No pain, no gain - the provocation of laughter in slapstick comedy

This article explores the relationship between danger and laughter in the work of a number of what might be defined as slapstick or physical comedians. The notion of physical comedians risking life and limb in order to generate laughter from an admiring audience has a long history. The article establishes a model for analysing the provocation of laughter through which examples of slapstick comedy can be analysed. To what extent do we laugh because we understand that this is the response the performer desires? When we laugh at a comedian taking what we perceive to be physical risks, what are we laughing at? Is our laugh mingled with relief when the perceived threat is past? Are we responding with laughter as a pleased response to the performer’s skill? Louise Peacock is a lecturer in Drama and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Hull in England. In 2009 her monograph Serious Play – Modern Clown Performance was published by Intellect

Formalising the multidimensional nature of social networks

Individuals interact with conspecifics in a number of behavioural contexts or dimensions. Here, we formalise this by considering a social network between n individuals interacting in b behavioural dimensions as a nxnxb multidimensional object. In addition, we propose that the topology of this object is driven by individual needs to reduce uncertainty about the outcomes of interactions in one or more dimension. The proposal grounds social network dynamics and evolution in individual selection processes and allows us to define the uncertainty of the social network as the joint entropy of its constituent interaction networks. In support of these propositions we use simulations and natural 'knock-outs' in a free-ranging baboon troop to show (i) that such an object can display a small-world state and (ii) that, as predicted, changes in interactions after social perturbations lead to a more certain social network, in which the outcomes of interactions are easier for members to predict. This new formalisation of social networks provides a framework within which to predict network dynamics and evolution under the assumption that it is driven by individuals seeking to reduce the uncertainty of their social environment.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

The effects of a chemosterilant (Mestranol) on population and behavior in the Richardson's ground squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii) in Alberta

A chemosterilant, mestranol, was administered to three populations of Richardson's ground squirrel in southeastern Alberta. Mestranol was given to all squirrels in one plot, to only 50 percent in another plot, while a third plot remained as control. In all plots social behavior and population dynamics were followed over two seasons by live trapping and visual observations. Mestranol sterilized all females who received the drug shortly before or in early pregnancy; accordingly the birth rates were reduced. Levels of total aggression were also reduced but increased survival and immigration rates nullified the effects of the treatment during the first season. During the second season, low birth rates due to repeated treatment in one plot and to adult emigration and unknown causes in the other, were not compensated for by immigration. As a result of the repeated mestranol treatment and in one case also of adult emigration, the numbers of squirrels were reduced in the vicinity, thus limiting potential immigration in the treated plots. As a consequence, both treated populations crashed, demonstrating the effectiveness of mestranol

Environmental justice, capabilities, and the theorization of well-being

Environmental justice (EJ) scholarship is increasingly framing justice in terms of capabilities. This paper argues that capabilities are fundamentally about well-being and as such there is a need to more explicitly theorize well-being. We explore how capabilities have come to be influential in EJ and how well-being has been approached so far in EJ specifically and human geography more broadly. We then introduce a body of literature from social psychology which has grappled theoretically with questions about well-being, using the insights we gain from it to reflect on some possible trajectories and challenges for EJ as it engages with well-being

Proceedings for the ICASE Workshop on Heterogeneous Boundary Conditions

Domain Decomposition is a complex problem with many interesting aspects. The choice of decomposition can be made based on many different criteria, and the choice of interface of internal boundary conditions are numerous. The various regions under study may have different dynamical balances, indicating that different physical processes are dominating the flow in these regions. This conference was called in recognition of the need to more clearly define the nature of these complex problems. This proceedings is a collection of the presentations and the discussion groups

Growth of Pseudotypes of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus with N-Tropic Murine Leukemia Virus Coats in Cells Resistant to N-Tropic Viruses

Formation of pseudotypes between murine RNA tumor viruses and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has been confirmed. Pseudotypes of VSV genomes coated by the surface envelope from an N-tropic tumor virus grew equally well in cells homozygous for either the Fv-1n or Fv-1b alleles. Therefore, the product of the Fv-1 locus, which restricts growth of murine RNA tumor viruses, must act on an intracellular aspect of tumor virus replication, a step after attachment and penetration

Qualitative archives and biographical research methods. An introduction to the FQS special issue

The use of archival materials as a point of departure when designing and launching social research takes for granted that a culture of archiving (for sharing and re-use) has rooted time ago in our complex societies. This mentality and research practice first flourished and is fairly well installed in the case of statistics, surveys and certain other primary or secondary documents. On the contrary, it is less frequent and certainly not a routine activity for qualitative data. Only some of the raw and elaborated materials gathered during qualitative research become part of an archive for further reanalysis. These can include the backstage practices and experiences of a project, raw materials such as field notes, audio and visual recordings, and other documents produced during the research process. This issue presents a colorful range of articles that deal with experiences, challenges and opportunities of archiving and re-using qualitative material, particularly under the umbrella of biographical and narrative research. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of archiving in qualitative social research and highlights some of the new methodological reflections and approaches that have been and that are being developed within the European landscape. We hope that the articles in this issue will help promote further communication and exchange among qualitative archival practitioners from different countries and with different sensitivities and conceptual horizons. © 2011 FQS

Dance training shapes action perception and its neural implementation within the young and older adult brain

How we perceive others in action is shaped by our prior experience. Many factors influence brain responses when observing others in action, including training in a particular physical skill, such as sport or dance, and also general development and aging processes. Here, we investigate how learning a complex motor skill shapes neural and behavioural responses among a dance-naïve sample of 20 young and 19 older adults. Across four days, participants physically rehearsed one set of dance sequences, observed a second set, and a third set remained untrained. Functional MRI was obtained prior to and immediately following training. Participants’ behavioural performance on motor and visual tasks improved across the training period, with younger adults showing steeper performance gains than older adults. At the brain level, both age groups demonstrated decreased sensorimotor cortical engagement after physical training, with younger adults showing more pronounced decreases in inferior parietal activity compared to older adults. Neural decoding results demonstrate that among both age groups, visual and motor regions contain experience-specific representations of new motor learning. By combining behavioural measures of performance with univariate and multivariate measures of brain activity, we can start to build a more complete picture of age-related changes in experience-dependent plasticity