The homeostatic psyche: Freudian theory and somatic markers.

After years of reciprocal lack of interest, if not opposition, neuroscience and psychoanalysis are poised for a renewed dialogue. This article discusses some aspects of the Freudian metapsychology and its link with specific biological mechanisms. It highlights in particular how the physiological concept of homeostasis resonates with certain fundamental concepts of psychoanalysis. Similarly, the authors underline how the Freud and Damasio theories of brain functioning display remarkable complementarities, especially through their common reference to Meynert and James. Furthermore, the Freudian theory of drives is discussed in the light of current neurobiological evidences of neural plasticity and trace formation and of their relationships with the processes of homeostasis. The ensuing dynamics between traces and homeostasis opens novel avenues to consider inner life in reference to the establishment of fantasies unique to each subject. The lack of determinism, within a context of determinism, implied by plasticity and reconsolidation participates in the emergence of singularity, the creation of uniqueness and the unpredictable future of the subject. There is a gap in determinism inherent to biology itself. Uniqueness and discontinuity: this should today be the focus of the questions raised in neuroscience. Neuroscience needs to establish the new bases of a "discontinuous" biology. Psychoanalysis can offer to neuroscience the possibility to think of discontinuity. Neuroscience and psychoanalysis meet thus in an unexpected way with regard to discontinuity and this is a new point of convergence between them.

The Implied Book and the Narrative Text. On a Blind Spot in Narratological Theory - from a Media Studies Perspective

The article is concerned with the formal definition of a largely unnoticed factor in narrative structure. Based on the assumptions that (1) the semantics of a written text depend, among other factors, directly on its visual alignment in space, that (2) the formal structure of a text has to meet that of its spatial presentation and that (3) these assumptions hold true also for narrative texts (which, however, in modern times typically conceal their spatial dimensions by a low-key linear layout), it is argued that, how ever low-key, the expected material shape of a given narrative determines the configuration of its plot by its author. The ,implied book' thus denotes an author's historically assumable, not necessarily conscious idea of how his text, which is still in the process of creation, will be dimensionally presented and under these circumstances visually absorbed. Assuming that an author's knowledge of this later (potentially) substantiated material form influences the composition, the implied book is to be understood as a text-genetically determined, structuring moment of the text. Historically reconstructed, it thus serves the methodical analysis of structural characteristics of a completed text.

From caging to rouse dynamics in polymer melts with intramolecular barriers: a critical test of the mode coupling theory

By means of computer simulations and solution of the equations of the mode coupling theory (MCT),we investigate the role of the intramolecular barriers on several dynamic aspects of nonentangled polymers. The investigated dynamic range extends from the caging regime characteristic of glass-formers to the relaxation of the chain Rouse modes. We review our recent work on this question,provide new results, and critically discuss the limitations of the theory. Solutions of the MCT for the structural relaxation reproduce qualitative trends of simulations for weak and moderate barriers. However, a progressive discrepancy is revealed as the limit of stiff chains is approached. This dis-agreement does not seem related with dynamic heterogeneities, which indeed are not enhanced by increasing barrier strength. It is not connected either with the breakdown of the convolution approximation for three-point static correlations, which retains its validity for stiff chains. These findings suggest the need of an improvement of the MCT equations for polymer melts. Concerning the relaxation of the chain degrees of freedom, MCT provides a microscopic basis for time scales from chain reorientation down to the caging regime. It rationalizes, from first principles, the observed deviations from the Rouse model on increasing the barrier strength. These include anomalous scaling of relaxation times, long-time plateaux, and nonmonotonous wavelength dependence of the mode correlators.

Fusion of the extended modified liquid drop model for nucleation and dynamical nucleation theory

We present a new phenomenological approach to nucleation, based on the combination of the extended modified liquid drop model and dynamical nucleation theory. The new model proposes a new cluster definition, which properly includes the effect of fluctuations, and it is consistent both thermodynamically and kinetically. The model is able to predict successfully the free energy of formation of the critical nucleus, using only macroscopic thermodynamic properties. It also accounts for the spinodal and provides excellent agreement with the result of recent simulations.

Earthworm communities in organic and conventional coffee cultivation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of organic and conventional coffee crops on biomass, population density and diversity of earthworms, in Lerroville, district of Londrina County, Paraná state, Brazil. Earthworm communities were sampled in three areas with organic coffee cultivation (CO1, CO2 and CO3), two with conventional coffee (CC1 and CC2), and a native forest fragment (MT). The soil of the areas CO1, CC1, and MT was classified as Nitossolo Vermelho (Rhodic Kandiudox), while CO2, CO3, and CC2 were on Latossolo Vermelho (Rhodic Hapludox). Eight samples were taken in each area on two occasions, winter and summer, using the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) method in the 0-20 cm soil layer. The earthworms were handsorted and preserved in 4% formaldehyde, and were later weighed, counted and identified. The highest earthworm biomass, both in winter and summer, occurred in the CO3 area. For population density, the higher numbers of individuals were found in CO1 and CO3. The highest number of species was identified in the organic cultivation. The adoption of organic practices in coffee cultivation favored the diversity, density and biomass of earthworm communities.

