8,707 research outputs found
Evolved polygenic herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum by low-dose herbicide selection within standing genetic variation
The interaction between environment and genetic traits under selection is the basis of evolution. In this study, we have investigated the genetic basis of herbicide resistance in a highly characterized initially herbicide-susceptible Lolium rigidum population recurrently selected with low (below recommended label) doses of the herbicide diclofop-methyl. We report the variability in herbicide resistance levels observed in F1 families and the segregation of resistance observed in F2 and back-cross (BC) families. The selected herbicide resistance phenotypic trait(s) appear to be under complex polygenic control. The estimation of the effective minimum number of genes (NE), depending on the herbicide dose used, reveals at least three resistance genes had been enriched. A joint scaling test indicates that an additive-dominance model best explains gene interactions in parental, F1, F2 and BC families. The Mendelian study of six F2 and two BC segregating families confirmed involvement of more than one resistance gene. Cross-pollinated L. rigidum under selection at low herbicide dose can rapidly evolve polygenic broad-spectrum herbicide resistance by quantitative accumulation of additive genes of small effect. This can be minimized by using herbicides at the recommended dose which causes high mortality acting outside the normal range of phenotypic variation for herbicide susceptibility
A cost function for similarity-based hierarchical clustering
The development of algorithms for hierarchical clustering has been hampered
by a shortage of precise objective functions. To help address this situation,
we introduce a simple cost function on hierarchies over a set of points, given
pairwise similarities between those points. We show that this criterion behaves
sensibly in canonical instances and that it admits a top-down construction
procedure with a provably good approximation ratio
Ferromagnetic phase transition for the spanning-forest model (q \to 0 limit of the Potts model) in three or more dimensions
We present Monte Carlo simulations of the spanning-forest model (q \to 0
limit of the ferromagnetic Potts model) in spatial dimensions d=3,4,5. We show
that, in contrast to the two-dimensional case, the model has a "ferromagnetic"
second-order phase transition at a finite positive value w_c. We present
numerical estimates of w_c and of the thermal and magnetic critical exponents.
We conjecture that the upper critical dimension is 6.Comment: LaTex2e, 4 pages; includes 6 Postscript figures; Version 2 has
expanded title as published in PR
Dynamic critical behavior of the Chayes-Machta-Swendsen-Wang algorithm
We study the dynamic critical behavior of the Chayes-Machta dynamics for the
Fortuin-Kasteleyn random-cluster model, which generalizes the Swendsen-Wang
dynamics for the q-state Potts model to noninteger q, in two and three spatial
dimensions, by Monte Carlo simulation. We show that the Li-Sokal bound z \ge
\alpha/\nu is close to but probably not sharp in d=2, and is far from sharp in
d=3, for all q. The conjecture z \ge \beta/\nu is false (for some values of q)
in both d=2 and d=3.Comment: Revtex4, 4 pages including 4 figure
Social Effects in Science: Modelling Agents for a Better Scientific Practice
Science is a fundamental human activity and we trust its results because it
has several error-correcting mechanisms. Its is subject to experimental tests
that are replicated by independent parts. Given the huge amount of information
available, scientists have to rely on the reports of others. This makes it
possible for social effects to influence the scientific community. Here, an
Opinion Dynamics agent model is proposed to describe this situation. The
influence of Nature through experiments is described as an external field that
acts on the experimental agents. We will see that the retirement of old
scientists can be fundamental in the acceptance of a new theory. We will also
investigate the interplay between social influence and observations. This will
allow us to gain insight in the problem of when social effects can have
negligible effects in the conclusions of a scientific community and when we
should worry about them.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
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