Offspring Production among the Extended Relatives of Samoan Men and Fa'afafine

Androphilia refers to sexual attraction to adult males, whereas gynephilia refers to sexual attraction to adult females. Male androphilia is an evolutionary paradox. Its development is at least partially influenced by genetic factors, yet male androphiles exhibit lower reproductive output, thus raising the question of how genetic factors underlying its development persist. The sexual antagonism hypothesis posits that the fitness costs associated with genetic factors underlying male androphilia are offset because these same factors lead to elevated reproduction on the part of the female relatives of androphilic males. Western samples drawn from low fertility populations have yielded inconsistent results when testing this hypothesis. Some studies documented elevated reproduction among the matrilineal female kin of androphilic males, whereas others found such effects in the paternal line. Samoa is a high-fertility population in which individuals reproduce closer to their maximum capacities. This study compared the reproductive output of the paternal and maternal line grandmothers, aunts, and uncles of 86 Samoan androphilic males, known locally as fa'afafine, and 86 Samoan gynephilic males. Reproductive output was elevated in the paternal and maternal line grandmothers, but not aunts or uncles, of fa'afafine. These findings are consistent with the sexual antagonism hypothesis and suggest that male androphilia is associated with elevated reproduction among extended relatives in both the maternal and paternal line. Discussion focuses on how this study, in conjunction with the broader literature, informs various models for the evolution of male androphilia via elevated reproduction on the part of female kin

Lower bounds on photometric redshift errors from Type Ia supernovae templates

Cosmology with Type Ia supernovae heretofore has required extensive spectroscopic follow-up to establish a redshift. Though tolerable at the present discovery rate, the next generation of ground-based all-sky survey instruments will render this approach unsustainable. Photometry-based redshift determination is a viable alternative, but introduces non-negligible errors that ultimately degrade the ability to discriminate between competing cosmologies. We present a strictly template-based photometric redshift estimator and compute redshift reconstruction errors in the presence of photometry and statistical errors. With reasonable assumptions for a cadence and supernovae distribution, these redshift errors are combined with systematic errors and propagated using the Fisher matrix formalism to derive lower bounds on the joint errors in $\Omega_w$ and $\Omega_w'$ relevant to the next generation of ground-based all-sky survey.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure

From trust in caregivers' support to exploration : the role of openness to negative affect and self-regulation

Attachment theory assumes that trust in caregivers' support and exploration are closely related. Little research tried to investigate this link, nor focuses on mechanisms that might explain this association. The present studies examined whether trust is related to exploration through a serial indirect effect of openness to negative affect and self-regulation. In Study 1, 212 children, aged 8-13, completed questionnaires assessing trust, openness to negative affect, self-regulation and exploration. The results showed that trust predicted exploration, but only to the extent to which openness to negative affect and self-regulation were involved too. Study 2 refined these findings (n = 59, aged 9-12) using a behavioral measure of openness to negative affect and exploration, and with mother-reported self-regulation. Replicating this serial indirect effect of openness to negative affect and self-regulation with multiple informants and methods, the present studies advance our understanding of how trust might foster exploration in preadolescence

Interacting dark energy: generic cosmological evolution for two scalar fields

We study the cosmological evolution of two coupled scalar fields with an arbitrary interaction term V_T(\phi,\vp) in the presence of a barotropic fluid, which can be matter or radiation. The force between the barotropic fluid and the scalar fields is only gravitational. We show that the dynamics is completely determine by only three parameters L_i i=1,2,3. We determine all critical points and study their stability. We find six different attractor solutions depending on the values of L_i and we calculate the relevant cosmological parameters. We discuss the possibility of having one of the scalar fields as of dark energy while the other could be a scalar field redshifting as matter.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figure

Hubble parameter reconstruction from a principal component analysis: minimizing the bias

A model-independent reconstruction of the cosmic expansion rate is essential to a robust analysis of cosmological observations. Our goal is to demonstrate that current data are able to provide reasonable constraints on the behavior of the Hubble parameter with redshift, independently of any cosmological model or underlying gravity theory. Using type Ia supernova data, we show that it is possible to analytically calculate the Fisher matrix components in a Hubble parameter analysis without assumptions about the energy content of the Universe. We used a principal component analysis to reconstruct the Hubble parameter as a linear combination of the Fisher matrix eigenvectors (principal components). To suppress the bias introduced by the high redshift behavior of the components, we considered the value of the Hubble parameter at high redshift as a free parameter. We first tested our procedure using a mock sample of type Ia supernova observations, we then applied it to the real data compiled by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) group. In the mock sample analysis, we demonstrate that it is possible to drastically suppress the bias introduced by the high redshift behavior of the principal components. Applying our procedure to the real data, we show that it allows us to determine the behavior of the Hubble parameter with reasonable uncertainty, without introducing any ad-hoc parameterizations. Beyond that, our reconstruction agrees with completely independent measurements of the Hubble parameter obtained from red-envelope galaxies.Comment: Modified to match journal versio

