arXiv subjects

G. Abramson

Publications and source records attributed to G. Abramson.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

An energy-based natural selection model

Genetic information and environmental factors determine the path of an individuals life and therefore, the evolution of its entire species. We have succeeded in proposing and studying a model that captures this idea. In our model, a renewable resource extended throughout the environment provides the energy necessary to sustain life, including movement and reproduction. Since the resource doesn't regrow immediately, it generates competition between individuals and therefore provides a natural selection pressure from which evolution of the genetic traits is observed. As a result of this, several phenomena characteristic of living systems emerge from this model without having to introduce them explicitly. These include speciation and punctuated equilibrium, competitive exclusion, and altruistic behaviour from selfish rules.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2020

Phase transition induced by traffic lights on a single lane road

In this work we study the effect of a traffic light system on the flow of a single lane road by proposing a traffic model based on a cellular automaton that also includes behavioral considerations. We focus on the macroscopic characterization of the system by studying the changes in vehicle density and the occurrence of jams. In this context we observe and characterize a phase transition between the free flow and jammed states. This transition is induced by the instabilities originated by the vehicles stopping at the traffic lights. Moreover, we analyze the effect of these instabilities on the critical density of vehicles at which the transition occurs as a function of two parameters: (i) the in-flow of cars, (ii) the drivers' behavior. For the latter we observe that the traffic light perturbations feedback on the drivers behavior can lead the system to different scenarios, which are also analyzed.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2019

Waves of desertification in a competitive ecosystem

We study a mathematical model inspired by a common scenario in northern Patagonia consisting of humans and their livestock living together with native wildlife. The main production system in this area is sheep farming, which due to wrong historical management has led to desertification of the habitat, with impact on both native wildlife and livestock. Particularly the largest native herbivore, the guanaco, has reflected in their numbers this alteration induced in the environment. We analyze a mathematical model that captures the main characteristics of the interaction between sheep and guanaco: the hierarchical competition and the advantage granted by humans to the herds, and also incorporates a dynamic for the habitat. Using the metapopulation formalism, the trophic web of two herbivores is extended over a patchy landscape that considers two characteristic times for the dynamics of the resource. Our study stresses the dependence of the metapopulations dynamics on the recovery time of the resource. These results are backed up by a deterministic mean field model which shares some similarities with the stochastic and spatially extended one. We find different regimes depending on the parameters considered: coexistence of both species, survival of a single species and extinction of the other, and extinction of both. Remarkably, in some regions of parameters space we detect the presence of periodical spatio-temporal patterns, with persistent oscillations of constant amplitude. Based on these results, we perform a characterization of the observed scenarios in order to gain insight about the system.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2015

Mathematical model of livestock and wildlife: Predation and competition under environmental disturbances

Inspired by real scenarios in Northern Patagonia, we analyze a mathematical model of a simple trophic web with two herbivores and one predator. The studied situations represent a common practice in the steppes of Argentine Patagonia, where livestock are raised in a semi-wild state, either on the open range or enclosed, coexisting with competitors and predators. In the present work, the competing herbivores represent sheep and guanacos, while the predator is associated with the puma. The proposed model combines the concepts of metapopulations and patches dynamics, and includes an explicit hierarchical competition between species, which affects their prospect to colonize an empty patch when having to compete with other species. We perform numerical simulations of spatially extended metapopulations assemblages of the system, which allow us to incorporate the effects of habitat heterogeneity and destruction. The numerical results are compared with those obtained from mean field calculations. We find that the model provides a good theoretical framework in several situations, including the control of the wild populations that the ranchers exert to different extent. Furthermore, the present formulation incorporates new terms in previously analyzed models, that help to reveal the important effects due to the heterogeneous nature of the system.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2012

Compelled to do the right thing

We use a model of opinion formation to study the consequences of some mechanisms attempting to enforce the right behaviour in a society. We start from a model where the possible choices are not equivalent (such is the case when the agents decide to comply or not with a law) and where an imitation mechanism allow the agents to change their behaviour based on the influence of a group of partners. In addition, we consider the existence of two social constraints: a) an external authority, called monitor, that imposes the correct behaviour with infinite persuasion and b) an educated group of agents that act upon their fellows but never change their own opinion, i.e., they exhibit infinite adamancy. We determine the minimum number of monitors to induce an effective change in the behaviour of the social group, and the size of the educated group that produces the same effect. Also, we compare the results for the cases of random social interactions and agents placed on a network. We have verified that a small number of monitors are enough to change the behaviour of the society. This also happens with a relatively small educated group in the case of random interactions.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2010

