Showing papers by "School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences published in 2012"
TL;DR: The empirical analysis of a unique data set regarding almost 200 years of evolution of the road network in a large area located north of Milan (Italy) finds that urbanisation is characterised by the homogenisation of cell shapes, and by the stability throughout time of high–centrality roads which constitute the backbone of the urban structure.
Abstract: Urbanisation is a fundamental phenomenon whose quantitative characterisation is still inadequate. We report here the empirical analysis of a unique data set regarding almost 200 years of evolution of the road network in a large area located north of Milan (Italy). We find that urbanisation is characterised by the homogenisation of cell shapes, and by the stability throughout time of high–centrality roads which constitute the backbone of the urban structure, confirming the importance of historical paths. We show quantitatively that the growth of the network is governed by two elementary processes: (i) ‘densification’, corresponding to an increase in the local density of roads around existing urban centres and (ii) ‘exploration’, whereby new roads trigger the spatial evolution of the urbanisation front. The empirical identification of such simple elementary mechanisms suggests the existence of general, simple properties of urbanisation and opens new directions for its modelling and quantitative description.
296 citations
TL;DR: A semantics for first-order logic originally proposed by R. van Rooij to account for the idea that vague predicates are tolerant, that is, for the principle that if x is P, then y should be P whenever y is similar enough to x, is investigated.
Abstract: In this paper we investigate a semantics for first-order logic originally proposed by R. van Rooij to account for the idea that vague predicates are tolerant, that is, for the principle that if x is P, then y should be P whenever y is similar enough to x. The semantics, which makes use of indifference relations to model similarity, rests on the interaction of three notions of truth: the classical notion, and two dual notions simultaneously defined in terms of it, which we call tolerant truth and strict truth. We characterize the space of consequence relations definable in terms of those and discuss the kind of solution this gives to the sorites paradox. We discuss some applications of the framework to the pragmatics and psycholinguistics of vague predicates, in particular regarding judgments about borderline cases.
195 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors generalize the usual notions of waves, fronts, and propagation speeds in a very general setting, and prove the existence of new such waves for some time-dependent reaction-diffusion equations.
Abstract: In this paper, we generalize the usual notions of waves, fronts, and propagation speeds in a very general setting. These new notions, which cover all usual situations, involve uniform limits, with respect to the geodesic distance, to a family of hypersurfaces that are parametrized by time. We prove the existence of new such waves for some time-dependent reaction-diffusion equations, as well as general intrinsic properties, some monotonicity properties, and some uniqueness results for almost-planar fronts. The classification results, which are obtained under some appropriate assumptions, show the robustness of our general definitions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
191 citations
TL;DR: There is a surprising degree of similarity in conceptions of natural across the six countries, with a focus of food (and beverages) as central to the idea of natural, and links to the ideas of biological, healthy, plants, and the environment.
175 citations
TL;DR: How interaction among intangible factors - namely social stigmatization, precarious living conditions, and the climate of fear and suspicion generated by increasingly restrictive immigration policies - hinders undocumented immigrants' access to health care rights and minimizes immigrants' sense of entitlement to such rights in this European context is analyzed.
156 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors study the temporal evolution of the structure of the world's largest subway networks in an exploratory manner and show that remarkably, all these networks converge to a shape that shares similar generic features despite their geographical and economic differences.
Abstract: We study the temporal evolution of the structure of the world's largest subway networks in an exploratory manner. We show that, remarkably, all these networks converge to a shape that shares similar generic features despite their geographical and economic differences. This limiting shape is made of a core with branches radiating from it. For most of these networks, the average degree of a node (station) within the core has a value of order 2.5 and the proportion of k 1⁄4 2 nodes in the core is larger than 60 per cent. The number of branches scales roughly as the square root of the number of stations, the current proportion of branches represents about half of the total number of stations, and the average diameter of branches is about twice the average radial extension of the core. Spatial measures such as the number of stations at a given distance to the barycentre display a first regime which grows as r2 followed by another regime with different exponents, and eventually saturates. These results--difficult to interpret in the framework of fractal geometry--confirm and yield a natural explanation in the geometric picture of this core and their branches: the first regime corresponds to a uniform core, while the second regime is controlled by the interstation spacing on branches. The apparent convergence towards a unique network shape in the temporal limit suggests the existence of dominant, universal mechanisms governing the evolution of these structures.
137 citations
TL;DR: Both moral and reputational concerns are commonly involved in moral behaviour and cannot be pried apart without understanding their intricate relationships.
