Evolutionary perspective on the interplay between family life, and parent and offspring personality

Consistent inter-individual variation in behaviour over time and across contexts has been reported for a wide variety of animals, a phenomenon commonly referred to as personality. As behavioural patterns develop inside families, rearing conditions could have lasting effects on the expression of adult personality. In species with parental care, conflicts among family members impose selection on parental and offspring behaviour through co-adaptation. Here, we argue that the interplay between the evolution of personality traits (i.e. boldness, exploration, activity, aggressiveness and sociability) expressed outside the family context and the specialized behaviours expressed inside families (i.e. offspring begging behaviour and parental response to offspring solicitations) can have important evolutionary consequences. Personality differences among parents may relate to the typically observed variation in the way they respond to offspring demand, and dependent offspring may already express personality differences which may relate to the way they communicate with their parents and siblings. However, there has been little research on how personality relates to parental and offspring behaviours. Future research should thus focus on how and why personality may be related to the specialized parent and offspring behaviour that evolved as adaptations to family life.

On the origin of the inertia: the modified Newtonian dynamics theory

The sameness between the inertial mass and the gravitational mass is an assumption and not a consequence of the equivalent principle is shown. In the context of the Sciama’s inertia theory, the sameness between the inertial mass and the gravitational mass is discussed and a certain condition which must be experimentally satisfied is given. The inertial force proposed by Sciama, in a simple case, is derived from the Assis’ inertia theory based in the introduction of a Weber type force. The origin of the inertial force is totally justified taking into account that the Weber force is, in fact, an approximation of a simple retarded potential, see [18, 19]. The way how the inertial forces are also derived from some solutions of the general relativistic equations is presented. We wonder if the theory of inertia of Assis is included in the framework of the General Relativity. In the context of the inertia developed in the present paper we establish the relation between the constant acceleration a0 , that appears in the classical Modified Newtonian Dynamics (M0ND) theory, with the Hubble constant H0 , i.e. a0 ≈ cH0 .

Teaching fundamentals of computing theory: a constructivist approach

A Fundamentals of Computing Theory course involves different topics that are core to the Computer Science curricula and whose level of abstraction makes them difficult both to teach and to learn. Such difficulty stems from the complexity of the abstract notions involved and the required mathematical background. Surveys conducted among our students showed that many of them were applying some theoretical concepts mechanically rather than developing significant learning. This paper shows a number of didactic strategies that we introduced in the Fundamentals of Computing Theory curricula to cope with the above problem. The proposed strategies were based on a stronger use of technology and a constructivist approach. The final goal was to promote more significant learning of the course topics.

Interplay between connexin40 and nitric oxide signaling during hypertension.

Connexins (Cxs) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) contribute to the adaptation of endothelial and smooth muscle cells to hemodynamic changes. To decipher the in vivo interplay between these proteins, we studied Cx40-null mice, a model of renin-dependent hypertension which displays an altered endothelium-dependent relaxation of the aorta because of reduced eNOS levels. These mice, which were either untreated or subjected to the 1-kidney, 1-clip (1K1C) procedure, a model of volume-dependent hypertension, were compared with control mice submitted to either the 1K1C or the 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) procedure, a model of renin-dependent hypertension. All operated mice became hypertensive and featured hypertrophy and altered Cx expression of the aorta. The combination of volume- and renin-dependent hypertension in Cx40-/- 1K1C mice raised blood pressure and cardiac weight index. Under these conditions, all aortas showed increased levels of Cx40 in endothelial cells and of both Cx37 and Cx45 in smooth muscle cells. In the wild-type 1K1C mice, the interactions between Cx40 and Cx37 with eNOS were enhanced, resulting in increased NO release. The Cx40-eNOS interaction could not be observed in mice lacking Cx40, which also featured decreased levels of eNOS. In these animals, the volume overload caused by the 1K1C procedure resulted in increased phosphorylation of eNOS and in a higher NO release. The findings provide evidence that Cx40 and Cx37 play an in vivo role in the regulation of eNOS.

Correlated genetic effects on reproduction define a domestication syndrome in a forest tree.

