Possibility Theory: A New Approach to Uncertainty Analysis? (3 pp)

Background, Aims and Scope The problem of the evaluation of practitioner's belief and belief-related uncertainties on LCA results obtained from different methodological choices has been addressed so far by scenario modeling, Cultural Theory perspectives and probabilistic simulation. The direct evaluation of belief and related uncertainties could be of interest, e.g. when the information available (resulting from classical uncertainty analysis or the application of the precautionary principle) do not allow one to choose between methodological alternatives leading to different LCA results and conclusions. The difficulty of modeling belief arises from the additive nature of classical measures, e.g. probabilities. Since the 1960s, non-additive measures (e.g. possibilities) have been developed and applied to model belief in real world problems. The aim of this paper is to discuss the application of possibility measures in LCA for uncertainty analysis in complement to classical approaches. Methods The nature and the meaning of possibilities are briefly introduced by comparison with probabilities (subjective or not) in order to enlighten strengths, drawbacks and complementarities. A tentative possibilistic approach based on the evaluation of a posteriori possibilities of final LCA results depending on a priori possibilities of the methodological choices behind the calculations is described, also by means of an application example. Results and Outlook. A new approach for the modeling of practitioner's belief and belief-related uncertainties in complement of classical methods of uncertainty analysis has been proposed for discussion. Uncertainty can be characterized by confidence intervals and indexes that could help practitioners in making methodological choices and could improve the interpretation and reliability of LCA results, still increasing its sophistication.     

Describing Values in Relation to Choices in LCA (7 pp)

Intention, Goal, Scope, Background It has gained growing acceptance in recent years that there are values in LCA, and several authors have discussed how value orientations can influence LCA models and results. The aim of this article is to continue this discussion and to focus on value choices in LCA. Objectives To find a way of describing value orientations in relation to choices in LCA. Methods This objective has been pursued in this paper by investigating the relationship between values and traditional science, exploring the concept of values, investigating the relationship between values and choice, and suggesting a way to describe the value base for specific choices in LCA. Results and Discussion Research on how to improve the environmental performance of products resembles peace research in that it aims to achieve a certain value-laden situation in society. The epistemological basis for peace research also seems to apply to LCA research. The term value has many meanings. There are several classification methods for values and I claim that one is more suitable for choices in LCA than the others. The correlation between values and choice is not straightforward, and values can only partially explain choices. Conclusions Describing the value base for choices in LCA increases the consistency and transparency of the value choices and offers a means of justifying them. Recommendations and Outlook It is recommended that the value base is described in terms of 1) what is included in the concern for the environment 2) how tradeoffs are made and 3) how uncertainty is handled.     

Epithelial Fluid Transport: Protruding Macromolecules and Space Charges Can Bring about Electro-Osmotic Coupling at the Tight Junctions

The purpose of the present work is to investigate whether the idea of epithelial fluid transport based on electro-osmotic coupling at the level of the leaky tight junction (TJ) can be further supported by a plausible theoretical model. We develop a model for fluid transport across epithelial layers based on electro-osmotic coupling at leaky tight junctions (TJ) possessing protruding macromolecules and fixed electrical charges. The model embodies systems of electro-hydrodynamic equations for the intercellular pathway, namely the Brinkman and the Poisson-Boltzmann differential equations applied to the TJ. We obtain analytical solutions for a system of these two equations, and are able to derive expressions for the fluid velocity profile and the electrostatic potential. We illustrate the model by employing geometrical parameters and experimental data from the corneal endothelium, for which we have previously reported evidence for a central role for electro-osmosis in translayer fluid transport. Our results suggest that electro-osmotic coupling at the TJ can account for fluid transport by the corneal endothelium. We conclude that electro-osmotic coupling at the tight junctions could represent one of the basic mechanisms driving fluid transport across some leaky epithelia, a process that remains unexplained.     

Sexual dimorphism in immunocompetence: what does life-history theory predict?

Sexual dimorphism in immunocompetence, usually in the directionof inferior male immunocompetence, has historically been explainedas the result of proximate physiological mechanisms such asthe immunosuppressive effects of the male hormone testosterone.More recently, it has been argued that this pattern is bestunderstood as a result of resource-based trade-offs betweenmale mating effort and immune defense, a trade-off that femalesdo not make. The central prediction of this hypothesis is thatas the strength of sexual selection on males increases, themagnitude of the sex differences in immunocompetence will increase.Two implicit assumptions of this argument are that 1) longevityis of more importance for female than for male fitness and 2)that the primary benefit of immunocompetence is increased longevity.However, both of these assumptions may not be as broadly applicableas has been argued. We have modeled the optimal allocation toimmunocompetence for males and females without making theseassumptions. We find that the optimal allocation to immune defensefor males decreases as the strength of sexual selection increases,as predicted. However, males may still invest more, relativeto females, into immunocompetence if the impact of parasiteson condition differs for the sexes and/or if the relationshipbetween condition and reproduction differs for the sexes. Weargue that these previously overlooked assumptions may be criticalfor predicting sex-specific patterns of immunocompetence.     

