PROBING SOCIAL LINKS

(1) PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

a. Genesis (click)

b. Methodological outline (click)

(2) LECTURES ON SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

Interaction maximization as an evolution principle for social systems (8 chapters) (click)

This manuscript presents 7 lectures given in China and Japan in September - December 2008.

The concluding chapter describes three research proposals aimed at providing a firm starting point for future investigations of social interactions.

(3) SOCIAL SEGMENTATION AND THE DEPRESSION OF 2008-?

Neoliberalism, social fragmentation and worldwide depression. (5 chapters) (click)

Explains the role played by social and economic fragmentation in the development of the economic crisis which started in 2007-2008.

(4) EXPERIMENTS FOR PROBING LINKS IN POPULATIONS OF INSECTS

Our final objective is to estimate interaction strengths in social systems. However, as it is impossible to do experiments on human groups, we will set up and test the measurement procedures on groups of insects.

One of the most spectacular effects of inter-attraction is the formation of clusters in populations of bees and ants. Such effects are described in sections A, B, C, D, E, F

A. Clustering experiments, paper by J. Lecomte (1949) (2 pages) (click)

B. Clustering experiments, paper by J. Lecomte (1950) (8 pages, 4 pictures, 1 diagram) (click)

C. Clustering experiments, paper by J. Lecomte (1956) (3 pages) (click)

D. Clustering experiments, Nov. 2011 (paper: 13 pages, 4 pictures) (click)

E. Clustering experiments with bees, Dec. 2011 (15 pages of photographs) (click) Captions of the photographs (click)

F. Experiments with bees (Meudon Val Fleury), June-July 2012

1) 13 June 2012 (click)

2) 15 June 2012 (click)

3a) 20 June 2012 (click)

3b) 20 June 2012 (click)

4) 13 July 2012 (click)

5) 18 July 2012 (click)

6) 20 July 2012 (click)

7) 25 July 2012 (click)

8) 27 June 2012 (click)

Captions and explanations (click)

G. Reports and papers presenting experimental observations

1) Experimental comparison of collective behavior in physical systems versus populations of living organisms (2012, 122 p.)
This report describes experiments involving insects or small fishes which parallel basic experiments in statistical physics such as evaporation, diffusion, effusion. Their ultimate objective is to develop methods for measuring the strength of inter-individual interactions.

2) Extending physical chemistry to populations of living organisms. First step: measuring coupling strength
This paper proposes a method for measuring the intercorrelation between the movements of individual organisms. This correlation can in turn be considered as a proxy of inter-individual coupling strength. (24 pages) [says ``Page does not exist'' in spite of the fact that the page does exist. I don't understand.]

3) How does group interaction and its severance affect life expectancy?
This paper examines the connection between social interaction and life expectancy in human populations and in groups of insects. It relies on demographic statistical data on the one hand and on numerous experimental observations involving ants and fruit flies on the other hand. (28 pages)

Talk given at Hiroshima University in 2013

4) Comparison of aggregation effects in physical versus biological systems.
This paper examines clustering and aggregation phenomena in both physical, biological and social systems It relies and data from a survey of the literature on the one hand and on experimental observations involving ants, bees, beetles and fruit flies on the other hand.

5) How can one measure group cohesion?
In a sense this paper is a follow-up of paper number 3 in which we analyse the effect of group interaction severance. Here we examine whether or not there is a relationship between population density and death rate.

6) How can one measure group cohesion?
In this paper which was presented at the Galway (Ireland) COST workshop of 23-25 April 2014 we try to find experimental evidence of interaction strength based on aggregation or diffusion.

(5) AN ARCHIVE DATA BASE FOR PAPERS ON ``PHYSICS-LIKE'' EXPERIMENTS PERFORMED ON POPULATIONS OF LIVING ORGANISMS
This website has the same purpose and guiding rules as arXiv, the data base of preprints used by physicists, but it focuses on the experimental investigation of basic phenomena involving large populations of living organisms. The idea is to develop a new version of statistical physics that would also apply to some basic behaviors of large populations of living organisms.
Beijing On Line Archive: rational, outline, papers (click)

(6) CLUSTERING EXPERIMENTS

This webpage presents images of experiments about the aggregation and clustering of ants, drosophila, (in this case there is in fact no clustering) and other living organisms.

Suggestion! Once the images are downloaded (which make take 2 or 3 minutes) it is necessary to zoom in strongly on each image for otherwise the individual organisms will hardly be visible.

Clustering experiments

(7) COHESION SOCIALE (a book in French)

(8) EUGLENA
The Euglena gracilis are unicellular micro-organisms about 50 micrometer in length which can swim at a speed of about 100 micrometer/second. Below are some movies which show their movements.

Films