Spatiotemporal Fragmentation Research Articles

Projects and pockets: Time-geographic approach to the creative processes of computer scientists

Creativity is a process where interactions among individuals, resources, and peers bring about novel outcomes. Such processes have fundamentally changed in the digital era as creative activities are increasingly conducted along technologically mediated practices in spatio-temporally multifaceted contexts. This paper investigates the impact of such transformations on creativity by examining the spatial, temporal, and socio-material elements of creative processes. Drawing upon the literature on creativity and economic geography, and utilising Hägerstrand's time-geography framework, this paper presents a geographical approach to studying the creative processes on an individual level. Specifically, the concepts of projects and pockets of local order are employed to investigate spatio-temporal practices, routines, social interactions, and techno-material relationships during creative work. The empirical material involves nine Finland-based computer scientists. Mixed methods, including interviews, research diaries, and space-time maps, are used to document their everyday creative work. The results show three essential pockets where creative work is best advanced: pockets of flow, pockets of insight, and pockets of creative bundles. The findings further reveal how such pockets are disrupted and prevented in the everyday work of our participants due to spatio-temporal fragmentation, accelerating work-pace and ensuing feelings of time-pressure and digital congestion. The implications of the study extend to creativity management, the future of work in knowledge-intensive and creative professions, and the use of geographical methods in empirical process studies.

Becoming the Rhizomatic Outsider: A Study of the Narrative Deconstruction of Being in Ali Smith’s The Accidental

Ali Smith’s novels and short stories are violently realistic in terms of depicting the hollow and disconnected lives of the postmodern individual. However, they also, albeit obliquely, aspire for hope and change. The loss of a sense of location, direction, and, as a result, a meaningful presence is interwoven in The Accidental’s persistent concern with time. Accordingly, in this essay, drawing upon Michael Kane’s analysis of postmodern time and space, The Accidental is studied with regard to capitalist time and simulacra, the culture of pastiche and spectacle, and spatiotemporal fragmentation. Within this backdrop and informed by Derridean deconstruction complemented with the study’s Deleuzian framework, the novel’s subversive deconstructions of a metaphysics of being and the substitution of fictional becoming are explored. It is argued that The Accidental corporealizes supplementarity and employs rhizomatic disruptions in the lives of the characters and the structure of the narrative to open up deterritorized spaces for monoritarian authenticity, agency, and creativity.

Linguo-Axiological Speech-Genre Model and Its Actualization in English Drama Discourse

The linguo-axiological specificity of the English-language dramatic discourse is revealed through the prism of the speechgenre organization of the dialogue. The relevance of the work is due to the appeal to the problems of discursive-communicative linguoaxiology as a scientific direction, which is at the stage of formation of an independent research platform. The reasons for the linguo-axiological loading of the dramatic discourse are revealed, and the author's development of a linguo-axiological model of speech genres implemented within the limits of the British and American dramaturgical dialogue of the 20th and 21st centuries is proposed. The author dwells on five systemic parameters that form the linguo-axiological speech-genre model and substantiates the variants of their communicative manifestation. A sample of the matrix actualization of the proposed model is demonstrated on the example of a specific speech genre “small talk” when it is included in the format of a stylized dialogic interaction. The results of a comparative linguo-axiological analysis of textual realizations of the indicated speech genre are presented on the basis of four spatio-temporal fragments of the English dramatic discourse. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that for the first time it applied the provisions of the theory of speech genres in the linguo-axiological interpretation of a stylized dialogue. It is concluded that the developed linguo-axiological model provides an opportunity to trace both the poly-aspect dynamics of the linguo-axiological indicators of the speech genre along the time axis, and its nationally marked specificity when updated within the dramaturgical dialogue.

Indétermination spatio-temporelle et structure fragmentaire chez J.M.G. Le Clézio et Marie Darrieussecq

In a poststructuralist world where certainty is located in bygone times, aestheticization of discourse stems from a poetry of deconstruction present at different levels in Le Livre des fuites (1969) and Naissances des fantômes (1998), both by J.M.G. Le Clézio, and Bref séjour chez les vivants (2001) by Marie Darrieussecq. At the crossroads of (Freudian and Lacanian) psychoanalysis and structuralism, the present analysis aims to unveil the psychological route of insane characters who seek to capture the brief and unveil the instant. The process implies a fractal construction, dominated by spatiotemporal psychic fragments, the punctual use of which sets up a fragmentary regime.

