scholarly journals Exploitation by cheaters facilitates the preservation of essential public goods in microbial communities

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Moreno-Fenoll ◽  
Matteo Cavaliere ◽  
Esteban Martinez-Garcia ◽  
Juan F Poyatos
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
The Public ◽  
Common Resource ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Spontaneous Mutants

How are public goods maintained in bacterial cooperative populations? The presence of these compounds is usually threatened by the rise of cheaters that do not contribute but just exploit the common resource. Minimizing cheater invasions appears then as a necessary maintenance mechanism. However, that invasions can instead add to the persistence of cooperation is a prospect that has yet remained largely unexplored. Here, we show that the detrimental consequences of cheaters can actually preserve public goods, at the cost of recurrent collapses and revivals of the population. The result is made possible by the interplay between spatial constraints and the essentiality of the shared resource. We validate this counter-intuitive effect by carefully combining theory and experiment, with the engineering of an explicit synthetic community in which the public compound allows survival to a bactericidal stress. Notably, the characterization of the experimental system identifies additional factors that can matter, like the impact of the lag phase on the tolerance to stress, or the appearance of spontaneous mutants. Our work emphasizes the unanticipated consequences of the eco-evolutionary feedbacks that emerge in microbial communities relying on essential public goods to function, feedbacks that reveal fundamental for the adaptive change of ecosystems at all scales.

scholarly journals Punishment Strategies across Societies: Conventional Wisdoms Reconsidered

Games ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Ramzi Suleiman ◽  
Yuval Samid
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Public Goods Game ◽  
The Public ◽  
Free Riders ◽  
The World ◽  
Emergence Of Cooperation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Cost

Experiments using the public goods game have repeatedly shown that in cooperative social environments, punishment makes cooperation flourish, and withholding punishment makes cooperation collapse. In less cooperative social environments, where antisocial punishment has been detected, punishment was detrimental to cooperation. The success of punishment in enhancing cooperation was explained as deterrence of free riders by cooperative strong reciprocators, who were willing to pay the cost of punishing them, whereas in environments in which punishment diminished cooperation, antisocial punishment was explained as revenge by low cooperators against high cooperators suspected of punishing them in previous rounds. The present paper reconsiders the generality of both explanations. Using data from a public goods experiment with punishment, conducted by the authors on Israeli subjects (Study 1), and from a study published in Science using sixteen participant pools from cities around the world (Study 2), we found that: 1. The effect of punishment on the emergence of cooperation was mainly due to contributors increasing their cooperation, rather than from free riders being deterred. 2. Participants adhered to different contribution and punishment strategies. Some cooperated and did not punish (‘cooperators’); others cooperated and punished free riders (‘strong reciprocators’); a third subgroup punished upward and downward relative to their own contribution (‘norm-keepers’); and a small sub-group punished only cooperators (‘antisocial punishers’). 3. Clear societal differences emerged in the mix of the four participant types, with high-contributing pools characterized by higher ratios of ‘strong reciprocators’, and ‘cooperators’, and low-contributing pools characterized by a higher ratio of ‘norm keepers’. 4. The fraction of ‘strong reciprocators’ out of the total punishers emerged as a strong predictor of the groups’ level of cooperation and success in providing the public goods.

scholarly journals A New Breeding Strategy towards Introgression and Characterization of Stay-Green QTL for Drought Tolerance in Sorghum

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 598
Author(s):  
Nasrein Mohamed Kamal ◽  
Yasir Serag Alnor Gorafi ◽  
Hanan Abdeltwab ◽  
Ishtiag Abdalla ◽  
Hisashi Tsujimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Expression ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Stay Green ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
The Public ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Selection Step ◽  
The Cost

