Investigating the Impact of Supernova Feedback on Satellites in Elliptical Galaxies
Sumi Kim, Ena Choi, Amanda C. N. Quirk
et al.
We investigate the influence of supernova (SN) feedback on the satellites of elliptical host galaxies using hydrodynamic simulations. Utilizing a modified version of the GADGET-3 code, we perform cosmological zoom-in simulations of 11 elliptical galaxies with stellar masses in the range 10 ^11 M _⊙ < M _* < 2 × 10 ^11 M _⊙ . We conduct two sets of simulations with identical initial conditions: a fiducial model, which includes a three-phase SN mechanical wind, and a weak SN feedback model, where nearly all SN energy is released as thermal energy with a reduced SN wind velocity. Our comparison shows minimal differences in the elliptical host galaxies, but significant variations in the physical properties of satellite galaxies. The weak SN feedback model produces a larger number of satellite galaxies compared to the fiducial model, and significantly more than observed. For satellite galaxies with stellar masses above 10 ^8 M _⊙ , the weak SN feedback model generates approximately 5 times more satellites than observed in the Extending the Satellites Around Galactic Analogs Survey (or xSAGA) survey. Most of these overproduced satellites have small stellar masses, below 10 ^10 M _⊙ . Additionally, satellites in the weak SN feedback model are about 3.5 times more compact than those observed in the SAGA survey and the fiducial model, with metallicities nearly 1 dex higher than observed values. In conclusion, the satellite galaxies in the fiducial model, which includes mechanical SN feedback, exhibit properties that more closely align with observations. This underscores the necessity of incorporating both mechanical active galactic nuclei and SN feedback to reproduce the observed properties of elliptical galaxies and their satellites in simulations.
Enhancing strength without sacrificing ductility in medium-carbon multiphase bainitic steel through increased intercritical annealing temperatures
Wenlu Yu, Kaifang Li, Lihe Qian
et al.
In bainitic steels, enhancing strength often comes at the expense of ductility. In this paper, a medium-carbon multiphase bainitic steel was produced through intercritical annealing (IA) at various temperatures, followed by isothermal bainite transformation (IBT) at 300 °C, and its microstructural evolution and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. The final microstructure primarily consists of intercritical ferrite, bainite, retained austenite (RA) and fresh martensite. During IA, acicular and globular morphologies of reverted austenite were observed, with acicular austenite exhibiting a near Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship with intercritical ferrite. Higher IA temperatures shorten the incubation and completion times of bainite transformation through two synergistic mechanisms. First, the increased volume fraction of acicular austenite promotes bainite nucleation by lowering the energy barrier. Second, elevated IA temperatures enhance C and Mn diffusion, accelerating the growth of reverted austenite, increasing its size, and reducing the C and Mn concentrations at austenite/ferrite interfaces. These effects alleviate the C/Mn-induced retardation of bainite transformation and accelerate the bainite formation. Moreover, higher IA temperatures lead to a higher bainite fraction and a reduced intercritical ferrite content, both of which contribute to improvements in yield and tensile strength. Higher IA temperatures also increase the RA volume fraction after IBT, enhancing the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect by promoting austenite-to-martensite transformation. The increased bainite content improves the stress shielding effect on adjacent RA, promoting the mechanical stability of RA. These combined effects are believed to be mainly responsible for the enhanced tensile strength and ductility of the steel.
Mining engineering. Metallurgy
An ESO-SKAO Synergistic Approach to Galaxy Formation and Evolution Studies
Isabella Prandoni, Mark Sargent, Elizabeth A. K. Adams
et al.
We highlight the potential benefits of a synergistic use of SKAO and ESO facilities for galaxy evolution studies, focusing on the role that ESO spectroscopic surveys can play in supporting next-generation radio continuum and atomic hydrogen (HI) surveys. More specifically we illustrate the role that currently available or soon to be operational ESO multiplex spectrographs can play for three classes of projects: large/deep redshift survey campaigns, integral field unit/Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (IFU/ALMA) surveys of selected regions of sky, and IFU/ALMA follow-ups of selected samples. We conclude with some general recommendations for an efficient joint exploitation of ESO-SKAO surveys.