Lives Fractured: Re/Naming and Identity in the Writing of Caryl Phillips

Abstract The novels of Caryl Phillips often deal with the experiences and identities of those displaced and marginalized by society. Caryl Phillips is well known for employing different textual strategies such as spatiotemporal fragmentation, intertextuality, naming, and point of view shifts in order to portray the struggles and suffering of his characters. The aim of this article is to examine how Phillips uses naming of his characters to depict the effects exile, slavery and other forms of oppression may have on their lives and identities. In order to accomplish this, different characters from Phillips’s novels Cambridge (1991), The Nature of Blood (1997), Crossing the River (1993) and Higher Ground (1989) will be discussed. The analysis of the characters will draw upon three concepts of naming first proposed by Bénédicte Ledent (2002): anonymity, (re)naming and name alteration.

Modeling land use/land cover change and mapping morphological fragmentation of agricultural lands in Thrace Region/Turkey

Human factors such as development of new roads and urban and industrial areas have caused reduction and fragmentation of agricultural lands in Thrace Region as in many parts of the world over the past few decades. To minimize the negative impact of these anthropogenic activities, it is necessary to forecast spatiotemporal land use/land cover change and its effect on agricultural land fragmentation for future. In this study, first, land use/land cover change was simulated with CLUE-S model under three scenarios for 2050. Then, morphological fragmentation and disorder degree of agricultural lands were analyzed using land use/land cover change maps (1990 and 2014), simulation results (2050) and 1/25,000 Tekirdag Provincial Environmental Plan (2023). Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and entropy methods were used to determine the spatiotemporal fragmentation degree in agricultural lands. Results of scenarios 1 and 2 demonstrate that urban areas will increase due to population growth, and increasing urban and industrial land sprawl will accelerate the decline and fragmentation of agricultural lands until 2050. However, loss and fragmentation of core agricultural lands for scenario 3 where the protection rules are applied will be less than scenarios 1 and 2. To mitigate further fragmentation in agricultural lands in the future, particularly artificial spatial development areas should be constructed on the zones with currently high entropy and fragmented small core pieces. This study, as a tool for performance review in regional planning, recommends a set of measures to control agricultural land fragmentation, such as more effective protection of remaining unfragmented areas.

Spatio-temporal fragmentation of leisure activities in information era: Empirical evidence from Nanjing, China

Activity fragmentation provides a new approach for understanding the transformation of urban space and function in the information era. Numerous theoretical and empirical studies have been conducted on activity fragmentation, but few studies have focused on the fragmentation of leisure activities. This study was intended to extend the extant literature by: 1) analysing the spatio-temporal fragmentation of physical and virtual leisure activities by using a dataset collected in Nanjing, China, and 2) evaluating the reasons of leisure activity fragmentation, as well as the potential spatial effect of activity fragmentation. The results indicated that virtual leisure activities are more fragmented than physical leisure activities, but the fragmentation of physical and virtual leisure activities varies on weekday and weekend, as well as in various locations and urban districts. In addition, the results suggested that sociodemographic factors and information and communication technology (ICT) variables distinctly affect the fragmentation of leisure activities. Meanwhile, the fragmentation of virtual leisure activities may enhance the transformation of traditional urban space by reallocating leisure activity times and locations.

The fragmented worker? ICTs, coping strategies and gender differences in the temporal and spatial fragmentation of paid labour

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are often proclaimed to facilitate the fragmentation of activities, a process whereby a certain activity is divided into several smaller pieces, which are performed at different times and/or locations. This study analyzes two-day combined activity, travel and communication diaries collected among Dutch households and presents quantitative findings of the associations between ICTs and the spatiotemporal fragmentation of paid labour. Controlling for various coping strategies, employment and commute factors, household characteristics, lifestyle orientation, time personality and spatial context, statistically significant relations were found between ICTs and the spatiotemporal fragmentation of paid labour for both men and women. The fact that both positive and negative associations were found suggests that ICTs can be adopted to make use of opportunities to arrange paid labour in a flexible way, or as a compensation when such opportunities are lacking. The results also indicate that up to a certain degree these associations are gender specific.

