Oblique Transmission Research Articles

Gender and culture

Abstract: This paper reviews the literature on gender and culture. Gender gaps in various outcomes (competitiveness, labour force participation, and performance in mathematics, among many others) show remarkable differences across countries and tend to persist over time. The economics literature initially explained these differences by looking at standard economic variables such as the level of development, women’s education, the expansion of the service sector, and discrimination. More recent literature has argued that gender differences in a variety of outcomes could reflect underlying cultural values and beliefs. This article reviews the literature on the relevance of culture in the determination of different forms of gender gap. I examine how differences in historical situations could have been relevant in generating gender differences and the conditions under which gender norms tend to be stable or to change over time, emphasizing the role of social learning. Finally, I review the role of different forms of cultural transmission in shaping gender differences, distinguishing between channels of vertical transmission (the role of the family), horizontal transmission (the role of peers), and oblique transmission (the role of teachers or role models).

Evolution of transmission modifiers under frequency-dependent selection and transmission in constant or fluctuating environments

Although the Reduction Principle for rates of mutation, migration, and recombination has been proved for large populations under constant selection, the fate of modifiers of these evolutionary forces under frequency-dependent or fluctuating selection is, in general, less well understood. Here we study modifiers of transmission, which include modifiers of mutation and oblique cultural transmission, under frequency-dependent and cyclically fluctuating selection, and develop models for which the Reduction Principle fails. We show that whether increased rates of transmission can evolve from an equilibrium at which there is zero transmission (for example, no mutation) depends on the number of alleles among which transmission is occurring. In addition, properties of the null-transmission state are clarified.

Corrections to “Time Domain Hybrid Method for the Coupling Analysis of Oblique Transmission Line Network Excited by Ambient Wave”

In [1], Fig. 5 is incorrect. The correct figure is provided as follows. Fig. 5. Interpolation scheme for the electric fields at the starting or ending points of each segment of oblique transmission line.

Integrating Genetic, Environmental, and Social Networks to Reveal Transmission Pathways of a Dolphin Foraging Innovation

Cultural behavior, which is transmitted among conspecifics through social learning [1], is found across various taxa [2-6]. Vertical social transmission from parent to offspring [7] is thought to be adaptive because of the parental generation being more skilled than maturing individuals. It is found throughout the animal kingdom, particularly in species with prolonged parental care, e.g., [8, 9]. Social learning can also occur among members of the same generation [4, 10, 11] or between older, non-parental individuals and younger generations [7] via horizontal or oblique transmission, respectively. Extensive work on primate culture has shown that horizontal transmission of foraging behavior is biased toward species with broad cultural repertoires [12] and those with increased levels of social tolerance [13, 14], such as great apes. Vertical social transmission has been established as the primary transmission mechanism of foraging behaviors in the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) population of Shark Bay, Western Australia [6, 9, 15, 16]. Here, we investigated the spread of another foraging strategy, "shelling" [17], whereby some dolphins in this population feed on prey trapped inside large marine gastropod shells. Using a multi-network version of "network-based diffusion analysis" (NBDA), we show that shelling behavior spreads primarily through non-vertical social transmission. By statistically accounting for both environmental and genetic influences, our findings thus represent the first evidence of non-vertical transmission of a foraging tactic in toothed whales. This research suggests there are multiple transmission pathways of foraging behaviors in dolphins, highlighting the similarities between cetaceans and great apes in the nature of the transmission of cultural behaviors. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Evolutionary aspects that guide the cultural transmission pathways in a local medical system in Northeast Brazil

Most of the studies with a focus on pathways and biases of cultural transmission in different domains show that vertical transmission predominates over horizontal and oblique transmission, especially in traits linked to traditions and survival skills, such as local medicine. However, overestimation of the importance of vertical transmission has been an object of methodological criticism. Therefore, a statistical analysis with diachronic perspective may obtain more accurate results. The present study uses an eight-year time frame, as well as synchronous analysis, to study evolutionary aspects that guide the transmission pathways of a local medical system in northeast Brazil. We find that even with vertical transmission being predominant in the learning of information in this cultural domain, the evolutionary implications of this predominance may not be the same as that expected by the theory of cultural evolution. There is a substantial updating of knowledge through horizontal and oblique routes, guided primarily by a model-based bias on prestige and success, which is quite adaptive. Moreover, even when the information is passed vertically, the transmission is much more diffusive than conservative. Indeed, there is a small set of information that remains over time, known as a “structural core,” but new information is aggregated continuously, preparing the system to adapt to new events. By analyzing the transmission routes of knowledge about medicinal plants, this study presents a new perspective on the evolutionary implications of cultural transmission.

