Search

The objective of this study aims at using the Matlab-Simulink environment and the LabVIEW software environment to build computer models of a six-dimensional (6D) chaotic dynamic system. For the fixed system’s parameters, the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents and the Kaplan-York dimension are calculated. The presence of two positive Lyapunov exponents demonstrates the hyperchaotic behavior of the system. The fractional Kaplan-York dimension indicates the fractal structure of strange attractors. An active control method is extended to achieve global chaotic synchronization of two identical novel 6D chaotic systems with unknown system parameters. Based on the results obtained in Matlab-Simulink and LabVIEW models, a chaotic signal generator for the 6D chaotic system is implemented in the MultiSim environment. The experimental results show that the chaotic behavior simulation in the MultiSim environment is similar to those in the Matlab-Simulink and LabVIEW models. The simulation results demonstrate that the Pecora-Carroll method is a simple way of chaotic masking and signal decoding.

This study introduces \textit{Landslide4Sense}, a reference benchmark for landslide detection from remote sensing. The repository features 3,799 image patches fusing optical layers from Sentinel-2 sensors with the digital elevation model and slope layer derived from ALOS PALSAR. The added topographical information facilitates the accurate detection of landslide borders, which recent researches have shown to be challenging using optical data alone. The extensive data set supports deep learning (DL) studies in landslide detection and the development and validation of methods for the systematic update of landslide inventories. The benchmark data set has been collected at four different times and geographical locations: Iburi (September 2018), Kodagu (August 2018), Gorkha (April 2015), and Taiwan (August 2009). Each image pixel is labelled as belonging to a landslide or not, incorporating various sources and thorough manual annotation. We then evaluate the landslide detection performance of 11 state-of-the-art DL segmentation models: U-Net, ResU-Net, PSPNet, ContextNet, DeepLab-v2, DeepLab-v3+, FCN-8s, LinkNet, FRRN-A, FRRN-B, and SQNet. All models were trained from scratch on patches from one quarter of each study area and tested on independent patches from the other three quarters. Our experiments demonstrate that ResU-Net outperformed the other models for the landslide detection task. We make the multi-source landslide benchmark data (Landslide4Sense) and the tested DL models publicly available at \url{https://www.iarai.ac.at/landslide4sense}, establishing an important resource for remote sensing, computer vision, and machine learning communities in studies of image classification in general and applications to landslide detection in particular.

The “Forum Neue Medien in der Lehre Austria” (fnma) is responsible for the development and introduction of a procedure to attest open educational resources (OER) competences and OER activities in higher education. The aim is to develop and implement a convincing and recognized procedure that succeeds in sustainably promoting and making visible OER activities and OER competences at Austria’s higher education institutions. Within this paper, the development of the Austrian OER certification approach, in other words its framework, will be addressed. A working plan and first results will be presented; among others, the competence framework and its compatibility with existing frameworks.

In this paper, to demonstrate the chaotic behavior of a new 6D discrete system, the modern Matlab-Simulink software environment was used. We have obtained a discrete 6D chaotic system by the Euler method from a continuous 6D system of dynamic equations. In the Matlab-Simulink environment, models for continuous and discrete 6D systems of equations were created, and the results were identical. To demonstrate the synchronization of two unidirectional connected continuous and discrete 6D systems, Simulink models were proposed. A discrete 6D system was applied for the chaotic masking of a narrow-band harmonic signal and image encryption. For visualizing and practical realization of the new chaotic discrete system we used Arduino Uno board and six light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The programming code and connecting technique are also shown. The program code was debugged into the free Arduino simulation environment such as Tinkercad. Compiling hex. file in the program software Arduino IDE allows us to simulate a 6D chaotic system using the Arduino Uno microcontroller in the Proteus 8 environment.

