Systems of parameters and holonomicity of A-hypergeometric systems

The main result is an elementary proof of holonomicity for A-hypergeometric systems, with no requirements on the behavior of their singularities, originally due to Adolphson [Ado94] after the regular singular case by Gelfand and Gelfand [GG86]. Our method yields a direct de novo proof that A-hypergeometric systems form holonomic families over their parameter spaces, as shown by Matusevich, Miller, and Walther [MMW05]

The role of cities in cohesion policy 2014-2020

Urban regions are an important factor in regional development. During the 2007-2013 programming period, the main input provided by cities and urban areas was at project level. For the 2014-2020 programming period, Cohesion policy enhances the role of urban areas. Nevertheless, in practice the role of cities still seems similar in scale. As the programming phase is almost completed, there is now limited scope for further influence on the design of the new programmes. The next opportunity to involve cities will be as part of partnerships during the programming perio

The Apothecary in Colonial America

The apothecary, like other medical specialties, struggled for autonomy and increased scope of practice against the rigid guild system in place since medieval times. During the age of discovery, immigrating to the American colonies afforded more freedom to practice one’s craft. Exploring the progress of the apothecary in both the English and Spanish colonies of North America provides insight into the evolution of the modern pharmacy profession

Insights from Nepal’s abortion legalisation

Are abortion and modern contraceptive methods substitutes? This blog explores the impact of the legalisation of abortion provision in Nepal

MATERNAL EFFECTS AND SEXUAL SELECTION IN THE HELICONIA BUG, LEPTOSCELIS TRICOLOR (HEMIPTERA: COREIDAE)

The early environment experienced by organisms can have significant phenotypic effects that persist throughout life. Parents, mothers in particular, commonly determine these early environments. Maternal effects, or the influence of maternal phenotypes on offspring phenotypes, are therefore likely ubiquitous in natural populations. However, the frequency and evolutionary consequences of maternal effects are largely unknown. Here I show that maternal phenotypes can have large effects on offspring morphology, fecundity, and behavior. I theoretically explore the potential for these effects to resolve the long-standing lek paradox in the field of sexual selection. I also empirically investigate these effects in the heliconia bug, Leptoscelis tricolor. Females heliconia bugs lay eggs on several species of heliconia plants in Panama and Costa Rica. Host plant species choice by mothers largely determines the natal environment that offspring will experience due to the limited mobility of juveniles. Insects that emerged on one species of heliconia, Heliconia platystachys, were larger, and males expressed relatively larger secondary-sexual traits for their body size than those raised on H. mariae. The mating probability and fecundity of female offspring was higher on H. platystachys. Furthermore, males raised on H. platystachys performed a faster rate of copulatory courtship while mating and also boosted this rate when mating with females from H. platystachys. Such copulatory movements may enhance male and female reproductive success. While host plant species choice by mothers had significant maternal effects on offspring overall, the consequences for offspring varied with time. Mothers that laid eggs on H. platystachys early in the wet season produced large, fecund offspring in good phenotypic condition. This maternal effect gradually changed until, later in the season, sons and daughters raised on H. platystachys were smaller and daughters laid few or no eggs and did not mate. Thus, at some times H. platystachys appeared to be a much superior host plant for offspring, while at other times, H. mariae was better. Dynamic consequences of maternal behaviors (here, host plant species choice) for offspring have only rarely been explored and may have far-reaching consequences for the evolution of maternal and offspring traits

How Engineering Teams Select Design Concepts: A View Through the Lens of Creativity

While concept selection is recognized as a crucial component of the engineering design process, little is known about how concepts are selected during this process or what factors affect the selection of creative concepts. To fill this void, content analysis was performed on student engineering design team discussions during a concept selection task. Our results indicate that student design teams typically focus on the technical feasibility of concepts during the selection process. However, teams that identified useful elements of ideas or continued to generate new ideas during this process had a tendency towards selecting creative ideas. These results add to our understanding of team-based decision-making during concept selection and highlight the need for encouraging creativity throughout the concept selection process

Creativity in Design Teams: The Influence of Personality Traits and Risk Attitudes on Creative Concept Selection

Concept selection is recognized as a crucial component of the design process that largely involves informal group discussions within design teams. However, little is known about what factors affect the selection or filtering of creative ideas during this process. This is problematic because in order for innovation to occur, individuals must first identify and select the creative concepts developed in the early stages of design. However, prior research has shown that individuals tend to select conventional alternatives during this process due to the inherent risk associated with creative concepts. Therefore, the current study was developed to understand how personality traits, risk attitudes, and idea generation abilities impact the promotion or filtering of creative ideas in a team setting. The results from our empirical study with engineering students reveal that teams who have higher levels of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and tolerance for ambiguity are more prone to select novel concepts. In addition, the results revealed that the teams who generate creative ideas did not necessarily select creative ideas during concept selection. These results add to our understanding of team-based decision making during concept selection and allow us to provide guidelines for increasing the flow of creative ideas through this process