scholarly journals Cooperating elephants mitigate competition until the stakes get too high

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. e3001391
Author(s):  
Li-Li Li ◽  
Joshua M. Plotnik ◽  
Shang-Wen Xia ◽  
Estelle Meaux ◽  
Rui-Chang Quan
Keyword(s):  
Food Reward ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Evolution Of Cooperation ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Competitive Behavior ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Cooperation Rate ◽  
String Pulling ◽  
Rank Difference ◽  
Very High

Cooperation is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom as it aims to maximize benefits through joint action. Selection, however, may also favor competitive behaviors that could violate cooperation. How animals mitigate competition is hotly debated, with particular interest in primates and little attention paid thus far to nonprimates. Using a loose-string pulling apparatus, we explored cooperative and competitive behavior, as well as mitigation of the latter, in semi-wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Our results showed that elephants first maintained a very high cooperation rate (average = 80.8% across 45 sessions). Elephants applied “block,” “fight back,” “leave,” “move side,” and “submission” as mitigation strategies and adjusted these strategies according to their affiliation and rank difference with competition initiators. They usually applied a “fight back” mitigation strategy as a sanction when competition initiators were low ranking or when they had a close affiliation, but were submissive if the initiators were high ranking or when they were not closely affiliated. However, when the food reward was limited, the costly competitive behaviors (“monopoly” and “fight”) increased significantly, leading to a rapid breakdown in cooperation. The instability of elephant cooperation as a result of benefit reduction mirrors that of human society, suggesting that similar fundamental principles may underlie the evolution of cooperation across species.

scholarly journals Drought Vulnerability Indices in Mexico

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ortega-Gaucin ◽  
Jesús de la Cruz Bartolón ◽  
Heidy Castellano Bahena
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Necessary Conditions ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Social Programs ◽  
Drought Vulnerability ◽  
Public Programs ◽  
Analytic Procedure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High

Drought is one of the most harmful hydro climatic threats to society. Mexico has been historically affected by recurring and long-lasting droughts that have severely impacted society and the economy. Consequently, public programs and policies have been developed in order to reduce the country’s vulnerability to drought, hence the importance of identifying the spatial distribution and the dimension—even in relative terms only—of vulnerability in different regions from social, economic, and environmental perspectives. This article presents a method for obtaining indices and maps of vulnerability to drought in Mexico; indices and maps are based on a set of socioeconomic and environmental indicators that the method combines using an objective analytic procedure that identifies the most vulnerable states and municipalities from social, economic, and environmental perspectives, all of which converge in overall vulnerability to drought. The results obtained indicate that 38.9% of total Mexican population inhabits municipalities with high and very high degrees of overall vulnerability to drought. For this reason, it is necessary to continue implementing actions and preventive and mitigation strategies via public policies and social programs aimed at decreasing the country’s vulnerability to the occurrence of drought events. This is the only way to facilitate the necessary conditions to reduce the impact of drought and to decrease people’s vulnerability to this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Identification of Risks Pertaining to Abandoned Housing Projects in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamzah Abdul-Rahman ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Nur Hamizah Ariffin
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Housing Industry ◽  
Ground Condition ◽  
Very High

Housing industry is one of the most dynamic, risky, and challenging industries. In Malaysia, this industry has a poor reputation for managing risks, with many major projects failing to be completed within the allotted time. Due to the inherent risks involved in construction projects, it is essential to recognize the risks that cause problems associated with abandoned housing projects. Therefore, this study aims to identify the risks that contribute to issues of abandoned housing projects and to propose mitigation strategies. The methodologies used in this study are combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of literature review, questionnaire survey, and interview. The results show that many risks are involved in housing project, including risks related to environmental impacts, construction, politics, law, management, finance, materials, and economy, of which the probability of risks from unexpected ground condition, project delays, bureaucracy, contractual disputes between developer and landlord, weakness in management by inexperience developer, and financial crisis is very high. It was also found that all relevant parties involved in housing industry are required to have extensive cooperation in advance and should perform systematic risk management strategies in order to mitigate the risks leading to problems associated with abandoned housing projects.