Dark Matter from the Inflaton Field

We present a model where inflation and Dark Matter takes place via a single scalar field phi. Without introducing any new parameters we are able unify inflation and Dark Matter using a scalar field phi that accounts for inflation at an early epoch while it gives a Dark Matter WIMP particle at low energies. After inflation our universe must be reheated and we must have a long period of radiation dominated before the epoch of Dark Matter. Typically the inflaton decays while it oscillates around the minimum of its potential. If the inflaton decay is not complete or sufficient then the remaining energy density of the inflaton after reheating must be fine tuned to give the correct amount of Dark Matter. An essential feature here, is that Dark Matter-Inflaton particle is produced at low energies without fine tuning or new parameters. This process uses the same coupling g as for the inflaton decay. Once the field phi becomes non-relativistic it will decouple as any WIMP particle, since n_phi is exponentially suppressed. The correct amount of Dark Matter determines the cross section and we have a constraint between the coupling $g$ and the mass $m_o$ of phi. The unification scheme we present here has four free parameters, two for the scalar potential V(phi) given by the inflation parameter lambda of the quartic term and the mass m_o. The other two parameters are the coupling $g$ between the inflaton phi and a scalar filed varphi and the coupling h between varphi with standard model particles psi or chi. These four parameters are already present in models of inflation and reheating process, without considering Dark Matter. Therefore, our unification scheme does not increase the number of parameters and it accomplishes the desired unification between the inflaton and Dark Matter for free.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:0911.517

BDM Dark Matter: CDM with a core profile and a free streaming scale

We present a new dark matter model BDM which is an hybrid between hot dark matter HDM and cold dark matter CDM, in which the BDM particles behave as HDM above the energy scale E_c and as CDM below this scale. Evolution of structure formation is similar to that of CDM model but BDM predicts a nonvanishing free streaming l_fs scale and a inner galaxy core radius r_core, both quantities determined in terms of a single parameter E_c, which corresponds to the phase transition energy scale of the subjacent elementary particle model. For energies above E_c or for a scale factor a smaller then a_c, with a<a_c<a_{eq}, the particles are massless and rho redshifts as radiation. However, once the energy becomes E\leq E_c or a>a_c then the BDM particles acquire a large mass through a non perturbative mechanism, as baryons do, and rho redshifts as matter with the particles having a vanishing velocity. Typical energies are E_c=O(10-100) eV giving a l_fs \propto E_c^{-4/3}\lesssim Mpc and m_fs\propto E_c^{-4}\lesssim 10^9 M\odot. A l_fs\neq 0, r_core\neq 0 help to resolve some of the shortcomings of CDM such as overabundance substructure in CDM halos and numerical fit to rotation curves in dwarf spheroidal and LSB galaxies. Finally, our BDM model and the phase transition scale E_c can be derived from particle physics.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

More Than

This project was developed in response to the following challenge: create messaging to promote a more welcoming and inclusive climate on campus while branding the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center

Observational Constraints on the Normal Branch of a Warped DGP Cosmology

We investigate observational constraints on the normal branch of the warped DGP braneworld cosmology by using observational data from Type Ia Supernovae (SNIa), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Baryon Gas Mass Fraction of cluster of galaxies. The best fit values of model free parameters are: $\Omega_m=0.240^{+0.050}_{-0.130}$ and $\Omega_{r_c}=0.000^{+0.014}$ at $1\sigma$ confidence interval by using Gold sample SNIa+CMB shift parameter+BAO+Gas mass fraction of baryons in cluster of galaxies. The results for essence sample SNIa combined with CMB shift parameter, BAO and Baryon Gas mass fraction correspont to: $\Omega_m= 0.220^{+0.020}_{-0.170}$ and $\Omega_{r_c}=0.000^{+0.025}$ at 68.3% confidence interval. We determine the age of the universe by using these best fit values. We also study the effective cosmological dynamics on the brane via an effective equation of state parameter and the deceleration parameter to conclude that an effective phantom-like behavior arises in this scenario.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, to appear in New Astronom