Compared to natural selection, domestication implies a dramatic change in traits linked to fitness. A number of traits conferring fitness in the wild might be detrimental under domestication, and domesticated species typically differ from their ancestors in a set of traits known as the domestication syndrome. Specifically, trade-offs between growth and reproduction are well established across the tree of life. According to allocation theory, selection for growth rate is expected to indirectly alter life-history reproductive traits, diverting resources from reproduction to growth. Here we tested this hypothesis by examining the genetic change and correlated responses of reproductive traits as a result of selection for timber yield in the tree Pinus pinaster. Phenotypic selection was carried out in a natural population, and progenies from selected trees were compared with those of control trees in a common garden experiment. According to expectations, we detected a genetic change in important life-history traits due to selection. Specifically, threshold sizes for reproduction were much higher and reproductive investment relative to size significantly lower in the selected progenies just after a single artificial selection event. Our study helps to define the domestication syndrome in exploited forest trees and shows that changes affecting developmental pathways are relevant in domestication processes of long-lived plants.

The interplay of spatial and climatic landscapes in the genetic distribution of a South American parrot

AimOur aim was to understand the interplay of heterogeneous climatic and spatial landscapes in shaping the distribution of nuclear microsatellite variation in burrowing parrots, Cyanoliseus patagonus. Given the marked phenotypic differences between populations of burrowing parrots we hypothesized an important role of geographical as well climatic heterogeneity in the population structure of this species. LocationSouthern South America. MethodsWe applied a landscape genetics approach to investigate the explicit patterns of genetic spatial autocorrelation based on both geography and climate using spatial principal component analysis (sPCA). This necessitated a novel statistical estimation of the species climatic landscape, considering temperature- and precipitation-based variables separately to evaluate their weight in shaping the distribution of genetic variation in our model system. ResultsGeographical and climatic heterogeneity successfully explained molecular variance in burrowing parrots. sPCA divided the species distribution into two main areas, Patagonia and the pre-Andes, which were connected by an area of geographical and climatic transition. Moreover, sPCA revealed cryptic and conservation-relevant genetic structure: the pre-Andean populations and the transition localities were each divided into two groups, each management units for conservation. Main conclusionssPCA, a method originally developed for spatial genetics, allowed us to unravel the genetic structure related to spatial and climatic landscapes and to visualize these patterns in landscape space. These novel climatic inferences underscore the importance of our modified sPCA approach in revealing how climatic variables can drive cryptic patterns of genetic structure, making the approach potentially useful in the study of any species distributed over a climatically heterogeneous landscape.

The resource-based view of the firm - resources, capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage

The main objective of this research paper was to synthesize, integrate and analyze the theoretical foundation of the resource-based view of the firm on sustainable competitive advantage. Accordingly, this research was a literature research employing the methodology of interpretative study of concept and unobtrusive measures. The core and majority of the research data was gathered from the major online journal databases. Only peer-reviewed articles from highly-esteemed journals on the subject of competitive advantage were used. The theoretical core of the research paper was centred on resources, capabilities, and the sustainability dilemma of competitive advantage. Furthermore, other strategic management concepts relating to the resource-based view of the firm were used with reference to the research objectives. The resource-based view of the firm continues to be a controversial but important are of strategic management research on sustainable competitive advantage. Consequently, the theoretical foundation and the empirical testing of the framework needs further work. However, it is evident that internal organizational factors in the form of resources and capabilities are vital for the formation of sustainable competitive advantage. Resources and capabilities are not, however, valuable on their own - competitive advantage requires seamless interplay and complementarity between bundles of resources and capabilities.

String theory dualities and supergravity divergences

We demonstrate how duality invariance of the low energy expansion of the four-supergraviton amplitude in type II string theory determines the precise coefficients of multiloop logarithmic ultraviolet divergences of maximal supergravity in various dimensions. This is illustrated by the explicit moduli-dependence of terms of the form ¿2k R4, with k ¿ 3, in the effective action. Furthermore, we show that in the supergravity limit the perturbative contributions are swamped by an accumulation of non-perturbative effects of zero-action instantons.

