Trajectory Discrimination and Peripersonal Space Perception in Newborns

The ability to discriminate the trajectories of moving objects is highly adaptive and fundamental for physical and social interactions. Therefore, we could reasonably expect sensitivity to different trajectories already at birth, as a precursor of later communicative and defensive abilities. To investigate this possibility, we measured newborns\u2019 looking behavior to evaluate their ability to discriminate between visual stimuli depicting motion along different trajectories happening within the space surrounding their body. Differently from previous studies, we did not take into account defensive reactions, which may not be elicited by impending collision as newborns might not categorize approaching stimuli as possible dangers. In two experiments, we showed that newborns display a spontaneous visual preference for trajectories directed toward their body. We found this visual preference when visual stimuli depicted motion in opposite directions (approaching vs. receding) as well as when they both moved toward the peripersonal space and differed only in their specific target (i.e., the body vs. the space around it). These findings suggest that at birth human infants seem to be already equipped with visual mechanisms predisposing them to perceive their presence in the environment and to adaptively focus their attention on the peripersonal space and their bodily self

Newborns Are Sensitive to Impending Collision Within Their Peripersonal Space

Immediately after birth, newborns are introduced within a highly stimulating environment, where many objects move close to them. It would therefore be adaptive for infants to pay more attention to objects that move towards them - on a colliding pathway - and could therefore come into contact and interact with them. The present study aimed at understanding if newborns are able to discriminate between colliding vs. noncolliding trajectories. To address this issue, we measured the looking behaviour of newborns who were presented with videos of different pairings of three events: approaching objects along a colliding course, approaching objects along a non-colliding trajectory, and receding objects. Results outlined that newborns preferred looking at the approaching and colliding movement than at both the receding and the approaching but non-colliding movements. Data also suggest the possible occurrence of a configural effect when two colliding events are displayed simultaneously. Furthermore newborns appeared to look longer at movements directed towards the Peripersonal Space than at those directed away from it

Confucianism in Japan and China

Konfucijanizam je filozofija koja je nastala po učenjima kineskog filozofa Konfucija. U Japan je stigao u razdoblju Yamato, preko Korejskog poluotoka. Japanski princ Shōtoku je stvorio sustav „kapa i činova“ te je napravio ustav od sedamnaest članaka za usklađivanje tadašnjeg kaotičnog društva. U razdoblju Edo, neokonfucijanizam je bio jedan od vodećih filozofija u vladi i edukaciji Tokugawe. U konfucijanizmu je važan odnos roditelja i djece, sinovska pobožnost, koja se smatra najvećom vrlinom konfucijanizma. Mlađi članovi društva su dužni poštivati i brinuti se o roditeljima i starijima. Djeca moraju staviti potrebe roditelja ispred svojih, poštovati njihovo prosuđivanje i ponašati se prema tome. Djeca trebaju pomagati roditeljima s financijama te fizičkim i svakodnevnim poslovima. Kina je uglavnom bila patrijarhalna zemlja, gdje su sinovi bili poželjniji jer su mogli raditi teže fizičke poslove i brinuti se o starijima, dok su kćeri smatrali teretom. Žene su jedino imale ulogu u kući kao majke kućanice koje se brinu o djeci i supruzima, dok su muškarci imali ulogu i vani. Iako ne možemo znati što je Konfucije mislio o ženama, iz Analekata se vidi da je žene smatrao nižom klasom, nije mislio da su jednake s muškarcima. U yin i yangu, žene su yin, pasivne, tihe i inferiorne, dok su muškarci yang, snažni, moćni i superiorni. U konfucijanizmu, etički sustav vrlina je važan kako bi ljudi trebali voditi svoj život. Devet tih vrlina su sreća (xi), mudrost (zhi), ispravnost (li), pravednost (yi), odanost (zhong), reprocitet (shu), kulturna profinjenost (wen), integritet (shin) i dobrohotnost (ren). Takve su kvalitete potrebne za razvoj etike i morala. Oni koji teže savršenstvu imaju koristi od učenja konfucijanskih vrijednosti. Konfucijanizam najrasprostranjeniji u istočnoj Aziji, no ostavio je utjecaj u Europi i ostatku svijeta. Danas ima dubok utjecaj u Kini i Južnoj Koreji, dok u Japanu više nije aktualna filozofija. Konfucijanizam je utjecao na školovanje, kao i na ideale kao što su odanost, poštovanje i sklad.Confucianism is a philosophy that originated from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It arrived in Japan in the Yamato period, via the Korean peninsula. The Japanese Prince Shōtoku created a system of "caps and ranks" and made a constitution of seventeen articles to harmonize the then chaotic society. In the Edo period, Neo-Confucianism was one of the leading philosophies in Tokugawa government and education. In Confucianism, the relationship between parents and children is important, filial piety, which is considered the greatest virtue of Confucianism. Younger members of society are obliged to respect and take care of their parents and elders. Children must put their parents' needs before their own, respect their judgment and act accordingly. Children should help their parents with finances and physical and daily chores. China was largely a patriarchal country, where sons were preferred because they could do hard physical work and take care of the elderly, while daughters were considered a burden. Women only had a role in the house as housewife mothers who take care of children and husbands, while men also had a role outside. Although we cannot know what Confucius thought of women, it is clear from the Analects that he considered women to be a lower class, he did not think they were equal to men. In yin-yang, women are yin, passive, quiet and inferior, while men are yang, strong, powerful and superior. In Confucianism, the ethical system of virtues is important to how people should lead their lives. The six virtues are happiness (xi), wisdom (zhi), correctness(li), righteousness (yi), loyalty (zhong), reciprocity (shu), cultural refinement (wen), integrity (shin) and benevolence (ren). Such qualities are necessary for the development of ethics and morality. Those who strive for perfection benefit from learning Confucian values. Confucianism is most widespread in East Asia, but it has left an impact in Europe and the rest of the world. Today it has a deep influence in China and South Korea, while in Japan it is no longer a current philosophy. Confucianism influenced schooling as well as ideals such as loyalty, respect and harmony