Genotype networks drive oscillating endemicity and epidemic trajectories in viral evolution
Santiago Lamata-Otín, Octavian C. Rotita-Ion, Alex Arenas
et al.
Rapidly evolving viruses use antigenic drift as a key mechanism to evade host immunity and persist in real populations. While traditional models of antigenic drift and epidemic spread rely on low-dimensional antigenic spaces, genomic surveillance data reveal that viral evolution produces complex antigenic genotype networks with hierarchical modular structures. In this study, we present an eco-evolutionary framework in which viral evolution and population immunity dynamics are shaped by the structure of antigenic genotype networks. Using synthetic networks, we demonstrate that network topology alone can drive transitions between stable endemic states and recurrent seasonal epidemics. Furthermore, our results show how the integration of the genotype network of the H3N2 influenza in our model allows for estimating the emergence times of various haplotypes resulting from its evolution. Our findings underscore the critical role of the topology of genotype networks in shaping epidemic behavior and, besides, provide a robust framework for integrating real-world genomic data into predictive epidemic models.
en
q-bio.PE, physics.soc-ph
Evolution of Mechanization and Automation in Dairy Farming
Yu. A. Tsoy, V. V. Kirsanov, R. A. Mamedova
et al.
The paper shows the development of technologies and tools of mechanization and automation in livestock farming for the period from 1930 to the present. (Research purpose) Given the cyclical nature of processes and the nuanced interpretations of scientific heritage, it is necessary to investigate the historical experience and contributions of scientists to the development and practical implementation of mechanization and automation tools in livestock farming. (Methods and materials) The paper examines the primary stages of mechanization and automation in cow milking, starting with the development of the first Soviet three-stroke milking machine DA-3. It considers the contributions made by specialized institutes of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and individual scientists in formulating testing methodologies for milking machines. Additionally, it explores the development and adoption of novel electromechanical tools for dairy farms. (Results and discussion) Considered in this paper are the pioneering efforts in the creation of the first milking parlors. These include the stationary herringbone type machines with a parallel-pass design, spearheaded by V.S. Krasnov, V.F. Korolev, V.P. Larin, V.P. Pokhvalensky, and A.N. Dormidontov, and the development of mobile carousel parlors of the «rotating herringbone» type, engineered by the design bureau of the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture under the supervision of I.I. Teslenko, N.V. Krasnoshchekov, K.S. Shapovalov, N.K. Vazenmiller, A.V. Goldenfang. (Conclusions) The paper notes the significance of adopting a systematic approach to the developing of machinery for livestock farming mechanization. This approach was actively pursued by N.M. Morozov, the member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A significant milestone in the advancement of the theory and practice of animal husbandry processes was the pioneering work in developing and implementing technology for flow-conveyor animal service, headed by Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences L.P. Kormanovsky. The paper reveals the necessity of conducting a historical practices from previous generations. This approach helps to develop modern models of machinery and equipment and avoid mere replication of foreign designs. It also facilitates independent research and development efforts, incorporating insights from the accumulated experience of utilizing equipment and technologies in Russia.
Agriculture, Mechanical engineering and machinery
Young sanctuary-living chimpanzees produce more communicative expressions with artificial objects than with natural objects
Violet Gibson, Derry Taylor, Sarah Salphati
et al.
