The joint projected normal and skew-normal: a distribution for poly-cylindrical data

The contribution of this work is the introduction of a multivariate circular-linear (or poly- cylindrical) distribution obtained by combining the projected and the skew-normal. We show the flexibility of our proposal, its property of closure under marginalization and how to quantify multivariate dependence. Due to a non-identifiability issue that our proposal inherits from the projected normal, a compu- tational problem arises. We overcome it in a Bayesian framework, adding suitable latent variables and showing that posterior samples can be obtained with a post-processing of the estimation algo- rithm output. Under specific prior choices, this approach enables us to implement a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm relying only on Gibbs steps, where the updates of the parameters are done as if we were working with a multivariate normal likelihood. The proposed approach can be also used with the projected normal. As a proof of concept, on simulated examples we show the ability of our algorithm in recovering the parameters values and to solve the identification problem. Then the proposal is used in a real data example, where the turning-angles (circular variables) and the logarithm of the step-lengths (linear variables) of four zebras are jointly modelled

Il caso Semmelweis. La tragica storia di uno scienziato eretico

The paper retraces the singular and dramatic personal and professional vicissitudes of the Hungarian physician Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, who in order to fight the puerperal fevers, faced the medical establishment of the time and the dominant scientific paradigm, ending up being tragically misunderstood and marginalized. According to Khun’s model, Semmelweis, unfortunately, was a revolutionary doctor in a phase of ‘normal science’

Modeling animal movement with directional persistence and attractive points

GPS technology is currently easily accessible to researchers, and many animal movement datasets are available. Two of the main features that a model which describes an animal's path can possess are directional persistence and attraction to a point in space. In this work, we propose a new approach that can have both characteristics. Our proposal is a hidden Markov model with a new emission distribution. The emission distribution models the two aforementioned characteristics, while the latent state of the hidden Markov model is needed to account for the behavioral modes. We show that the model is easy to implement in a Bayesian framework. We estimate our proposal on the motivating data that represent GPS locations of a Maremma Sheepdog recorded in Australia. The obtained results are easily interpretable and we show that our proposal outperforms the main competitive model

Descolonizando o currículo de literatura: autoras fora do cânone do Sul global

Female authors from the Global South were disregarded in theirliterary careers. This paper highlights the work of Maria Carolina de Jesus, Hilda Hilst, and Clarice Lispector, whose production goes beyond their lifetimes. Their narratives merge into the deep conditions of the self and givevoices to those silenced in society. They ripe their influences, pain, solitu de, and write literature that does not follow models, but builds a system that brings enlightenment and new forms  to comprehend the world and oneself.Autoras do Hemisfério Sul tem sido ignoradas em suas carreiras literárias. Este artigo destaca a obra de Maria Carolina de Jesus, Hilda Hilst e Clarice Lispector, cujas produções inovadoras extrapolam suas vidas. Suas narrativas mergulham nas condições profundas do eu e dão voz aos silenciados da sociedade. Amadurecem suas influências, dores, solidão e escrevem uma literatura que não segue modelos, mas constrói um sistema que traz esclarecimentos e novas formas de compreender o mundo e a si mesmas

Dynamics of mtDNA introgression during species range expansion. Insights from an experimental longitudinal study

Introgressive hybridization represents one of the long-lasting debated genetic consequences of species range expansion. Mitochondrial DNA has been shown to heavily introgress between interbreeding animal species that meet in new sympatric areas and, often, asymmetric introgression from local to the colonizing populations has been observed. Disentangling among the evolutionary and ecological processes that might shape this pattern remains difficult, because they continuously act across time and space. In this context, long-term studies can be of paramount importance. Here, we investigated the dynamics of mitochondrial introgression between two mosquito species (Aedes mariae and Ae. zammitii ) during a colonization event that started in 1986 after a translocation experiment. By analyzing 1,659 individuals across 25 years, we showed that introgression occurred earlier and at a higher frequency in the introduced than in the local species, showing a pattern of asymmetric introgression. Throughout time, introgression increased slowly in the local species, becoming reciprocal at most sites. The rare opportunity to investigate the pattern of introgression across time during a range expansion along with the characteristics of our study-system allowed us to support a role of demographic dynamics in determining the observed introgression pattern

Imaginable Futures: A Psychosocial Study on Future Expectations and Anthropocene

The future has become the central time of Anthropocene due to multiple factors like climate crisis emergence war and COVID times As a social construction time brings a diversity of meanings measures and concepts permeating all human relations The concept of time can be studies in a variety of fields but in Social Psychology time is the bond for all social relations To understand Imaginable Futures as narratives that permeate human relations requires the discussion of how individuals are imagining anticipating and expecting the future According to Kable et al 2021 imagining future events activates two brain networks One which focuses on creating the new event within imagination whereas the other evaluates whether the event is positive or negative To further investigate this process a survey with 40 questions was elaborated and applied to 312 individuals across all continents The results show a relevant rupture between individual and global futures Data also demonstrates that the future is an important asset of the now and participants are not so optimistic about it It is possible to notice a growing preoccupation with the global future and the uses of technolog

Cannibalism in temporary waters. Simulations and laboratory experiments revealed the role of spatial shape in the mosquito Aedes albopictus

Cannibalism is a commonly observed phenomenon in arthropod species having relevant consequences for population dynamics and individual fitness. It is a context-dependent behaviour and an understanding of the factors affecting cannibalism rate is crucial to highlight its ecological relevance. In mosquitoes, cannibalism between larval stages has been widely documented, and the role of density, food availability and length of contact between individuals also ascertained. However, although mosquitoes can develop in temporary water habitats with very heterogeneous topologies, the role of the site shape where cannibals and victims co-occur has been instead overlooked. In this paper, we investigated this issue by using a simulation approach and laboratory cannibalism experiments between old (third- and fourth-instars) and young (first-instar) larvae of the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus. Three virtual spaces with different shapes were simulated and the number of larval encounters was estimated in each one to assess whether the spatial shape affected the number of encounters between cannibal and victims. Then, experimental trials in containers with similar shapes to those used in the simulations were performed, and the cannibalism rate was estimated at 24 and 48h. Our results showed that the spatial shape plays a role on cannibalism interactions, affecting the number of encounters between individuals. Indeed, in the experimental trials performed, we observed the highest cannibalism rate in the container with the highest number of encounters predicted by the simulations. Interestingly, we found also that spatial shape can affect cannibalism not only by affecting the number of encounters, but also the number of encounters ªfavorableº for cannibalistic events. Temporary waters are inhabited by several species other than mosquitoes. Our results, showing an influence of the spatial shape on cannibalism in Ae. albopictus larvae, add a new critical factor to those affecting ecological interactions in these habitats