12,591 research outputs found
The Role of Ontogeny in the Evolution of Human Cooperation
To explain the evolutionary emergence of uniquely human skills and motivations for cooperation, Tomasello et al. (2012, in Current Anthropology 53(6):673â92) proposed the interdependence hypothesis. The key adaptive context in this account was the obligate collaborative foraging of early human adults. Hawkes (2014, in Human Nature 25(1):28â48), following Hrdy (Mothers and Others, Harvard University Press, 2009), provided an alternative account for the emergence of uniquely human cooperative skills in which the key was early human infantsâ attempts to solicit care and attention from adults in a cooperative breeding context. Here we attempt to reconcile these two accounts. Our composite account accepts Hrdyâs and Hawkesâs contention that the extremely early emergence of human infantsâ cooperative skills suggests an important role for cooperative breeding as adaptive context, perhaps in early Homo. But our account also insists that human cooperation goes well beyond these nascent skills to include such things as the communicative and cultural conventions, norms, and institutions created by later Homo and early modern humans to deal with adult problems of social coordination. As part of this account we hypothesize how each of the main stages of human ontogeny (infancy, childhood, adolescence) was transformed during evolution both by infantsâ cooperative skills âmigrating upâ in age and by adultsâ cooperative skills âmigrating downâ in age
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Interactions between the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala support complex learning and memory.
One of the guiding principles of memory research in the preceding decades is multiple memory systems theory, which links specific task demands to specific anatomical structures and circuits that are thought to act orthogonally with respect to each other. We argue that this view does not capture the nature of learning and memory when any degree of complexity is introduced. In most situations, memory requires interactions between these circuits and they can act in a facilitative manner to generate adaptive behavior
An overlooked family-group name among bees: Availability of Coelioxoidini (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Recent phylogenetic analysis of the family Apidae has applied the tribal name Coelioxoidini to the distinctive genus Coelioxoides Cresson, which has been thought to be related to Tetrapedia Klug. However, the nomenclatural status of such a family-group name has not yet been assessed. Herein, we determine that this family-group name is available and discuss its authorship and proposal date
Mesoscopic approach to granular crystal dynamics
We present a mesoscopic approach to granular crystal dynamics, which
comprises a three-dimensional finite-element model and a one-dimensional
regularized contact model. The approach investigates the role of
vibrational-energy trapping effects in the dynamic behavior of one-dimensional
chains of particles in contact (i.e., granular crystals), under small to
moderate impact velocities. The only inputs of the models are the geometry and
the elastic material properties of the individual particles that form the
system. We present detailed verification results and validate the model
comparing its predictions with experimental data. This approach provides a
physically sound, first-principle description of dissipative losses in granular
systems
Fiscal policy challenges in oil-exporting countries â a review of key issues.
Fiscal policy choices have a particularly significant impact on economic performance in oil-exporting countries, owing to the importance of the oil sector in the economy and the fact that in most countries oil revenues accrue to the government. At the same time, fiscal policy in oil-centred economies s facing specific challenges, both in the long run, as regards intergenerational equity and fiscal sustainability, and in the short run, as regards macroeconomic stabilisation and fiscal planning. Institutional responses to the specific fiscal challenges in oil-exporting countries involve conservative oil price assumptions in the budget, the establishment of oil stabilisation and savings funds and fiscal rules. Fiscal policy in most oil-exporting countries has been expansionary over the past years in the wake of high oil prices. Fiscal expansion has added to inflationary pressure, and monetary policy has been constrained in tackling inflation as a result of prevailing exchange rate regimes. While, in this context, fiscal policy is the major tool for macroeconomic stabilisation, it has faced competing objectives and considerations. Cyclical considerations would have warranted fiscal restraint, but, in times of high oil prices, pressures to increase public spending have been mounting. Such pressures stem from primarily distribution-related considerations, development-related spending needs (e.g. in the areas of physical and social infrastructure) and international considerations in the context of, for example, global imbalances. The sharp fall in oil prices since mid-2008 has brought to the fore a different question â whether oil exporters can sustain spending levels reached in previous years. JEL Classification: E62, E63, H30, H60, Q32, Q38.Fiscal policy, oil-exporting countries, inflation, global imbalances.
