scholarly journals Unifying the Basic Models of Ecology to Be More Complete and Easier to Teach

BioScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 415-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarence Lehman ◽  
Shelby Loberg ◽  
Adam T Clark ◽  
Daniel Schmitter
Keyword(s):  
Community Ecology ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Ecological Theory ◽  
Graphical Form ◽  
Logistic Growth ◽  
Unified Approach

Abstract Population and basic community ecology are commonly presented to students through a set of distinct models, such as those for exponential growth, logistic growth, competition, predation, and so forth. This approach mirrors the historical development of the field, but it has several shortcomings as a way to present ecological theory. First, the classical equations can appear disconnected from one another. Second, differences in the parameters and styles of the equations do not lend themselves to comparison in a common graphical form. And third, the set of equations as they are commonly presented provides no easy way to see whether any concepts are left out. In fact, something is left out that is not commonly taught: the concept of faster-than-exponential growth approaching a singularity, which is important for understanding rapidly growing systems. In the present article, we demonstrate a unified approach that simplifies the traditional equations of ecology, expands their scope, and emphasizes their interconnections.

Do International Organizations Enjoy Immunity Under Customary International Law?

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Wood
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
General Practice ◽  
International Law ◽  
Present Article ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Customary International Law ◽  
Domestic Courts

The present article considers whether there is “a general practice accepted as law” establishing rules of customary international law on the immunity of international organizations from the jurisdiction of domestic courts. Apart from treaties, there does not appear to be a great deal of practice or opinio juris on the immunity of international organizations. And while there are many treaties dealing with the matter, their significance for the generation of a rule of customary international law seems questionable. This article sketches the historical development of the immunity of international organizations since the nineteenth century, describes various approaches that have been suggested to this question, and sets out such practice as there is and academic consideration of that practice. It then considers whether practice has to date generated any rules of customary international law regarding immunities, and finally suggests some conclusions.

Lightfoot Noch Einmal

Diachronica ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 123-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Scott Allan
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Old English ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Historische Entwicklung ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Syntactic Change

SUMMARY Since the publication of Lightfoot's work on the historical development of the English modal verbs (Lightfoot 1974, 1979:81-120), there have been several replies to his analysis. This article is another contribution to that debate and concentrates on three areas. Firstly, the time scale of the changes is scrutinized to see if it is as uniform as Lightfoot appears to think, and whether or not it supports his claim that a major reanalysis of the base of the grammar occurred in the 16th century. Secondly, the autonomy thesis, i.e., the claim that syntactic change proceeds independently of semantic and phonetic factors, is examined, and lastly Lightfoot's fragment of Old English grammar is assessed for its accuracy. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Seit der Veröffentlichung von Lightfoots Schriften über die historische Entwicklung der englischen Modalverben (Lightfoot 1974, 1979:81-120) gab es verschiedene Reaktionen auf seine Analyse. Dieser Artikel ist ein weiterer Beitrag zu dieser Debatte und beschäftigt sich mit drei Bereichen. Erstens wird die Chronologie der Veranderungen genau untersucht, urn zu sehen, ob sie tatsachlich so einheitlich vonstatten gegangen ist wie Lightfoot anzunehmen scheint und ob diese seine Behauptung unterstiitzt, daft es im 16. Jahrhundert eine umwälzende syntaktische Neustrukturierung gab. Zweitens wird die Autonomie-These untersucht, d.h. der Anspruch, daft sich syntaktische Veranderungen vollziehen, unabhangig von semantischen und phonetischen Faktoren. Schlieftlich wird Lightfoots Fragment einer Altenglischen Grammatik auf seine Genauigkeit überpruft. RÉSUMÉ Depuis la publication des travaux de D. Lightfoot sur le developpment historique des verbes modaux de 1'anglais (Lightfoot 1974, 1979:81-120) il y avait plusieurs reactions a son analyse. Le present article est une autre contribution a ce debat; il traîte des trois sujets particuliers. D'abord on examine la chronologie des changements afin de verifier l'uniformité maintenue par Lightfoot et sa these d'une restructuration profonde du systéme syntaxique de 1'anglais au XVIe siécle. Ensuit on examine la these (maintenue par Lightfoot) selon laquelle les changements syntaxique procedent independamment des facteurs phonetiques et sémantiques. Finalement on fait une evaluation de l'exactitude de son fragment d'un grammaire du vieux anglais.

scholarly journals XI. A Historical Enquiry concerning the Origin and Development of Sufiism, with a list of Definitions of the terms ‘Ṣúfi’ and ‘Taṣawwuf,’ arranged chronologically

1906 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reynold A. Nicholson
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Characteristic Point ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Third ◽  
Chronological Sequence

