Violence and Revenge in Egalitarian Societies

Discrete agent simulation was used to investigate the role of violence and revenge in model egalitarian societies. A population of 100 agents inhabited a landscape of 20x20 squares containing five sources of food. Agents moved about the landscape in search of food, shared, stole, mated, produced offspring, and ultimately died of old age. Violence and revenge reduced the survival probability of the population and, for surviving populations, replaced hunger as the second leading cause of death after old age. Excluding large segments of the population from violence and revenge significantly improved survival rates. Tolerance to transgressions reduced the number of agents killed in revenge attacks. Higher population density increased the number of revenge deaths but also increased the survival rate of the total population. Decreasing the food supply for a fixed initial population resulted in more deaths due to violence and revenge. Flight from known aggressors enhanced the survival of the total population, at the expense of social cohesion. When killing had a positive social value the survival rate of the total population increased as the number of revenge killings decreased. These results are discussed in the context of ethnographic observations of a number of egalitarian societies.Violence, Revenge, Egalitarian Culture, Homicide, Population Density, Tolerance, Food Supply

On the strengths of connectivity and robustness in general random intersection graphs

Random intersection graphs have received much attention for nearly two decades, and currently have a wide range of applications ranging from key predistribution in wireless sensor networks to modeling social networks. In this paper, we investigate the strengths of connectivity and robustness in a general random intersection graph model. Specifically, we establish sharp asymptotic zero-one laws for $k$-connectivity and $k$-robustness, as well as the asymptotically exact probability of $k$-connectivity, for any positive integer $k$. The $k$-connectivity property quantifies how resilient is the connectivity of a graph against node or edge failures. On the other hand, $k$-robustness measures the effectiveness of local diffusion strategies (that do not use global graph topology information) in spreading information over the graph in the presence of misbehaving nodes. In addition to presenting the results under the general random intersection graph model, we consider two special cases of the general model, a binomial random intersection graph and a uniform random intersection graph, which both have numerous applications as well. For these two specialized graphs, our results on asymptotically exact probabilities of $k$-connectivity and asymptotic zero-one laws for $k$-robustness are also novel in the literature.Comment: This paper about random graphs appears in IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) 2014, the premier conference in control theor

Leadership in Small Societies

Multi-agent simulation was used to study several styles of leadership in small societies. Populations of 50 and100 agents inhabited a bounded landscape containing a fixed number of food sources. Agents moved about the landscape in search of food, mated, produced offspring, and died either of hunger or at a predetermined maximum age. Leadership models focused on the collection and redistribution of food. The simulations suggest that individual households were more effective at meeting their needs than a simple collection-redistribution scheme. Leadership affected the normative makeup of the population: altruistic leaders caused altruistic societies and demanding leaders caused aggressive societies. Specific leadership styles did not provide a clear advantage when two groups competed for the same resources. The simulation results are compared to ethnographic observations of leadership in Pacific island societies.Leadership, Reciprocity, Pacific Island Societies, Norms

Developing a Research Agenda for Adult Palliative Care: A Modified Delphi Study

Background: Little is known about research priorities in adult palliative care. Identifying research priorities for adult palliative care will help in increasing research quality and translation. Objective: The aim was to identify the views of health professionals' research priorities in adult palliative care that lead to development of a palliative care research agenda in Australia. Design: A modified three-round Delphi survey. Setting/Subjects: Palliative care researchers and clinicians in Australia were invited to participate. Results: A total of 25 panelists completed round 1, 14 completed round 2, and 13 completed round 3. Round 1 resulted in 90 research priorities in 13 categories. Round 2 showed consensus agreement on 19/90 research priorities. Round 3 resulted in the top 10 research priorities of the 19 achieving consensus in round 2. Panelists agreed that research is needed on the transition to palliative care; improving communication about prognosis; increasing access to palliative care for indigenous communities, people who wish to remain at home, and people in aged care; addressing family caregivers' needs; promoting patients' and families' decision making; improving cross-cultural aspects of palliative care; determining the effects of assisted dying legislation; and improving bereavement care in rural, remote, and Aboriginal populations. Conclusions: The expert panelists identified the top 10 research priorities for adult palliative care. These identified research priorities are the most urgent topics requiring attention to increase the quality of life of patients requiring palliative care and their family members

Improved fisheries productivity and management in tropical reservoirs

The objective of the project was to contribute to the current research on reservoirs enhancement fisheries in tropical countries through the implementation of a series of action-research activities implemented in two small reservoirs in the Indo-Gangetic basin in India, and two very large reservoirs in Africa, the Lake Nasser (Egypt), and the Volta Lake (Ghana). Socio-institutional analyses were also conducted in these reservoirs to improve our knowledge regarding some of the main social processes that influence reservoir productivity. Overall the results of the project stress that while the natural biophysical constraints of the reservoirs are important in defining the ecological production processes, it is the socio-economic settings characterizing the community/societies around the reservoirs that eventually shape the human production enhancement possibilities.Reservoir fisheries, Inland fisheries, Sociological aspects, Socioeconomic aspects, Africa, Nasser L., Ghana, Volta L.,