We investigate the timescale on which quantum corrections alter the predictions of classical field theory for scalar field dark matter. This is accomplished by including second order terms in the evolution proportional to the covariance of the field operators. When this covariance is no longer small compared to the mean field value, we say that the system has reached the ``quantum breaktime" and the predictions of classical field theory will begin to differ from those of the full quantum theory. While holding the classical field theory evolution fixed, we determine the change of the quantum breaktime as total occupation number is increased. This provides a novel numerical estimation of the breaktime based at high occupations $n_{tot}$ and mode number $N=256$. We study the collapse of a sinusoidal overdensity in a single spatial dimension. We find that the breaktime scales as $\log(n_{tot})$ prior to shell crossing and then then as a powerlaw following the collapse. If we assume that the collapsing phase is representative of halos undergoing nonlinear growth, this implies that the quantum breaktime of typical systems may be as large as $\sim 30$ of dynamical times even at occupations of $n_{tot}\sim 10^{100}$., to be submitted to Phys Rev D

The “Fitness landscape” metaphor is central to our ability to conceptualize how mutations generate new phenotypes and, in turn, variation in fitness. This metaphor has been instrumental in shaping collective mental pictures of how evolution proceeds, where the limits to innovation lie, and how adaptation emerges as a consequence of natural selection acting on phenotypic differences that are at least partly heritable.

In this work, a new nonlinear dynamic (6D) system of equations is proposed that describes the process of magnetic field generation. This system of equations is an alternative to the Rikitake dynamo system describing chaotic magnetic field reversals.The behavior of the new dynamical system is studied by analyzing the stability of equilibrium points. For fixed parameters of the 6D dynamical system, the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents and the Kaplan-York dimension are calculated. The presence of two positive Lyapunov exponents demonstrates the hyperchaotic behavior of the 6D dynamical system. The fractional Kaplan-York dimension indicates the fractal structure of strange attractors. We have shown that an adaptive controller is used to stabilize the novel 6D chaotic system with unknown system parameters. An active control method is derived to achieve global chaotic synchronization of two identical novels 6D chaotic systems with unknown system parameters. Based on the results obtained in Matlab-Simulink and LabVIEW models, a chaotic signal generator for the 6D chaotic system is implemented in the Multisim environment. The results of chaotic behavior simulation in the Multisim environment show similar behavior when comparing simulation results in Matlab-Simulink and LabVIEW models.

In this paper, Matlab-Simulink and LabView models are constructed for a new nonlinear dynamic system of equations in an eight-dimensional (8D) phase space. For fixed parameters of the 8D dynamical system, the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents and the Kaplan-York dimension are calculated. The presence of two positive Lyapunov exponents demonstrates the hyperchaotic behavior of the 8D dynamical system. The fractional Kaplan-York dimension indicates the fractal structure of strange attractors. We have shown that an adaptive controller is used to stabilize the novel 8D chaotic system with unknown system parameters. An active control method is derived to achieve global chaotic synchronization of two identical novel 8D chaotic systems with unknown system parameters. Based on the results obtained in Matlab-Simulink and LabView models, a chaotic signal generator for the 8D chaotic system is implemented in the Multisim environment. The results of chaotic behavior simulation in the Multisim environment show similar behavior when comparing simulation results in Matlab-Simulink and LabView models.

Observable signatures of the quantum nature of gravity at low energies have recently emerged as a promising new research field. One prominent avenue is to test for gravitationally induced entanglement between two mesoscopic masses prepared in spatial superposition. Here we analyze such proposals and what one can infer from them about the quantum nature of gravity, as well as the electromagnetic analogues of such tests. We show that it is not possible to draw conclusions about mediators: even within relativistic physics, entanglement generation can equally be described in terms of mediators or in terms of non-local processes -- relativity does not dictate a local channel. Such indirect tests therefore have limited ability to probe the nature of the process establishing the entanglement as their interpretation is inherently ambiguous. We also show that cosmological observations already demonstrate some aspects of quantization that these proposals aim to test. Nevertheless, the proposed experiments would probe how gravity is sourced by spatial superpositions of matter, an untested new regime of quantum physics., 23 pages, 3 figures

