Deciding where to belong : gender differences in educational trajectories and migration in a rural Spanish town

From an anthropological perspective, formal post-secondary schooling is not an abstractentity with an intrinsic value that everyone finds desirable, but rather one alternative among many that young people evaluate from their different positions in the social field. The problem discussed in this paper is the diverging life trajectories that young men and women in a concrete rural context, at the end of the 20th century, shape for themselves at the ages of 14-16, a moment of decision created by national legislation regarding mandatory education (LGE, 1970, General Education Law, and LOGSE, 1990, General Organic Law of the Education System). Despite a strong cultural norm of equal inheritance divided among all children, male and female, and despite the equal educational opportunities provided by the Spanish State, different meanings of possession and use-rights over land and the resulting culturally accepted gendered division of work converge to orient men and women differently towards post-secondary schooling. Observation of the age, gender, and civil status structure of the population led to the preliminary query: Why do men and women, in this town, behave differently with respect to migration and marriage? The main hypothesis was that women's longer school trajectories and resulting migration and men's anchoring in the town and their higher rates of celibacy were not drastic changes in values, in the positional-relational sense of Bourdieu (1988, 2002), but the current outcome of previously existing dissimilar relations to property that produce dissimilar mobility. Through their schooling and work choices, young men and women, at very early ages, locate themselves in, or decide to belong to, different contexts that later reveal very different possibilities of finding marriage partners. This paper is based on an ethnographic study of a small rural town (302 inhabitants in 1950; 193 in 2000) near Leon. Although this paper deals with the situation in the final decades of the 20th century, we must also consider the first half of the century, where some elements that shape this situation have their roots. Fieldwork was carried out between 1988 and 2001, in periods of differing length and intensity. The social subjects discussed here are the domestic unit and its component members. They were studied in conjunction, analyzing the life-trajectory decisions of specific persons in the framework of the domestic unit and the relations among people and property which comprise it. The tried-and-true methods of ethnographic research -participant observation, interviews, and life-histories, etc.- were employed. Archival research was also important for producing demographic data. Demographic analysis, the analysis of the composition and transformation of domestic units, and the creation of life trajectories were among the principal techniques used. The theoretical analysis was oriented by Bourdieu's (2002) framework of the social field, habitus, and difference

Manin matrices and Talalaev's formula

We study special class of matrices with noncommutative entries and demonstrate their various applications in integrable systems theory. They appeared in Yu. Manin's works in 87-92 as linear homomorphisms between polynomial rings; more explicitly they read: 1) elements in the same column commute; 2) commutators of the cross terms are equal: $[M_{ij}, M_{kl}]=[M_{kj}, M_{il}]$ (e.g. $[M_{11}, M_{22}]=[M_{21}, M_{12}]$). We claim that such matrices behave almost as well as matrices with commutative elements. Namely theorems of linear algebra (e.g., a natural definition of the determinant, the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, the Newton identities and so on and so forth) holds true for them. On the other hand, we remark that such matrices are somewhat ubiquitous in the theory of quantum integrability. For instance, Manin matrices (and their q-analogs) include matrices satisfying the Yang-Baxter relation "RTT=TTR" and the so--called Cartier-Foata matrices. Also, they enter Talalaev's hep-th/0404153 remarkable formulas: $det(\partial_z-L_{Gaudin}(z))$, det(1-e^{-\p}T_{Yangian}(z)) for the "quantum spectral curve", etc. We show that theorems of linear algebra, after being established for such matrices, have various applications to quantum integrable systems and Lie algebras, e.g in the construction of new generators in $Z(U(\hat{gl_n}))$ (and, in general, in the construction of quantum conservation laws), in the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation, and in the problem of Wick ordering. We also discuss applications to the separation of variables problem, new Capelli identities and the Langlands correspondence.Comment: 40 pages, V2: exposition reorganized, some proofs added, misprints e.g. in Newton id-s fixed, normal ordering convention turned to standard one, refs. adde

