Agencia racional e ilusión de libertad

Las ciencias sociales afrontan el problema de dar una explicación comprensiva a la ilusión del sujeto de que su acción deriva de una acción propositiva y consciente. La noción de libertad forma parte de ese complejo conceptual frente al que se enfrenta la noción de determinismo, el fundamento metateórico de una explicación científica. La experiencia de consciencia, de comportarse como un sujeto dotado de libre voluntad es una creación del cerebro y de la mente. Si los mecanismos neurales y psicológicos son responsables de la conducta, la noción de un sujeto que resuelve la acción, simultáneamente libre y causado, se desvanece o se revela ilusorio. El análisis econométrico de la conducta, en la economía experimental, ha mostrado que los fenómenos de inversión de preferencias en el tiempo y la inconsistencia de sus elecciones cuestionan la noción de un agente racional, concebido como un agente dotado de libre voluntad. Las acciones de un individuo cobran sentido en un juego social. Las posiciones de los actores en la estructura social determinan qué acciones pueden esperarse de éstos a partir de un tipo de interacción comunicativa que asocia recompensas y castigos a ciertos patrones de acción, conformando hábitos. El agente racional se conforma a partir de su experiencia de éxito o fracaso esperado en relación con ese patrón de recompensas y castigos provistos por actores de naturaleza corporativa. En esta contribución se discute, desde la neurociencia y la ciencia cognitiva, la noción de subjetividad y se discuten las relaciones entre agencia virtual y agencia racional.The social sciences face the problem of giving a comprehensive explanation of the subject’s illusion of thinking that its action derives from a propositional and conscious action. The notion of freedom is part of this conceptual complex in opposition to the one that faces the notion of determinism, the meta-theoretical foundations of a scientific explanation. The experience of consciousness, of behaving as a subject provided with free will is a creation of the brain and the mind. If the neuronal and psychological mechanisms are responsible of behavior, the notion of a subject that resolves the action, simultaneously free and caused, vanishes or is revealed as an illusion. The econometrical analysis of the behavior, in the experimental economy, has showed that the phenomena of investment based on preferences in time and the inconsistency of his choices question the notion of a rational agent, understood as an agent provided with free will. The actions of an individual have sense in a social game. The positions of the actors in the social structure determine which actions can be expected from them depending on the type of communicative interaction that associates rewards and punishments with certain patterns of action, shaping habits. The rational agent is satisfied with its experience of success or failure with regards to this pattern of rewards and punishments provided by actors of a corporate nature. In this contribution we discuss from the perspective of neuroscience and cognitive science, the notion of subjectivity, as well as the relations between virtual agency and rational agency

Scattering polarization in the CaII Infrared Triplet with Velocity Gradients

Magnetic field topology, thermal structure and plasma motions are the three main factors affecting the polarization signals used to understand our star. In this theoretical investigation, we focus on the effect that gradients in the macroscopic vertical velocity field have on the non-magnetic scattering polarization signals, establishing the basis for general cases. We demonstrate that the solar plasma velocity gradients have a significant effect on the linear polarization produced by scattering in chromospheric spectral lines. In particular, we show the impact of velocity gradients on the anisotropy of the radiation field and on the ensuing fractional alignment of the CaII levels, and how they can lead to an enhancement of the zero-field linear polarization signals. This investigation remarks the importance of knowing the dynamical state of the solar atmosphere in order to correctly interpret spectropolarimetric measurements, which is important, among other things, for establishing a suitable zero field reference case to infer magnetic fields via the Hanle effect.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 3 appendixes, accepted for publication in Ap

Classical communication cost of quantum steering

Quantum steering is observed when performing appropriate local measurements on an entangled state. Here we discuss the possibility of simulating classically this effect, using classical communication instead of entanglement. We show that infinite communication is necessary for exactly simulating steering for any pure entangled state, as well as for a class of mixed entangled states. Moreover, we discuss the communication cost of steering for general entangled states, as well as approximate simulation. Our findings reveal striking differences between Bell nonlocality and steering, and provide a natural way of measuring the strength of the latter.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure. See also arXiv:1603.xxxxx for related work by S. Nagy and T. V\'ertes

Polarized Line Formation in Multi-Dimensional Media.III. Hanle Effect with Partial Frequency Redistribution

