Evolutionary game dynamics of controlled and automatic decision-making

We integrate dual-process theories of human cognition with evolutionary game theory to study the evolution of automatic and controlled decision-making processes. We introduce a model where agents who make decisions using either automatic or controlled processing compete with each other for survival. Agents using automatic processing act quickly and so are more likely to acquire resources, but agents using controlled processing are better planners and so make more effective use of the resources they have. Using the replicator equation, we characterize the conditions under which automatic or controlled agents dominate, when coexistence is possible, and when bistability occurs. We then extend the replicator equation to consider feedback between the state of the population and the environment. Under conditions where having a greater proportion of controlled agents either enriches the environment or enhances the competitive advantage of automatic agents, we find that limit cycles can occur, leading to persistent oscillations in the population dynamics. Critically, however, these limit cycles only emerge when feedback occurs on a sufficiently long time scale. Our results shed light on the connection between evolution and human cognition, and demonstrate necessary conditions for the rise and fall of rationality.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Performance evaluation of LTE network via using fixed/mobile femtocells

This paper examines the concept of Mobile Femtocells to be the revolution of the next generation cellular networks. Mobile Femtocells can be deployed in public transportation vehicles such as trains, buses or private cars that form its own cell inside vehicles to serve vehicular and mobile User Equipments. The purpose of this study is to help cell-edge users to have better signal strength. Therefore, an investigation into Long Term Evolution cell-edge users' performance is being conducted by investigating the deployment of Mobile Femtocells in LTE system. The throughput for cell edge users can be improved by deploying Fixed/Mobile Femtocells. In this paper, two scenarios have been considered in the case of Fixed/Mobile Femtocells. The handover of Mobile Femtocell has been expressed in three more scenarios. The achieved results via Matlab simulation showed that Mobile Femtocells' users have enjoyed better Quality of Services than Fixed Femtocells' users. The improved performance has been noticed through the improvement of the Mobile Femtocells UEs' spectral efficiency, throughput and SINR over the Fixed Femtocells' users. The system behavior has been investigated under low, medium and high load traffic before and after adding the Mobile Femtocells. The results showed that adding the Mobile Femtocells in the high loaded traffic areas has the biggest affect on improving the UE's throughput

From fixed to mobile femtocells in LTE systems: issues and challenges

This paper investigates the concept of Mobile Femtocell which is the extension of implementing Mobile Relays and Fixed Femtocells. Mobile Femtocells can be deployed in public transportation vehicles such as trains, buses or private cars that form its own cell inside vehicles to serve vehicular and mobile User Equipments. This study intends to help cell-edge users to have better signal strength. An investigation into Long Term Evolution cell-edge users' performance is being conducted by investigating the deployment of Mobile Femtocells in LTE system. The throughput for cell edge users can be improved by deploying Fixed/Mobile Femtocells. This paper is considering several scenarios namely; Fixed Femtocells with Fixed users, Mobile Femtocells with fixed users, Fixed Femtocells with mobile users and Finally Mobile Femtocells with mobile users. The achieved results via Matlab simulation showed that Mobile Femtocells' users have enjoyed better Quality of Services than Fixed Femtocells' users. The improved performance has been noticed through the improvement of the Mobile Femtocells UEs' spectral efficiency, throughput and SINR over the Fixed Femtocells' users

Interference management for co-channel mobile femtocells technology in LTE networks

The dense deployment of Femtocells within the Macrocell's coverage is expected to dominate the future of Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. While Mobile Femtocells (Mobile-Femtos) could be the solution for vehicular networks when there is a need to improve the vehicular User Equipment (UE) performance by mitigating the impact of penetration loss and path-loss issues. The deployed Femtocells have operated in a co-channel deployment due to the scarcity of spectrums. This issue causes interference between Femtocells and Macrocells as well it causes extra overhead on the LTE networks because of the co-tire interference between adjacent Femtocells. In this paper two interference scenarios are considered, the interference between Mobile-Femto and Macrocell, and the interference between the Mobile Femtos themselves. Therefore, to avoid the generated interference between Femtocells, the controlled transmission powers as well as the coverage planning techniques have been discussed. While in the worst-case scenarios, a frequency reuse scheme has been proposed to avoid the generated interference effectively and dynamically between the Mobile-Femtos as well as their UEs and between the Macrocell UEs

Performance evaluation of mobile users served by fixed and mobile femtocells in LTE networks

This paper investigates the concept of Mobile Femtocell with considering the feasibility of deploying Mobile Femtocells in public transportation vehicles such as trains, buses or private cars that form its own cell inside vehicles to serve vehicular and mobile User Equipments. This study is the launch of cell-edge mobile users who have always suffered degradation in the Quality of Service (QoS). Therefore, an investigation on the performance of LTE cell-edge mobile User Equipment e.g. users’ throughput, SINR, SNR, SIR, spectral efficiency and Handover performance, have been considered with deploying Fixed Femtocells and Mobile Femtocells in Long Term Evolution network. Two scenarios have been proposed in this study; Fixed Femtocells with mobile users and Mobile Femtocells with mobile users. More scenarios maybe considered in the case of Mobile Femtocell’s handover procedure. MATLAB simulation has been used for the purpose of simulating the designed scenarios and implementing the integrated mathematical equations. The simulated results have demonstrated the benefits of having Mobile Femtocells over the Fixed Femtocells in terms of mobile User Equipments’ performance

The evolution and devolution of cognitive control : the costs of deliberation in a competitive world