The nucleus of the present article was meant in the first instance to be added as a note to a chronological list of definitions of the terms ‘Ṣúfí’ and ‘Taṣawwuf’ chiefly compiled from the Risála of Qushayrí (Cairo, 1287 a.h.), the Tadhkiratu'l-Awliyá of Farídu'ddín ‘Aṭṭár (cited as T.A.), and the Nafaḥátu'l-Uns of Jámí (Calcutta, 1859). These works contain about a hundred definitions of ‘Ṣúfí’ and ‘Taṣawwuf,’ none of which exceeds a few lines in length. I thought that it might be interesting, and possibly instructive, to arrange the most important in their chronological sequence, so far as that can be determined, since only in this way are they capable of throwing any light upon the historical development of Ṣúfiism. The result, however, was somewhat meagre. Taken as a whole, those brief sentences which often represent merely a single aspect of the thing defined, a characteristic point of view, or perhaps a momentarily dominant mood, do undoubtedly exhibit the gradual progress of mystical thought in Islam from the beginning of the third to the end of the fourth century after the Hijra, but the evidence which they supply is limited to a vague outline. Accordingly, I resolved to undertake a chronological examination of the doctrine taught by the authors of these definitions and by other distinguished Ṣúfís, and I have here set down the conclusions to which I have come. I do not claim to have exhausted all the available material.

scholarly journals Competition delays multi-drug resistance evolution during combination therapy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Berríos-Caro ◽  
Danna R. Gifford ◽  
Tobias Galla
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Combination Therapy ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Logistic Growth ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Strain Competition ◽  
Growth Laws ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Multiple Drugs ◽  
Emergence Of Resistance

ABSTRACTCombination therapies have shown remarkable success in preventing the evolution of resistance to multiple drugs, including HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer. Nevertheless, the rise in drug resistance still remains an important challenge. The capability to accurately predict the emergence of resistance, either to one or multiple drugs, may help to improve treatment options. Existing theoretical approaches often focus on exponential growth laws, which may not be realistic when scarce resources and competition limit growth. In this work, we study the emergence of single and double drug resistance in a model of combination therapy of two drugs. The model describes a sensitive strain, two types of single-resistant strains, and a double-resistant strain. We compare the probability that resistance emerges for three growth laws: exponential growth, logistic growth without competition between strains, and logistic growth with competition between strains. Using mathematical estimates and numerical simulations, we show that between-strain competition only affects the emergence of single resistance when resources are scarce. In contrast, the probability of double resistance is affected by between-strain competition over a wider space of resource availability. This indicates that competition between different resistant strains may be pertinent to identifying strategies for suppressing drug resistance, and that exponential models may overestimate the emergence of resistance to multiple drugs. A by-product of our work is an efficient strategy to evaluate probabilities of single and double resistance in models with multiple sequential mutations. This may be useful for a range of other problems in which the probability of resistance is of interest.

scholarly journals The Past as Science: Romanian Cartography at the Paris Peace Congress of 1919

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Silviu Anghel
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Graphic Representation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Paris Peace Conference

Abstract Romanian cartography at the Paris Peace Conference has so far received very little attention. Nevertheless, Romanian scholars produced tens of maps to support Romanian claims, most of them ethnographic ones. Seen as unscientific in 1919, they were quietly brushed aside. The present article argues that Romanian maps of 1919 displayed the same ideas found among Romanian elites. Ethnographic space was for them not just a matter of graphic representation of census results, but also the historical development of ancient and modern Dacia. Romanian cartography was congruous with Romanian culture in a wider sense. The article will review these ideas and then discuss their impact in Paris in 1919 and for Romanian culture since then.

scholarly journals Is Aldo Leopold’s “Land Community” an Individual?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta L. Millstein
Keyword(s):  
Community Ecology ◽  
Moral Obligation ◽  
Ecological Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Land Ethic ◽  
Biotic Community ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Community Concept ◽  
Land Community

The concept of “land community” (or “biotic community”) that features centrally in Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic has typically been equated with the concept of “ecosystem.” The author argues that we need to rethink Leopold’s concept of land community. First, Leopold’s views are not identical to those of his contemporaries, although they resemble those of some subsequent ecologists. Second, the land community concept does not map cleanly onto the concept of “ecosystem”; it also incorporates elements of the “community” concept in community ecology. Third, the question of whether land communities have boundaries can be addressed by an analysis of land communities as individuals. There are challenges to be worked out, but the author argues that these challenges can be resolved. The result is a defensible land community concept that is ontologically robust enough to be a locus of moral obligation while being consistent with contemporary ecological theory and practice.