EFFICIENT PETROPHYSICAL UNCERTAINTY PROPAGATION VIA DATA-DRIVEN ANALYTICS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Cristiano ◽  
◽  
Marco Pirrone ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Standard Approach ◽  
Reservoir Modeling ◽  
Parameter Uncertainties ◽  
Volume Porosity ◽  
Very High

Risk-mitigation strategies are most effective when the major sources of uncertainty are determined through dedicated and in-depth studies. In the context of reservoir characterization and modeling, petrophysical uncertainty plays a significant role in the risk assessment phase, for instance in the computation of volumetrics. The conventional workflow for the propagation of the petrophysical uncertainty consists of physics-based model embedded into a Monte Carlo (MC) template. In detail, open-hole logs and their inherent uncertainties are used to estimate the important petrophysical properties (e.g. shale volume, porosity, water saturation) with uncertainty through the mechanistic model and MC simulations. In turn, model parameter uncertainties can be also considered. This standard approach can be highly time-consuming in case the physics-based model is complex, unknown, difficult to reproduce (e.g. old/legacy wells) and/or the number of wells to be processed is very high. In this respect, the aim of this paper is to show how a data-driven methodology can be used to propagate the petrophysical uncertainty in a fast and efficient way, speeding-up the complete process but still remaining consistent with the main outcomes. In detail, a fit-for-purpose Random Forest (RF) algorithm learns through experience how log measurements are related to the important petrophysical parameters. Then, a MC framework is used to infer the petrophysical uncertainty starting from the uncertainty of the input logs, still with the RF model as a driver. The complete methodology, first validated with ad-hoc synthetic case studies, has been then applied to two real cases, where the petrophysical uncertainty has been required for reservoir modeling purposes. The first one includes legacy wells intercepting a very complex lithological environment. The second case comprises a sandstone reservoir with a very high number of wells, instead. For both scenarios, the standard approach would have taken too long (several months) to be completed, with no possibility to integrate the results into the reservoir models in time. Hence, for each well the RF regressor has been trained and tested on the whole dataset available, obtaining a valid data-driven analytics model for formation evaluation. Next, 1000 scenarios of input logs have been generated via MC simulations using multivariate normal distributions. Finally, the RF regressor predicts the associated 1000 petrophysical characterization scenarios. As final outcomes of the workflow, ad-hoc statistics (e.g. P10, P50, P90 quantiles) have been used to wrap up the main findings. The complete data-driven approach took few days for both scenarios with a critical impact on the subsequent reservoir modeling activities. This study opens the possibility to quickly process a high number of wells and, in particular, it can be also used to effectively propagate the petrophysical uncertainty to legacy well data for which conventional approaches are not an option, in terms of time-efficiency.

Problem-solving performance in wild Steller’s jays using a string-pulling task

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Derek P. Harvey ◽  
Jeffrey M. Black
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Species Problem ◽  
String Pulling ◽  
Free Ranging

Abstract Animals that exploit resources from human-modified environments may encounter unique problems when searching for food. Pulling a string tied to a food reward (string-pulling task) is one of the most widespread methods of testing a species’ problem-solving performance in non-human animals. Performance in problem-solving tasks may be influenced by an individual’s characteristics and social interactions, especially in its natural habitat. We examined problem solving by free-ranging Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) when extracting food from a string-pulling task presented in their natural habitat. During the study, seven of 50 jays successfully solved the task on their first to eighteenth experimental opportunity; solvers differed from nonsolvers by showing higher levels of persistence by pulling the string in more trials. Of the successful jays, five birds solved without observing others, while two birds were present during successful trials and subsequently completed the task. All seven jays demonstrated improvement in the task by using less string pulls over additional successful trials. Nineteen other jays in the population interacted with the apparatus and pulled the string, but not enough to acquire the food. These 19 jays were significantly bolder (shorter latencies to approach), more explorative (contacted more parts of the apparatus), and had observed solvers more than the 24 individuals that did not pull the string. These results indicate a broad spectrum of individual differences in propensity for solving novel tasks in our population of Steller’s jays.