现代教育理论在生物科技活动中的应用

以认知学习理论、建构主义理论、创新教育理论、多元智能理论、合作学习理论、服务学习理论为例,初步探讨了教育理论在生物科技活动中的应用。     

Exploring the concept of interaction computing through the discrete algebraic analysis of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction

Interaction computing (IC) aims to map the properties of integrable low-dimensional non-linear dynamical systems to the discrete domain of finite-state automata in an attempt to reproduce in software the self-organizing and dynamically stable properties of sub-cellular biochemical systems. As the work reported in this paper is still at the early stages of theory development it focuses on the analysis of a particularly simple chemical oscillator, the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. After retracing the rationale for IC developed over the past several years from the physical, biological, mathematical, and computer science points of view, the paper presents an elementary discussion of the Krohn–Rhodes decomposition of finite-state automata, including the holonomy decomposition of a simple automaton, and of its interpretation as an abstract positional number system. The method is then applied to the analysis of the algebraic properties of discrete finite-state automata derived from a simplified Petri net model of the BZ reaction. In the simplest possible and symmetrical case the corresponding automaton is, not surprisingly, found to contain exclusively cyclic groups. In a second, asymmetrical case, the decomposition is much more complex and includes five different simple non-abelian groups whose potential relevance arises from their ability to encode functionally complete algebras. The possible computational relevance of these findings is discussed and possible conclusions are drawn.     

Kolmogorov complexity of epithelial pattern formation: The role of regulatory network configuration

The tissues of multicellular organisms are made of differentiated cells arranged in organized patterns. This organization emerges during development from the coupling of dynamic intra- and intercellular regulatory networks. This work applies the methods of information theory to understand how regulatory network structure both within and between cells relates to the complexity of spatial patterns that emerge as a consequence of network operation. A computational study was performed in which undifferentiated cells were arranged in a two dimensional lattice, with gene expression in each cell regulated by identical intracellular randomly generated Boolean networks. Cell–cell contact signalling between embryonic cells is modeled as coupling among intracellular networks so that gene expression in one cell can influence the expression of genes in adjacent cells. In this system, the initially identical cells differentiate and form patterns of different cell types. The complexity of network structure, temporal dynamics and spatial organization is quantified through the Kolmogorov-based measures of normalized compression distance and set complexity. Results over sets of random networks that operate in the ordered, critical and chaotic domains demonstrate that: (1) ordered and critical networks tend to create the most information-rich patterns; (2) signalling configurations in which cell-to-cell communication is non-directional mostly produce simple patterns irrespective of the internal network domain; and (3) directional signalling configurations, similar to those that function in planar cell polarity, produce the most complex patterns, but only when the intracellular networks function in non-chaotic domains.     

Interactions between species and environments from incomplete information

There are two contradictory aspects of the adaptive process in evolution. The first is that species must optimally increase their own fitness in a given environment. The second is that species must maintain their variation to be ready to respond to changing environments. In a strict sense, these two aspects might consider to be mutually exclusive. If species are optimally adapted, then the variation in the species that is suboptimal decreases and vice versa. To resolve this dilemma, species must find a balance between optimal adaptation and robust adaptation. Finding the balance between these processes requires both the local and global complete, static information. However, the balance between the processes must be dynamic. In this study, we propose a model that illustrates dynamic negotiation between the global and local information using lattice theory. The dynamic negotiation between these two levels results in an overestimate of fitness for each species. The overestimation of fitness in our model represents the multiplicity of fitness which is sometimes discussed as the exaptation. We show that species in our model demonstrate the power law of the lifespan distribution and 1/f fluctuation for the adaptive process. Our model allows for a balance between optimal adaptation and robust adaptation without any arbitrary parameters.     

雄性黄山短尾猴(Macaca thibetana)攻击支持雌性以换取交配回报

生物市场理论认为动物个体之间通过某种协定交换有价值的商品,使双方均受益。该研究采用目标动物法、行为取样法和连续记录法,对浮溪黄山野生猴谷鱼鳞坑短尾猴(Macaca thibetana)A1群(YA1群)和A2群(YA2群)成年个体在非繁殖季节(2011年8月—12月)和繁殖季节(2012年2月—5月)的雄性攻击支持雌性行为和交配行为进行研究,探讨雄性攻击支持雌性与交配之间的关系。两猴群在繁殖季节和非繁殖季节雄性攻击支持雌性与交配行为均呈显著正相关;YA2群繁殖季节与非繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次均显著高于随机交配;YA1群在繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次与随机交配频次差异不显著,但在非繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次显著高于随机交配,说明短尾猴成年雄性攻击支持雌性可以换取与该雌性个体的交配回报。本研究验证了生物市场理论中社会行为存在交换,首次证明了雄性攻击支持可以换取雌性的交配回报,为进一步研究雄性性竞争与雌性选择提供了实例。