How strength asymmetries shape multi-sided conflicts

Governments and multilateral organisations often attempt to influence multi-sided violent conflicts by supporting or undermining one of the conflicting parties. We investigate the (intended and unintended) consequences of strengthening or weakening an agent in a multi-sided conflict. Using a conflict network based on Franke and Öztürk (J Public Econ 126:104–113, 2015), we study how changing the strength of otherwise symmetric agents creates knock-on effects throughout the network. Increasing or decreasing an agent’s strength has the same unintended consequences. Changes in the strength of an agent induce a relocation of conflict investments: Distant conflicts are carried out more fiercely. In line with previous results, asymmetry reduces aggregate conflict investments. In the case of bipartite networks, with two conflicting tacit groups with aligned interests, agents in the group of the (now) strong or weak agent face more intense conflicts. Furthermore, in conflicts where the (now strong or weak) agent is not involved, the probabilities of winning remain unchanged compared to the symmetric case.</p

Prosocial behavior among human workers in robot-augmented production teams : a field-in-the-lab experiment

Human-machine interaction has raised a lot of interest in various academic disciplines, but it is still unclear how human-human interaction is affected when robots join the team. Robotics has already been integral to manufacturing since the 1970s. With the integration of AI, however, they are increasingly working alongside humans in shared spaces. We conducted an experiment in a learning factory to investigate how a change from a human-human work context to a hybrid human-robot work context affects participants\u27 valuation of their production output as well as their pro-sociality among each other. Learning factories are learning, teaching, and research environments in engineering university departments. These factory environments allow control over the production environment and incentives for participants. Our experiment suggests that the robot\u27s presence increases sharing behavior among human workers, but there is no evidence that rewards earned from production are valued differently. We discuss the implications of this approach for future studies on human-machine interaction

A storage and access architecture for efficient query processing in spatial database systems

Due to the high complexity of objects and queries and also due to extremely large data volumes, geographic database systems impose stringent requirements on their storage and access architecture with respect to efficient query processing. Performance improving concepts such as spatial storage and access structures, approximations, object decompositions and multi-phase query processing have been suggested and analyzed as single building blocks. In this paper, we describe a storage and access architecture which is composed from the above building blocks in a modular fashion. Additionally, we incorporate into our architecture a new ingredient, the scene organization, for efficiently supporting set-oriented access of large-area region queries. An experimental performance comparison demonstrates that the concept of scene organization leads to considerable performance improvements for large-area region queries by a factor of up to 150

Longitudinal Study of Primary HIV-1 Isolates in Drug-Naïve Individuals Reveals the Emergence of Variants Sensitive to Anti-HIV-1 Monoclonal Antibodies

To study how virus evolution affects neutralization sensitivity and to determine changes that occur in and around epitopes, we tested the ability of 13 anti-HIV-1 gp120 (anti-V2, anti-V3, anti-CD4bd and anti-carbohydrate) human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to neutralize sequential viruses obtained from five HIV-1 chronically infected drug naïve individuals. Overall, primary viruses collected from patients at first visit were resistant to neutralization by all anti-HIV-1 mAbs with the exception of one virus sensitive to IgG1b12. Four of the five patients' viruses evolved increased sensitivity to neutralization by anti-V3 mAbs. Virus collected from a patient obtained 31 months later, evolved increased sensitivity to anti-V2, anti-V3, and anti-CD4bd mAbs. Furthermore, the anti-V2 and anti-CD4bd mAbs also exhibited increased neutralization capacities against virus collected from a patient 29 months later. Of the seven anti-V3 mAbs, five showed increased potency to neutralize the evolved virus from a patient collected after 11 months, and three exhibited increased potency against viruses from two patients collected 29 and 36 months later. Anti-V3 mAbs exhibited the most breadth and potency in neutralizing the evolving viruses. Sequence analysis of the envelope regions revealed amino acid conservation within the V3 loop, while most of the changes identified occurred outside the core epitopes and in particular within the C3 region; these may account for increased neutralization sensitivity. These studies demonstrate that in vivo, HIV-1 can evolve increased neutralization sensitivity to mAbs and that the spectrum of neutralization capacities by mAbs can be broader when studied in longitudinal analysis

UV (IUE) spectra of the central stars of high latitude planetary nebulae Hb7 and Sp3

We present an analysis of the UV (IUE) spectra of the central stars of Hb7 and Sp3. Comparison with the IUE spectrum of the standard star HD 93205 leads to a spectral classification of O3V for these stars, with an effective temperature of 50,000 K. From the P-Cygni profiles of CIV (1550 A), we derive stellar wind velocities and mass loss rates of -1317 km/s +/- 300 km/s and 2.9X10^{-8} solar mass yr^{-1} and -1603 km/s +/- 400 km/s and 7X10^{-9} solar mass yr^{-1} for Hb7 and Sp3 respectively. From all the available data, we reconstruct the spectral energy distribution of Hb7 and Sp3.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, latex, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Don't Fear the Robots: Automatability and Job Satisfaction

