518 research outputs found
The role of neighbours selection on cohesion and order of swarms
We introduce a multi-agent model for exploring how selection of neighbours
determines some aspects of order and cohesion in swarms. The model algorithm
states that every agents' motion seeks for an optimal distance from the nearest
topological neighbour encompassed in a limited attention field. Despite the
great simplicity of the implementation, varying the amplitude of the attention
landscape, swarms pass from cohesive and regular structures towards fragmented
and irregular configurations. Interestingly, this movement rule is an ideal
candidate for implementing the selfish herd hypothesis which explains
aggregation of alarmed group of social animals.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, Plos One, May 201
Speciational view of macroevolution: are micro and macroevolution decoupled?
We introduce a simple computational model that, with a microscopic dynamics
driven by natural selection and mutation alone, allows the description of true
speciation events. A statistical analysis of the so generated evolutionary tree
captures realistic features showing power laws for frequency distributions in
time and size. Albeit these successful predictions, the difficulty in obtaining
punctuated dynamics with mass extinctions suggests the necessity of decoupling
micro and macro-evolutionary mechanisms in agreement with some ideas of Gould's
and Eldredge's theory of punctuated equilibrium.Comment: Europhys. Lett. 75:342--34
Conventions spreading in open-ended systems
We introduce a simple open-ended model that describes the emergence of a
shared vocabulary. The ordering transition toward consensus is generated only
by an agreement mechanism. This interaction defines a finite and small number
of states, despite each individual having the ability to invent an unlimited
number of new words. The existence of a phase transition is studied by
analyzing the convergence times, the cognitive efforts of the agents and the
scaling behavior in memory and timeComment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Analysis of a spatial Lotka-Volterra model with a finite range predator-prey interaction
We perform an analysis of a recent spatial version of the classical
Lotka-Volterra model, where a finite scale controls individuals' interaction.
We study the behavior of the predator-prey dynamics in physical spaces higher
than one, showing how spatial patterns can emerge for some values of the
interaction range and of the diffusion parameter.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Comment on "Universal and accessible entropy estimation using a compression algorithm"
In a recent Letter [1] a framework for estimating entropy was introduced and
applied to one-dimensional and two-dimensional systems. In this Comment we show
that the method is not well suited for estimating entropy in bidimensional
systems presenting long-range correlations.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur
Pattern formation in a predator-prey system characterized by a spatial scale of interaction
We describe pattern formation in ecological systems using a version of the
classical Lotka-Volterra model characterized by a spatial scale which controls
the predator-prey interaction range. Analytical and simulational results show
that patterns can emerge in some regions of the parameters space where the
instability is driven by the range of the interaction. The individual-based
implementation captures realistic ecological features. In fact, spatial
structures emerge in an erratic oscillatory regime which can contemplate
predators' extinction.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Structural properties of adsorbent phyllosilicates rule the entrapping ability of intercalated iron-phenanthroline complex towards thiols
The interaction of volatile organic sulfur derivatives, such as 1-heptanethiol (C7H16S), with clay minerals treated with a μ-oxo Fe3+-phenanthroline 1:1 complex results strongly affected by crystal chemical properties of pristine mineral phases. In particular, two sepiolite clays with different structural features demonstrated significantly different ability to immobilize the Fe3+-phenanthroline complex at two pH values (pH = 5.4 and pH = 2.3). The most effective binding was obtained with sepiolite with higher structural disorder at pH 5.4. Accordingly, the resulting hybrid material showed also the greatest efficiency in removal of thiol in gas phase. A direct correlation can be established between the adsorption of the Fe3+-phenanthroline complex and the gas binding process at room temperature. In fact, 1-heptanethiol entrapping occurs via redox reactions between Fe3+ and a first thiol molecule to give the reduced Fe2+-phenanthroline complex and disulfide, followed by the binding of further thiols to the reduced metal centre. The extremely high amount of thiol immobilized by the hybrid material also suggests the co-presence of a catalytic mechanism that guarantees the reoxidation of Fe+2 to Fe+3 and the restoration of redox reactions with thiol. Investigation and conclusions were supported by the several experimental techniques: elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction analyses, UV–Vis measurements, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analyses
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