In humans, interactions with objects are often embedded in communicative exchanges. Objects offer unique affordances to explore, carry functions and hold cultural relevance, which can shape children’s interactions and communication. Research indicates that the use of artificial objects, such as certain toys, helps promote pre-linguistic communication, consequently impacting language development. Given that chimpanzees use objects extensively compared to other great apes, and considering the differences between chimpanzees and bonobos in intrinsic motivation for tool use and the extended developmental period during which they learn to use objects, it is reasonable to expect that objects may influence chimpanzees’ communication. Here, we examined interactions of 31 immature sanctuary-living chimpanzees with non-novel artificial and natural objects and tested their vocal and facial expressions, applying methods previously designed for children. Our results showed an increase in these expressions associated with artificial objects. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that chimpanzee communicative expressions may be influenced by inherent properties of objects, potentially promoting varied communication, comparable to the impact distinctive objects have on pre-linguistic children. By exploring this connection between object-centric interactions and communication, this study reveals deep phylogenetic roots where objects may have shaped great ape communication and possibly evolutionary foundations of language.
Correct Criterion of Crustal Failure Driven by Intense Magnetic Stress in Neutron Stars
Yasufumi Kojima
Magnetar outbursts are powered by an intense magnetic field. The phenomenon has recently drawn significant attention because of a connection to some fast radio bursts that has been reported. Understanding magnetar outbursts may provide the key to mysterious transient events. The elastic deformation of the solid crust due to magnetic field evolution accumulates over a secular timescale. Eventually, the crust fractures or responds plastically beyond a particular threshold. Determination of the critical limit is required to obtain the shear strain tensor in response to magnetic stress. In some studies, the tensor was substituted with an approximate expression determined algebraically from the magnetic stress. This study evaluated the validity of the approximation by comparing it with the strain tensor obtained through appropriate calculations. The differential equations for the elastic deformation driven by the magnetic field were solved. The results indicated that the approximation did not represent the correct strain tensor value, in both magnitude and spatial profile. Previous evolutionary calculations based on spurious criteria are likely to overestimate the magnitude of the strain tensor, and crustal failure occurs on a shorter timescale. Therefore, revisiting evolutionary calculations using the correct approach is necessary. This study is essential for developing the dynamics of crustal fractures and the magnetic field evolution in a magnetar.
Phylogeography of the Colombian water snake Helicops danieli Amaral, 1938 (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae) with comments on the systematics and evolution of the genus Helicops Wagler, 1828
Juan Pablo Hurtado-Gómez, Juan M. Daza, Mario Vargas-Ramírez
et al.
The genus Helicops Wagler, 1828 comprises 20 species of semiaquatic snakes. It is mostly distributed in the cis-Andean region of South America, with only two trans-Andean species (H. danieli, H. scalaris). Helicops danieli is endemic to Colombia and occurs through most of the trans-Andean region. Herein two mitochondrial and two nuclear genomic markers were sequenced for 16 samples of H. danieli across most of its distribution range to understand its phylogeography. A dated tree was also generated with additional sequences from previous studies to infer the divergence times between H. danieli and its cis-Andean congeners and of lineages within H. danieli. Using previously published data, ancestral states were estimated for putative phenotypic synapomorphies for the major clades of Helicops. For H. danieli, four clades corresponding to the main river basins within its distribution were recovered. Our dated tree suggests that the ancestor of H. danieli diverged from its closest congeners in the late Miocene (8.7 Mya), which can be associated with the closure of the Andalucia Pass, south of the Eastern Cordillera. Divergence within H. danieli commenced 1.1 Mya. Within the genus Helicops, two distinct hemipenial morphologies were observed, which are suggested as putative synapomorphies for the two most basal clades. Recognition of these two clades as distinct subgenera, Helicops sensu stricto and Tachynectes Fitzinger, 1843 is proposed. For the junior homonym Tachynectes von der Mark, 1863, rarely applied to fossil fishes, the replacement name Ichthyotachynectes nom. nov. is introduced. Furthermore, the evolution of another four phenotypic traits in Helicops and their phylogenetic utility are discussed.
Investigation of the spatial and temporal variation of soil salinity using Google Earth Engine: a case study at Werigan–Kuqa Oasis, West China
Shilong Ma, Baozhong He, Boqiang Xie
et al.