We test the degree to which interacting Bosonic systems can be approximated by a classical field as total occupation number is increased. This is done with our publicly available code repository, \href{https://github.com/andillio/QIBS}{QIBS}, a massively parallel solver for these systems. We use a number of toy models well studied in the literature and track when the classical field description admits quantum corrections, called the quantum breaktime. This allows us to test claims in the literature regarding the rate of convergence of these systems to the classical evolution. We test a number of initial conditions, including coherent states, number eigenstates, and field number states. We find that of these initial conditions, only number eigenstates do not converge to the classical evolution as occupation number is increased. We find that systems most similar to scalar field dark matter exhibit a logarithmic enhancement in the quantum breaktime with total occupation number. Systems with contact interactions or with field number state initial conditions, and linear dispersions, exhibit a power law enhancement. Finally, we find that the breaktime scaling depends on both model interactions and initial conditions., To be submitted to Phys Rev D

We introduce a numerical method and python package, https://github.com/andillio/CHiMES, that simulates quantum systems initially well approximated by mean field theory using a second order extension of the classical field approach. We call this the field moment expansion method. In this way, we can accurately approximate the evolution of first and second field moments beyond where the mean field theory breaks down. This allows us to estimate the quantum breaktime of a classical approximation without any calculations external to the theory. We investigate the accuracy of the field moment expansion using a number of well studied quantum test problems. Interacting Bosonic systems similar to scalar field dark matter are chosen as test problems. We find that successful application of this method depends on two conditions: the quantum system must initially be well described by the classical theory, and that the growth of the higher order moments be hierarchical., Accepted to Phys. Rev. D

Axion-like particles (ALPs) are promising dark matter candidates. They are typically described by a classical field, motivated by large phase space occupation numbers. Here we show that such a description is accompanied by a quantum effect: squeezing due to gravitational self-interactions. For a typical QCD axion today, the onset of squeezing is reached on $\mathrm{\mu s}$-scales and grows over millennia. Thus within the usual models based on the classical Schr\"odinger-Poisson equation, a type of Gross-Pitaevskii equation, any viable ALP is nonclassical. We also show that squeezing may be relevant on the scales of other self-gravitating systems such as galactic haloes, or solitonic cores. Conversely, our results highlight the incompleteness and limitations of the classical single field description of ALPs., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, extended discussion and minor changes

Die Autoren beleuchten hochschulische Bildungsmöglichkeiten mit Massive Open Online Cours (MOOC) von der Erstellung bis zur Durchführung derartiger Kurse. Dabei scheinen die beliebige Wiederholbarkeit von Vorlesungen und die dauernde Abrufbarkeit von Lektionen wesentlich zum Erfolg des Formats beizutragen. (DIPF/Orig.)

We perform the first test of dark matter (DM) stress-energy evolution through cosmic history, using cosmic microwave background measurements supplemented with baryon acoustic oscillation data and the Hubble Space Telescope key project data. We constrain the DM equation of state (EoS) in 8 redshift bins, and its sound speed and (shear) viscosity in 9 redshift bins, finding no convincing evidence for non-$\Lambda$CDM values in any of the redshift bins. Despite this enlarged parameter space, the sound speed and viscosity are constrained relatively well at late times (due to the inclusion of CMB lensing), whereas the EoS is most strongly constrained around recombination. These results constrain for the first time the level of "coldness" required of DM across various cosmological epochs at both the background and perturbative levels. We show that simultaneously allowing time dependence for both the EoS and sound speed parameters shifts the posterior of the DM abundance before recombination to a higher value, while keeping the present day DM abundance similar to the $\Lambda$CDM value. This shifts the posterior for the present day Hubble constant compared to $\Lambda$CDM, suggesting that DM with time-dependent parameters is well-suited to explore possible solutions to persistent tensions within the $\Lambda$CDM model. We perform a detailed comparison with our previous study involving a vanishing sound speed and viscosity using the same datasets in order to explain the physical mechanism behind these shifts., Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables; updated to match version published in PRD