scholarly journals Evolution of cooperation in an epithelium

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (152) ◽  
pp. 20180918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Renton ◽  
Karen M. Page
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Voronoi Tessellation ◽  
Evolutionary Game ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Evolution Of Cooperation ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Population Structures ◽  
Fixation Probabilities ◽  
Evolutionary Graph Theory

Cooperation is prevalent in nature, not only in the context of social interactions within the animal kingdom but also on the cellular level. In cancer, for example, tumour cells can cooperate by producing growth factors. The evolution of cooperation has traditionally been studied for well-mixed populations under the framework of evolutionary game theory, and more recently for structured populations using evolutionary graph theory (EGT). The population structures arising due to cellular arrangement in tissues, however, are dynamic and thus cannot be accurately represented by either of these frameworks. In this work, we compare the conditions for cooperative success in an epithelium modelled using EGT, to those in a mechanical model of an epithelium—the Voronoi tessellation (VT) model. Crucially, in this latter model, cells are able to move, and birth and death are not spatially coupled. We calculate fixation probabilities in the VT model through simulation and an approximate analytic technique and show that this leads to stronger promotion of cooperation in comparison with the EGT model.

scholarly journals Flood-Prone Area Assessment Using GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Analysis: A Case Study in Davao Oriental, Philippines

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cabrera ◽  
Lee
Keyword(s):  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Drainage Density ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Risk Area ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
Prone Area ◽  
Ground Truthing ◽  
Very High

Flooding is one of the major destructive natural disasters in Davao Oriental, Philippines, and results primarily from a high incidence of typhoons and heavy rainfalls. The main objective of this study was to identify flood-prone risk areas by mapping them based on the integration of multiple indicators, including rainfall, slope, elevation, drainage density, soil type, distance to the main channel and population density. For this purpose, a GIS-based flood risk spatial assessment was conducted by using analytic hierarchy process (AHP), weights by rank (WR) and ratio weighting (RW) frameworks to determine the relative importance of each indicator against another in the province of Davao Oriental. The resulting flood-prone areas by the three methods are validated by comparing with the estimated flood map based on ground truthing points from a field survey. The comparison results show that AHP is the most appropriate method among them to assess flood hazard. The result of the AHP flood risk map shows that 95.99% (5451.27 km2) of Davao Oriental is under low and moderate flood risk. The high and very high flood risk area covers approximately 3.39% (192.52 km2) of the province, primarily in the coastal areas. Thirty-one out of the one hundred eighty-three (31/183) barangays (towns) are at a high to very high risk of flooding at current climate, calling for the immediate attention of decision-makers to develop mitigation strategies for the future occurrence of flooding in Davao Oriental.

Problem solving capabilities of peach-fronted conures (Eupsittula aurea) studied with the string-pulling test

Behaviour ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 156 (5-8) ◽  
pp. 815-846
Author(s):  
Sara Torres Ortiz ◽  
Alyssa Maxwell ◽  
Anastasia Krasheninnikova ◽  
Magnus Wahlberg ◽  
Ole Næsbye Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
String Pulling ◽  
Goal Directedness

Abstract The problem-solving capabilities of four small parrots (peach-fronted conures, Eupsittula aurea) were investigated using string-pulling tests. In seven different tasks, one string was baited following a randomized order. The parrots could retrieve the food reward after a wrong choice as the choice was not forced. Additionally, we applied a non-intuitive pulley task with the strings arranged in front of, instead of below the birds. All four parrots performed very well in the multiple, slanted, and broken string tasks, but all failed in the crossed-string task. Only two parrots solved the single pulley task. All four parrots performed successfully in the multiple pulley task but all failed in the broken pulley condition. Our results suggest that peach-fronted conures solve string-pulling tasks without relying on simple proximity based rules, but that they have evolved cognitive abilities enabling goal-directedness, the understanding of functionality, and a concept of connectedness between two objects.

scholarly journals GEOSTATISTICAL SEISMIC ANALYSIS AND HAZARD ASSESSMENT; UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W4 ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Al-Dogom ◽  
K. Schuckma ◽  
R. Al-Ruzouq
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Hazard ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Seismic Analysis ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Arabian Plate ◽  
Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽  
Ground Acceleration ◽  
Very High