Inferring land use from mobile phone activity
Understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of people within a city is
crucial to many planning applications. Obtaining data to create required
knowledge, currently involves costly survey methods. At the same time
ubiquitous mobile sensors from personal GPS devices to mobile phones are
collecting massive amounts of data on urban systems. The locations,
communications, and activities of millions of people are recorded and stored by
new information technologies. This work utilizes novel dynamic data, generated
by mobile phone users, to measure spatiotemporal changes in population. In the
process, we identify the relationship between land use and dynamic population
over the course of a typical week. A machine learning classification algorithm
is used to identify clusters of locations with similar zoned uses and mobile
phone activity patterns. It is shown that the mobile phone data is capable of
delivering useful information on actual land use that supplements zoning
regulations.Comment: To be presented at ACM UrbComp201
QCD ghost dark energy cannot (even roughly) explain the main features of the accepted cosmological paradigm
We explore the whole phase space of the so called Veneziano/QCD ghost dark
energy models where the dynamics of the inner trapping horizon is ignored and
also the more realistic models where the time-dependence of the horizon is
taken into consideration. We pay special attention to the choice of phase space
variables leading to bounded and compact phase space so that no critical point
of physical interest is missing. It is demonstrated that ghost dark energy is
not a suitable candidate to explain the presently accepted cosmological
paradigm since no critical point associated with matter dominance is found in
the physical phase space of the model. A transient stage of matter dominance --
responsible for the observed amount of cosmic structure -- is an essential
ingredient of the accepted cosmological paradigm. The above drawback is in
addition to the well known problem with classical instability against small
perturbations of the background density originated from negativity of the sound
speed squared.Comment: 12 pages, 3 eps figures. Remarks on phase space analysis
substantially improved. Minor corrections to the text and title. This version
matches the one published in PR
Algorithms for Del Pezzo Surfaces of Degree 5 (Construction, Parametrization)
It is well known that every Del Pezzo surface of degree 5 defined over k is
parametrizable over k. In this paper we give an efficient construction for
parametrizing, as well as algorithms for constructing examples in every
isomorphism class and for deciding equivalence.Comment: 15 page
An Educational Module on the Benefits of Telehealth Assisted Preanesthetic Evaluations
Title An Educational Module on the Benefits of Telehealth Assisted Preanesthetic Evaluations Impact Statement Healthcare systems are always seeking new ways to increase efficiency, save on costs, and provide quality care for their patients. The use of telehealth in the preanesthesia setting is a tool that can help to further improve a healthcare systemâs ability to achieve these goals. This project will be a step towards determining the support for and viability of telehealth utilization in the preanesthesia setting. Background/Purpose/Question Surgery cancellations are a significant problem with the potential for far-reaching consequences. Unexpected day-of-surgery cancellations can be costly to both the patient and the health care team. Telemedicine and telehealth are readily available tools for overcoming obstacles to accessing health care. Their use can improve patient outcomes, primarily by reducing the transportation time and costs and increasing the access to physicians. However, there is relatively little data on provider attitudes on the use of telemedicine to reduce cancellations and surgical delays. This project aims to answer: Among anesthesia providers (P), is an educational module designed to improve knowledge of the effectiveness of telehealth-assisted PAE (I), when compared to face-to-face preoperative assessment (C), effective in increasing provider knowledge (O) that leads to an improvement in the quality of patient care, the experience of the patient, its effect on staff, productivity, and cost-savings potential? Methods/Evidence Search Using the keywords listed under âEligibility Criteria,â a search was conducted on CINAHL. Non-English, non-peer-reviewed articles were eliminated from the search, as well as articles older than 10 years. The same steps were taken with PubMed and Google Scholar. A total of 152 articles were found as potential evidence sources. Sources meeting criteria based on title were 44. Sources meeting criteria based on abstract were 13. Finally, sources meeting criteria based on full text were 8: a systematic literature review, a prospective randomized trial, a case-controlled study, a quasi-experimental study, a retrospective study, 2 descriptive studies, and a mixed methods approach. A total of 7 of the studies were performed in the United Sates while 1 was done in Australia. Synthesis of Literature/Results/Discussion A systematic literature review was conducted by Schoen and Prater. The results of their systematic review found that PAE can be successfully performed using telehealth and that patients also reported satisfaction with utilization of telehealth when performing PAE. For this project, the pre-test and post-test assessed if the educational module enhanced the participants attitude and perception of the use of telehealth during the PAE. The results show that after an educational module was shown, perception of the technology improved. Future research should focus on creating experiments with larger sample sizes and implementing the technology to see what real-world benefits the technology can offer. Conclusions/Recommendations for Practice 4 Telehealth is an increasingly relevant topic in the healthcare industry. It can provide many benefits to both the provider and the consumer. The project shows that presenting the topic and educating providers about the topic can make them more open to using the technology in their practice. Information gained from this project can be used to determine the feasibility of implementing this technology at health care facility where anesthesia providers practice
Topological susceptibility and Instanton size distribution from over-improved cooling
We measure the topological susceptibility by cooling with an over-improved
action. In contrast with usual cooling, large instantons survive over-improved
cooling {\em indefinitely}. By varying the parameter of the over-improved
cooling action, we measure the instanton size distribution.Comment: 4 uuencoded PostScript pages, contribution to LAT95 (fig.2 simplified
to conserve space; available upon request
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