Constraints on the properties of the cosmological dark matter have previously been obtained in a model-independent fashion using the Generalised Dark Matter (GDM) framework. Here we extend that work in several directions: We consider the inclusion of WiggleZ matter power spectrum data, and show that this improves the constraints on the two perturbative GDM parameters, $c^2_s$ and $c^2_\text{vis}$, by a factor of 3, for a conservative choice of wavenumber range. A less conservative choice can yield an improvement of up to an order of magnitude compared to previous constraints. In order to examine the robustness of this result we develop a GDM halo model to explore how non-linear structure formation could proceed in this framework, since currently GDM has only been defined perturbatively and only linear theory has been used when generating constraints. We then examine how the halo model affects the constraints obtained from the matter power spectrum data. The less-conservative wavenumber range shows a significant difference between linear and non-linear modelling, with the latter favouring GDM parameters inconsistent with $\Lambda$CDM, underlining the importance of careful non-linear modelling when using this data. We also use this halo model to establish the robustness of previously obtained constraints, particularly those that involve weak gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background. Additionally, we show how the inclusion of neutrino mass as a free parameter affects previous constraints on the GDM parameters., Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures. Updated to match published version: a few minor clarifications on the choices in the halo model construction and relation to WDM and an additional plot showing the mass function

We revisit the status of scalar-tensor theories with applications to dark energy in the aftermath of the gravitational wave signal GW170817 and its optical counterpart GRB170817A. At the level of the cosmological background, we identify a class of theories, previously declared unviable in this context, whose anomalous gravitational wave speed is proportional to the scalar equation of motion. As long as the scalar field is assumed not to couple directly to matter, this raises the possibility of compatibility with the gravitational wave data, for any cosmological sources, thanks to the scalar dynamics. This newly "rescued" class of theories includes examples of generalised quintic galileons from Horndeski theories. Despite the promise of this leading order result, we show that the loophole ultimately fails when we include the effect of large scale inhomogeneities., Updated with corrections to the gravitational wave propagation coming from higher order terms in the presence of large scale inhomogeneities. These close off any remaining loopholes. References added

Federated learning is an emerging collaborative machine-learning paradigm for training models directly on edge devices. The data remains on the edge device and this method is robust under real-world edge data distributions. We present a new asynchronous federated-learning algorithm (‘asynchronous federated learning’) and study its convergence rate when distributed across many edge devices, with hard data constraints, relative to training the same model on a single device. We compare asynchronous federated learning to an existing synchronous method. We evaluate its robustness in real-world situations; for example, devices joining part-way through training or devices with heterogeneous compute resources. We then apply asynchronous federated learning to a challenging geospatial application, namely image-based geolocation using a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network. Our results lay the groundwork for deploying large-scale federated learning as a tool to automatically learn, and continually update, a machine-learned model that encodes location.

International audience; Continuous environmental change-such as slowly rising temperatures-may create permanent maladaptation of natural populations: Even if a population adapts evolutionarily, its mean phenotype will usually lag behind the phenotype favored in the current environment, and if the resulting phenotypic lag becomes too large, the population risks extinction. We analyze this scenario using a moving-optimum model, in which one or more quantitative traits are under stabilizing selection towards an optimal value that increases at a constant rate. We have recently shown that, in the limit of infinitely small mutations and high mutation rate, the evolution of the phenotypic lag converges to an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process around a long-term equilibrium value. Both the mean and the variance of this equilibrium lag have simple analytical formulas. Here, we study the properties of this limit and compare it to simulations of an evolving population with finite mutational effects. We find that the small-jumps limit provides a reasonable approximation, provided the mean lag is so large that the optimum cannot be reached by a single mutation. This is the case for fast environmental change and/or weak selection. Our analysis also provides insights into population extinction: Even if the mean lag is small enough to allow a positive growth rate, stochastic fluctuations of the lag will eventually cause extinction. We show that the time until this event follows an exponential distribution, This study benefited from a PHC Amadeus exchange grant (project number 31642SJ) to whose mean depends strongly on a composite parameter that relates the speed of environmental change to the adaptive potential of the population.

