63 research outputs found
Supergravity Solutions from Floating Branes
We solve the equations of motion of five-dimensional ungauged supergravity
coupled to three U(1) gauge fields using a floating-brane Ansatz in which the
electric potentials are directly related to the gravitational warp factors. We
find a new class of non-BPS solutions, that can be obtained linearly starting
from an Euclidean four-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell base. This class - the
largest known so far - reduces to the BPS and almost-BPS solutions in certain
limits. We solve the equations explicitly when the base space is given by the
Israel-Wilson metric, and obtain solutions describing non-BPS D6 and anti-D6
branes kept in equilibrium by flux. We also examine the action of spectral flow
on solutions with an Israel-Wilson base and show that it relates these
solutions to almost-BPS solutions with a Gibbons-Hawking base.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figur
Stochastic Reaction-diffusion Equations Driven by Jump Processes
We establish the existence of weak martingale solutions to a class of second
order parabolic stochastic partial differential equations. The equations are
driven by multiplicative jump type noise, with a non-Lipschitz multiplicative
functional. The drift in the equations contains a dissipative nonlinearity of
polynomial growth.Comment: See journal reference for teh final published versio
The Genomic Signature of Crop-Wild Introgression in Maize
The evolutionary significance of hybridization and subsequent introgression
has long been appreciated, but evaluation of the genome-wide effects of these
phenomena has only recently become possible. Crop-wild study systems represent
ideal opportunities to examine evolution through hybridization. For example,
maize and the conspecific wild teosinte Zea mays ssp. mexicana, (hereafter,
mexicana) are known to hybridize in the fields of highland Mexico. Despite
widespread evidence of gene flow, maize and mexicana maintain distinct
morphologies and have done so in sympatry for thousands of years. Neither the
genomic extent nor the evolutionary importance of introgression between these
taxa is understood. In this study we assessed patterns of genome-wide
introgression based on 39,029 single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped in 189
individuals from nine sympatric maize-mexicana populations and reference
allopatric populations. While portions of the maize and mexicana genomes were
particularly resistant to introgression (notably near known
cross-incompatibility and domestication loci), we detected widespread evidence
for introgression in both directions of gene flow. Through further
characterization of these regions and preliminary growth chamber experiments,
we found evidence suggestive of the incorporation of adaptive mexicana alleles
into maize during its expansion to the highlands of central Mexico. In
contrast, very little evidence was found for adaptive introgression from maize
to mexicana. The methods we have applied here can be replicated widely, and
such analyses have the potential to greatly informing our understanding of
evolution through introgressive hybridization. Crop species, due to their
exceptional genomic resources and frequent histories of spread into sympatry
with relatives, should be particularly influential in these studies
Natural disasters and indicators of social cohesion
Do adversarial environmental conditions create social cohesion? We provide new answers to this question by exploiting spatial and temporal variation in exposure to earthquakes across Chile. Using a variety of methods and controlling for a number of socio-economic variables, we find that exposure to earthquakes has a positive effect on several indicators of social cohesion. Social cohesion increases after a big earthquake and slowly erodes in periods where environmental conditions are less adverse. Our results contribute to the current debate on whether and how environmental conditions shape formal and informal institutions
Performance in Physical Education and Health Impairment 30 Years Later—A Community Based Cohort Study
Objective: A main purpose of physical education (PE) in school is to promote future health. However, there is very limited evidence of the effects of PE on the adult health. We hypothesized that a low performance in PE was associated with an increased risk of health impairment by middle age. Methods: We performed a cohort study in a community-based setting in Sweden spanning over three decades. We followed up on 1712 of 2225 students (76.9%) who in 1974–1976 graduated with a grade in PE after 9 years of education (mean subject age 16 years). The grade in PE (compulsory subject) was retrieved from municipal archives. We defined three proxies for health impairment: total number of visits to primary care physicians in 2003–2007, having been hospitalized 2003–2007, and total number of days with sick leave in 2004–2007. Using binomial regression models, we adjusted the risk estimates for level of education and occupation. Subjects with an average grade in PE served as reference category. Results: In both the crude and adjusted model, women with a low grade in PE had more physician visits (adjusted IRR 1.30, 95 % confidence interval 1.06–1.60) and an increased number of days with sick leave (adjusted IRR 1.44, 1.05–1.95). An increased, although not significant, risk was also observed for having received in-patient care (adjusted RR 1.26; 0.88–1.80). No significant results or similar pattern were observed in men. Conclusion: Women with a low grade in PE in adolescence seem to have an increased risk of health impairment by middl
Sedentary behavior among Spanish children and adolescents: findings from the ANIBES study
Background: An increase of sedentary behaviors far from the Mediterranean lifestyle is happening in spite of the
impact on health. The aims of this study were to describe sedentary behaviors in children and adolescents.
Methods: A representative sample of 424 Spanish children and adolescents (38% females) involved in the ANIBES
study was analyzed regarding their sedentary behaviors, together with the availability of televisions, computers, and
consoles by means of the HELENA sedentary behavior questionnaire.
Results: For the total sample of children, 49.3% during weekdays and 84% during weekends did not meet the
recommendation of less than 2 hours of screen viewing per day. The use of TV was higher during weekdays
(p < 0.05) and there were significant differences between adolescents and children (16.9 vs. 25.1%, p < 0.05). The use
of computer, console games and of internet for non-study reasons was higher during weekends (p < 0.001).
Adolescents played more computer games and used more internet for non-study reasons than children during
both weekdays and weekends (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). The use of internet for academic reasons was
lower in children (p < 0.001) than adolescents during weekends; however, no significant differences were found
between sexes. In addition, more than 30% of the children and adolescents had at least one electronic device in
their bedrooms.
Conclusions: Spanish children and adolescents are not meeting the recommendations regarding the maximum of
screen viewing (<2 h/day), especially during the weekend, for all of sedentary behaviors. Urgent strategies and
intervention studies are needed to reduce sedentary behavior in young people.The ANIBES study was financially supported by a grant from Coca-Cola Iberia
through an agreement with the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN). The
funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study, in the collection,
analyses, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript, and
in the decision to publish the results
The interpretations and uses of fitness landscapes in the social sciences
__Abstract__
This working paper precedes our full article entitled “The evolution of Wright’s (1932) adaptive field to contemporary interpretations and uses of fitness landscapes in the social sciences” as published in the journal Biology & Philosophy (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10539-014-9450-2). The working paper features an extended literature overview of the ways in which fitness landscapes have been interpreted and used in the social sciences, for which there was not enough space in the full article. The article features an in-depth philosophical discussion about the added value of the various ways in which fitness landscapes are used in the social sciences. This discussion is absent in the current working paper. Th
Gender and grade differences in objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns among Japanese children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study
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