In the previous two papers, namely, \citet{anuknn11} and \citet{anuetal11} we solved the polarized radiative transfer (RT) equation in multi-dimensional (multi-D) geometries, with partial frequency redistribution (PRD) as the scattering mechanism. We assumed Rayleigh scattering as the only source of linear polarization ($Q/I, U/I$) in both these papers. In this paper we extend these previous works to include the effect of weak oriented magnetic fields (Hanle effect) on line scattering. We generalize the technique of Stokes vector decomposition in terms of the irreducible spherical tensors $\mathcal{T}^K_Q$, developed in \citet{anuknn11}, to the case of RT with Hanle effect. A fast iterative method of solution (based on the Stabilized Preconditioned Bi-Conjugate-Gradient technique), developed in \citet{anuetal11}, is now generalized to the case of RT in magnetized three-dimensional media. We use the efficient short-characteristics formal solution method for multi-D media, generalized appropriately to the present context. The main results of this paper are the following: (1) A comparison of emergent $(I, Q/I, U/I)$ profiles formed in one-dimensional (1D) media, with the corresponding emergent, spatially averaged profiles formed in multi-D media, shows that in the spatially resolved structures, the assumption of 1D may lead to large errors in linear polarization, especially in the line wings. (2) The multi-D RT in semi-infinite non-magnetic media causes a strong spatial variation of the emergent $(Q/I, U/I)$ profiles, which is more pronounced in the line wings. (3) The presence of a weak magnetic field modifies the spatial variation of the emergent $(Q/I, U/I)$ profiles in the line core, by producing significant changes in their magnitudes.Comment: 31 pages, 14 figures, Submitted to ApJ, Under revie

Liver bioengineering using decellularized whole-liver scaffolds

Currently, due to the progress made in the field of regenerative medicine, whole-organ bioengineering is becoming a valid alternative to cope with the shortages of organs for transplantation. In this chapter, we describe the main techniques carried out for pig liver bioengineering, which serves as an essential model for future human liver bioengineering. These include porcine whole-liver decellularization, endothelial and mesenchymal stem cell isolation, porcine ES-derived hepatoblasts, and scaffold recellularization using a bioreactor perfusion system

High cadence spectropolarimetry of moving magnetic features observed around a pore

Moving magnetic features (MMFs) are small-size magnetic elements that are seen to stream out from sunspots, generally during their decay phase. Several observational results presented in the literature suggest them to be closely related to magnetic filaments that extend from the penumbra of the parent spot. Nevertheless, few observations of MMFs streaming out from spots without penumbra have been reported. The literature still lacks of analyses of the physical properties of these features. We investigate physical properties of monopolar MMFs observed around a small pore that had developed penumbra in the days preceding our observations and compare our results with those reported in the literature for features observed around sunspots. We analyzed NOAA 11005 during its decay phase with data acquired at the Dunn Solar Telescope in the FeI 617.3$nm and the CaII 854.2$ nm spectral lines with IBIS, and in the G-band. The field of view showed monopolar MMFs of both polarities streaming out from the leading negative polarity pore of the observed active region. Combining different analyses of the data, we investigated the temporal evolution of the relevant physical quantities associated with the MMFs as well as the photospheric and chromospheric signatures of these features. We show that the characteristics of the investigated MMFs agree with those reported in the literature for MMFs that stream out from spots with penumbrae. Moreover, observations of at least two of the observed features suggest them to be manifestations of emerging magnetic arches.Comment: Accepted by A&

Painting the ideal home: using art to express visions of technologically supported independent living for older people in North East England

This paper describes the investigation of the development of future technological products to support older people in everyday living through the agency of a community art group. Recent research has identified a number of challenges facing designers seeking to use traditional participatory design approaches to gather technology requirements data from older people. Here, a project is described that sought to get a group of older people to think creatively about their needs and desires for technological support through the medium of paint. The artistic expression technique described in this article allowed the identification of issues that had also been found by previous research that used a range of different techniques. This indicates that the approach shows promise, as it allows information to be gathered in an environment that is comfortable and familiar using methods already known by the participants and which they find enjoyable. It provides a complement (or possible alternative) to standard protocols and has the potential benefit of extracting even richer information as the primary task for participants is enjoyable in its own right and is not associated with an interrogative process. Furthermore, it is argued that some of the key risks of traditional approaches are lessened or removed by the naturalistic setting of this approach