Oscillations in SIRS model with distributed delays

The ubiquity of oscillations in epidemics presents a long standing challenge for the formulation of epidemic models. Whether they are external and seasonally driven, or arise from the intrinsic dynamics is an open problem. It is known that fixed time delays destabilize the steady state solution of the standard SIRS model, giving rise to stable oscillations for certain parameters values. In this contribution, starting from the classical SIRS model, we make a general treatment of the recovery and loss of immunity terms. We present oscillation diagrams (amplitude and period) in terms of the parameters of the model, showing how oscillations can be destabilized by the shape of the distributions of the two characteristic (infectious and immune) times. The formulation is made in terms of delay equation which are both numerical integrated and linearized. Results from simulation are included showing where they support the linear analysis and explaining why not where they do not. Considerations and comparison with real diseases are presented along.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2010

Do the right thing

We study a model of opinion formation where the opinions in conflict are not equivalent. This is the case when the subject of the decision is to respect a norm or a law. In such scenarios, one of the possible behaviors is to abide by the norm and the other to ignore it. The evolution of the dynamics is implemented through an imitation mechanism, in which agents can change their opinions based on the opinions of a set of partners and their own state. We determine, for different social situations, the minimum percentage of supporters of the law necessary to arrive at a state of consensus of law abiders.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2006

Diffusion and Home Range Parameters for Rodents: Peromyscus maniculatus in New Mexico

We analyze data from a long term field project in New Mexico, consisting of repeated sessions of mark-recaptures of Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia: Muridae), the host and reservoir of Sin Nombre Virus (Bunyaviridae: Hantavirus). The displacements of the recaptured animals provide a means to study their movement from a statistical point of view. We extract two parameters from the data with the help of a simple model: the diffusion constant of the rodents, and the size of their home range. The short time behavior shows the motion to be approximately diffusive and the diffusion constant to be 470+/-50m^2/day. The long time behavior provides an estimation of the diameter of the rodent home ranges, with an average value of 100+/-25m. As in previous investigations directed at Zygodontomys brevicauda observations in Panama, we use a box model for home range estimation. We also use a harmonic model in the present investigation to study the sensitivity of the conclusions to the model used and find that both models lead to similar estimates.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2005

Theory of Hantavirus Infection Spread Incorporating Localized Adult and Itinerant Juvenile Mice

A generalized model of the spread of the Hantavirus in mice populations is presented on the basis of recent observational findings concerning the movement characteristics of the mice that carry the infection. The factual information behind the generalization is based on mark-recapture observations reported in Giuggioli et al. [Bull. Math. Biol. 67, 1135 (2005)] that have necessitated the introduction of home ranges in the simple model of Hantavirus spread presented by Abramson and Kenkre [Phys. Rev. E 66, 11912 (2002)]. The essential feature of the model presented here is the existence of adult mice that remain largely confined to locations near their home ranges, and itinerant juvenile mice that are not so confined, and, during their search for their own homes, move and infect both other juveniles and adults that they meet during their movement. The model is presented at three levels of description: mean field, kinetic and configuration. Results of calculations are shown explicitly from the mean field equations and the simulation rules, and are found to agree in some respects and to differ in others. The origin of the differences is shown to lie in spatial correlations. It is indicated how mark-recapture observations in the field may be employed to verify the applicability of the theory.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2005

Diffusion and Home Range Parameters from Rodent Population Measurements in Panama

Simple random walk considerations are used to interpret rodent population data collected in Hantavirus-related investigations in Panama regarding the short-tailed cane mouse, \emph{Zygodontomys brevicauda}. The diffusion constant of mice is evaluated to be of the order of (and larger than) 200 meters squared per day. The investigation also shows that the rodent mean square displacement saturates in time, indicating the existence of a spatial scale which could, in principle, be the home range of the rodents. This home range is concluded to be of the order of 70 meters. Theoretical analysis is provided for interpreting animal movement data in terms of an interplay of the home ranges, the diffusion constant, and the size of the grid used to monitor the movement. The study gives impetus to a substantial modification of existing theory of the spread of the Hantavirus epidemic which has been based on simple diffusive motion of the rodents, and additionally emphasizes the importance for developing more accurate techniques for the measurement of rodent movement.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2005

