2,851 research outputs found
Evolutionary coordination system for fixed-wing communications unmanned aerial vehicles
A system to coordinate the movement of a group of un- manned aerial vehicles that provide a network backbone over mobile ground-based vehicles with communication needs is presented. Using evo- lutionary algorithms, the system evolves flying manoeuvres that position the aerial vehicles by fulfilling two key requirements; i) they maximise net coverage and ii) they minimise the power consumption. Experimental results show that the proposed coordination system is able to offer a de- sirable level of adaptability with respect to the objectives set, providing useful feedback for future research directions
Does Good Mutation Help You Live Longer?
We study the dynamics of an age-structured population in which the life
expectancy of an offspring may be mutated with respect to that of its parent.
When advantageous mutation is favored, the average fitness of the population
grows linearly with time , while in the opposite case the average fitness is
constant. For no mutational bias, the average fitness grows as t^{2/3}. The
average age of the population remains finite in all cases and paradoxically is
a decreasing function of the overall population fitness.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX revised version, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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Maintaining Social Connections in Dementia: A Qualitative Synthesis
The clinical symptoms of dementia include difficulty with speech, poor short-term memory, and changes in behavior. These symptoms can affect how the person with dementia understands and performs in social interactions. This qualitative review investigated how people with mild to moderate dementia managed social connections. A systematic search of social science databases retrieved 13 articles; data were synthesized using thematic analysis. Results established the work undertaken by people with dementia to maintain and present a social persona seen as socially acceptable. Interpretations are contextualized within Goffman and Sabat's theories on "self." People with dementia were agentic in impression management: undertaking work to maintain recognized social roles, while being aware of when their illness led to others discrediting them. Wider recognition of strategies used to maintain a social self could inform interventions designed to increase capability and confidence in co-managing social connections following dementia diagnosis
Maximum principle and mutation thresholds for four-letter sequence evolution
A four-state mutation-selection model for the evolution of populations of
DNA-sequences is investigated with particular interest in the phenomenon of
error thresholds. The mutation model considered is the Kimura 3ST mutation
scheme, fitness functions, which determine the selection process, come from the
permutation-invariant class. Error thresholds can be found for various fitness
functions, the phase diagrams are more interesting than for equivalent
two-state models. Results for (small) finite sequence lengths are compared with
those for infinite sequence length, obtained via a maximum principle that is
equivalent to the principle of minimal free energy in physics.Comment: 25 pages, 16 figure
Outbreak of tropical rat mite (Ornithonyssus bacoti) dermatitis in a home for disabled persons
Five mentally handicapped individuals living in a home for disabled persons in Southern Germany were seen in our outpatient department with pruritic, red papules predominantly located in groups on the upper extremities, neck, upper trunk and face. Over several weeks 40 inhabitants and 5 caretakers were affected by the same rash. Inspection of their home and the sheds nearby disclosed infestation with rat populations and mites. Finally the diagnosis of tropical rat mite dermatitis was made by the identification of the arthropod Ornithonyssus bacoti or so-called tropical rat mite. The patients were treated with topical corticosteroids and antihistamines. After elimination of the rats and disinfection of the rooms by a professional exterminator no new cases of rat mite dermatitis occurred. The tropical rat mite is an external parasite occurring on rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters and various other small mammals. When the principal animal host is not available, human beings can become the victim of mite infestation. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Base
Time evolution of the Partridge-Barton Model
The time evolution of the Partridge-Barton model in the presence of the
pleiotropic constraint and deleterious somatic mutations is exactly solved for
arbitrary fecundity in the context of a matricial formalism. Analytical
expressions for the time dependence of the mean survival probabilities are
derived. Using the fact that the asymptotic behavior for large time is
controlled by the largest matrix eigenvalue, we obtain the steady state values
for the mean survival probabilities and the Malthusian growth exponent. The
mean age of the population exhibits a power law decayment. Some Monte
Carlo simulations were also performed and they corroborated our theoretical
results.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, 1 postscript figure, published in Phys. Rev. E 61,
5664 (2000
Nonlocal density functionals and the linear response of the homogeneous electron gas
The known and usable truly nonlocal functionals for exchange-correlation
energy of the inhomogeneous electron gas are the ADA (average density
approximation) and the WDA (weighted density approximation). ADA, by design,
yields the correct linear response function of the uniform electron gas. WDA is
constructed so that it is exact in the limit of one-electron systems. We derive
an expression for the linear response of the uniform gas in the WDA, and
calculate it for several flavors of WDA. We then compare the results with the
Monte-Carlo data on the exchange-correlation local field correction, and
identify the weak points of conventional WDA in the homogeneous limit. We
suggest how the WDA can be modified to improve the response function. The
resulting approximation is a good one in both opposite limits, and should be
useful for practical nonlocal density functional calculations.Comment: 4 pages, two eps figures embedde
Exact Solution of an Evolutionary Model without Ageing
We introduce an age-structured asexual population model containing all the
relevant features of evolutionary ageing theories. Beneficial as well as
deleterious mutations, heredity and arbitrary fecundity are present and managed
by natural selection. An exact solution without ageing is found. We show that
fertility is associated with generalized forms of the Fibonacci sequence, while
mutations and natural selection are merged into an integral equation which is
solved by Fourier series. Average survival probabilities and Malthusian growth
exponents are calculated indicating that the system may exhibit mutational
meltdown. The relevance of the model in the context of fissile reproduction
groups as many protozoa and coelenterates is discussed.Comment: LaTeX file, 15 pages, 2 ps figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
‘They Called Them Communists Then … What D'You Call ‘Em Now? … Insurgents?’. Narratives of British Military Expatriates in the Context of the New Imperialism
This paper addresses the question of the extent to which the colonial past provides material for contemporary actors' understanding of difference. The research from which the paper is drawn involved interview and ethnographic work in three largely white working-class estates in an English provincial city. For this paper we focus on ten life-history interviews with older participants who had spent some time abroad in the British military. Our analysis adopts a postcolonial framework because research participants' current constructions of an amorphous 'Other' (labelled variously as black people, immigrants, foreigners, asylum-seekers or Muslims) reveal strong continuities with discourses deployed by the same individuals to narrate their past experiences of living and working as either military expatriates or spouses during British colonial rule. Theoretically, the paper engages with the work of Frantz Fanon and Edward Said. In keeping with a postcolonial approach, we work against essentialised notions of identity based on 'race' or class. Although we establish continuity between white working-class military emigration in the past and contemporary racialised discourses, we argue that the latter are not class-specific, being as much the creations of the middle-class media and political elite
The experience of family carers attending a joint reminiscence group with people with dementia: A thematic analysis
Reminiscence therapy has the potential to improve quality of life for people with dementia. In recent years reminiscence groups have extended to include family members, but carers' experience of attending joint sessions is undocumented. This qualitative study explored the experience of 18 family carers attending 'Remembering Yesterday Caring Today' groups. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: experiencing carer support; shared experience; expectations (met and unmet), carer perspectives of the person with dementia's experience; and learning and comparing. Family carers' experiences varied, with some experiencing the intervention as entirely positive whereas others had more mixed feelings. Negative aspects included the lack of respite from their relative, the lack of emphasis on their own needs, and experiencing additional stress and guilt through not being able to implement newly acquired skills. These findings may explain the failure of a recent trial of joint reminiscence groups to replicate previous findings of positive benefit. More targeted research within subgroups of carers is required to justify the continued use of joint reminiscence groups in dementia care
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