<b>Mansfield’s short story from Woolf’s modernist view

This paper pays a tribute to the narrative technique of Katherine Mansfield, through the study on the spatiotemporal fragmentation present in the short story Bliss. Her creation process highlights marks of the story of atmosphere and the temporal fragmentation of the narrative. It is possible to observe that the text is based upon the spatiotemporal displacement of the protagonist in a futile and conservative London society. Theoretically, this work explores the intertextuality perspectives of the modernist narrative according to Virginia Woolf. About the spatiotemporal displacement, it goes through the concepts of space and heterotopia by Gaston Bachelard and Michel Foucault.

Intraspecific variations in dispersal ability of saproxylic beetles in fragmented forest patches.

The extrapolation of metapopulation concepts to saproxylic insects suggests that the occupancy of forest patches and the colonization of ephemeral deadwood substrates are driven by micro-evolutionary processes that are related to adaptive plasticity and intraspecific sex-dependent polymorphism of dispersal traits. We hypothesized that forest fragmentation could favor more mobile individuals within populations, but little empirical data have been published on the potentially sex-biased response of insect populations to habitat availability. We selected 88 fragmented woodlots in two European agricultural landscapes to cover different degrees of spatio-temporal fragmentation, from small, isolated and recently established woodlots to large, inter-connected ancient woodlots. In line with our hypothesis, the average wing loading (WL), used as a proxy for dispersal ability, for each of nine flight-dispersing saproxylic beetle species should be lower in recent, small, isolated woodlots than in ancient, large, inter-connected woodlots, respectively (i.e. ancient vs. recent, small vs. large, isolated vs. connected). Forest patch size did not significantly influence the average dispersal ability of beetle colonizers. However, WL of one-third of the tested species did significantly respond to forest ancientness or connectivity. Significant patterns were sex-biased, probably due to the contrasting role of males and females in species colonization dynamics. WL was lower in recent than in ancient forest plots for Melandrya barbata males, and it was lower in isolated than in connected woodlots for Tetratoma ancora and Phymatodes testaceus males. Contrary to expectations, we did not observe any decrease in polymorphism of dispersal abilities with decreasing woodlot size or increasing isolation. Our findings give support to the usefulness of gender consideration in insect conservation ecology studies.

The brain's intrinsic activity and inner time consciousness in schizophrenia.

The brain's intrinsic activity and inner time consciousness in schizophrenia.

Activity fragmentation, ICT and travel: An exploratory Path Analysis of spatiotemporal interrelationships

This paper focuses on the interrelationships between ICT, activity fragmentation and travel behaviour. The concept of fragmentation relates to how activities are spatiotemporally reorganized, by subdividing activities into smaller components that are then performed at different times and/or locations, in connection with ICT use. The association between ICT, activity fragmentation and travel relationships remains uncharted. Based on a two-day Dutch communication-activity-travel diary different associations between ICT use, paid work spatiotemporal fragmentation indicators and frequency of travel are specified and tested with Path Analysis Modelling accounting for sociodemographic and land use factors. The results demonstrate that the interrelationships between fragmentation, ICT and travel are quite complex. ICT and fragmentation apparently have a reciprocal relationship with mobile ICT use influencing the degree of spatial fragmentation whereas the usages of sedentary ICT are influenced by the degree of temporal fragmentation. Person-ICT attributes and ICT use mediate the participation in non-work activities, and can replace work and non-work travel. Fragmentation reduces work trips but at the same time restricts non-work personal travel possibilities and can reallocate time for leisure activity and travel.

Spatiotemporal characteristics and filament interaction in femtosecond Hermite-Gaussian laser pulses in a gas

In this contribution, we investigate the femtosecond filament interactions in gas by employing Hermite-Gaussian TEM${}_{02}$ mode focused by lens in argon gas by means of numerically evaluating the $3+1$ dimension nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. High-resolution spatiotemporal characteristics has been obtained. The TEM${}_{02}$ mode laser pulse, which has three lobes in the plane perpendicular to the propagation direction, can form three filaments. In the filamentation region, interaction between the lobes occurs at the trailing parts of the laser filaments which correspond to the blue-shifted supercontinuum generated by self-phase modulation and plasma. We find the energetic spatiotemporal fragments are more inclined to repulsion rather than fusion when close to each other, which may imply that two adjacent single filaments dislike to combine into a big filament in multifilaments. It seems that the phenomenon of repulsion bears no relation to the phase difference between the input subpulses. Our finding may help to understand why one cannot supply energy to a single filament by multifilament fusion until to now.