Cooperation for public goods under uncertainty

Everyone wants clean air, peace and other public goods but is tempted to freeride on others' efforts. The usual way out of this dilemma is to impose norms, maintain reputations and incentivize individuals to contribute. In situations of high uncertainty, however, such as confrontations of protesters with a dictatorial regime, the usual measures are not feasible, but cooperation can be achieved nevertheless. We use an Ising model with asymmetric spins that represent cooperation and defection to show numerically how public goods can be realized. Under uncertainty, people use the heuristic of conformity. The turmoil of a confrontation causes some individuals to cooperate accidentally, and at a critical level of turmoil, they entail a cascade of cooperation. This critical level is much lower in small networks

The human diabetes proteome project (HDPP): The 2014 update

Diabetes is an increasing worldwide problem leading to major associated health issues and increased health care costs. In 2012, 9.3% of the American population was affected by diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, with 1.7 million of new cases since during the year (www.diabetes.org). Proteome initiatives can provide a deeper understanding of the biology of this disease and help develop more effective treatments. The collaborative effort of the Human Diabetes Proteome Project (HDPP) brings together a wide variety of complementary resources to increase the existing knowledge about both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and their related complications. The goals are to identify proteins and protein isoforms associated with the pathology and to characterize underlying disease-related pathways and mechanisms. Moreover, a considerable effort is being made on data integration and network biology. Sharing these data with the scientific community will be an important part of the consortium. Here we report on: the content of the HDPP session held at the 12th HUPO meeting in Yokohama; recent achievements of the consortium; discussions of several HDPP workshops; as well as future HDPP directions as discussed at the 13th HUPO congress in Madrid, with a special attention given to the lists of prioritized, diabetes-related proteins and the proteomic means to study them.</p

Making oneself predictable: reduced temporal variability facilitates joint action coordination

Performing joint actions often requires precise temporal coordination of individual actions. The present study investigated how people coordinate their actions at discrete points in time when continuous or rhythmic information about others’ actions is not available. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that making oneself predictable is used as a coordination strategy. Pairs of participants were instructed to coordinate key presses in a two-choice reaction time task, either responding in synchrony (Experiments 1 and 2) or in close temporal succession (Experiment 3). Across all experiments, we found that coactors reduced the variability of their actions in the joint context compared with the same task performed individually. Correlation analyses indicated that the less variable the actions were, the better was interpersonal coordination. The relation between reduced variability and improved coordination performance was not observed when pairs of participants performed independent tasks next to each other without intending to coordinate. These findings support the claim that reducing variability is used as a coordination strategy to achieve predictability. Identifying coordination strategies contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in real-time coordination

Incomplete information about the partner affects the development of collaborative strategies in joint action.

Physical interaction with a partner plays an essential role in our life experience and is the basis of many daily activities. When two physically coupled humans have different and partly conflicting goals, they face the challenge of negotiating some type of collaboration. This requires that both participants understand their partner's state and current actions. But, how would the collaboration be affected if information about their partner were unreliable or incomplete? We designed an experiment in which two players (a dyad) are mechanically connected through a virtual spring, but cannot see each other. They were instructed to perform reaching movements with the same start and end position, but through different via-points. In different groups of dyads we varied the amount of information provided to each player about his/her partner: haptic only (the interaction force perceived through the virtual spring), visuo-haptic (the interaction force is also displayed on the screen), and partner visible (in addition to interaction force, partner position is continuously displayed on the screen). We found that incomplete information about the partner affects not only the speed at which collaboration is achieved (less information, slower learning), but also the actual collaboration strategy. In particular, incomplete or unreliable information leads to an interaction strategy characterized by alternating leader-follower roles. Conversely, more reliable information leads to more synchronous behaviors, in which no specific roles can be identified. Simulations based on a combination of game theory and Bayesian estimation suggested that synchronous behaviors correspond to optimal interaction (Nash equilibrium). Roles emerge as sub-optimal forms of interaction, which minimize the need to account for the partner. These findings suggest that collaborative strategies in joint action are shaped by the trade-off between the task requirements and the uncertainty of the information available about the partner