Theory of Home Range Estimation from Mark-Recapture Measurements of Animal Populations

A theory is provided for the estimation of home ranges of animals from the standard mark-recapture technique in which data are collected by capturing, tagging and recapturing the animals. The theoretical tool used is the Fokker-Planck equation, its characteristic quantities being the diffusion constant which describes the motion of the animals, and the attractive potential which addresses their tendency to live near their burrows. The measurement technique is shown to correspond to the calculation of a certain kind of mean square displacement of the animals relevant to the specific probing window in space corresponding to the trapping region. The output of the theory is a sigmoid curve of the observable mean square displacement as a function of the ratio of distances characteristic of the home range and the trapping region, along with an explicit prescription to extract the home range form observations. Applications of the theory to rodent movement in Panama and New Mexico are pointed out. An analysis is given of the sensitivity of our theory to the choice of the confining potential via the use of various representative cases. A comparison is provided between home range size inferred from our method and from other procedures employed in the literature. Consequences of home range overlap are also discussed.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2004

The dynamics of opinion in hierarchical organizations

We study the mutual influence of authority and persuasion in the flow of opinion. Many social organizations are characterized by a hierarchical structure where the propagation of opinion is asymmetric. In the normal flow of opinion formation a high-rank agent uses its authority (or its persuasion when necessary) to impose its opinion on others. However, agents with no authority may only use the force of its persuasion to propagate their opinions. In this contribution we describe a simple model with no social mobility, where each agent belongs to a class in the hierarchy and has also a persuasion capability. The model is studied numerically for a three levels case, and analytically within a mean field approximation, with a very good agreement between the two approaches. The stratum where the dominant opinion arises from is strongly dependent on the percentage of agents in each hierarchy level, and we obtain a phase diagram identifying the relative frequency of prevailing opinions. We also find that the time evolution of the conflicting opinions polarizes after a short transient.

nlin.AO↗

arXiv2003

Correlation between Risk Aversion and Wealth distribution

Different models of capital exchange among economic agents have been proposed recently trying to explain the emergence of Pareto's wealth power law distribution. One important factor to be considered is the existence of risk aversion. In this paper we study a model where agents posses different levels of risk aversion, going from uniform to a random distribution. In all cases the risk aversion level for a given agent is constant during the simulation. While for a uniform and constant risk aversion the system self-organizes in a distribution that goes from an unfair ``one takes all'' distribution to a Gaussian one, a random risk aversion can produce distributions going from exponential to log-normal and power-law. Besides, interesting correlations between wealth and risk aversion are found.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2002

Traveling waves of infection in the Hantavirus epidemics

Traveling waves are analyzed in a model of the Hantavirus infection of deer mice. The existence of two kinds of wave phenomena is predicted. An environmental parameter governs a transition between two regimes of propagation. In one of them the front of infection lags behind at a constant rate. In the other, fronts of susceptible and infected mice travel at the same speed, separated by a constant delay. The dependence of the delay on system parameters is analyzed numerically and through a piecewise linearization.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2002

Spatio-temporal patterns in the Hantavirus infection

We present a model of the infection of Hantavirus in deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, based on biological observations of the system in the North American Southwest. The results of the analysis shed light on relevant observations of the biological system, such as the sporadical disappearance of the infection, and the existence of foci or ``refugia'' that perform as reservoirs of the virus when environmental conditions are less than optimal.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2001

Wealth redistribution with finite resources

We present a simplified model for the exploitation of finite resources by interacting agents, where each agent receives a random fraction of the available resources. An extremal dynamics ensures that the poorest agent has a chance to change its economic welfare. After a long transient, the system self-organizes into a critical state that maximizes the average performance of each participant. Our model exhibits a new kind of wealth condensation, where very few extremely rich agents are stable in time and the rest stays in the middle class.

nlin.AO↗

arXiv2001

Analytic solutions for nonlinear waves in coupled reacting systems

We analyze a system of reacting elements harmonically coupled to nearest neighbors in the continuum limit. An analytic solution is found for traveling waves. The procedure is used to find oscillatory as well as solitary waves. A comparison is made between exact solutions and solutions of the piecewise linearized system, showing how the linearization affects the amplitude and frequency of the solutions.

nlin.PS↗