Abstract Large-scale soil salinity surveys are time-costly and labor-intensive, and it is also more difficult to investigate historical salinity, while in arid and semi-arid regions, the investigation of the spatial and temporal characteristics of salinity can provide a scientific basis for the scientific prevention of salinity, With this objective, this study uses multi-source data combined with ensemble learning and Google Earth Engine to build a monitoring model to observe the evolution of salinization in the Werigan–Kuqa River Oasis from 1996 to 2021 and to analyze the driving factors. In this experiment, three ensemble learning models, Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), were established using data collected in the field for different years and some environmental variables, After the accuracy validation of the model, XGBoost had the highest accuracy of salinity prediction in this study area, with RMSE of 17.62 dS m−1, R2 of 0.73 and RPIQ of 2.45 in the test set. In this experiment, after Spearman correlation analysis of soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) with environmental variables, we found that the near-infrared band in the original band, the DEM in the topographic factor, the vegetation index based on remote sensing, and the salinity index soil EC had a strong correlation. The spatial distribution of salinization is generally characterized by good in the west and north and severe in the east and south. Non-salinization, light salinization, and moderate salinization gradually expanded southward and eastward from the interior of the western oasis over 25 years. Severe and very severe salinization gradually shifted from the northern edge of the oasis to the eastern and southeastern desert areas during the 25 years. The saline soils with the highest salinity class were distributed in most of the desert areas in the eastern part of the Werigan–Kuqa Oasis study area as well as in smaller areas in the west in 1996, shrinking in size and characterized by a discontinuous distribution by 2021. In terms of area change, the non-salinized area increased from 198.25 in 1996 to 1682.47 km2 in 2021. The area of saline soil with the highest salinization level decreased from 5708.77 in 1996 to 2246.87 km2 in 2021. overall, the overall salinization of the Werigan–Kuqa Oasis improved.
Evolution of trust in structured populations
Chaoqian Wang
The trust game, derived from an economics experiment, has recently attracted interest in the field of evolutionary dynamics. In a recent version of the evolutionary trust game, players adopt one of three strategies: investor, trustworthy trustee, or untrustworthy trustee. Trustworthy trustees enhance and share the investment with the investor, whereas untrustworthy trustees retain the full amount, betraying the investor. Following this setup, we investigate a two-player trust game, which is analytically feasible under weak selection. We explore the evolution of trust in structured populations, factoring in four strategy updating rules: pairwise comparison (PC), birth-death (BD), imitation (IM), and death-birth (DB). Comparing structured populations with well-mixed populations, we arrive at two main conclusions. First, in the absence of untrustworthy trustees, there is a saddle point between investors and trustworthy trustees, with collaboration thriving best in well-mixed populations. The collaboration diminishes sequentially from DB to IM to PC/BD updating rules in structured populations. Second, an invasion of untrustworthy trustees makes this saddle point unstable and leads to the extinction of investors. The 3-strategy system stabilizes at an equilibrium line where the trustworthy and untrustworthy trustees coexist. The stability span of trustworthy trustees is maximally extended under the PC and BD updating rules in structured populations, while it decreases in a sequence from IM to DB updating rules, with the well-mixed population being the least favorable. This research thus adds an analytical lens to the evolution of trust in structured populations.
Matrix-analytic methods for the evolution of species trees, gene trees, and their reconciliation
Albert C. Soewongsono, Jiahao Diao, Tristan Stark
et al.
We consider the reconciliation problem, in which the task is to find a mapping of a gene tree into a species tree, so as to maximize the likelihood of such fitting, given the available data. We describe a model for the evolution of the species tree, a subfunctionalisation model for the evolution of the gene tree, and provide an algorithm to compute the likelihood of the reconciliation. We derive our results using the theory of matrix-analytic methods and describe efficient algorithms for the computation of a range of useful metrics. We illustrate the theory with examples and provide the physical interpretations of the discussed quantities, with a focus on the practical applications of the theory to incomplete data.
