7,400 research outputs found
Selective advantage for multicellular replicative strategies: A two-cell example
This paper develops a quasispecies model where cells can adopt a two-cell
survival strategy. Within this strategy, pairs of cells join together, at which
point one of the cells sacrifices its own replicative ability for the sake of
the other cell. We develop a simplified model for the evolutionary dynamics of
this process, allowing us to solve for the steady-state using standard
approaches from quasispecies theory. We find that our model exhibits two
distinct regimes of behavior: At low concentrations of limiting resource, the
two-cell strategy outcompetes the single-cell survival strategy, while at high
concentrations of limiting resource, the single-cell survival strategy
dominates. Associated with the two solution regimes of our model is a
localization to delocalization transition over the portion of the genome coding
for the multicell strategy, analogous to the error catastrophe in standard
quasispecies models. The existence of such a transition indicates that
multicellularity can emerge because natural selection does not act on specific
cells, but rather on replicative strategies. Within this framework, individual
cells become the means by which replicative strategies are propagated. Such a
framework is therefore consistent with the concept that natural selection does
not act on individuals, but rather on populations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be submitted to Physical Review Letter
A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children
The current study is a pilot trial to examine the effects of a nonelective, classroom-based, teacher-implemented, mindfulness meditation intervention on standard clinical measures of mental health and affect in middle school children. A total of 101 healthy sixth-grade students (55 boys, 46 girls) were randomized to either an Asian history course with daily mindfulness meditation practice (intervention group) or an African history course with a matched experiential activity (active control group). Self-reported measures included the Youth Self Report (YSR), a modified Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Measure –Revised. Both groups decreased significantly on clinical syndrome subscales and affect but did not differ in the extent of their improvements. Meditators were significantly less likely to develop suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm than controls. These results suggest that mindfulness training may yield both unique and non-specific benefits that are shared by other novel activities
Evolution in a host-parasite system
Some organisms employ multiple defence strategies against their enemies, while others fail to employ a defence that seems obvious. We shall investigate three questions for host-parasite systems. (1) Under what circumstances does it pay for a host to employ a given defence strategy against one of its parasites? (2) If alternative strategies are available, how is the appropriate strategy chosen? (3) When is it appropriate to employ multiple defence strategies against all enemy? We shall illustrate our results in two cases of brood parasites and their hosts. The paper by Britton et al. (2007) contains more background details on the basic model and the analysis but the extensions to the model and some of the results are new
Gender Differences in Response to a School-Based Mindfulness Training Intervention for Early Adolescents
Mindfulness training has been used to improve emotional wellbeing in early adolescents. However, little is known about treatment outcome moderators, or individual differences that may differentially impact responses to treatment. The current study focused on gender as a potential moderator for affective outcomes in response to school-based mindfulness training. Sixth grade students (N = 100) were randomly assigned to either the six weeks of mindfulness meditation or the active control group as part of a history class curriculum. Participants in the mindfulness meditation group completed short mindfulness meditation sessions four to five times per week, in addition to didactic instruction (Asian history). The control group received matched experiential activity in addition to didactic instruction (African history) from the same teacher with no meditation component. Self-reported measures of emotional wellbeing/affect, mindfulness, and self-compassion were obtained at pre and post intervention. Meditators reported greater improvement in emotional wellbeing compared to those in the control group. Importantly, gender differences were detected, such that female meditators reported greater increases in positive affect compared to females in the control group, whereas male meditators and control males displayed equivalent gains. Uniquely among females but not males, increases in self-reported self-compassion were associated with improvements in affect. These findings support the efficacy of school-based mindfulness interventions, and interventions tailored to accommodate distinct developmental needs of female and male adolescents
Spatial synchronization and extinction of species under external forcing
We study the interplay between synchronization and extinction of a species.
Using a general model we show that under a common external forcing, the species
with a quadratic saturation term in the population dynamics first undergoes
spatial synchronization and then extinction, thereby avoiding the rescue
effect. This is because the saturation term reduces the synchronization time
scale but not the extinction time scale. The effect can be observed even when
the external forcing acts only on some locations provided there is a
synchronizing term in the dynamics. Absence of the quadratic saturation term
can help the species to avoid extinction.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Homoclinic chaos and energy condition violation
In this letter we discuss the connection between so-called homoclinic chaos
and the violation of energy conditions in locally rotationally symmetric
Bianchi type IX models, where the matter is assumed to be non-tilted dust and a
positive cosmological constant. We show that homoclinic chaos in these models
is an artifact of unphysical assumptions: it requires that there exist
solutions with positive matter energy density that evolve through the
singularity and beyond as solutions with negative matter energy density
. Homoclinic chaos is absent when it is assumed that the dust particles
always retain their positive mass.In addition, we discuss more general models:
for solutions that are not locally rotionally symmetric we demonstrate that the
construction of extensions through the singularity, which is required for
homoclinic chaos, is not possible in general.Comment: 4 pages, RevTe
Spontaneous periodic travelling waves in oscillatory systems with cross-diffusion
We identify a new type of pattern formation in spatially distributed active
systems. We simulate one-dimensional two-component systems with predator-prey
local interaction and pursuit-evasion taxis between the components. In a
sufficiently large domain, spatially uniform oscillations in such systems are
unstable with respect to small perturbations. This instability, through a
transient regime appearing as spontanous focal sources, leads to establishment
of periodic traveling waves. The traveling waves regime is established even if
boundary conditions do not favor such solutions. The stable wavelength are
within a range bounded both from above and from below, and this range does not
coincide with instability bands of the spatially uniform oscillations.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, as accepted to Phys Rev E 2009/10/2
On a Conjecture of Goriely for the Speed of Fronts of the Reaction--Diffusion Equation
In a recent paper Goriely considers the one--dimensional scalar
reaction--diffusion equation with a polynomial reaction
term and conjectures the existence of a relation between a global
resonance of the hamiltonian system and the asymptotic
speed of propagation of fronts of the reaction diffusion equation. Based on
this conjecture an explicit expression for the speed of the front is given. We
give a counterexample to this conjecture and conclude that additional
restrictions should be placed on the reaction terms for which it may hold.Comment: 9 pages Revtex plus 4 postcript figure
Analytical Investigation of Innovation Dynamics Considering Stochasticity in the Evaluation of Fitness
We investigate a selection-mutation model for the dynamics of technological
innovation,a special case of reaction-diffusion equations. Although mutations
are assumed to increase the variety of technologies, not their average success
("fitness"), they are an essential prerequisite for innovation. Together with a
selection of above-average technologies due to imitation behavior, they are the
"driving force" for the continuous increase in fitness. We will give analytical
solutions for the probability distribution of technologies for special cases
and in the limit of large times.
The selection dynamics is modelled by a "proportional imitation" of better
technologies. However, the assessment of a technology's fitness may be
imperfect and, therefore, vary stochastically. We will derive conditions, under
which wrong assessment of fitness can accelerate the innovation dynamics, as it
has been found in some surprising numerical investigations.Comment: For related work see http://www.helbing.or
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