International audience; According to a recent survey, ecologists and evolutionary biologists feel that theoretical and empirical research should coexist in a tight feedback loop but believe that the two domains actually interact very little. We evaluate this perception using a citation network analysis for two data sets, representing the literature on sexual selection and speciation. Overall, 54%-60% of citations come from a paper's own category, whereas 17%-23% are citations across categories. These cross-citations tend to focus on highly cited papers, and we observe a positive correlation between the numbers of citations a study receives within and across categories. We find evidence that reviews can function as integrators between the two literatures, argue that theoretical models are analogous to specific empirical study systems, and complement our analyses by studying a cocitation network. We conclude that theoretical and empirical research are more tightly connected than generally thought but that avenues exist to further increase this integration.

Cold Dark Matter (CDM) is a crucial constituent of the current concordance cosmological model. Having a vanishing equation of state (EoS), its energy density scales with the inverse cosmic volume and is thus uniquely described by a single number, its present abundance. We test the inverse cosmic volume law for Dark Matter (DM) by allowing its EoS to vary independently in eight redshift bins in the range $z=10^5$ and $z=0$. We use the latest measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation from the Planck satellite and supplement them with Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) data from the 6dF and SDSS-III BOSS surveys, and with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) key project data. We find no evidence for nonzero EoS in any of the eight redshift bins. With Planck data alone, the DM abundance is most strongly constrained around matter-radiation equality $\omega^{\rm eq}_g = 0.1193^{+0.0036}_{-0.0035}$ (95% c.l.), whereas its present day value is more weakly constrained $\omega^{(0)}_g = 0.16^{+0.12}_{-0.10}$ (95% c.l.). Adding BAO or HST data does not significantly change the $\omega^{\rm eq}_g$ constraint, while $\omega^{(0)}_g$ tightens to $0.160^{+0.069}_{-0.065} $ (95% c.l.) and $0.124^{+0.081}_{-0.067}$ (95% c.l.) respectively. Our results constrain for the first time the level of "coldness" required of the DM across various cosmological epochs and show that the DM abundance is strictly positive at all times., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, changed color scheme for figures

We demonstrate that the Vlasov equation describing collisionless self-gravitating matter may be solved with the so-called Schr\"odinger method (ScM). With the ScM, one solves the Schr\"odinger-Poisson system of equations for a complex wave function in d dimensions, rather than the Vlasov equation for a 2d-dimensional phase space density. The ScM also allows calculating the d-dimensional cumulants directly through quasi-local manipulations of the wave function, avoiding the complexity of 2d-dimensional phase space. We perform for the first time a quantitive comparison of the ScM and a conventional Vlasov solver in d=2 dimensions. Our numerical tests were carried out using two types of cold cosmological initial conditions: the classic collapse of a sine wave and those of a gaussian random field as commonly used in cosmological cold dark matter N-body simulations. We compare the first three cumulants, that is, the density, velocity and velocity dispersion, to those obtained by solving the Vlasov equation using the publicly available code ColDICE. We find excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement between these codes, demonstrating the feasibility and advantages of the ScM as an alternative to N-body simulations. We discuss, the emergence of effective vorticity in the ScM through the winding number around the points where the wave function vanishes. As an application we evaluate the background pressure induced by the non-linearity of large scale structure formation, thereby estimating the magnitude of cosmological backreaction. We find that it is negligibly small and has time dependence and magnitude compatible with expectations from the effective field theory of large scale structure., Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, corresponds to published version

