13 research outputs found
More is the Same; Phase Transitions and Mean Field Theories
This paper looks at the early theory of phase transitions. It considers a
group of related concepts derived from condensed matter and statistical
physics. The key technical ideas here go under the names of "singularity",
"order parameter", "mean field theory", and "variational method".
In a less technical vein, the question here is how can matter, ordinary
matter, support a diversity of forms. We see this diversity each time we
observe ice in contact with liquid water or see water vapor, "steam", come up
from a pot of heated water. Different phases can be qualitatively different in
that walking on ice is well within human capacity, but walking on liquid water
is proverbially forbidden to ordinary humans. These differences have been
apparent to humankind for millennia, but only brought within the domain of
scientific understanding since the 1880s.
A phase transition is a change from one behavior to another. A first order
phase transition involves a discontinuous jump in a some statistical variable
of the system. The discontinuous property is called the order parameter. Each
phase transitions has its own order parameter that range over a tremendous
variety of physical properties. These properties include the density of a
liquid gas transition, the magnetization in a ferromagnet, the size of a
connected cluster in a percolation transition, and a condensate wave function
in a superfluid or superconductor. A continuous transition occurs when that
jump approaches zero. This note is about statistical mechanics and the
development of mean field theory as a basis for a partial understanding of this
phenomenon.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
Adaptive radiation, correlated and contingent evolution, and net species diversification in Bromeliaceae
Integrated analysis of environmental and genetic influences on cord blood DNA methylation in new-borns
Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation (DNAm), are among the mechanisms allowing integration of genetic and environmental factors to shape cellular function. While many studies have investigated either environmental or genetic contributions to DNAm, few have assessed their integrated effects. Here we examine the relative contributions of prenatal environmental factors and genotype on DNA methylation in neonatal blood at variably methylated regions (VMRs) in 4 independent cohorts (overall n = 2365). We use Akaike’s information criterion to test which factors best explain variability of methylation in the cohort-specific VMRs: several prenatal environmental factors (E), genotypes in cis (G), or their additive (G + E) or interaction (GxE) effects. Genetic and environmental factors in combination best explain DNAm at the majority of VMRs. The CpGs best explained by either G, G + E or GxE are functionally distinct. The enrichment of genetic variants from GxE models in GWAS for complex disorders supports their importance for disease risk
Adaptive radiation, correlated and contingent evolution, and net species diversification in Bromeliaceae
We present an integrative model predicting associations among epiphytism, the tank habit, entangling seeds, C3 vs. CAM photosynthesis, avian pollinators, life in fertile, moist montane habitats, and net rates of species diversification in the monocot family Bromeliaceae. We test these predictions by relating evolutionary shifts in form, physiology, and ecology to time and ancestral distributions, quantifying patterns of correlated and contingent evolution among pairs of traits and analyzing the apparent impact of individual traits on rates of net species diversification and geographic expansion beyond the ancestral Guayana Shield. All predicted patterns of correlated evolution were significant, and the temporal and spatial associations of phenotypic shifts with orogenies generally accorded with predictions. Net rates of species diversification were most closely coupled to life in fertile, moist, geographically extensive cordilleras, with additional significant ties to epiphytism, avian pollination, and the tank habit. The highest rates of net diversification were seen in the bromelioid tank-epiphytic clade (Dcrown = 1.05 My−1), associated primarily with the Serra do Mar and nearby ranges of coastal Brazil, and in the core tillandsioids (Dcrown = 0.67 My−1), associated primarily with the Andes and Central America. Six large-scale adaptive radiations and accompanying pulses of speciation account for 86% of total species richness in the family. This study is among the first to test a priori hypotheses about the relationships among phylogeny, phenotypic evolution, geographic spread, and net species diversification, and to argue for causality to flow from functional diversity to spatial expansion to species diversity
The Rose and the Stag. An American Orthodox Converstation on Modernity, Science, and Biblical Interpretation
Social Policy for Sport Events: Leveraging (Relationships with) Teams from Other Nations for Community Benefit
Recent work on sport events has argued that host governments should do
more to leverage events in order to obtain and spread the benefits. This study uses
ethnographic methods to compare two cities’ implementation of a programme designed
to leverage the presence of visiting teams training for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Whereas one city formulated and implemented a detailed strategic plan to obtain
benefits from its relationship with its adopted visiting team (Papua New Guinea), the
other made no effort to benefit from adopting a visiting team (Wales). The city that
leveraged its visiting team obtained new relationships, cultural insights, and improved
organisational networks, whereas the city that did not leverage obtained no comparable
benefits. The difference was due to the disparity in strategic vision by the two city
governments and the vague mandate of the state programme which had caused each
city to adopt its chosen team. Future work should explore factors that foster and that
inhibit effective leverage before and during sport events