The Smartphone Brain Scanner: A Portable Real-Time Neuroimaging System

Combining low cost wireless EEG sensors with smartphones offers novel opportunities for mobile brain imaging in an everyday context. We present a framework for building multi-platform, portable EEG applications with real-time 3D source reconstruction. The system - Smartphone Brain Scanner - combines an off-the-shelf neuroheadset or EEG cap with a smartphone or tablet, and as such represents the first fully mobile system for real-time 3D EEG imaging. We discuss the benefits and challenges of a fully portable system, including technical limitations as well as real-time reconstruction of 3D images of brain activity. We present examples of the brain activity captured in a simple experiment involving imagined finger tapping, showing that the acquired signal in a relevant brain region is similar to that obtained with standard EEG lab equipment. Although the quality of the signal in a mobile solution using a off-the-shelf consumer neuroheadset is lower compared to that obtained using high density standard EEG equipment, we propose that mobile application development may offset the disadvantages and provide completely new opportunities for neuroimaging in natural settings

Spontaneous adaptation explains why people act faster when being imitated

The human ability to perform joint actions is often attributed to high-level cognitive processes. For example, the finding that action leaders act faster when imitated by their partners has been interpreted as evidence for anticipation of the other’s actions (Pfister, Dignath, Hommel, & Kunde, 2013). In two experiments, we showed that a low-level mechanism can account for this finding. Action leaders were faster when imitated than when counterimitated, but only if they could observe their partner’s actions (Exp. 1). Crucially, when due to our manipulation the partner’s imitative actions became slower than the counterimitative actions, leaders also became slower when they were imitated, and faster when counterimitated (Exp. 2). Our results suggest that spontaneous temporal adaptation is a key mechanism in joint action tasks. We argue for a reconsideration of other phenomena that have traditionally been attributed solely to high-level processes

Prolonged Normothermic Ex Vivo Kidney Perfusion Is Superior to Cold Nonoxygenated and Oxygenated Machine Perfusion for the Preservation of DCD Porcine Kidney Grafts

The increased usage of marginal grafts has triggered interest in perfused kidney preservation to minimize graft injury. We used a donation after circulatory death (DCD) porcine kidney autotransplantation model to compare 3 of the most frequently used ex vivo kidney perfusion techniques: nonoxygenated hypothermic machine perfusion (non-oxHMP), oxygenated hypothermic machine perfusion (oxHMP), and normothermic ex vivo kidney perfusion (NEVKP). Methods: Following 30 min of warm ischemia, grafts were retrieved and preserved with either 16 h of non-oxHMP, oxHMP, or NEVKP (n = 5 per group). After contralateral nephrectomy, grafts were autotransplanted and animals were followed for 8 d. Kidney function and injury markers were compared between groups. Results: NEVKP demonstrated a significant reduction in preservation injury compared with either cold preservation method. Grafts preserved by NEVKP showed superior function with lower peak serum creatinine (NEVKP versus non-oxHMP versus oxHMP: 3.66 ± 1.33 mg/dL, 8.82 ± 3.17 mg/dL, and 9.02 ± 5.5 mg/dL) and more rapid recovery. The NEVKP group demonstrated significantly increased creatinine clearance on postoperative day 3 compared with the cold perfused groups. Tubular injury scores on postoperative day 8 were similar in all groups. Conclusions: Addition of oxygen during HMP did not reduce preservation injury of DCD kidney grafts. Grafts preserved with prolonged NEVKP demonstrated superior initial graft function compared with grafts preserved with non-oxHMP or oxHMP in a model of pig DCD kidney transplantation

Synchrony and Physiological Arousal Increase Cohesion and Cooperation in Large Naturalistic Groups

Separate research streams have identified synchrony and arousal as two factors that might contribute to the effects of human rituals on social cohesion and cooperation. But no research has manipulated these variables in the field to investigate their causal – and potentially interactive – effects on prosocial behaviour. Across four experimental sessions involving large samples of strangers, we manipulated the synchronous and physiologically arousing affordances of a group marching task within a sports stadium. We observed participants’ subsequent movement, grouping, and cooperation via a camera hidden in the stadium’s roof. Synchrony and arousal both showed main effects, predicting larger groups, tighter clustering, and more cooperative behaviour in a free-rider dilemma. However, synchrony and arousal interacted on measures of clustering and cooperation: such that synchrony only encouraged closer clustering — and encouraged greater cooperation—when paired with physiological arousal. The research has implications for understanding the nature and co-occurrence of synchrony and physiological arousal in rituals around the world. It also represents the first use of real-time spatial tracking as a precise and naturalistic method of simulating collective rituals