Projects
Altruism vs Selfishness in a Collective Risk Game
Anna Maria Boros, Lluís Torres, Marc Sadurní, Jaume Llabrés, Pedro Jiménez, Javier Molina, Jeyoon Choi, Reese Caliman, Sara Oliver.
Abstract: This study explores the impact of altruism on decision-making in a public goods game, where individuals must balance self-interest with collective benefit. We propose a model in which agents are characterized by fixed levels of altruism and importance assigned to a common goal. Each agent decides how much to contribute based on a utility function that accounts for personal funds, goal achievement, and social satisfaction. Through simulations, we analyze how different societal distributions—uniform and biased—affect the likelihood of reaching collective goals and the overall satisfaction of individuals. Our findings suggest that altruism significantly influences public decision-making, with more cooperative societies achieving goals more effectively and yielding higher collective satisfaction.
Unmosquing the data
Antón Carcedo Martínez, Tjeerd Rudmer de Vries, Maja Lindström, Bryn Loftness, Andrew Nicoll, Ramona Ottow, Sina Sajjadi.
Abstract: This project looks at how consistently people get involved in tracking mosquito populations over time in Barcelona, Catalunya. Using data from citizen science reports and mosquito traps, we explore how factors like engagement over time influence data quality. We additionally develop a network representation that could increase prediction accuracy. Ultimately, the research aims to optimize data collection for more accurate vector monitoring.
Measuring controversiality in DerStandard: a data piñata approach
Elena Candellone, Darja Cvetković, Ozgur Togay, David March, Timur Naushirvanov, Simon D. Lindner, Emma Fraxanet, Elena G. de Lamo.
Abstract: In this project, we investigated the correlation between controversiality metrics—both pre-defined and newly designed—derived from various features of discussion forums on DerStandard, a popular Austrian online newspaper. Our methods included the analysis of user-user interaction networks, the application of correspondence analysis to uncover latent ideological dimensions, the examination of thread structures and their temporal formation, and the exploration of the relationship between positive or negative votes and users’ likelihood of writing a reply.
Pastalavista: climate change and food system resilience
Adam Finnemann, Alberto Fernandez Perez, Vittorio Giordano, Amaia Vielba Trillo, Gavin Rolls, Homa Esmaeli Sooderjani, Davide Mauro Ferrario, Andrea Vito Vacca, Juan Arellano Tintó, Sophia Baum.
Abstract: We performed a preliminary resilience analysis of the global food supply network by stress-testing four major crop types under various climate scenarios, considering variations in global precipitation and temperature patterns. Additionally, we examined how reductions in crop yield impact trade shares between countries using a network-based shipping model.
NeuroMofits
Ivan Bulygin, Charlotte Geier, Jun Yamamoto, Marco Fele, Akanksha Gupta, Nicolás Bessone, Giulio Iannelli.
Abstract: During simple movements such as reaching an arm, neuronal circuits in motor cortex produce large excursions of the activity, which eventually return to baseline. In order to understand the neuronal connectivity that achieves such balance between stability and amplification of the neural activity dynamics, we analyze the underlying network structures of the stability optimized circuit (SOC) - a model of the motor cortex. Specifically, we focus on the rich landscape of directed, signed and weighted network motifs, interpreting them as key network ingredients, that enable complex neural dynamics.
Group Structure Effect in Collective Navigation
Anna Sigalou, Leonardo Federici, Andrés Guzmán, Elia Moretti, Lucas Hedström, Niels Van Santen, Sabin Roman.