International audience; The large body of theory on speciation with gene flow has brought to light fundamental differences in the effects of two types of mating rules on speciation: preference/trait rules, in which divergence in both (female) preferences and (male) mating traits is necessary for assortment, and matching rules, in which individuals mate with like individuals on the basis of the presence of traits or alleles that they have in common. These rules can emerge from a variety of behavioral or other mechanisms in ways that are not always obvious. We discuss the theoretical properties of both types of rules and explain why speciation is generally thought to be more likely under matching rather than preference/trait rules. We furthermore discuss whether specific assortative mating mechanisms fall under a preference/trait or matching rule, present empirical evidence for these mechanisms, and propose empirical tests that could distinguish between them. The synthesis of the theoretical literature on these assortative mating rules with empirical studies of the mechanisms by which they act can provide important insights into the occurrence of speciation with gene flow. Finally, by providing a clear framework we hope to inspire greater alignment in the ways that both theoreticians and empiricists study mating rules and how these rules affect speciation through maintaining or eroding barriers to gene flow among closely related species or populations.

We investigate large scale structure formation of collisionless dark matter in the phase space description based on the Vlasov-Poisson equation. We present the Schrödinger method, originally proposed by \cite{WK93} as numerical technique based on the Schrödinger Poisson equation, as an analytical tool which is superior to the common standard pressureless fluid model. Whereas the dust model fails and develops singularities at shell crossing the Schrödinger method encompasses multi-streaming and even virialization.

bstract: In general, participants use MOOCs for individual learning purposes by selecting certain contents of a MOOC in which they are interested. Simultaneously, MOOCs are used in the context of online-lectures offered to students who must or may enroll for a specific course to earn credits. However, many participants do not successfully complete all units of a MOOC. Therefore, completion rates —in general— are rather low. Certificates like PDF-documents or electronic badges can be an adequate stimulation to complete a course. This research raises the questions, how the certification of MOOC-participants can be managed and if certificates have an impact on completion rates. Firstly, general aspects of certification are discussed. This is followed by a practical insight into the certification practice based on experiences of the Austrian MOOC-platform iMooX operators. As a conclusion, results are summarized and related challenges and further research questions are addressed. De forma general, los participantes de los cursos MOOC acuden a ellos por deseos personales de aprender, por lo que seleccionan ciertos contenidos del MOOC en el que están interesados. A su vez, los MOOC también se emplean en el contexto de clases en línea que se ofrecen al alumnado que necesita alcanzar créditos académicos en su formación. Sin embargo, muchos participantes no finalizan todo el curso MOOC y las tasas de éxito son, en general, relativamente bajas. Los certificados en forma de documentos PDF, o distintivos en forma de credencial (badges), pueden resultar de estímulo para finalizar estos cursos. Esta investigación analiza cómo se puede afrontar la certificación de los participantes en un curso MOOC y si la certificación tiene, de alguna manera, incidencia en las tasas de éxito. En primer lugar, se discuten aspectos generales de la certificación y, a continuación, se realiza un análisis práctico con base en la plataforma MOOC austriaca iMooX. Las conclusiones muestran los principales retos e investigaciones derivadas del estudio y su desarrollo futuro.

We calculate the halo correlation function in redshift space using the Gaussian streaming model (GSM). To determine the scale-dependent functions entering the GSM, we use local Lagrangian bias together with convolution Lagrangian perturbation theory (CLPT), which constitutes an approximation to the Post-Zel'dovich approximation. On the basis of $N$-body simulations, we demonstrate that a smoothing of the initial conditions with the Lagrangian radius improves the Zel'dovich approximation and its ability to predict the displacement field of protohalos. Based on this observation, we implement a ``truncated'' CLPT by smoothing the initial power spectrum and investigate the dependence of the streaming model ingredients on the smoothing scale. We find that the real space correlation functions of halos and their mean pairwise velocity are optimized if the coarse graining scale is chosen to be $1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{Mpc}/h$ at $z=0$, while the pairwise velocity dispersion is optimized if the smoothing scale is chosen to be the Lagrangian size of the halo. We compare theoretical results for the halo correlation function in redshift space to measurements within the Horizon run 2 $N$-body simulation halo catalog. We find that this simple two-filter smoothing procedure in the spirit of the truncated Zel'dovich approximation significantly improves the $\mathrm{GSM}+\mathrm{CLPT}$ prediction of the redshift space halo correlation function over the whole mass range from large galaxy to galaxy cluster--sized halos. We expect that the necessity for two filter scales is an artifact of our local bias model, and that once a more physical bias model is implemented in CLPT, the only physically relevant smoothing scale will be related to the Lagrangian radius, in accord with our findings based on $N$-body simulations.