Strategy evolution on dynamic networks
Qi Su, Alex McAvoy, Joshua B. Plotkin
Models of strategy evolution on static networks help us understand how population structure can promote the spread of traits like cooperation. One key mechanism is the formation of altruistic spatial clusters, where neighbors of a cooperative individual are likely to reciprocate, which protects prosocial traits from exploitation. But most real-world interactions are ephemeral and subject to exogenous restructuring, so that social networks change over time. Strategic behavior on dynamic networks is difficult to study, and much less is known about the resulting evolutionary dynamics. Here, we provide an analytical treatment of cooperation on dynamic networks, allowing for arbitrary spatial and temporal heterogeneity. We show that transitions among a large class of network structures can favor the spread of cooperation, even if each individual social network would inhibit cooperation when static. Furthermore, we show that spatial heterogeneity tends to inhibit cooperation, whereas temporal heterogeneity tends to promote it. Dynamic networks can have profound effects on the evolution of prosocial traits, even when individuals have no agency over network structures.
Flipped classroom: experience of a pedagogical model adopted during the health crisis to support work-study teaching
Hommane Boudine, Meriem Bentaleb, Mourad Radi
et al.
In early 2020 new pedagogical practices and approaches were adopted to ensure the continuity of the education system during the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic (covid19) to make the student more active in the new learning process.
This study focuses on manipulating information and communication technologies in education (ICT) to support the pedagogical alternation between distance and face-to-face education to ensure equity and equal opportunities. The objective of this study is to assess the implementation of reverse pedagogy and the obstacles that hinder it by focusing on this new process that offers the learner the opportunity to see the course support through the digital tool, using an educational platform (Moodle), which gives each student the opportunity to learn and evolve at their own pace, without losing the motivation to learn. This research is addressed to students of the last year of the college cycle at the ALYASSAMIN school in Sidi Slimane. The results obtained confirm that the pedagogical model of the flipped classroom ensured a stable progression of the education system during the period of the health crisis. This study is based on assessing the state of play and suggests the generalization of inverted classes and integrating them into teaching practices. In conclusion, the results presented must be considered for adapted teaching to support alternative education and to follow the current digital evolution.
Science, Probabilities. Mathematical statistics
Drivers of upper ocean heat content extremes around New Zealand revealed by Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis
Colette Kerry, Moninya Roughan, Joao Marcos Azevedo Correia de Souza
Marine heatwaves can have devastating ecological and economic impacts and understanding what drives their onset is crucial to achieving improved prediction. A key knowledge gap exists around the subsurface structure and temporal evolution of MHW events in continental shelf regions, where impacts are most significant. Here, we use a realistic, high-resolution ocean model to identify marine heatwaves using upper ocean heat content (UOHC) as a diagnostic metric. We show that, embedded in the inter-annual variability of UOHC across the Tasman Sea, regional UOHC around New Zealand varies at short temporal and spatial scales associated with local circulation which drives the onset of extreme events with median duration of 5–20 days. Then, using a novel application of Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis, we diagnose the regional drivers of extreme UOHC events and their 3-dimensional structure. We compute the sensitivity of UOHC to changes in the ocean state and atmospheric forcing over the onset of MHW events using ensembles of between 34 and 64 MHW events across 4 contrasting regions over a 25-year period. The results reveal that changes in regional UOHC on short (5-day) timescales are largely driven by local ocean circulation rather than surface heat fluxes. Where the circulation is dominated by boundary currents, advection of temperature in the mixed layer dominates the onset of extreme UOHC events. Higher magnitude MHW events are typically associated with shallower mixed layer and thermocline depths, with higher sensitivity to temperature changes in the upper 50–80 m. On the west coast, where boundary currents are weak, UOHC extremes are sensitive to density changes in the upper 1,000 m and likely caused by downwelling winds. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the different temporal and spatial scales of UOHC variability. Understanding the local circulation associated with heat content extremes is an important step toward accurate MHW predictability in economically significant shelf seas.
