Evidence of strategic periodicities in collective conflict dynamics

We analyze the timescales of conflict decision-making in a primate society. We present evidence for multiple, periodic timescales associated with social decision-making and behavioral patterns. We demonstrate the existence of periodicities that are not directly coupled to environmental cycles or known ultraridian mechanisms. Among specific biological and socially-defined demographic classes, periodicities span timescales between hours and days, and many are not driven by exogenous or internal regularities. Our results indicate that they are instead driven by strategic responses to social interaction patterns. Analyses also reveal that a class of individuals, playing a critical functional role, policing, have a signature timescale on the order of one hour. We propose a classification of behavioral timescales analogous to those of the nervous system, with high-frequency, or $\alpha$-scale, behavior occurring on hour-long scales, through to multi-hour, or $\beta$-scale, behavior, and, finally $\gamma$ periodicities observed on a timescale of days.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Journal of the Royal Society Interfac

Inductive Game Theory and the Dynamics of Animal Conflict

Conflict destabilizes social interactions and impedes cooperation at multiple scales of biological organization. Of fundamental interest are the causes of turbulent periods of conflict. We analyze conflict dynamics in an monkey society model system. We develop a technique, Inductive Game Theory, to extract directly from time-series data the decision-making strategies used by individuals and groups. This technique uses Monte Carlo simulation to test alternative causal models of conflict dynamics. We find individuals base their decision to fight on memory of social factors, not on short timescale ecological resource competition. Furthermore, the social assessments on which these decisions are based are triadic (self in relation to another pair of individuals), not pairwise. We show that this triadic decision making causes long conflict cascades and that there is a high population cost of the large fights associated with these cascades. These results suggest that individual agency has been over-emphasized in the social evolution of complex aggregates, and that pair-wise formalisms are inadequate. An appreciation of the empirical foundations of the collective dynamics of conflict is a crucial step towards its effective management

High resolution imaging of the anomalous flux-ratio gravitational lens system CLASS B2045+265: Dark or luminous satellites?

The existence of flux-ratio anomalies between fold and cusp images in galaxy-scale strong-lens systems has led to an interpretation based on the presence of a high mass-fraction of cold-dark-matter (CDM) substructures around galaxies, as predicted by numerical N-body simulations. The flux-ratio anomaly is particularly evident in the radio-loud quadruple gravitational lens system CLASS B2045+265. In this paper, new high-resolution radio, optical, and infrared imaging of B2045+265 is presented which sheds more light on this anomaly and its possible causes. First, deep Very Long Baseline Array observations show very compact images, possibly with a hint of a jet, but with no evidence for differential scattering or scatter broadening. Second, optical and infrared observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and through Adaptive-Optics imaging with the W. M. Keck Telescope, show a previously undiscovered object -- interpreted as a (tidally disrupted) dwarf satellite based on its colours and slight extension -- between the main lens galaxy and the three anomalous flux-ratio images. Third, colour variations in the early-type lens galaxy indicate recent star-formation, possibly the result of secondary infall of gas-rich satellites. A population of such galaxies around the lens system could explain the previously discovered strong [O II] emission. However, spiral structure and/or normal star formation in the lens galaxy cannot be excluded. In light of these new data, we propose a lens model for the system, including the observed dwarf satellite, which reproduces all positional and flux-ratio constraints, without the need for additional CDM substructure. [abridged]Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Redetermination of despujolsite, Ca3Mn4+(SO4)2(OH)6·3H2O

The crystal structure of despujolsite [tricalcium manganese bis­(sulfate) hexahydroxide tri­hydrate], the Ca/Mn member of the fleischerite group, ideally Ca3Mn4+(SO4)2(OH)6·3H2O, was previously determined based on X-ray diffraction intensity data from photographs, without H-atom positions located [Gaudefroy et al. (1968 ▶). Bull. Soc. Fr. Minéral. Crystallogr. 91, 43–50]. The current study redetermines the structure of despujolsite from a natural specimen, with all H atoms located and with higher precision. The structure of despujolsite is characterized by layers of CaO8 polyhedra (m.. symmetry) inter­connected by Mn(OH)6 octa­hedra (32. symmetry) and SO4 tetra­hedra (3.. symmetry) along [001]. The average Ca—O, Mn—O and S—O bond lengths are 2.489, 1.915, and 1.472 Å, respectively. There are two distinct hydrogen bonds that stabilize the structural set-up. This work represents the first description of hydrogen bonds in the fleischerite group of minerals

p-Tolyl 2-O-benzoyl-3-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzyl­idene-1-thio-α-l-idopyran­oside

The title compound, C34H32O6S, is an ido-configured thio­glycoside building block for heparan sulfate fragments. It contains disordered tolyl and O-benzyl groups with occupancy ratios of 0.539 (13):0.461 (13) and 0.613 (13):0.387 (13), respectively, as determined from a weakly diffracting crystal. The fused rings adopt chair conformations with the mol­ecules packing into a three-dimensional network via C—H⋯O and three C—H⋯π inter­actions. The former inter­actions, occuring between mol­ecules related by a twofold axis, define an R 2 2(26) motif

Ethyl 1-O-tert-butyl­dimethyl­silyl-2,3-O-isopropyl­idene-5-[(2′S)-tetra­hydro­pyran-2-yl­oxy]-d-glycero-α-d-manno-hepto­furonate

The title compound {systematic name: (2S,3R)-ethyl 3-[(3aS,4R,6S,6aS)-6-tert-butyl­dimethyl­silyl­oxy-2,2-dimethyl­per­hydro­furo[3,4-d][1,3]dioxol-4-yl]-2-nitro-3-[(S)-tetra­hydro-2H-pyran-2-yl­oxy]propanoate}, C23H41NO10Si, is the product of the Henry reaction of 1-O-tert-butyl­dimethyl­silyl-2,3-O-isopropyl­idene-α-d-lyxo-penta­dialdo-1,4-furan­ose with ethyl nitro­acetate and the subsequent protection of its C-5 hydr­oxy group as tetra­hydro­pyranyl, in order to avoid the retro-Henry reaction. The tetra­hydro­pyranyl group adopts a chair conformation. The absolute configuration, assumed from the synthesis, was confirmed from the diffraction data

5α,6α-Ep­oxy-7-norcholestan-3β-yl acetate

The title cholestan, C28H46O3, was prepared by epoxidation of 7-norcholest-5-en-3β-yl acetate and crystallized by slow evaporation from an ethano­lic solution. All rings are trans fused. The 3β-acetate and the 17β-cholestane side chain are in equatorial positions. The mol­ecule is highly twisted due to its B-nor characteristic. A quantum chemical ab-initio Roothaan Hartree–Fock calculation of the equilibrium geometry of the isolated mol­ecule gives values for bond lengths and valency angles in close agreement with the experimental ones

Why Are Male Social Relationships Complex in the Doubtful Sound Bottlenose Dolphin Population?

Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Probing New Physics Models of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay with SuperNEMO

The possibility to probe new physics scenarios of light Majorana neutrino exchange and right-handed currents at the planned next generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiment SuperNEMO is discussed. Its ability to study different isotopes and track the outgoing electrons provides the means to discriminate different underlying mechanisms for the neutrinoless double beta decay by measuring the decay half-life and the electron angular and energy distributions.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, to be published in E.P.J.