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Assessing and analyzing the spatial distribution of earthquake events aids in identifying the presence of clustering and reveals hot and cold spots across the study area. Combining the spatial analysis of earthquake events with other geographical and geophysical parameters leads to more understanding of the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the demographics of the affected population. This study will use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to examine the spatiotemporal occurrence of earthquake events throughout the Arabian plate and their effect on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Spatial pattern analysis techniques, including Moran I and Getis–Ord Gi*, were applied to 115 years of earthquakes (1900&amp;ndash;2015) that have occurred throughout the Arabian plate. The directional distribution (standard deviational ellipse) of earthquake magnitudes was analyzed to determine the spatial characteristics and the directional tendency of the earthquakes throughout the Arabian plate. Afterword, geophysical parameters of UAE, specifically Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), fault line distance, slope, soil type, and geology were ranked, weighted based on its contribution and combined using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify and locate seismic hazard zones. The resulted Seismic Hazard Zonation Map (SHZM) was classified to five hazard zones ranging from very high to very low. It has been found that Fujairah city sited in the “very High” zone, Sharjah and Dubai cities located from “High” to moderate zones while Abu Dhabi city stands relatively far from seismic hot spots and major faults and placed in the low seismic hazard zone. The results of this study could help improve urban planning and emergency mitigation strategies in UAE.</p>

scholarly journals Assessment of groundwater potentiality using geospatial techniques in Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subodh Chandra Pal ◽  
Chiranjit Ghosh ◽  
Indrajit Chowdhuri
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Potential ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Groundwater Potential Zones ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
Potential Map ◽  
Groundwater Potential Map ◽  
Groundwater Potentiality ◽  
Gis Software ◽  
Very High

Abstract The word water is life, so life on this planet cannot be possible without water. Water is an essential natural resource that is a surface and groundwater device for human society. The purpose of this research is to assess the groundwater potentiality of the Purba Bardhaman district. All data (primary and secondary) are collected from different sources and analyzed in geographic information system (GIS) software to prepare thematic maps. Different geo-environmental factors like as land use and land cover, soil, lithology, rainfall and distance from the river, etc., can impact on groundwater availability directly or indirectly in Purba Bardhaman area. To identify groundwater potential zones, all these factors are composed into GIS software using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method. The groundwater potential map has been divided into five classes based on their magnitude as very high, high, medium, low and very low groundwater potential zones. It shows that the areas of very low, low, medium, high and very high groundwater potential zones are 21.54%, 35.80%, 26.47%, 10.13%, 6.06%, respectively, of the total area. Finally, validation is carried out using groundwater depth data collected from 44 drilled tube wells which are located in a scattered manner for whole Purba Bardhaman district which indicates a higher similarity with an area under curve value of 86.8%.

scholarly journals Optimal Tag-Based Cooperation Control for the “Prisoner’s Dilemma”

Complexity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Rui Dong ◽  
Xinghong Jia ◽  
Xianjia Wang ◽  
Yonggang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Rate Control ◽  
Prisoner's Dilemma ◽  
Replicator Dynamics ◽  
Prisoner’S Dilemma ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Evolution Of Cooperation ◽  
Optimal Timing ◽  
Terminal Time ◽  
Cooperation Rate

A long-standing problem in biology, economics, and social sciences is to understand the conditions required for the emergence and maintenance of cooperation in evolving populations. This paper investigates how to promote the evolution of cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma game (PDG). Differing from previous approaches, we not only propose a tag-based control (TBC) mechanism but also look at how the evolution of cooperation by TBC can be successfully promoted. The effect of TBC on the evolutionary process of cooperation shows that it can both reduce the payoff of defectors and inhibit defection; although when the cooperation rate is high, TBC will also reduce the payoff of cooperators unless the identified rate of the TBC is large enough. An optimal timing control (OTC) of switched replicator dynamics is designed to consider the control costs, the cooperation rate at terminal time, and the cooperator’s payoff. The results show that the switching control (SC) between an optimal identified rate control of the TBC and no TBC can properly not only maintain a high cooperation rate but also greatly enhance the payoff of the cooperators. Our results provide valuable insights for some clusters, for example, logistics parks and government, to regard the decision to promote cooperation.

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