Bacterial Transcription Factors Bind to Coding Regions and Regulate Internal Cryptic Promoters
Canfeng Hua, Jiadai Huang, Tingting Wang
et al.
ABSTRACT Transcription factors (TFs) regulate transcription by binding to the specific sequences at the promoter region. However, the mechanisms and functions of TFs binding within the coding sequences (CDS) remain largely elusive in prokaryotes. To this end, we collected 409 data sets for bacterial TFs, including 104 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) assays and 305 data sets from the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) in seven model bacteria. Interestingly, these TFs displayed the same binding capabilities for both coding and intergenic regions. Subsequent biochemical and genetic experiments demonstrated that several TFs bound to the coding regions and regulated the transcription of the binding or adjacent genes. Strand-specific RNA sequencing revealed that these CDS-binding TFs regulated the activity of the cryptic promoters, resulting in the altered transcription of the corresponding antisense RNA. TF RhpR hindered the transcriptional elongation of a subgenic transcript within a CDS. A ChIP-seq and Ribo-seq coanalysis revealed that RhpR influenced the translational efficiency of binding genes. Taken together, the present study reveals three regulatory mechanisms of CDS-bound TFs within individual genes, operons, and antisense RNAs, which demonstrate the variability of the regulatory mechanisms of TFs and expand upon the complexity of bacterial transcriptomes. IMPORTANCE Although bacterial TFs regulate transcription by binding to specific sequences at the promoter region, little is known about the mechanisms and functions of TFs binding within the CDS. In this study, we show that bacterial TFs have same binding pattern in both CDS and promoter regions, and we reveal three regulatory mechanisms of CDS-bound TF that together demonstrate the complexity of the regulatory mechanisms of bacterial TFs and the wide spread of internal cryptic promoters in CDS.
The Point of No Return: Evolution of Excess Mutation Rate is Possible Even for Simple Mutation Models
Brian Mintz, Feng Fu
Under constant selection, each trait has a fixed fitness, and small mutation rates allow populations to efficiently exploit the optimal trait. Therefore it is reasonable to expect mutation rates will evolve downwards. However, we find this need not be the case, examining several models of mutation. While upwards evolution of mutation rate has been found with frequency or time dependent fitness, we demonstrate its possibility in a much simpler context. This work uses adaptive dynamics to study the evolution of mutation rate, and the replicator-mutator equation to model trait evolution. Our approach differs from previous studies by considering a wide variety of methods to represent mutation. We use a finite string approach inspired by genetics, as well as a model of local mutation on a discretization of the unit intervals, handling mutation beyond the endpoints in three ways. The main contribution of this work is a demonstration that the evolution of mutation rate can be significantly more complicated than what is usually expected in relatively simple models.
CRISPR-Cas9 Editing of Human Histone Deubiquitinase Gene USP16 in Human Monocytic Leukemia Cell Line THP-1
Iveta Gažová, Lucas Lefevre, Stephen J. Bush
et al.
USP16 is a histone deubiquitinase which facilitates G2/M transition during the cell cycle, regulates DNA damage repair and contributes to inducible gene expression. We mutated the USP16 gene in a high differentiation clone of the acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 using the CRISPR-Cas9 system and generated four homozygous knockout clones. All were able to proliferate and to differentiate in response to phorbol ester (PMA) treatment. One line was highly proliferative prior to PMA treatment and shut down proliferation upon differentiation, like wild type. Three clones showed sustained expression of the progenitor cell marker MYB, indicating that differentiation had not completely blocked proliferation in these clones. Network analysis of transcriptomic differences among wild type, heterozygotes and homozygotes showed clusters of genes that were up- or down-regulated after differentiation in all cell lines. Prior to PMA treatment, the homozygous clones had lower levels than wild type of genes relating to metabolism and mitochondria, including SRPRB, encoding an interaction partner of USP16. There was also apparent loss of interferon signaling. In contrast, a number of genes were up-regulated in the homozygous cells compared to wild type at baseline, including other deubiquitinases (USP12, BAP1, and MYSM1). However, three homozygotes failed to fully induce USP3 during differentiation. Other network clusters showed effects prior to or after differentiation in the homozygous clones. Thus the removal of USP16 affected the transcriptome of the cells, although all these lines were able to survive, which suggests that the functions attributed to USP16 may be redundant. Our analysis indicates that the leukemic line can adapt to the extreme selection pressure applied by the loss of USP16, and the harsh conditions of the gene editing and selection protocol, through different compensatory pathways. Similar selection pressures occur during the evolution of a cancer in vivo, and our results can be seen as a case study in leukemic cell adaptation. USP16 has been considered a target for cancer chemotherapy, but our results suggest that treatment would select for escape mutants that are resistant to USP16 inhibitors.
