The visible face of intention: why kinematics matters

A key component of social understanding is the ability to read intentions from movements. But how do we discern intentions in others’ actions? What kind of intention information is actually available in the features of others’ movements? Based on the assumption that intentions are hidden away in the other person’s mind, standard theories of social cognition have mainly focused on the contribution of higher level processes. Here, we delineate an alternative approach to the problem of intention-from-movement understanding. We argue that intentions become “visible” in the surface flow of agents’ motions. Consequently, the ability to understand others’ intentions cannot be divorced from the capability to detect essential kinematics. This hypothesis has far reaching implications for how we know other minds and predict others’ behavior

Overcoming family boundaries. Practicing the family practices approach

David H. Morgan’s family practices approach represented a turning point in studies on family relations in the 1990s, whose international impact is explored in the special issue through contributions from Italy and other South European countries. In this introduction we relate his proposal to keep the notion of family at the centre of sociological inquiry – while redefining its conceptualization – to a wider debate, on whether this very notion can still be relevant in understanding contemporary relationships. We then explore how the heuristic potential of the family practices approach has been taken up and developed in research, particularly in relation to centring on the everyday and on the subjects’ own perspectives. Finally, we discuss the conditions under which this heuristic potential can unfold, we describe how it has been used in the articles of this special issue, and we point to missing voices and directions of interpretation

Transport and Handling of LHC Components: a Permanent Challenge

The LHC project, collider and experiments, is an assembly of thousands of elements, large or small, heavy or light, fragile or robust. Each element has its own transport requirements that constitute a real challenge to handle. Even simple manoeuvres could lead to difficulties in integration, routing and execution due to the complex environment and confined underground spaces. Examples of typical LHC elements transport and handling will be detailed such as the 16-m long, 34-t heavy, fragile cryomagnets from the surface to the final destination in the tunnel, or the delicate cryogenic cold-boxes down to pits and detector components. This challenge did not only require a lot of imagination but also a close cooperation between all the involved parties, in particular with colleagues from safety, cryogenics, civil engineering, integration and logistics

Overcoming family boundaries Practicing the family practices approach

David H. Morgan’s family practices approach represented a turning point in studies on family relations in the 1990s, whose international impact is explored in the special issue through contributions from Italy and other South European countries. In this introduction we relate his proposal to keep the notion of family at the centre of sociological inquiry – while redefining its conceptualization – to a wider debate, on whether this very notion can still be relevant in understanding contemporary relationships. We then explore how the heuristic potential of the family practices approach has been taken up and developed in research, particularly in relation to centring on the everyday and on the subjects’ own perspectives. Finally, we discuss the conditions under which this heuristic potential can unfold, we describe how it has been used in the articles of this special issue, and we point to missing voices and directions of interpretatio

Delivery at CERN and installation of the LHC underground refrigerator 1.8K in UX85 (point 8).

Series of photographs showing the delivery, handling and installation of the LHC cryogenic refrigerator in point 8 (UX85). The LHC cryogenic fluid (liquid helium at 1.9 K) is produced by cryogenic refrigerators (QURC) that are situated in the shafts and in the underground tunnel areas: 8 new units are being installed to reinforce the existing LEP cryogenic units. Each of them has an overall weight of about 25 t, the shape of a huge reversed L, 2-m wide, 7-m long and around 7-m high. Each QURC is installed in a different cavern/pit and is surrounded by a multitude of other services; consequentially it demands a detailed handling study, the procurement/design of dedicated handling tools and several days for installation of any single part