The extent to which sexual selection is involved in speciation with gene flow remains an open question and the subject of much research. Here, we propose that some insight can be gained from considering the concept of magic traits (i.e., traits involved in both reproductive isolation and ecological divergence). Both magic traits and other, “non-magic”, traits can contribute to speciation via a number of specific mechanisms. We argue that many of these mechanisms are likely to differ widely in the extent to which they involve sexual selection. Furthermore, in some cases where sexual selection is present, it may be prone to inhibit rather than drive speciation. Finally, there are a priori reasons to believe that certain categories of traits are much more effective than others in driving speciation. The combination of these points suggests a classification of traits that may shed light on the broader role of sexual selection in speciation with gene flow. In particular, we suggest that sexual selection can act as a driver of speciation in some scenarios, but may play a negligible role in potentially common categories of magic traits, and may be likely to inhibit speciation in common categories of non-magic traits.

Whereas a rich literature exists for estimating population genetic divergence, metrics of phenotypic trait divergence are lacking, particularly for comparing multiple traits among three or more populations. Here, we review and analyze via simulation Hedges’ g, a widely used parametric estimate of effect size. Our analyses indicate that g is sensitive to a combination of unequal trait variances and unequal sample sizes among populations and to changes in the scale of measurement. We then go on to derive and explain a new, non-parametric distance measure, “Δp”, which is calculated based upon a joint cumulative distribution function (CDF) from all populations under study. More precisely, distances are measured in terms of the percentiles in this CDF at which each population’s median lies. Δp combines many desirable features of other distance metrics into a single metric; namely, compared to other metrics, p is relatively insensitive to unequal variances and sample sizes among the populations sampled. Furthermore, a key feature of Δp—and our main motivation for developing it—is that it easily accommodates simultaneous comparisons of any number of traits across any number of populations. To exemplify its utility, we employ Δp to address a question related to the role of sexual selection in speciation: are sexual signals more divergent than ecological traits in closely related taxa? Using traits of known function in closely related populations, we show that traits predictive of reproductive performance are, indeed, more divergent and more sexually dimorphic than traits related to ecological adaptation [Current Zoology 58 (3): 423-436, 2012].

The extent to which sexual selection is involved in speciation with gene flow remains an open question and the subject of much research. Here, we propose that some insight can be gained from considering the concept of magic traits (i.e., traits involved in both reproductive isolation and ecological divergence). Both magic traits and other, “non-magic”, traits can contribute to speciation via a number of specific mechanisms. We argue that many of these mechanisms are likely to differ widely in the extent to which they involve sexual selection. Furthermore, in some cases where sexual selection is present, it may be prone to inhibit rather than drive speciation. Finally, there are a priori reasons to believe that certain categories of traits are much more effective than others in driving speciation. The combination of these points suggests a classification of traits that may shed light on the broader role of sexual selection in speciation with gene flow. In particular, we suggest that sexual selection can act as a driver of speciation in some scenarios, but may play a negligible role in potentially common categories of magic traits, and may be likely to inhibit speciation in common categories of non-magic traits [Current Zoology 58 (3): 507–513, 2012].

We study a two-locus model of a quantitative trait with a continuum-of alleles and multilinear epistasis that evolves under mutation, selection, and genetic drift. We derive analytical results based on the so-called House of Gauss approximation for the genetic variance, the mean phenotype, and the mutational variance in the balance of the evolutionary forces. The analytical work is complemented by extensive individual-based computer simulations. We find that (1) analytical results are accurate in a large parameter space; (2) epistasis always reduces the equilibrium genetic variance, as predicted in earlier studies that exclude drift; (3) large-scale stochastic fluctuations and non-equilibrium phenomena like adaptive inertia can strongly influence the evolution of the genetic architecture of the trait.