The Evolution of Imitation Without Cultural Transmission
Lee Altenberg, Susanne Still, Christopher J. Watkins
The evolution and function of imitation have always been placed within the confines of animal learning and associated with its crucial role in cultural transmission and cultural evolution. Can imitation evolve as a form of phenotypic plasticity in the absence of cultural transmission, in phenotypes beyond behavior? We investigate a model in which imitation is unbundled from cultural transmission: an organism's adult phenotype is plastically altered by its experiences as a juvenile of other juveniles' genetically determined traits. The only information transmitted between generations is genetic. We find that during a period of directional selection towards a phenotypic optimum, natural selection favors modifiers which cause an organism to bias its plastic phenotype in the direction opposite to the mean phenotype of the population -- anti-imitation. As the population approaches the phenotypic optimum and shifts into stabilizing selection, selection on the modifier reverses and favors strong imitation of the population mean. Imitation can evolve to overshoot the target and produce an evolutionary pathology where mean fitness decreases. When purifying selection for an extreme phenotype is modeled, only selection for anti-imitation occurs, even at a mutation-selection balance. Imitation and anti-imitation emerge from these models in the absence of any goal representation, cognitive understanding of its purpose, or discernment of any kind. These theoretical outcomes are all novel evolutionary and biological phenomena, and we discuss their implications.
Detection of Activated Mouse Neurons with Temporal Resolution via Dual c-Fos Staining
Thiago Seike Nakahara, Vinicius Miessler de Andrade Carvalho, Mateus Augusto de Andrade Souza
et al.
Summary: This protocol combines fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunostaining to simultaneously detect, in histological sections from the same animal, subpopulations of neurons activated after two episodes of sensory stimulation. It allows the identification of groups of cells singly activated by either stimulus or co-activated by both stimuli. Our method results in nuclear staining for c-Fos mRNA and c-Fos protein, allowing better spatial and temporal resolution than previously published protocols, although it requires quick brain fixation.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Carvalho et al. (2015, 2020).
The evolution of trust and trustworthiness
Aanjaneya Kumar, Valerio Capraro, Matjaz Perc
Trust and trustworthiness form the basis for continued social and economic interactions, and they are also fundamental for cooperation, fairness, honesty, and indeed for many other forms of prosocial and moral behavior. However, trust entails risks, and building a trustworthy reputation requires effort. So how did trust and trustworthiness evolve, and under which conditions do they thrive? To find answers, we operationalize trust and trustworthiness using the trust game with the trustor's investment and the trustee's return of the investment as the two key parameters. We study this game on different networks, including the complete network, random and scale-free networks, and in the well-mixed limit. We show that in all but one case the network structure has little effect on the evolution of trust and trustworthiness. Specifically, for well-mixed populations, lattices, random and scale-free networks, we find that trust never evolves, while trustworthiness evolves with some probability depending on the game parameters and the updating dynamics. Only for the scale-free network with degree non-normalized dynamics, we find parameter values for which trust evolves but trustworthiness does not, as well as values for which both trust and trustworthiness evolve. We conclude with a discussion about mechanisms that could lead to the evolution of trust and outline directions for future work.