Food Exploitation by Social Insects: Ecological, Behavioral, and Theoretical Approaches. Contemporary Topics in Entomology Series. Edited by Stefan Jarau and Michael Hrncir. CRC Press. Boca Raton (Florida): Taylor & Francis. $119.95. xii + 348 p. + 4 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-4200-7560-1. 2009.

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-359
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Bengston ◽  
Jennifer Jandt ◽  
Anna Dornhaus
Author(s):  
Yuko Ulrich ◽  
Mari Kawakatsu ◽  
Christopher K. Tokita ◽  
Jonathan Saragosti ◽  
Vikram Chandra ◽  
...  

AbstractThe composition of social groups has profound effects on their function, from collective decision-making to foraging efficiency. But few social systems afford sufficient control over group composition to precisely quantify its effects on individual and collective behavior. Here we combine experimental and theoretical approaches to study the effect of group composition on individual behavior and division of labor (DOL) in a social insect. Experimentally, we use automated behavioral tracking to monitor 120 colonies of the clonal raider ant, Ooceraea biroi, with controlled variation in three key correlates of social insect behavior: genotype, age, and morphology. We find that each of these sources of heterogeneity generates a distinct pattern of behavioral organization, including the amplification or dampening of inherent behavioral differences in colonies with mixed types. Theoretically, we use a well-studied model of DOL to explore potential mechanisms underlying the experimental findings. We find that the simplest implementation of this model, which assumes that heterogeneous individuals differ only in response thresholds, could only partially recapitulate the empirically observed patterns of behavior. However, the full spectrum of observed phenomena was recapitulated by extending the model to incorporate two factors that are biologically meaningful but theoretically rarely considered: variation among workers in task performance efficiency and among larvae in task demand. Our results thus show that different sources of heterogeneity within social groups can generate different, sometimes non-intuitive, behavioral effects, but that relatively simple models can capture these dynamics and thereby begin to elucidate the basic organizational principles of DOL in social insects.Significance StatementWhen individuals interact in an aggregate, many factors that are not known a priori affect group dynamics. A social group will therefore show emergent properties that cannot easily be predicted from how its members behave in isolation. This problem is exacerbated in mixed groups, where different individuals have different behavioral tendencies. Here we describe different facets of collective behavioral organization in mixed groups of the clonal raider ant, and show that a simple theoretical model can capture even non-intuitive aspects of the behavioral data. These results begin to reveal the principles underlying emergent behavioral organization in social insects. Importantly, our insights might apply to complex biological systems more generally and be used to help engineer collective behavior in artificial systems.


2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Pyszczynski ◽  
Crystal Park ◽  
George Bonanno ◽  
Yuval Neria ◽  
Charles Benight

1894 ◽  
Vol 38 (987supp) ◽  
pp. 15780-15781
Author(s):  
C. V. Riley
Keyword(s):  

2003 ◽  
pp. 83-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Radygin ◽  
R. Entov

The paper deals with theoretical approaches to the problems of property rights and contractual obligations and with analysis of economic consequences of the imperfect enforcement system. In particular, the authors consider Russian experience in the sphere of corporate conflicts. Legal and practical recommendations related to the improvement of legal framework, judiciary reform, executory process and different federal and regional authorities are also presented.


2019 ◽  
pp. 55-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey M. Drobyshevskiy ◽  
Natalia V. Makeeva ◽  
Elena V. Sinelnikova-Muryleva ◽  
Pavel V. Trunin

This paper is devoted to the estimation of welfare costs of inflation, taking into account the peculiarities of the Russian economy. Theoretical approaches that are used in the literature to analyze the costs of inflation are discussed in the paper. It also provides an overview of the empirical studies of this topic. Research found in academic literature shows that the results of quantitative estimates are extremely sensitive to the choice of the functional form of the money demand equation, as well as to assumptions that are made to simplify the analysis, some of which do not fit Russian data. As a result, we have modified the standard approaches to estimating welfare costs of inflation, taking into account the monetization growth in Russia, and provide quantitative estimates of the magnitude of welfare costs of inflation. The results indicate a significant gain for economic agents in terms of real GDP with a decrease in inflation, which is regarded as a positive effect from the inflation targeting policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (SI) ◽  
pp. 102-113
Author(s):  
Paula Estrada Jones

The paper documents the initiative of two African American women educators who have utilized these theoretical approaches to solve the educational challenges in their respective communities. Marva Collins and Corla Hawkins decided to build schools in their own communities after realizing that the public schools were not equipped to educate minorities. The story of these two women demonstrates that individuals can address systemic injustices in their communities. Collins and Hawkins were not wealthy. What they possessed was a passion for helping others. Their example can inspire more individuals to take steps using liberating philosophies, like value-creating education and womanist approaches in education, to transform the state of education in their communities.        


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