Several recent models have shown that frequency-dependent disruptive selection created by intraspecific competition can lead to the evolution of assortative mating and, thus, to competitive sympatric speciation. However, since most of these results rely on limited numerical analyses, their generality has been debated. Here, we consider one of the standard models (the so-called Roughgarden model) with a simplified genetics where the selected trait is determined by a single diallelic locus. This model is sufficiently complex to maintain key properties of the general multilocus case but simple enough to allow for comprehensive analytical treatment by means of invasion fitness arguments. Depending on (1) the strength and (2) the shape of stabilizing selection, (3) the strength and (4) the shape of pairwise competition, (5) the shape of the mating function, and (6) whether assortative mating leads to sexual selection, we find five different evolutionary regimes. In one of these regimes, complete reproductive isolation can evolve through arbitrarily small steps in the strength of assortative mating. Our approach provides a mechanistic understanding of several phenomena that have been found in previous models. The results demonstrate how even in a simple model, the evolutionary outcome depends in a complex way on ecological and genetic parameters.

OA hybrid The magnetization reversal in nanoscaled antidot lattices is widely investigated to understand the tunability of the magnetic anisotropy and the coercive field through nanostructuring of thin films. By investigating highly ordered focused ion beam milled antidot lattices with a combination of first-order reversal curves and magnetic x-ray microscopy, we fully elucidate the magnetization reversal along the distinct orientations of a hexagonal antidot lattice. This combination proves especially powerful as all partial steps of this complex magnetization reversal can be identified and subsequently imaged. Through this approach we discovered several additional steps that were neglected in previous studies. Furthermore, by imaging the microscopic magnetization state during each reversal step, we were able to link the coercive and interaction fields determined by the first-order reversal curve method to true microscopic magnetization configurations and determine their origin.

The e-book market is currently in a strong upswing. This research study deals with the question which practical uses the e-book format EPUB3 offers for (higher) education. By means of a didactic content analysis, a range of interactive exercise types were developed as a result of conversations with teachers. For this purpose, a didactic and technical concept has been developed. Different kinds of exercises were prototypically implemented in an e-book. Finally, a brief overview reflects the present state of the current e-book readers. A subsequent discussion illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of the format. In summary, it can be remarked that EPUB3 is suitable for a variety of different exercises and that it is able to serve as a basic format for forthcoming digital textbooks. Furthermore the openness of EPUB3 will assist Open Learning and Teaching in a meaningful way., Comment: Conference, 13 pages

The standard treatment for early breast cancer comprises wide local excision, sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection, adjuvant medical treatment and radiotherapy to the whole breast. Many studies suggest that local control plays a crucial role in overall survival. The local recurrence rate is estimated to be 1% per year and varies between 4 and 7% after 5 years and up to 10 to 20% in the long-term follow up. On the basis of low local recurrence rates the concept of whole breast irradiation comes up for discussion, and partial breast irradiation (PBI) is increasingly under consideration. Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) is referred to as the delivery of a single high dose of irradiation directly to the tumor bed (confined target) during surgery. PBI (limited field radiation therapy, accelerated partial breast irradiation APBI) is the irradiation exclusively confined to a breast volume, the tumor surrounding tissue (tumor bed) either during surgery or after surgery without whole breast irradiation. Various methods and techniques for IORT or PBI are under investigation. The advantage of a very short radiation time or the integration of the complete radiation treatment into the surgical procedure convinces at a first glance. The promising short-term results of those studies must not fail to mention that local recurrence rates could probably increase and furthermore give rise to distant metastases and a reduction in overall survival. The combination of IORT in boost modality and whole breast irradiation has the ability to reduce local recurrence rates. The EBCTCG overview approves that differences in local treatment that substantially affect local recurrence rates would avoid about one breast cancer death over the next 15 years for every four local recurrences avoided, and should reduce 15-year overall mortality.