Abstract: From an evolutionary point of view, the function of moral behaviour may be to secure a good reputation as a co-operator. The best way to do so may be to obey genuine moral motivations. Still, one's moral reputation maybe something too important to be entrusted just to one's moral sense. A robust concern for one's reputation is likely to have evolved too. Here we explore some of the complex relationships between morality and reputation both from an evolutionary and a cognitive point of view. People may behave morally because they intrinsically value doing so—a genuine moral reason—or in order to gain the approval of others—an instrumental reason. Both moral and reputational concerns are commonly involved in moral behaviour and cannot be pried apart without understanding their intricate relationships. Here we aim at contributing to such an understanding by investigating the role, content, and mechanisms of moral reputation. 1. Function and Motivation of Moral Behaviour
118 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore lines of tension and complement that might hold between the notions of embodiment and body representations, and distinguish two conceptions of embodiment that either put weight on the explanatory role of the body itself or body representations.
Abstract: Does the existence of body representations undermine the explanatory role of the body? Or do certain types of representation depend so closely upon the body that their involvement in a cognitive task implicates the body itself? In the introduction of this special issue we explore lines of tension and complement that might hold between the notions of embodiment and body representations, which remain too often neglected or obscure. To do so, we distinguish two conceptions of embodiment that either put weight on the explanatory role of the body itself or body representations. We further analyse how and to what extent body representations can be said to be embodied. Finally, we give an overview of the full volume articulated around foundational issues (How should we define the notion of embodiment? To what extent and in what sense is embodiment compatible with representationalism? To what extent and in what sense are sensorimotor approaches similar to behaviourism?) and their applications in several cognitive domains (perception, concepts, selfhood, social cognition).
57 citations
TL;DR: A detailed analysis of turnout rate statistics for 77 elections in 11 different countries reveals several interesting features: for example, different countries have different degrees of local heterogeneities and seem to be characterized by a different propensity for individuals to conform to the cultural norm.
Abstract: We study in details the turnout rate statistics for 77 elections in 11 different countries. We show that the empirical results established in a previous paper for French elections appear to hold much more generally. We find in particular that the spatial correlation of turnout rates decay logarithmically with distance in all cases. This result is quantitatively reproduced by a decision model that assumes that each voter makes his mind as a result of three influence terms: one totally idiosyncratic component, one city-specific term with short-ranged fluctuations in space, and one long-ranged correlated field which propagates diffusively in space. A detailed analysis reveals several interesting features: for example, different countries have different degrees of local heterogeneities and seem to be characterized by a different propensity for individuals to conform to the cultural norm. We furthermore find clear signs of herding (i.e., strongly correlated decisions at the individual level) in some countries, but not in others.
55 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the presupposition triggered by an expression E is generally satisfied by information that comes before rather than after E in the sentence or discourse, which can be overcome at some cost.
Abstract: The presupposition triggered by an expression E is generally satisfied by information that comes before rather than after E in the sentence or discourse. In Heim’s classic theory (1983), this left-right asymmetry is encoded in the lexical semantics of dynamic connectives and operators. But several recent analyses offer a more nuanced approach, in which presupposition satisfaction has two separate components: a general principle (which varies from theory to theory) specifies under what conditions a presupposition triggered by an expression E is satisfied; and an ‘incremental’ component specifies that the principle must be checked on the basis of information that comes before E. Several researchers take this incremental component to be a processing bias, which can be overcome at some cost. If so, it should be possible, though costly, to satisfy presuppositions ‘symmetrically’, i.e. by taking into account linguistic material that comes both before and after the presupposition trigger. We test this claim with experimental means. Using inferential (and to some extent acceptability) tasks involving the anaphoric trigger aussi (‘too’) in French, we argue that symmetric readings are indeed possible (albeit degraded) in environments involving the connectives if, or, and unless.
50 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the distribution and interpretation of the bare classifier phrase [Cl+N] in three Sinitic languages of Mandarin, Wu and Cantonese and shows that [Cl + N] can be interpreted as definite or indefinite depending on pragmatic factors related to information structure and word order.
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TL;DR: In this article, a unique data set regarding almost 200 years of evolution of the road network in a large area located north of Milan (Italy) was used to investigate the role of high-centrality roads in urban growth.