PEASANT INITIATIVE FOR SOIL CONSERVATION: CASE STUDIES OF RECENT TECHNICAL AND SOCIAL INNOVATIONS FROM MAISSADE, HAITI

Theories of Haitian underdevelopment, and of the causes and solutions to that underdevelopment are many, complex and often competing. At a very basic level though, Haitian development involves the mastery of ever changing conditions and requires continual innovation, adaption and the ability to create and exploit resources both internal and external to the farm, to the community and to the nation. The capacity to innovate and adapt is thus essential and is a foundation of sustained economic and social development. The purpose of this paper is to consider the phenomenon of innovation in rural Haiti by examining two case studies of technical and social innovations for soil conservation The studies are prefaced with a historical review of indigenous and donor responses to soil erosion, and a synopsis of theories concerning how innovations emerge and the factors influencing that emergence. Special attention is paid to the role of history and culture, political economy, and social organization in innovation. The studies suggest that the soil conservation innovations examined can be understood as thrifty and incremental cultural evolution; that small groups were loci for innovation; and that knowledge shared between scientists and peasants in a conversational approach positively affects the generation of innovations.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Does inequality make us rebel? A renewed theoretical model applied to South Mexico

Since Collier and Hoeffler (1998, 2004), it has been supported that inequality, measured at national level, does not affect the risk of conflict. Based on a renewed theoretical framework, the purpose of the paper is to explore the role of inequality in localized conflicts. We argue that previous findings might be biased by the myopic nature of cross-country analysis. Consistently with the model, Probit estimations indicate that income inequality measured at municipal level was significant in motivating people to support the rebellion in South Mexico. At this geographical level, we also find an increase in income per capita could exacerbate the risk of conflict in a situation where the rebel leader would have greater incentives to loot the local production compared to the opportunity cost associated with fighting for the worker.rebellion, inequality, income, Mexico

Evidence for rangewide panmixia despite multiple barriers to dispersal in a marine mussel

Oceanographic features shape the distributional and genetic patterns of marine species by interrupting or promoting connections among populations. Although general patterns commonly arise, distributional ranges and genetic structure are species-specific and do not always comply with the expected trends. By applying a multimarker genetic approach combined with Lagrangian particle simulations (LPS) we tested the hypothesis that oceanographic features along northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shores influence dispersal potential and genetic structure of the intertidal mussel Perna perna. Additionally, by performing environmental niche modelling we assessed the potential and realized niche of P. perna along its entire native distributional range and the environmental factors that best explain its realized distribution. Perna perna showed evidence of panmixia across > 4,000 km despite several oceanographic breaking points detected by LPS. This is probably the result of a combination of life history traits, continuous habitat availability and stepping-stone dynamics. Moreover, the niche modelling framework depicted minimum sea surface temperatures (SST) as the major factor shaping P. perna distributional range limits along its native areas. Forthcoming warming SST is expected to further change these limits and allow the species to expand its range polewards though this may be accompanied by retreat from warmer areas.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT-MEC, Portugal) [UID/Multi/04326/2013, IF/01413/2014/CP1217/CT0004]; South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) of the Department of Science and Technology; National Research Foundation; South African National Research Foundation (NRF); Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) [SFRH/BPD/85040/2012, SFRH/BPD/111003/2015]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Human Capital, Innovation, and Productivity Growth: Tales from Latin America and Caribbean

Why have Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC countries) not replicated Western economic success? We investigate the reasons behind the economic stagnation of LAC countries for the past four decades. We utilize a nonparametric Malmquist productivity index for relevant cross-country and over time productivity growth, technological change, and technical efficiency change comparisons. We document that productivity growth differences between LAC countries and Western countries can only partially be attributed to human capital differences. We argue that along with inefficient production, differences in civil, political, and economic policies and institutions are promising factors in explaining the long-run economic performance of LAC countries.Caribbean; Latin America; Institutions; Malmquist productivity index

From data to decision - learning by probabilistic risk analysis of biological invasions

Predicting an uncertain future with uncertain knowledge is a challenge. The success of efforts to preserve biodiversity, to maintain biosecurity and to reduce a negative impact from climate change, depend on scientifically based predictions of future events. The ongoing introduction of non-indigenous species threatens ecological systems for which empirical data is sparse and scientific knowledge is uncertain. Since biological invasions constitute a type of risk characterized by small probability events with possible large consequences, the use of subjective judgements and how knowledge based uncertainty are dealt with is a critical issue. In this thesis I do case studies of probabilistic analysis of biological invasions with the purpose to get more insight into what it means to predict future events under uncertainty and go into the methodology of probabilistic analysis, with special focus on risk analysis of biological invasions. In the first study I produced an overview to probabilistic models of establishment success. I found that probabilistic models for a common endpoint can be different, depending on how the endpoint event is measured and the type of available data. In study two to five I quantified uncertainty in some relevant biological invasion endpoints, using empirical and artificial data and probabilistic analysis. From these studies I learned that a probabilistic model estimated with empirical data is information on the goodness of the model to describe the world, whereas the same probabilistic model is information on the uncertainty in the future event. I find information theoretic approaches as suitable to derive good models, and Bayesian approach as suitable for combing various sources of knowledge into predictions. At the end, I discuss what it means to predict uncertainty under uncertainty using probabilistic analysis for various strengths of background knowledge