Confucianism in Japan and China

Konfucijanizam je filozofija koja je nastala po učenjima kineskog filozofa Konfucija. U Japan je stigao u razdoblju Yamato, preko Korejskog poluotoka. Japanski princ Shōtoku je stvorio sustav „kapa i činova“ te je napravio ustav od sedamnaest članaka za usklađivanje tadašnjeg kaotičnog društva. U razdoblju Edo, neokonfucijanizam je bio jedan od vodećih filozofija u vladi i edukaciji Tokugawe. U konfucijanizmu je važan odnos roditelja i djece, sinovska pobožnost, koja se smatra najvećom vrlinom konfucijanizma. Mlađi članovi društva su dužni poštivati i brinuti se o roditeljima i starijima. Djeca moraju staviti potrebe roditelja ispred svojih, poštovati njihovo prosuđivanje i ponašati se prema tome. Djeca trebaju pomagati roditeljima s financijama te fizičkim i svakodnevnim poslovima. Kina je uglavnom bila patrijarhalna zemlja, gdje su sinovi bili poželjniji jer su mogli raditi teže fizičke poslove i brinuti se o starijima, dok su kćeri smatrali teretom. Žene su jedino imale ulogu u kući kao majke kućanice koje se brinu o djeci i supruzima, dok su muškarci imali ulogu i vani. Iako ne možemo znati što je Konfucije mislio o ženama, iz Analekata se vidi da je žene smatrao nižom klasom, nije mislio da su jednake s muškarcima. U yin i yangu, žene su yin, pasivne, tihe i inferiorne, dok su muškarci yang, snažni, moćni i superiorni. U konfucijanizmu, etički sustav vrlina je važan kako bi ljudi trebali voditi svoj život. Devet tih vrlina su sreća (xi), mudrost (zhi), ispravnost (li), pravednost (yi), odanost (zhong), reprocitet (shu), kulturna profinjenost (wen), integritet (shin) i dobrohotnost (ren). Takve su kvalitete potrebne za razvoj etike i morala. Oni koji teže savršenstvu imaju koristi od učenja konfucijanskih vrijednosti. Konfucijanizam najrasprostranjeniji u istočnoj Aziji, no ostavio je utjecaj u Europi i ostatku svijeta. Danas ima dubok utjecaj u Kini i Južnoj Koreji, dok u Japanu više nije aktualna filozofija. Konfucijanizam je utjecao na školovanje, kao i na ideale kao što su odanost, poštovanje i sklad.Confucianism is a philosophy that originated from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It arrived in Japan in the Yamato period, via the Korean peninsula. The Japanese Prince Shōtoku created a system of "caps and ranks" and made a constitution of seventeen articles to harmonize the then chaotic society. In the Edo period, Neo-Confucianism was one of the leading philosophies in Tokugawa government and education. In Confucianism, the relationship between parents and children is important, filial piety, which is considered the greatest virtue of Confucianism. Younger members of society are obliged to respect and take care of their parents and elders. Children must put their parents' needs before their own, respect their judgment and act accordingly. Children should help their parents with finances and physical and daily chores. China was largely a patriarchal country, where sons were preferred because they could do hard physical work and take care of the elderly, while daughters were considered a burden. Women only had a role in the house as housewife mothers who take care of children and husbands, while men also had a role outside. Although we cannot know what Confucius thought of women, it is clear from the Analects that he considered women to be a lower class, he did not think they were equal to men. In yin-yang, women are yin, passive, quiet and inferior, while men are yang, strong, powerful and superior. In Confucianism, the ethical system of virtues is important to how people should lead their lives. The six virtues are happiness (xi), wisdom (zhi), correctness(li), righteousness (yi), loyalty (zhong), reciprocity (shu), cultural refinement (wen), integrity (shin) and benevolence (ren). Such qualities are necessary for the development of ethics and morality. Those who strive for perfection benefit from learning Confucian values. Confucianism is most widespread in East Asia, but it has left an impact in Europe and the rest of the world. Today it has a deep influence in China and South Korea, while in Japan it is no longer a current philosophy. Confucianism influenced schooling as well as ideals such as loyalty, respect and harmony