Dual-system theories of human cognition, under which fast automatic processes can complement or compete with slower deliberative processes, have not typically been incorporated into larger scale population models used in evolutionary biology, macroeconomics, or sociology. However, doing so may reveal important phenomena at the population level. Here, we introduce a novel model of the evolution of dual-system agents using a resource-consumption paradigm. By simulating agents with the capacity for both automatic and controlled processing, we illustrate how controlled processing may not always be selected over rigid, but rapid, automatic processing. Furthermore, even when controlled processing is advantageous, frequency-dependent effects may exist whereby the spread of control within the population undermines this advantage. As a result, the level of controlled processing in the population can oscillate persistently, or even go extinct in the long run. Our model illustrates how dual-system psychology can be incorporated into population-level evolutionary models, and how such a framework can be used to examine the dynamics of interaction between automatic and controlled processing that transpire over an evolutionary time scale

A rapid review of the Greek research and development system

Η παρούσα έκθεση παρουσιάζει τα ευρήματα μιας σύντομης ανασκόπησης του ελληνικού συστήματος έρευνας και ανάπτυξης (Ε&Α). Η ανασκόπηση προετοιμάστηκε σε μια μικρή περίοδο τεσσάρων μηνών (Απρίλιος – Ιούλιος 2011) και επικεντρώθηκε στα Ερευνητικά Κέντρα (ΕΚ) που χρηματοδοτούνται από το δημόσιο υπό την εποπτεία της Γενικής Γραμματείας Έρευνας και Τεχνολογίας (ΓΓΕΤ) τα οποία και αντιστοιχούν περίπου στο ένα πέμπτο της ερευνητικής δραστηριότητας στην Ελλάδα. Ο έλεγχος βασίζεται σε μια ανάλυση SWOT των δυνατών σημείων, των αδυναμιών, των ευκαιριών και των απειλών που σχετίζονται με το ελληνικό σύστημα έρευνας. Η ανάλυση SWOT διαμορφώθηκε μέσα από συνεντεύξεις και συζητήσεις με την ηγεσία των ΕΚ, ανασκόπηση εγγράφων και βιβλιογραφίας, ανασκόπηση εξωτερικών αξιολογήσεων που έγιναν το 2005 (από ομότιμους κριτές), δευτερογενή έρευνα και βιβλιομετρική ανάλυση. Η βιβλιομετρική ανάλυση αφορούσε σειρά έγκριτων ερευνητικών δημοσιεύσεων και αναφορών της ελληνικής έρευνας μεταξύ του 2000 και 2004. Η ανάλυση κατέληξε στα εξής: 1. Το ελληνικό σύστημα Ε&Α χρειάζεται άμεση μεταρρύθμιση. Η ανάλυση SWOT εντόπισε αρκετές αδυναμίες στο υπάρχον σύστημα που είναι αναγκαίο να αντιμετωπιστούν. 2. Με βάση την ανάλυση SWOT, παρουσιάζεται ένα προσχέδιο μιας μελλοντικής στρατηγικής για το σύστημα Ε&Α, περιλαμβανομένου ενός συνόλου υποκείμενων αρχών και επτά “ιδεών” που μπορούν να ληφθούν υπόψη για τη δημιουργία του προγράμματος

Integrating environmental sustainability into the water and sanitation sector: lessons from tsunami disaster response

During the recovery phase following a disaster, humanitarian aid organizations are uniquely positioned to implement water and sanitation activities that go beyond disaster recovery to provide beneficiaries with systems that are more environmentally sustainable than pre-disaster conditions. Oftentimes, however, the pressure to rapidly restore post-disaster water and sanitation systems leads to a lack of coordinated planning and missed opportunities to implement innovative technologies that can make communities more resilient to future disasters and reduce long-term ecosystem impacts. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, several humanitarian aid agencies recognized the importance of integrating environmental sustainability concepts into their water and sanitation relief operations. This paper examines methods and strategies for addressing environmental stewardship within the humanitarian aid water and sanitation sector through global partnerships with environmental organizations, with case studies from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Lessons learned from application of environmental stewardship approaches in this disaster response can be used to remodel and improve future humanitarian aid relief operations

Predictors of paralysis in the rheumatoid cervical spine in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis is sometimes associated with radiographic evidence of instability of the cervical spine, most commonly an abnormal subluxation between vertebrae. When this instability compromises the space that is available for the spinal cord, it may be predictive of paralysis. However, the prevalence of radiographic signs of instability that are predictive of paralysis among patients with nonspinal orthopaedic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. METHODS: Radiographs of the cervical spine of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had undergone total joint arthroplasty over a five-year period were retrospectively reviewed. The radiographs were evaluated for predictors of paralysis (a posterior atlantodental interval of\u3c14 \u3emm) and were compared with traditional parameters of instability (an anterior atlantodental interval of \u3e3 mm or subaxial subluxation of \u3e3 mm). RESULTS: Forty-nine of the sixty-five patients who were identified had flexion and extension lateral radiographs available for review. Only one of these patients had a posterior atlantodental interval of \u3c14 \u3emm, and only three had a space available for the cord that measuredcomparison, twenty patients had radiographic evidence of instability on the basis of traditional parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Although nearly one-half of the patients in the present study had radiographic evidence of cervical instability on the basis of traditional measurements, only four patients (8%) had a radiographic finding that was predictive of paralysis. Thus, while radiographic evidence of cervical instability was not infrequent in this population of patients who underwent total joint arthroplasty for rheumatoid arthritis, radiographic predictors of paralysis were much less common