Distribution and agroclimatic characterization of potential cultivation regions of physic nut in Mexico

The purposes of this study were to determine the distribution and climatic patterns of current and future physic nut (Jatropha curcas) cultivation regions in Mexico, and to identify possible locations for in vivo germplasm banks establishment, using geographic information systems. Current climatic data were processed by Floramap software to obtain distribution maps and climatic patterns of regions where wild physic nuts could be found. DIVA-GIS software analyzed current climatic data (Worldclim model) and climatic data generated by CCM3 model to identify current and future physic nut cultivation regions, respectively. The distribution map showed that physic nut was present in most of the tropical and subtropical areas of Mexico, which corresponded to three agroclimatic regions. Climate types were Aw2, Aw1, and Bs1, for regions 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Nontoxic genotypes were associated with region 2, and toxic genotypes were associated with regions 1 and 3. According to the current and future cultivation regions identified, the best suitable ones to establish in vivo germplasm collections were the coast of Michoacán and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, located among the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Multidelayed random walks: Theory and application to the neolithic transition in Europe

We present a model in which particles (or individuals of a biological population) disperse with a rest time between consecutive motions (or migrations) which may take several possible values from a discrete set. Particles (or individuals) may also react (or reproduce). We derive a new equation for the effective rest time T˜ of the random walk. Application to the neolithic transition in Europe makes it possible to derive more realistic theoretical values for its wavefront speed than those following from the single-delayed framework presented previously [J. Fort and V. Méndez, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 867 (1999)]. The new results are consistent with the archaeological observations of this important historical process

Debating the centre : the theory of principal qualificand (mukhyavisesya) in classical Indian philosophy

The theory of language has occupied a special place in the history of Indian thought. Indian philosophers give particular attention to the analysis of the cognition obtained from language, known under the generic name of śābdabodha. This term is used to denote, among other things, the cognition episode of the hearer, the content of which is described in the form of a paraphrase of a sentence represented as a hierarchical structure. Philosophers submit the meaning of the component items of a sentence and their relationship to a thorough examination, and represent the content of the resulting cognition as a paraphrase centred on a meaning element, that is taken as principal qualificand (mukhyaviśesya) which is qualified by the other meaning elements. This analysis is the object of continuous debate over a period of more than a thousand years between the philosophers of the schools of Mimāmsā, Nyāya (mainly in its Navya form) and Vyākarana. While these philosophers are in complete agreement on the idea that the cognition of sentence meaning has a hierarchical structure and share the concept of a single principal qualificand (qualified by other meaning elements), they strongly disagree on the question which meaning element has this role and by which morphological item it is expressed. This disagreement is the central point of their debate and gives rise to competing versions of this theory. The Mïmāmsakas argue that the principal qualificand is what they call bhāvanā ̒bringing into being̒, ̒efficient force̒ or ̒productive operation̒, expressed by the verbal affix, and distinct from the specific procedures signified by the verbal root; the Naiyāyikas generally take it to be the meaning of the word with the first case ending, while the Vaiyākaranas take it to be the operation expressed by the verbal root. All the participants rely on the Pāninian grammar, insofar as the Mimāmsakas and Naiyāyikas do not compose a new grammar of Sanskrit, but use different interpretive strategies in order to justify their views, that are often in overt contradiction with the interpretation of the Pāninian rules accepted by the Vaiyākaranas. In each of the three positions, weakness in one area is compensated by strength in another, and the cumulative force of the total argumentation shows that no position can be declared as correct or overall superior to the others. This book is an attempt to understand this debate, and to show that, to make full sense of the irreconcilable positions of the three schools, one must go beyond linguistic factors and consider the very beginnings of each school's concern with the issue under scrutiny. The texts, and particularly the late texts of each school present very complex versions of the theory, yet the key to understanding why these positions remain irreconcilable seems to lie elsewhere, this in spite of extensive argumentation involving a great deal of linguistic and logical technicalities. Historically, this theory arises in Mimāmsā (with Sabara and Kumārila), then in Nyāya (with Udayana), in a doctrinal and theological context, as a byproduct of the debate over Vedic authority. The Navya-Vaiyākaranas enter this debate last (with Bhattoji Dïksita and Kaunda Bhatta), with the declared aim of refuting the arguments of the Mïmāmsakas and Naiyāyikas by bringing to light the shortcomings in their understanding of Pāninian grammar. The central argument has focused on the capacity of the initial contexts, with the network of issues to which the principal qualificand theory is connected, to render intelligible the presuppositions and aims behind the complex linguistic justification of the classical and late stages of this debate. Reading the debate in this light not only reveals the rationality and internal coherence of each position beyond the linguistic arguments, but makes it possible to understand why the thinkers of the three schools have continued to hold on to three mutually exclusive positions. They are defending not only their version of the principal qualificand theory, but (though not openly acknowledged) the entire network of arguments, linguistic and/or extra-linguistic, to which this theory is connected, as well as the presuppositions and aims underlying these arguments.