We analyse the correlation between job satisfaction and automatability - the degree to which an occupation can be or is at risk of being replaced by computerised equipment. Using multiple survey datasets matched with various measures of automatability from the literature, we find that there is a negative and statistically significant correlation that is robust to controlling for worker and job characteristics. Depending on the dataset, a one standard deviation increase in automatability leads to a drop in job satisfaction of about 0.73% to 1.85% for the average worker. Unlike other studies, we provide evidence that it is not the fear of losing the job that mainly drives this result, but the fact that monotonicity and low perceived meaning of the job drive both automatability as well as low job satisfaction

First Ecological Characterization of Whip Black Coral Assemblages (Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) in the Easter Island Ecoregion, Southeastern Pacific

One of the main priorities of marine scientific research is to provide practical information and guidance for biodiversity conservation and management. In this context, the identification of key and fragile habitat-forming species is particularly important. Despite their ecological importance, whip corals in the order Antipatharia remain poorly studied around the world, and especially in the South Pacific. During recent expeditions to explore mesophotic and deep benthic habitats around Rapa Nui (Easter Island), dense assemblages of whip black corals were observed in situ. We here report the first detailed description of the distribution and abundance of these black coral assemblages and their associated fauna and habitat. These descriptions were based on analysis of video surveys collected on 67 remotely operated vehicle dives conducted in 2014 through 2019 at three sites (Pukao seamount, Apolo peak, and Rapa Nui Island shelf and slope) within the Easter Island Ecoregion at depths between 50 and 330 m. At least four morphotypes (yellow, red, white/orange, and Pukao) of unbranched black corals were detected. Each morphotype had polyps arranged in a single row on only one side of the corallum, a diagnostic morphological character currently assigned to the antipatharian genus Stichopathes. Samples of the yellow and red morphotypes were collected and studied using morphological and molecular techniques. These analyses indicate that the genus Stichopathes is not monophyletic and requires further revisions, a conclusion that is consistent with previous studies. Extensive fields of whip black corals, primarily of the yellow and red morphotype, were present at 28 sites from 60 to 245 m on rocky substrates, coarse sand, or rhodoliths. Densities of these assemblages per frame were up to 58.2 ± 5.2 colonies m–2 (average: 13.2 ± 0.8), which represent some of the highest reported densities for black corals to date. Numerous faunal groups, including ophiuroids, echinoids, and fishes, were associated with these whip black coral assemblages. Our observations should be considered in future management and conservation efforts around Rapa Nui, where a multi-use marine protected area was established in 2018, as well as in adjacent international waters that remain unprotected but likely harbor similar assemblages

Generalising Conflict Networks

We investigate the behaviour of agents in bilateral contests within arbitrary network structures when valuations and efficiencies are heterogenous. These parameters are interpreted as measures of strength. We provide conditions for when unique, pure strategy equilibria exist. When a player starts attacking one player more strongly, others join in on fighting the victim. Different efficiencies in fighting make players fight those of similar strength. Centrality of a player (having more enemies) makes a player weaker and her opponents are more likely to attack with more effort

Kinematic and morphological modeling of the bipolar nebula Sa2-237

We present [OIII]500.7nm and Halpha+[NII] images and long-slit, high resolution echelle spectra in the same spectral regions of Sa2--237, a possible bipolar planetary nebula. The image shows a bipolar nebula of about 34" extent, with a narrow waist, and showing strong point symmetry about the central object, indicating it's likely binary nature. The long slit spectra were taken over the long axis of the nebula, and show a distinct ``eight'' shaped pattern in the velocity--space plot, and a maximum projected outflow velocity of V=106km/s, both typical of expanding bipolar planetary nebulae. By model fitting the shape and spectrum of the nebula simultaneously, we derive the inclination of the long axis to be 70 degrees, and the maximum space velocity of expansion to be 308 km/s. Due to asymmetries in the velocities we adopt a new value for the system's heliocentric radial velocity of -30km/s. We use the IRAS and 21cm radio fluxes, the energy distribution, and the projected size of Sa2-237 to estimate it's distance to be 2.1+-0.37kpc. At this distance Sa2-237 has a luminosity of 340 Lsun, a size of 0.37pc, and -- assuming constant expansion velocity -- a nebular age of 624 years. The above radial velocity and distance place Sa2--237 in the disk of the Galaxy at z=255pc, albeit with somewhat peculiar kinematics.Comment: 10pp, 4 fig