Fragmenting consciousness

The mechanism of human consciousness persists as a fundamental question in science and philosophy. As English biologist T. H. Huxley noted, “how it is that anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness comes about as the result of irritating nervous tissue, is just as unaccountable as the appearance of the Djin when Aladdin rubbed his lamp.” Although the neurobiological basis of phenomenal experience has yet to be fully elucidated, anesthesiologists are nonetheless adept at coaxing the genie of consciousness back into the lamp—usually within a matter of seconds. In PNAS, Lewis et al. (1) demonstrate the spatiotemporal fragmentation of neural networks at the onset of propofol-induced unconsciousness and provide support for the hypothesis that anesthetic agents act by unbinding neural activity rather than merely suppressing it.

Spatiotemporal fragmentation and the uncertainties in the solar rotation law

Analyses of recent helioseismic data indicate that the dynamical regimes at the base of the convection zone can be different from those observed at the top, having either significantly shorter periods or non--periodic behaviour. Recently spatiotemporal fragmentation/bifurcation has been proposed as a dynamical mechanism to account for the multi-mode behaviour that is possibly observed in the solar convection zone, without requiring separate physical mechanisms with different time scales at different depths. Here we study the robustness of this mechanism with respect to changes to the zero order rotation profile, motivated by the uncertainties of and differences between the various reductions of the helioseimic data. We find that spatiotemporal fragmentation is a common feature of the reductions investigated

Effects of boundary conditions on the dynamics of the solar convection zone

Recent analyses of the helioseismic data have produced evidence for a variety of interesting dynamical behaviour associated with torsional oscillations. What is not so far clear is whether these oscillations extend all the way to the bottom of the convection zone and, if so, whether the oscillatory behaviour at the top and the bottom of the convection zone is different. Attempts have been made to understand such modes of behaviour within the framework of nonlinear dynamo models which include the nonlinear action of the Lorentz force of the dynamo generated magnetic field on the solar angular velocity. One aspect of these models that remains uncertain is the nature of the boundary conditions on the magnetic field. Here by employing a range of physically plausible boundary conditions, we show that for near-critical and moderately supercritical dynamo regimes, the oscillations extend all the way down to the bottom of the convection zone. Thus, such penetration is an extremely robust feature of the models considered. We also find parameter ranges for which the supercritical models show spatiotemporal fragmentation for a range of choices of boundary conditions. Given their observational importance, we also make a comparative study of the amplitude of torsional oscillations as a function of the boundary conditions.

Spatiotemporal fragmentation and the uncertainties in the solar rotation law

Analyses of recent helioseismic data indicate that the dynamical regimes at the base of the convection zone can be different from those observed at the top, having either significantly shorter periods or non-periodic behaviour. Recently spatiotemporal fragmentation/bifurcation has been proposed as a dynamical mechanism to account for the multi-mode behaviour that is possibly observed in the solar convection zone, without requiring separate physical mechanisms with different time scales at different depths. Here we study the robustness of this mechanism with respect to changes to the zero order rotation profile, motivated by the uncertainties of and differences between the various reductions of the helioseimic data. We find that spatiotemporal fragmentation is a common feature of the reductions investigated.

Dynamical variations of the differential rotation in the solar convection zone

Recent analyses of helioseismological observations seem to suggest the presence of two new phenomena connected with the dynamics of the solar convective zone. Firstly, there are present torsional oscillations with periods of about 11 years, which penetrate significantly into the solar convection zone and secondly, oscillatory regimes exist near the base of the convection which are markedly different from those observed near the top, having either significantly reduced periods or being non-periodic. Recently spatiotemporal fragmentation/bifurcation has been proposed as a possible dynamical mechanism to account for such observed multi-mode behaviours in different parts of the solar convection zone. Evidence for this scenario was produced in the context of an axisymmetric mean field dynamo model operating in a spherical shell, with a semi-open outer boundary condition and a zero order angular velocity obtained by the inversion of the MDI data, in which the only nonlinearity was the action of the Lorentz force of the dynamo generated magnetic field on the solar angular velocity. Here we make a detailed study of the robustness of this model with respect to plausible changes to its main ingredients, including changes to the alpha and eta profiles as well as the inclusion of a nonlinear alpha quenching. We find that spatiotemporal fragmentation is present in this model for different choices of the rotation data and as the details of the model are varied. Taken together, these results give strong support to the idea that spatiotemporal fragmentation is likely to occur in general dynamo settings.