Bioindicators of soil quality in coffee organic cultivation systems

The objective of this work was to assess the effect of different coffee organic cultivation systems on chemical and biological soil characteristics, in different seasons of the year. The following systems were evaluated: coffee intercropped with one (CJ1), two (CJ2) or three (CJ3) pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) alleys; coffee planted under full sun (CS); area planted with sweet pepper and snap bean in a conventional tillage system (AC); and secondary forest area (FFR). Row spacing in CJ1, CJ2, CJ3 and CS was 2.0x1.0, 2.8x1.0, 3.6x1.0, and 2.8x1.0 m, respectively. Soil samples were collected at 10-cm depth, during the four seasons of the year. The results were subjected to analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and redundancy analysis. There was an increase in edaphic macrofauna, soil basal respiration, and microbial quotient in the summer. Total macrofauna density was greater in CJ2 followed by CJ3, CS, CJ1, AC and FFR; Coleoptera, Formicidae, and Isoptera were the most abundant groups. There are no significant differences among the areas for soil basal respiration, and the metabolic quotient is higher in CJ1, CJ3, and FFR. Microbial biomass carbon and the contents of K, pH, Ca+Mg, and P show greater values in AC.

Beneficial bacterial strains on Agaricus blazei cultivation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of six bacterial strains isolated from Agaricus blazei (ABM) on its cultivation. The six strains were characterized as to their effects on the productivity, polysaccharide-protein complex (PSPC), and polysaccharide contents of ABM cultured on sterilized casing soils. Three isolates enhanced ABM mycelium growth. Inoculation of Arthrobacter sp. or Exiguobacterium sp. on sterile peat casing soil resulted in 64% increase in ABM mushroom total fresh matter yield compared to the uninoculated control. Inoculation of Exiguobacterium sp., Microbacterium esteraromaticum or Pseudomonas resinovorans on sterilized loamy casing soil resulted in 62, 95, and 59% increase in ABM mushroom total fresh matter yield, respectively. The PSPC content in ABM increased 7 to 10% in casing soil inoculated with five of the six isolates compared to the uninoculated control. Exiguobacterium sp. inoculated on casing soil resulted in a mushroom-polysaccharide content 15% higher than the control. Moreover, inoculation of five of the six isolates on the casing soil reduced the harvesting time from 10 to 27 days. The evaluated beneficial microbes improve the yield, PSPC, and polysaccharide contents, besides reducing the harvesting time in ABM culture.

Reaction-diffusion lattice gas: Theory and computer results

We report on the study of nonequilibrium ordering in the reaction-diffusion lattice gas. It is a kinetic model that relaxes towards steady states under the simultaneous competition of a thermally activated creation-annihilation $(reaction$) process at temperature T, and a diffusion process driven by a heat bath at temperature T?T. The phase diagram as one varies T and T, the system dimension d, the relative priori probabilities for the two processes, and their dynamical rates is investigated. We compare mean-field theory, new Monte Carlo data, and known exact results for some limiting cases. In particular, no evidence of Landau critical behavior is found numerically when d=2 for Metropolis rates but Onsager critical points and a variety of first-order phase transitions.

Impacts of climate change on the agricultural zoning of climate risk for cotton cultivation in Brazil

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the temperature increase forecasted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on agricultural zoning of cotton production in Brazil. The Northeastern region showed the highest decrease in the low-risk area for cotton cultivation due to the projected temperature increase. This area in the Brazilian Northeast may decrease from 83 million ha in 2010 to approximately 71 million ha in 2040, which means 15% reduction in 30 years. Southeastern and Center-Western regions had small decrease in areas suitable for cotton production until 2040, while the Northern region showed no reduction in these areas. Temperature increase will not benefit cotton cultivation in Brazil because dimension of low-risk areas for economic cotton production may decrease.

Cooperation and game theory, free software or the #15m movement: Two examples for universities

Closing talk of the Open Access Week 2011 at the UOC, by Josep Jover. Why do altruistic strategies beat selfish ones in the spheres of both free software and the #15m movement? The #15m movement, like software but unlike tangible goods, cannot be owned. It can be used (by joining it) by an indeterminate number of people without depriving anyone else of the chance to do the same. And that turns everything on its head: how universities manage information and what their mission is in this new society. In the immediate future, universities will be valued not for the information they harbour, which will always be richer and more extensive beyond their walls, but rather for their capacity to create critical masses, whether of knowledge research, skill-building, or networks of peers... universities must implement the new model or risk becoming obsolete.