Abstract: Urbanisation is a fundamental phenomenon whose quantitative characterisation is still inadequate. We report here the empirical analysis of a unique data set regarding almost 200 years of evolution of the road network in a large area located north of Milan (Italy). We find that urbanisation is characterised by the homogenisation of cell shapes, and by the stability throughout time of high-centrality roads which constitute the backbone of the urban structure, confirming the importance of historical paths. We show quantitatively that the growth of the network is governed by two elementary processes: (i) `densification', corresponding to an increase in the local density of roads around existing urban centres and (ii) `exploration', whereby new roads trigger the spatial evolution of the urbanisation front. The empirical identification of such simple elementary mechanisms suggests the existence of general, simple properties of urbanisation and opens new directions for its modelling and quantitative description.
TL;DR: The language of non-native speakers is less reliable than the language of native speakers in conveying the speaker's intentions and listeners expect such reduced reliability and this leads them to adjust the manner in which they process and represent non- native language by representing non-Native language in less detail.
Abstract: The language of non-native speakers is less reliable than the language of native speakers in conveying the speaker's intentions. We propose that listeners expect such reduced reliability and that this leads them to adjust the manner in which they process and represent non-native language by representing non-native language in less detail. Experiment 1 shows that when people listen to a story, they are less able to detect a word change with a non-native than with a native speaker. This suggests they represent the language of a non-native speaker with fewer details. Experiment 2 shows that, above a certain threshold, the higher participants' working memory is, the less they are able to detect the change with a non-native speaker. This suggests that adjustment to non-native speakers depends on working memory. This research has implications for the role of interpersonal expectations in the way people process language.
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TL;DR: In this paper, le soi-disant " saut federal" scheme is considered, i.e., the construction of an etat federal is a processus long and douloureux, and le succes est tout sauf garanti.
Abstract: La zone Euro est aujourd'hui clairement en crise. Cependant, la crise de liquidite qu'elle subit actuellement, pour dangereuse qu'elle soit et pour toute son urgence, n'est que le resultat d'une crise de competitivite a la fois plus profonde et plus longue. Cette crise provient de la constitution d'une Union Monetaire avant que ne soit constitue un Etat federal. Mais cette construction d'un etat federal est au mieux un processus long et douloureux, dont le succes est tout sauf garanti. Il en resulte que l'approfondissement de la crise ces derniers mois a ete spectaculaire. Une solution actuellement envisagee est le soi-disant " saut federal ", mais ceci ne decrit en fait que des regles communes encadrant le volet " depense " des budgets et non une mise en commun des recettes. Ce saut federal est condamne a l'echec pour des raisons tant politiques qu'economiques. On a pris en consideration aussi la perspective d'une inflation differentielle de l'Allemagne et nous concluons que c'est un projet mort-ne. Ceci ne laisse a la Zone Euro que des politiques de deflation salariale qui ne sont en realite que l'equivalent des politiques de deflation du debut des annees trente, dont les consequences furent catastrophiques. Dans cette situation, la seule option raisonnable reste le demontage coordonne de la zone Euro.
TL;DR: In this paper, the failure of the asset-light retailer's organizational model is indicative of the incapacity of this organizational structure to manage efficiently the combination of sourcing and market risks in the current market environment.
TL;DR: A new integrative indicator H-T* is developed that takes account of varietal richness, spatial evenness, between- varietal genetic diversity, and within-variety genetic diversity and can be used to guide managerial decisions to prevent the erosion of crop genetic diversity in agricultural landscapes.
TL;DR: It is concluded that, in order to elicit a genuine RHI for multiple rubber hands, the two rubber hands must be at the same distance from the subject's hand/body.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the properties of solutions of fully nonlinear, positively homogeneous elliptic equations near boundary points of Lipschitz domains at which the solution may be singular.
Abstract: We study the properties of solutions of fully nonlinear, positively homogeneous elliptic equations near boundary points of Lipschitz domains at which the solution may be singular. We show that these equations have two positive solutions in each cone of \({\mathbb{R}^n}\) , and the solutions are unique in an appropriate sense. We introduce a new method for analyzing the behavior of solutions near certain Lipschitz boundary points, which permits us to classify isolated boundary singularities of solutions which are bounded from either above or below. We also obtain a sharp Phragmen–Lindelof result as well as a principle of positive singularities in certain Lipschitz domains.
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TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that the use of bare NPs in argumental and predicational positions should not be viewed as being related to the use in predicate positions, and that argumental NPs should be analyzed as generalized existential quantifiers over amounts, which are defined in such a way that they need to combine with existential predicates.