Application of Information Statistical Theory to the Description of the Effect of Heat Conduction on the Chemical Reaction Rate in Gases

The effect of the heat flux on the rate of chemical reaction in dilute gases is shown to be important for reactions characterized by high activation energies and in the presence of very large temperature gradients. This effect, obtained from the second-order terms in the distribution function (similar to those obtained in the Burnett approximation to the solution of the Boltzmann equation), is derived on the basis of information theory. It is shown that the analytical results describing the effect are simpler if the kinetic definition for the nonequilibrium temperature is introduced than if the thermodynamic definition is introduced. The numerical results are nearly the same for both definitions

Angular distributions of leptons from J/ ψ's produced in 920 GeV fixed-target proton-nucleus collisions

A study of the angular distributions of leptons from decays of J/ψ"s produced in p-C and p-W collisions at s√=41.6~GeV has been performed in the J/ψ Feynman-x region −0.34experiment at the HERA proton ring of the DESY laboratory. The results, based on a clean selection of 2.3×105 J/ψ"s reconstructed in both the e + e − and μ + μ − decay channels, indicate that J/ψ"s are produced polarized. The magnitude of the effect is maximal at low p T . For p T >1 GeV/c a significant dependence on the reference frame is found: the polar anisotropy is more pronounced in the Collins-Soper frame and almost vanishes in the helicity frame, where, instead, a significant azimuthal anisotropy arises.

Commentary on "The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration" by Luiz Pessoa - "On theory integration: Toward developing affective components within cognitive architectures"

In The Cognitive-Emotional Brain, Pessoa (2013) suggests that cognition and emotion should not be considered separately. We agree with this and argue that cognitive architectures can provide steady ground for this kind of theory integration and for investigating interactions among underlying cognitive processes. We briefly explore how affective components can be implemented and how neuroimaging measures can help validate models and influence theory development.

Lajinvaihtoaikojen minimointi pakastetehtaassa

Diplomityön tarkoituksena oli selvittää miten lajinvaihtoaikoja voidaan vähentää ryhmittäin pakasteleipomossa. Työn osatavoitteina oli jakaa tuotteet ryhmiin sekä selvittää todellinen vaihtoaika kuuden kuukauden ajalta, jolloin saatiin työhön tarvittava vertailuaineisto. Työ rajattiin koskemaan vain yrityksen tehokkainta linjaa, koska siinä valmistetaan eniten tuotteita. Linjan tuotteet jaettiin ryhmiin erilaisten ominaisuuksien perusteella. Vaihtoaikojen lyhennyksessä sovellettiin eri teorioita. Tärkeimpinä teorioina voidaan mainita Shigeo Shingon kehittämä SMED-menetelmä, 5S-prosessi ja ryhmäanalyysi. SMED-menetelmän tavoitteena on jakaa asetukset sisäisiin ja ulkoisiin asetuksiin ja erottaa ne toisistaan. Tavoitteena on myös siirtää sisäisiä asetuksia ulkoisiksi. 5S-prosessi on visuaalista johtamista, jonka tavoitteena on pitää työympäristö siistinä. Ryhmäanalyysissä tuotteet jaetaan ensin ryhmiin j a sen jälkeen tuotteet laitetaan ryhmien sisällä parhaaseen mahdolliseen ajojärjestykseen. Tämän jälkeen ryhmät laitetaan keskenään parhaaseen ajojärjestykseen. Työn tavoitteena oli vähentää vaihtoaikaa viisi prosenttia tuotannon kokonaisajasta sekä tehdä kehityssuunnitelma, jonka avulla voidaan vähentää vaihtoaikoja kohdeyrityksen muilla linjoilla. Kokeilujen jälkeen kohdelinjan keskimääräinen viikoittainen vaihtoaika lyheni 1,1 % ja keskimääräisen vaihdon pituus lyheni 19 minuuttia. Tulosten perusteella kehitettiin kahdeksankohtainen kehityssuunnitelma.

Friedman's Excess energy and the McMillan-Mayer theory of solutions:Thermodynamics

In his version of the theory of multicomponent systems, Friedman used the analogy which exists between the virial expansion for the osmotic pressure obtained from the McMillan-Mayer (MM) theory of solutions in the grand canonical ensemble and the virial expansion for the pressure of a real gas. For the calculation of the thermodynamic properties of the solution, Friedman proposed a definition for the"excess free energy" that is a reminder of the ancient idea for the"osmotic work". However, the precise meaning to be attached to his free energy is, within other reasons, not well defined because in osmotic equilibrium the solution is not a closed system and for a given process the total amount of solvent in the solution varies. In this paper, an analysis based on thermodynamics is presented in order to obtain the exact and precise definition for Friedman"s excess free energy and its use in the comparison with the experimental data.