Several marker-assisted selection (MAS) or backcrossing (MAB) approaches exist for polygenic trait improvement. However, the implementation of MAB remains a challenge in many breeding programs, especially in the public sector. In MAB introgression programs, which usually do not include phenotypic selection, undesired donor traits may unexpectedly turn up regardless of how expensive and theoretically powerful a backcross scheme may be. Therefore, combining genotyping and phenotyping during selection will improve understanding of QTL interactions with the environment, especially for minor alleles that maximize the phenotypic expression of the traits. Here, we describe the introgression of stay-green QTL (Stg1–Stg4) from B35 into two sorghum backgrounds through an MAB that combines genotypic and phenotypic (C-MAB) selection during early backcross cycles. The background selection step is excluded. Since it is necessary to decrease further the cost associated with molecular marker assays, the costs of C-MAB were estimated. Lines with stay-green trait and good performance were identified at an early backcross generation, backcross two (BC2). Developed BC2F4 lines were evaluated under irrigated and drought as well as three rainfed environments varied in drought timing and severity. Under drought conditions, the mean grain yield of the most C-MAB-introgression lines was consistently higher than that of the recurrent parents. This study is one of the real applications of the successful use of C-MAB for the development of drought-tolerant sorghum lines for drought-prone areas.

scholarly journals Disaster politics: Cyclone politicking and electioneering in the Kingdom of Tonga

Te Kaharoa ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teena Brown Pulu
Keyword(s):  
Prime Minister ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Political Spectacle ◽  
The Public ◽  
Finance Minister ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Masses ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Entering the new year of 2014 the Kingdom of Tonga had enough to worry about; a local economy choking to near death and a finance minister sacked and replaced in a political spectacle leaving the public baffled over what went wrong between him and the Prime Minister (Fayle, 2014; Lopeti, 2014c; Fonua, 2014b).  People uttered they looked forward to the end of year election tentatively set for Thursday November 27th.  The 2010 register of around forty thousand voters had increased at the 2014 intake by four thousand, mostly voters who had turned the age of suffrage at twenty one years old.  The chorus call from the masses was simple, vote them out.  Then Cyclone Ian struck on Saturday 11 January 2014 aggravating Tonga’s money shortage. Journalist Pesi Fonua wrote “the impact on the Tongan economy of the cyclone and the salary rise for civil servants at this point of time is a matter of great concern” (Fonua, 2014a).  He was right.  The state and taxpayers could not afford economic recovery from Tonga’s cruellest cyclone, a symptom of climate change, let alone paying for a 5% rise in the cost of living allowance for public servants.  As the national debt distress sore became inflamed the Public Service Association decided it was the right time to fight cabinet for a 22% living allowance rise because 5% was not enough (Lopeti, 2014a).  This essay asks a pointed question.  Leading up to the general election of November 2014, how was cyclone politicking being manoeuvred to sway the way people would vote?

scholarly journals Integrated Periodic Timetabling and Vehicle Circulation Scheduling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf N. Van Lieshout
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Valid Inequalities ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
The Public ◽  
Average Travel Time ◽  
Periodic Timetabling ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Periodic timetabling is one of the most well-researched problems in the public transport optimization literature. However, the impact that timetabling has on the number of required vehicles, which directly translates to operator costs, is rarely considered. Therefore, in this paper, we consider the problem of jointly optimizing the timetable and the vehicle circulation schedule, which specifies the cyclic sequences of trips that vehicles perform. In order to obtain high-quality solutions to realistic instances, we improve an earlier proposed formulation by contraction techniques, three new valid inequalities, and symmetry-breaking constraints. Ultimately, this allows us to explore the trade-off between the number of vehicles and the attractiveness of the timetable from the passengers’ perspective. An extensive computational study demonstrates the effectiveness of the improved formulation. Moreover, using this approach, we are able to find timetables requiring substantially fewer vehicles at the cost of minimal increases of the average travel time of passengers.

scholarly journals The Effects of Alliance Strategies on the Cost Efficiency of Saudi Commercial Banks

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Hassan K. Almahdi
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

The Objective of this study is to determine the influence of strategic alliances on the cost efficiency of Saudi banks. For this, we first develop a theoretical framework paving the way for an empirical study that refers to a sample of 09 Saudi banks adopted to verify this relationship. It is therefore, necessary to list the interests of strategic alliances in the banking sector and to question the role of public and foreign as wellas public and private alliance strategies in improving the cost efficiency of Saudi commercial banks.A quantitative approach has been adopted to explore and understand the research problem. We begin by regressing the ordinary least squares efficiency on a series of explanatory variables. The conceptual research model is tested by two different regression equations that will be estimated simultaneously. The first regression, aims to test the impact of the public-foreign alliance on the efficiency of the banks in our sample. As for the second regression, it is carried out to test the impact of the public-private alliance on the latter.The results of this study prove that the creation of an alliance agreement allows Saudi commercial banks to improve their efficiency and constitute for them an opportunity besides an interesting strategic option. Forthermore, public-private and public-foreign alliances are strategies that can improve the efficiency of public banks, increase their competitiveness and reduce their fragility.