Abstract: Chapter 2 offers a detailed presentation of bare NPs in both argumental and predicational positions. It is argued that the use of bare NPs in argument positions should not be viewed as being related to the use of bare NPs in predicate positions. This observation strongly suggests that the property-analysis of argumental bare plurals is misguided. We remain open to the possibility of analyzing count bare singulars in Spanish, Romanian or Catalan as property-denoting. Carlson’s (Linguistics and Philosophy 1:413–457, 1977a; Reference to kinds in English, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Massachusetts, 1977c) observations regarding the differences between BPs and singular indefinites can be attributed to the fact that, due to the absence of an overt Det, BPs are necessarily weak (in the sense of Milsark (Linguistic Analysis 3:1–29, 1977)), whereas singular indefinites are both weak and strong. The main theoretical proposal of this chapter is that argumental BPs (as well as bare mass NPs) should be analyzed as generalized existential quantifiers over amounts, which are defined in such a way that they need to combine with existential predicates. Turning now to predicate positions the differences between copular sentences built with bare singulars as opposed to indefinite singulars point to a necessary distinction between two types of copular sentences (and two types of copulas), which we have labeled attributive and identity sentences. In identity sentences, the postcopular indefinite denotes an individual, just as it does in argumental positions. In attributive sentences, the postcopular noun denotes a property, which explains why indefinite singulars are disallowed and bare singulars allowed, on a par with adjectives.
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: A classification of the different kinds of relationships between the visual and the verbal in mixed media argumentation is provided to reassert the importance of the visual in mixedMedia argumentation.
Abstract: Visual argumentation is an incipient field in the broad domain of argumentation. Once admitted – even if not by all theorists of argumentation – that visual argumentation exists, it seems to me necessary at this stage of its development to reassess its definition. So, in the first part of this article, I raise the issue of the definition of the field, as I feel uncomfortable with the existing ones. I then explore the relationship between “visual” and “argument”, in order to propose a definition of “visual argument” that goes beyond the standard definition of it as an argument expressed visually, as this definition still assumes that arguments are essentially verbal. This leads me to wonder to what extent is an argument displayed visually different from the same argument displayed verbally. In order to answer, I propose to distinguish between arguments expressed either verbally or visually (like arguments of authority) and arguments better expressed visually (like arguments by analogy). In the second part of my paper I raise an additional and related issue, that of the relationship between verbal and visual in visual arguments. In most cases of visual arguments, indeed, the argument is not purely visual, but mixed, since the argumentation is both verbal and visual. The problem, however, is that, due to the hegemony of verbal argumentation, most scholars, even those favorable to visual argumentation, continue to assume that in the case of mixed media, the argumentation is above all verbal, so that the visual plays a minor role. So, to counter this widespread opinion, I provide a classification of the different kinds of relationships between the visual and the verbal in mixed media argumentation. Such a classification intends to reassert the importance of the visual in mixed media argumentation. Finally, in the third section, I briefly sketch two lines of research for further development of the field: the relationship between visual persuasion and visual argumentation, on the one hand, and the argumentative function that visual figures and tropes can have, on the other.
TL;DR: This work provides a unified treatment of the two approaches pioneered by Atkinson and Bourguignon (1982, 1987) by resorting to compensation principles in the bivariate case by consisting of two sufficient second-order stochastic dominance conditions.
TL;DR: A review of the scientific literature of the last decade that concerns itself with online services offering supportive advocacy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia n is presented in this article.
Abstract: ResumeThis paper offers a methodical review of the scientific literature of the last decade that concerns itself with online services offering supportive advocacy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia n
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between argumentation and persuasion is discussed and the authors defend the idea that these two concepts are not as opposed as all too often said, arguing that there is an overlap, in which characteristics are taken from both.
Abstract: This article deals with the relationship between argumentation and persuasion. It defends the idea that these two concepts are not as opposed as all too often said. If it is important to recognize their differences (there are argumentative discourses without persuasion and persuasive discourses without argumentation), there is nevertheless an overlap, in which characteristics are taken from both. We propose to call this overlap “persuasive argumentation”. In order to bridge argumentation and persuasion, we will first distinguish the latter from manipulation. In the second part of this article, we will analyze four cases of persuasive argumentation: the enthymeme, a few rhetorical figures, narration and visual argumentation.
TL;DR: The authors proposed a new model, explaining the origin of the alternations in the Tibetan verb as the remnant of a former system of directional prefixes, typologically similar to the ones still attested in the Rgyalrongic languages.