Efeitos de uso de terra e manejo em populações de Annona crassiflora Mart. no Cerrado

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Ecologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, 2017.O Cerrado apresenta diversas espécies com potencial de utilização, e a Annona crassiflora Mart., ou araticum, é uma árvore com frutos destinados principalmente à alimentação por comunidades tradicionais. Para incentivar o seu uso e extrativismo sustentável, o objetivo deste trabalho foi conhecer o estado de conservação de suas populações. Para tanto, foi avaliada estrutura populacional e os fatores ambientais e antrópicos de influência nas densidades dos estágios de vida, definidos como plântulas, infantes, jovens e adultos. Foram estudadas 40 populações de A. crassiflora em diversos estados de conservação, sendo 29 em áreas de cerrado primário e de 11 em áreas convertidas para pastagem. As variações ambientais foram representadas por teor de argila e soma de bases trocáveis do solo, cobertura vegetal e altitude, e as intervenções antrópicas por índices de extrativismo, presença de gado e raleamento de vegetação arbórea. As populações tenderam a distribuição simétrica de indivíduos ao longo das classes de diâmetro, com maiores quantidades de indivíduos menores em áreas de cerrado. Pastagens apresentaram, em média, 47% menos indivíduos que em áreas de cerrado, com mais lacunas de indivíduos nas classes de diâmetro. Em geral, as populações têm poucos indivíduos nas menores classes de diâmetro, indicando rápida passagem do estágio de plântula, e uma alta permanência nas classes subsequentes de tamanho. As densidades populacionais de todas as classes de tamanho foram associadas negativamente à soma de bases trocáveis do solo e altitude, e positivamente ao extrativismo de frutos. Plântulas e infantes foram associadas negativamente ao raleamento e ao gado, enquanto para jovens e adultos não houve essa relação. Reduzir frequência e intensidade de raleamento e do gado e o plantio de mudas pode favorecer o recrutamento de plântulas. O extrativismo não é prejudicial e deve ser incentivado principalmente em áreas de pastagem que conectam remanescentes de áreas naturais.The Cerrado biome harbors many useful plant species. Among these, Annona crassiflora Mart, known as araticum, is a tree with fruits used for human feeding, mainly by traditional communities. To encourage its sustainable use and harvest, the objective of this work was to know the conservation status of its populations. Therefore, it was evaluated the population structure and the environmental and anthropic variables associated to the life stage densities, defined as seedlings, infants, juvenile and adults. For this, we studied 40 populations of A. crassiflora in different conservation conditions, being 29 in primary cerrado and 11 in areas converted to pasture. Soil characteristics of clay content and sum of exchangeable bases, plant cover and altitude represented environment variable, while indexes of extractivism, cattle and vegetation thinning represented anthropic interventions. Most populations showed symmetric distribution of the individuals, but there were more individual of smaller classes in cerrado areas. Pasture areas had on average 47% less plants then in the cerrado, and it presented more gaps through the diameter classes. In general, populations have low densities of individuals at the smaller diameter classes, indicating rapid passage of the seedling stage to subsequent stages, in which permanence is longer. All size classes plant density were negatively associated with sum of exchangeable bases and altitude, and positively with fruit harvest. Seedlings and infants associated negatively with vegetation thinning and cattle index, whereas juveniles and adults did not present the same relation. Reducing frequency and intensity of vegetation thinning and cattle may increase seedling recruitment to higher life stages as well as by planting new individual. As fruit harvest is not harmful, it may be promoted, principally in pasture areas that connect cerrado remnants