Can the science of Prosocial be a part of evolution education?

We provide a brief overview of Prosocial: Using Evolutionary Science to Build Productive, Equitable, and Collaborative Groups by Paul Atkins, David Sloan Wilson, and Steven Hayes. The book offers a range of promising content for evolution education, and yet also highlights core conceptual challenges in modern evolution science discourse that educators and researchers aiming to improve evolution education may find beneficial to strategically engage with as a scientific community. We discuss these challenges and opportunities with a view towards implications for evolution education research and practice

Conceptual clarification of evolution as an interdisciplinary science

Evolutionary theory in the 21st century has been embraced, albeit with varying degrees of controversy and consensus, across wide ranging disciplines. From biology and anthropology, to medicine, psychology, economics, sustainability science, computer science, and many more, core concepts of heritable variation and selection have been utilized by scientists across academia to understand change in the natural and social world. This article aims to provide evolution educators with a short review of current discourse in evolution science and a conceptual clarification of core concepts in evolutionary theory, in the service of promoting deeper and transferable understanding of these concepts in evolution education

Ground state and finite temperature signatures of quantum phase transitions in the half-filled Hubbard model on a honeycomb lattice

We investigate ground state and finite temperature properties of the half-filled Hubbard model on a honeycomb lattice using quantum monte carlo and series expansion techniques. Unlike the square lattice, for which magnetic order exists at T=0 for any non-zero $U$, the honeycomb lattice is known to have a semi-metal phase at small $U$ and an antiferromagnetic one at large $U$. We investigate the phase transition at T=0 by studying the magnetic structure$and compressibility using quantum monte carlo simulations and by calculating the sublattice magnetization, uniform susceptibility, spin-wave and single hole ordered phase. Our results are consistent with a single continuous transition at$U_c/t$in the range 4-5. Finite temperature signatures of this phase transition are seen in the behavior of the specific heat,$C(T)$, which changes from a two-peaked structure for$U>U_c$to a one-peaked structure for$U < U_c$. Furthermore, the$U$dependence of the low temperature coefficient of$C(T)$exhibits an anomaly at$U \approx U_c$.Comment: 11 pages, 19 figure

Estudo da regeneração florestal de uma área de caíva com extração de erva-mate e pastejo animal no Planalto Norte Catarinense.

Caívas são remanescentes de florestas nativas com diferentes níveis de adensamento florestal, cujos estratos herbáceos são compostos por pastagens nativas, extensivamente pastejadas. Essas áreas de caívas, ainda que em diferentes estágios sucessionais, são importantes referências ambientais para diversas espécies da fauna e da flora local e ocupam, aproximadamente 13% da área do Planalto Norte Catarinense. Por serem áreas antropizadas, sua manutenção depende, em grande parte, do potencial de regeneração das espécies florestais presentes. Este trabalho teve por objetivo realizar o levantamento fitossociológico da regeneração de uma caíva, com área total de 10 ha, que vem sendo utilizada para extração de erva-mate nativa e pastejo animal há mais de 60 anos. O levantamento foi realizado em novembro e dezembro de 2010, em uma área experimental de 4.320 m2 demarcada dentro da caíva, onde foram alocadas 27 parcelas amostrais de 144m² cada. Todos os indivíduos arbustivos inferiores a 50 cm de altura, presentes nas parcelas, foram medidos e identificados. A identificação taxonômica foi realizada em campo com o apoio de um mateiro com experiência. A ordenação das famílias e gêneros foi baseada no APG III e a nomenclatura das espécies foi verificada nos arquivos on-line de Missouri Botanical Garden. Para análise fitossociológica foram realizadas as análises de frequência e dominância, absoluta e relativa. As plântulas foram agrupadas por altura, nos níveis de 0-10; 11-20; 21-40 e >41 cm. Na ordenação por altura, a maior concentração de plântulas ocorreu no extrato de 21-40 cm, sendo que foram encontradas 52% das plântulas neste extrato. Dentre as 1.641 plântulas amostradas foram identificadas 31 espécies, 19 famílias e 29 gêneros botânicos. Das espécies com maior densidade destacaram-se Zanthoxylum sp. (mamica de cadela), Allophylus edulis (vacum), Myrcia sp. (guamirim), Ilex microdonta Reissek (congonha), Mosiera prismatica (cerninho). Com relação à freqüência, as espécies que mais se destacaram foram: Zanthoxylum sp. (mamica de cadela), Allophylus edulis (vacum), Myrcia sp. (guamirim), Ilex microdonta Reissek (congonha), Ocotea sp. (canela). A quantidade e diversidade de espécies das plântulas levantadas na área amostral indicam que o processo de regeneração das áreas de caíva é intenso e atende a demanda para manutenção das características das caívas da região

Clozapine and olanzapine, but not haloperidol, suppress serotonin efflux in the medial prefrontal cortex elicited by phencyclidine and ketamine

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists such as phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine can evoke psychotic symptoms in normal individuals and schizophrenic patients. Here, we have examined the effects of PCP (5 mg/kg) and ketamine (25 mg/kg) on the efflux of serotonin (5-HT) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and their possible blockade by the antipsychotics, clozapine, olanzapine and haloperidol, as well as ritanserin (5-HT2A/2C receptor antagonist) and prazosin (alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist). The systemic administration, but not the local perfusion, of the two NMDA receptor antagonists markedly increased the efflux of 5-HT in the mPFC. The atypical antipsychotics clozapine (1 mg/kg) and olanzapine (1 mg/kg), and prazosin (0.3 mg/kg), but not the classical antipsychotic haloperidol (1 mg/kg), reversed the PCP- and ketamine-induced increase in 5-HT efflux. Ritanserin (5 mg/kg) was able to reverse only the effect of PCP. These findings indicate that an increased serotonergic transmission in the mPFC is a functional consequence of NMDA receptor hypofunction and this effect is blocked by atypical antipsychotic drugs.Peer reviewe