626,002 research outputs found
Selective pressures on genomes in molecular evolution
We describe the evolution of macromolecules as an information transmission
process and apply tools from Shannon information theory to it. This allows us
to isolate three independent, competing selective pressures that we term
compression, transmission, and neutrality selection. The first two affect
genome length: the pressure to conserve resources by compressing the code, and
the pressure to acquire additional information that improves the channel,
increasing the rate of information transmission into each offspring. Noisy
transmission channels (replication with mutations) gives rise to a third
pressure that acts on the actual encoding of information; it maximizes the
fraction of mutations that are neutral with respect to the phenotype. This
neutrality selection has important implications for the evolution of
evolvability. We demonstrate each selective pressure in experiments with
digital organisms.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, to be published in J. theor. Biolog
Epigenetic Information-Body Interaction and Information-Assisted Evolution from the Perspective of the Informational Model of Consciousness
Introduction: the objective of this investigation is to analyses the advances of understanding in the epigenetic processes and to extract
conclusions concerning the information-based evolution from the perspective of the Informational Model of Consciousness (IMC).
Analysis of epigenetic mechanisms: it is shown that the study of the epigenetic mechanisms are of increasing interest not only to discover the
responsible mechanisms of some diseases, but also to observe the acquisition and transmission mechanisms of some traits to the next generation/
transgenerations, without affecting the DNA sequences. These advances were especially supported by the spectacular progresses in the high
technological tools like digital microfluidic techniques and semiconductor-based detection systems, allowing to apply sequencing methods of DNA
and to observe its structural modifications. The specific typical steps of the epigenetic mechanisms are analysed, showing that these mechanisms
could be fully described in terms of information, as signal transmission agents embodying or disembodying information in three different stages and
under specific conditions, including especially the signal persistence as a main conditional epigenetic factor.
Results concerning the information-assisted evolution from the perspective of IMC: the epigenetic mechanisms are discussed as a function of
each component of the informational system of the organism, consisting in memory, decisional operability, emotional reactivity, metabolic driving
processes, genetic transmission, genetic info-generator and the info-connection explaining the special extra-power properties of the mind. It is
shown that the epigenetic mechanisms could be related to the specific functions of each informational component, mainly exhibiting five levels of
integration of information as matter-related information, culminating with the stable integration in the procreation cells and transmission to the
next generation. The results were extended to explain the transgenerational adaptive processes of isolated population groups.
Conclusion: the epigenetic mechanisms discussed within IMC allow to understand the transgenerational adaptation as an information-assisted
proces
Information Transmission in Emerging Markets: The Case of a Unique Financing Instrument
Information flows are necessary for well-functioning financial markets. However, in many emerging markets, the legal and institutional preconditions for proper information flow are not met. How do such markets respond? We argue that they respond by developing innovative information transmission mechanisms. We identify one such mechanism associated with the evolution of equity markets in South Asia. The mechanism operates through a financing instrument unique to India and Pakistan, called badla in local parlance. We develop a signaling model in which a broker-financier signals his private information to investors by choosing various levels of financing to provide in the badla market for stocks. A fully separating equilibrium exists allowing full discrimination of various types of stocks. Hence, information transmission takes place through this channel.Signaling, Information Transmission, Separating Equilibrium, Badla-Financing, Emerging Markets
Suppressing disease spreading by using information diffusion on multiplex networks
Although there is always an interplay between the dynamics of information
diffusion and disease spreading, the empirical research on the systemic
coevolution mechanisms connecting these two spreading dynamics is still
lacking. Here we investigate the coevolution mechanisms and dynamics between
information and disease spreading by utilizing real data and a proposed
spreading model on multiplex network. Our empirical analysis finds asymmetrical
interactions between the information and disease spreading dynamics. Our
results obtained from both the theoretical framework and extensive stochastic
numerical simulations suggest that an information outbreak can be triggered in
a communication network by its own spreading dynamics or by a disease outbreak
on a contact network, but that the disease threshold is not affected by
information spreading. Our key finding is that there is an optimal information
transmission rate that markedly suppresses the disease spreading. We find that
the time evolution of the dynamics in the proposed model qualitatively agrees
with the real-world spreading processes at the optimal information transmission
rate.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Traits, Imitation and Evolutionary Dynamics
In this article, a modelling framework for the information transmission between agents in an evolutionary game setting is proposed. Agents observe traits which reflect past and present behaviour and success of other agents. If agents imitate more successful agents based on these traits, the resulting dynamics are a multivariate stochastic process. An example for such a process is simulated. The results resemble the replicator dynamics to a remarkable degree. If traits moderately depend on the past, this accelerates convergence of the dynamics towards a stable state. If the dependence is strong, the stable state is not reached.replicator dynamics, imitation, evolution of cooperation, information transmission, simulation
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