint of collective phenomena that we advocate is the lack or inadequacy of statistical data for, up to now, they were collected for completely different purposes. Most essential for further progress are statistics which would permit to estimate the strength of social ties and interactions. Once adequate data become available, rapid advance may be expected.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, 4 table

Panthera onca EN EL ÁREA DE CONSERVACIÓN REGIONAL CORDILLERA ESCALERA: UN NUEVO REGISTRO DE JAGUAR MELÁNICO EN LA SELVA TROPICAL DEL PERÚ

We present the first records of a melanistic jaguar (Panthera onca) coexisting with non-melanistic jaguars in the Cordillera Escalera - Regional Conservation Area, San Martín, Peru. Between the years 2017 and 2022, twelve camera traps were installed in a wildlife corridor to evaluate the occurrence of mammals and birds within the conservation area. A total record of 9 photos and 24 videos was obtained, of which 6 photos and 10 videos corresponded to a melanistic male specimen. The largest number of records was in April and July 2021, during night events. These results represent important evidence of the presence of previously undocumented melanistic jaguars in the area, allowing the strengthening of jaguar conservation initiatives and distribution evaluation within the Cordillera Escalera - RCA.Presentamos los primeros registros de un jaguar melánico (Panthera onca) coexistiendo con jaguares no melánicos en el Área de Conservación Regional - Cordillera Escalera, San Martín, Perú. Entre los años 2017 a 2022, se instalaron 12 cámaras trampa en un corredor de vida silvestre para evaluar la ocurrencia de mamíferos y aves dentro del área de conservación. Se obtuvo un registro total de 9 fotos y 24 vídeos, de los cuales, 6 fotos y 10 vídeos correspondieron a un ejemplar melánico macho. La mayor cantidad de los registros fue en abril y julio del 2021, durante eventos nocturnos. Estos resultados representan una importante evidencia sobre la presencia de jaguares melánicos no documentados anteriormente en la zona, permitiendo fortalecer iniciativas de conservación y evaluación de distribución de jaguares dentro del ACR - Cordillera Escalera

Just-in-Time Prompts for Running, Walking, and Performing Strength Exercises in the Built Environment: 4-Week Randomized Feasibility Study

Background: App-based mobile health exercise interventions can motivate individuals to engage in more physical activity (PA). According to the Fogg Behavior Model, it is important that the individual receive prompts at the right time to be successfully persuaded into PA. These are referred to as just-in-time (JIT) interventions. The Playful Active Urban Living (PAUL) app is among the first to include 2 types of JIT prompts: JIT adaptive reminder messages to initiate a run or walk and JIT strength exercise prompts during a walk or run (containing location-based instruction videos). This paper reports on the feasibility of the PAUL app and its JIT prompts. Objective: The main objective of this study was to examine user experience, app engagement, and users' perceptions and opinions regarding the PAUL app and its JIT prompts and to explore changes in the PA behavior, intrinsic motivation, and the perceived capability of the PA behavior of the participants. Methods: In total, 2 versions of the closed-beta version of the PAUL app were evaluated: a basic version (Basic PAUL) and a JIT adaptive version (Smart PAUL). Both apps send JIT exercise prompts, but the versions differ in that the Smart PAUL app sends JIT adaptive reminder messages to initiate running or walking behavior, whereas the Basic PAUL app sends reminder messages at randomized times. A total of 23 participants were randomized into 1 of the 2 intervention arms. PA behavior (accelerometer-measured), intrinsic motivation, and the perceived capability of PA behavior were measured before and after the intervention. After the intervention, participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire on user experience, and they were invited for an exit interview to assess user perceptions and opinions of the app in depth. Results: No differences in PA behavior were observed (Z=−1.433; P = .08), but intrinsic motivation for running and walking and for performing strength exercises significantly increased (Z=−3.342; P < .001 and Z=−1.821; P = .04, respectively). Furthermore, participants increased their perceived capability to perform strength exercises (Z=2.231; P = .01) but not to walk or run (Z=−1.221; P = .12). The interviews indicated that the participants were enthusiastic about the strength exercise prompts. These were perceived as personal, fun, and relevant to their health. The reminders were perceived as important initiators for PA, but participants from both app groups explained that the reminder messages were often not sent at times they could exercise. Although the participants were enthusiastic about the functionalities of the app, technical issues resulted in a low user experience. Conclusions: The preliminary findings suggest that the PAUL apps are promising and innovative interventions for promoting PA. Users perceived the strength exercise prompts as a valuable addition to exercise apps. However, to be a feasible intervention, the app must be more stable

cogniron

A dataset is recorded consisting of omnidirectional images, laser range data, sonar readings and robot odometry. The dataset is meant for testing and benchmarking methods proposed in the papers sent to the workshop, as well as stimulating the discussion about spatial representations for mobile robots. The acquisition of the dataset took place in a home environment constructed by UNET (http://www.unet.nl/, linked site is in dutch). A Nomad scout was driven around by tele-operation while data was collected on a mounted laptop. The robot was driven through the environment three times, one "clean" run with as low noise level as possible, one "noisy" run with people walking through the environment and one "home-tour" run, in which a person is guiding the robot around the house. Each run took around 5 minutes. The data is not provided via radish due to file sizes, but can be accessed at http://www2.science.uva.nl/sites/cogniron/. More file format information is available at http://staff.science.uva.nl/~zivkovic/FS2HSC/dataset.html