scholarly journals Money and currency within the context of social development in the territory of Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-53
Author(s):  
Karolína Červená ◽  
◽  
Anna Vartašová ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Economic System ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Historical Method

The term money currently refers to various modifications of the money forms, which historically have undergone their process of development. Applying the analytical, comparative, and historical method, the present article aims to identify the essential developmental aspects of the institution of money (term's content, functions, role, appearance/forms, interactions, legal aspects) in the context of their operation in the economic system with a pro futuro view focusing on the territory of Slovakia. The authors studied and analysed information from domestic and foreign sources, paying particular attention to the historical development of the form of money and currency formation predominantly in Slovakia. The authors conclude that today's money has lost its historical fundamental economic properties and raise the question whether it is only its other dimensions (psychological, political, technological, and others) that have prevailed.

Towards coherent infinitival patterns in the history of German

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-40
Author(s):  
Ulrike Demske
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Infinitival Complements

According to Haider (2010), we have to distinguish three types of infinitival complements in Present-Day German: (i) CP complements, (ii) VP complements and (iii) verbal clusters. While CP complements give rise to biclausal structures, VP complements and verbal clusters indicate a monoclausal structure. Non-finite verbs in verbal clusters build a syntactic unit with the governing verb. It is only the last infinitival pattern that we address as a so-called coherent infinitival pattern, a notion introduced in the influential work of Bech (1955/57). Verbal clusters are bound to languages with an OV grammar, hence the well-known differences regarding infinitival syntax in German and English (Haider 2003, Bobaljik 2004). On the widespread assumption that German has been an OV language throughout its history (Axel 2007), we expect all three types of infinitival complements to be present from the earliest attestions of German. This expectation, however, is not borne out. In the present article, I show that we find infinitival complements projecting either CPs or VPs in older stages of German, while verbal clusters turn out to be a quite recent phenomenon in the history of German, as already suggested in work by Askedal (1998), Demske (2008) and Maché & Abraham (2011). In line with current beliefs that German is underspecified regarding the direction of government in earlier stages of its historical development, I argue that the rise of verbal clusters is motivated by the increasing stabilization of an OV grammar since the 16th century.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Number of Cumulative COVID-19 Cases by Day in Thailand Based on a Flattened Curve Policy

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yupaporn AREEPONG ◽  
Rapin SUNTHORNWAT
Keyword(s):  
Growth Curve ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Least Square Method ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Percentage Error ◽  
Logistic Growth ◽  
Thai Government

Since December 2019, the world has been facing an emerging infectious disease named coronavirus disease 2019. Thailand has also been affected by the spread of the coronavirus. The Thai government have announced policies to protect people, based on the emergency decree and curfew law for flattening the curve of the number of the coronavirus disease 2019 cases without vaccination in Thailand. This research estimated of the number of total infectious cases of coronavirus disease 2019 in Thailand. Two growth curves, including an exponential growth curve under a non-flattened curve policy (herd immunity policy without vaccination), and a logistic growth curve under a flattened curve policy without vaccination, were selected to estimate the parameters of the curves by the least square method to represent the number of the total infectious cases in Thailand. Moreover, the maximum infectious cases of coronavirus disease 2019 and the speed of spreading for coronavirus disease 2019 in Thailand were also explored. Based on the number of the total infectious cases of coronavirus disease 2019 in Thailand, the findings demonstrated that the coefficient of determination of the logistic growth curve was greater than the exponential growth curve and the root means squared percentage error of the logistic growth curve was less than the exponential growth curve. These results suggest that the logistic growth curve is suitable for describing the number of total infectious cases of coronavirus disease 2019 in Thailand under the fattened curve policy. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

scholarly journals Forecasting the Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemics using a simple (simplistic) model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slav W. Hermanowicz
Keyword(s):  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Logistic Growth ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Sources Of Infection ◽  
Logistic Growth Model ◽  
Simple Logistic ◽  
Simplistic Model

Abstract and FindingsConfirmed infection cases in mainland China were analyzed using the data up to January 28, 2020 (first 13 days of reliable confirmed cases). In addition, all available data up to February 3 were processed the same way. For the first period the cumulative number of cases followed an exponential function. However, from January 28, we discerned a downward deviation from the exponential growth. This slower-than-exponential growth was also confirmed by a steady decline of the effective reproduction number. A backtrend analysis suggested the original basic reproduction number R0 to be about 2.4 – 2.5. We used a simple logistic growth model that fitted very well with all data reported until the time of writing. Using this model and the first set of data, we estimate that the maximum cases will be about 21,000 reaching this level in mid-February. Using all available data the maximum number of cases is somewhat higher at 29,000 but its dynamics does not change. These predictions do not account for any possible other secondary sources of infection.

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