Abstract: Tibetan verbal morphology differs considerably from that of other Sino-Tibetan languages. Most of the vocalic and consonantal alternations observed in the verbal paradigms remain unexplained after more than a hundred years of investigation: the study of historical Tibetan morphology would seem to have reached an aporia. This paper proposes a new model, explaining the origin of the alternations in the Tibetan verb as the remnant of a former system of directional prefixes, typologically similar to the ones still attested in the Rgyalrongic languages.
01 Jun 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of territorial stigmatization on the inhabitant of an adiscriminated housing estate are analyzed.It is based on a paradigmatization model.
Abstract: The articleaims to analyzethe effects ofterritorialstigmatizationfor the inhabitantsof adiscriminated housing estate.It is based ona paradigmati...
TL;DR: The “rebirth index” that is proposed to quantify this phenomenon may be used as a complementary quality-defining criterion, in addition to final citation counts, to uncover a prediction method for citations based on the structure of references only, at publication time.
TL;DR: In this paper, a sociologie des groupes professionnels attentive aussi bien aux enjeux statutaires qu'aux enjux moraux.
Abstract: Cet article etudie les evolutions du metier de conseiller d’insertion et de probation (Cip) en proposant une sociologie des groupes professionnels attentive aussi bien aux enjeux statutaires qu’aux enjeux moraux. La transformation du service social des prisons en service penitentiaire d’insertion et de probation (Spip) a en effet constitue un processus a la fois de professionnalisation, de juridicisation par inscription dans le champ du droit (plutot que dans le champ du social), mais aussi de deplacement d’un pole d’intervention « compassionnel » vers un pole d’intervention « repressif ». En s’appuyant sur une enquete de terrain en prison, l’etude des situations de travail et des conflits permet de problematiser les ruptures et continuites par rapport aux trajectoires individuelles des agents, et par rapport aux dispositifs institutionnels dans lesquels s’inscrit leur action. Le cas d’etude des Cip, groupe professionnel ici envisage comme revelateur de ce que fait l’institution aux personnes placees sous main de justice, permet plus largement d’envisager une ethnographie de l’Etat en actes.
TL;DR: The recognition of indigenous peoples as subjects of international law has far-ranging implications for the global system as a whole, implicating other global or transnational agents, and potentially affecting the balance between economic and political powers.
Abstract: The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) marks a significant shift in the relations whereby indigenous peoples define themselves and their claims. They are now faced with the challenge of implementing international standards within national spaces. By adopting a global comparative perspective, our article aims to explore how this movement unfolds in a variety of local issues and strategies, building transnational links and differences. We first examine the acceptance of indigenous peoples' status across the globe before exploring the transformative effects of recognition around two major themes, indigenous rights to education and to land and natural resources. We argue that the recognition of indigenous peoples as subjects of international law has far-ranging implications for the global system as a whole, implicating other global or transnational agents, and potentially affecting the balance between economic and political powers.
27 Aug 2012
TL;DR: A protocol for characterising the referencing process in the context of general article editing is introduced, showing that referencing does not occur regularly through an article's lifetime but is associated with periods of more substantial editing, when the article has reached a certain level of maturity.
Abstract: The extent to which a Wikipedia article refers to external sources to substantiate its content can be seen as a measure of its externally invoked authority. We introduce a protocol for characterising the referencing process in the context of general article editing. With a sample of relatively mature articles, we show that referencing does not occur regularly through an article's lifetime but is associated with periods of more substantial editing, when the article has reached a certain level of maturity (in terms of the number of times it has been revised and its length). References also tend to be contributed by editors who have contributed more frequently and more substantially to an article, suggesting that a subset of more qualified or committed editors may exist for each article.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the way the cultural revival in post-Soviet Kazakhstan is perceived by both the state and militants from non-titular nationalities, and pointed out convergences between the state discourse about inter-ethnic concord and the practices of cultural national militants.
Abstract: This article examines the way the cultural revival in post-Soviet Kazakhstan is perceived by both the state and militants from non-titular nationalities. Based on ethnographic material, the author analyses state engineering of cultural diversity and the strategies elaborated by militants of Tatar cultural associations to manage the status quo, as well as the preservation of ‘cultural intimacy’. The study points to convergences between the state discourse about inter-ethnic concord and the practices of cultural national militants. It also shows that behind this apparent status quo, the cultural sphere has become the arena where the issue of the recognition of full-fledged citizenship and the legitimacy to reside in Kazakhstan is raised and disputed by non-Kazakh groups, albeit implicitly.