Learning to Let Go: Ownership, Rights, Fees, and Permissions of Readers’ Photographs

2021 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Daryl Green
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Open Approach ◽  
Reading Room ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cost Structures ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Ownership Rights ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article explores the variance in attitudes towards user photography in UK libraries, archives, and museums. It examines the various interpretations of copyright and rights to reproduce images of items in the public domain deployed by cultural heritage institutions, the cost structures for user photography in the reading room, and the historic reasons for these decisions. Finally, this article explores the impact of the multiplicity of regulations on the researcher and the benefits of a clear and open approach to access and to the new research methods being employed by readers.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Environmental Impact of the Energy Retrofitting Carried Out in a Low-income Residential Neighbourhood. The Case of Juan XXIII in Alicante, Spain

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Begoña Serrano-Lanzarote ◽  
Laura Soto Francés ◽  
Leticia Ortega Madrigal ◽  
Alejandra García-Prieto Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Dysfunctional Families ◽  
Energy Evaluation ◽  
Quality Life ◽  
Consumption Reduction ◽  
Improvement Measures ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Identification And Characterization

This article presents the analysis of the improvement measures applied on an energy retrofitting carried out to 324 dwellings built in 1967 at Juan XXIII neighbourhood in Alicante (Spain). The impact on consumption reduction and the cost of each measure are shown. The neighbourhood presents significant levels of urban obsolescence, partly motivated by the poor constructive quality caused by the intense rhythm followed during its construction. Furthermore, at that time, Spain lacked specific regulations on energy saving issues. The latter is the reason why the buildings have an evident inefficient behaviour. In addition to all this, there is a significant social and economic vulnerability in the neighbourhood, with dysfunctional families and high unemployment levels. All of the stages of the retrofitting process are presented, starting from the identification and characterization of constructive elements in their original state to the analysis of the improvement measures and the energy evaluation and used tools. Finally, these are demonstrated as the improvements in energy efficiency can produce a better quality life for the inhabitants, constituting a powerful strategy to dignify a neighbourhood, from environmental, social and economic aspects.

Spatial Public Goods. 1: Theory

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Y Papageorgiou
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Spatial Context ◽  
Private Goods ◽  
The Public ◽  
Land Rents ◽  
Absentee Landowners ◽  
New Feature ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Explicit Comparison

This is the first of a two-part series of papers dealing with public goods in a spatial context. Public goods here are treated as being intentional spatial externalities. In that context, the new feature to be dealt with is optimal public investment, the impact of which diffuses, somehow, over space. First, the landscape, the spatial structure of the public good, and the decision framework are described both for the individuals involved and for the planner. Then, the issue of decentralisation is discussed in the case where land rents go to absentee landowners. An explicit comparison between private goods, public goods, and externalities in a spatial context follows, and the first part ends with the problem of allocating land to public goods. The second part deals with some conceptual applications.

scholarly journals Distortionary Taxes and the Provision of Public Goods

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L Ballard ◽  
Don Fullerton
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Marginal Rate ◽  
The Public ◽  
Lump Sum ◽  
Marginal Rates Of Substitution ◽  
Efficient Level ◽  
Distortionary Taxes ◽  
The Cost

Economists have long been concerned with finding an efficient level of public expenditure. The classic statement of the problem was given by Paul Samuelson (1954). An optimal level of expenditure is where the sum of the marginal rates of substitution between the public good and a reference good equals the marginal rate of transformation between the public good and the reference good (ΣMRS = MRT). However, Samuelson's formula assumes that all of the revenue needed to finance public goods can be raised with lump-sum taxes. Since this is not generally possible, the formula must be modified to account for the distortionary effects of the tax system. An appropriate modification is to multiply the cost side of the equation by a term that is commonly called the marginal cost of public funds (MCF). In the case of Samuelson's formula, where government is entirely financed with lump-sum taxes, the MCF would be exactly 1.0. In the traditional view of economists, distortionary taxes cause the MCF to be greater than one, thus raising the cost of providing public goods. In this paper, we discuss some cases where the MCF may be less than one. We will illustrate this possibility using numerical examples for labor taxes.

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