The effect of cultural transmission on shared sign language persistence

In this paper, we revisit a mathematical model of sign language persistence by Aoki and Feldman (Theor Popul Biol 39(3):358–372, 1991), which investigates the evolution of genes causing deafness, affected by an assortative mating parameter, and the cultural transmission of sign language. To assess their model, we reimplement it as an agent-based simulation to be able to easily represent structured relationships in a finite population. We study the persistence of shared sign languages, a categorization of sign languages, which are typically shared by deaf and hearing members of a small community with a high incidence of hereditary deafness (Nyst, 2012. Shared sign languages. Sign language: An international handbook, pp. 552–574). We observe how shared sign language persistence is affected by hearing signers, marriage patterns, and various modes of sign language transmission: vertical, horizontal, oblique, and grandparental transmission. In contrast to Aoki and Feldman’s (Theor Popul Biol 9(3):358–372, 1991) finding that modes of transmission other than vertical are negligible, in the agent-based model we find that adding modes of transmission helps to ensure shared sign language persistence. A better understanding of sign language persistence has relevance for processes of cultural evolution, (sign language) linguistics, and language endangerment.

Time Domain Hybrid Method for the Coupling Analysis of Oblique Transmission Line Network Excited by Ambient Wave

Efficient numerical methods which analyse the coupling within an oblique transmission line network (OTLN) excited by electromagnetic wave are still rare in the literature. A novel time domain hybrid method is proposed in this article, in which finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, transmission line (TL) equations, Norton's theorem, and interpolation techniques are organically combined. In this method, the terminal loads and connection nodes of OTLN are first shifted to the center lines of FDTD grids, where the loads and nodes are located. Then the OTLN is divided into several independent oblique transmission lines according to the connecting nodes. Finally, the FDTD method combined with TL equations and interpolation techniques is applied to compute the transient responses on each oblique transmission line, and the Norton's theorem is utilized to build the equivalent circuit models of connecting nodes to realize the transmissions of interference signals on these oblique transmission lines. Numerical simulations of OTLN on the perfect conductor (PEC) ground and in a shielded cavity excited by ambient wave are employed to exhibit the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. Because the structure of OTLN does not need to be meshed, the proposed method outperforms the conventional FDTD method in both memory usage and computation time.

Observation of symmetry breaking in photoalignment-induced periodic 3D LC structures

Abstract We report on the optical analysis of 3D periodic LC nematic structures, using crossed-polarizer transmission microscopy with oblique illumination. The structure is developed in a cell with orthogonally arranged top and bottom photoaligned periodic micro-patterns. We demonstrate experimentally that two unit cell director configurations can be formed in the device. The size of the unit cell is two times larger than the period of the micropattern because symmetry breaking allows avoiding disclinations lines in the bulk of the liquid crystal. As a result, each unit cell can be located in four equivalent positions. Q-tensor finite element simulations show that the two unit cells have different elastic energy. Oblique illumination transmission experiments are in good agreement with numerical simulations. The observed structures are interesting for optical manipulation purposes, liquid crystal based lasing, geometric phase implementation and many other photonics applications.

The evolution of frequency-dependent cultural transmission

In a model of vertical and oblique cultural transmission of a dichotomous trait, the rates of transmission of each form of the trait are functions of the trait frequency in the population. Sufficient conditions on these functions are derived for a stable trait polymorphism to exist. If the vertical transmission rates are monotone decreasing functions of the trait frequency, a complete global stability analysis is presented. It is also shown that a unique protected polymorphism can be globally stable even though the sufficient conditions are not met. The evolution of frequency-dependent transmission is modeled using modifier theory, and exact conditions are derived for a transmission modifier to invade a population at a stable polymorphism. Finally, the interaction between frequency-dependent selection and frequency-dependent transmission is explored.

Ablation controlled laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry by using improved transmission geometry

Vertical ablation, which is caused by oblique transmission geometry, was applied for high reproducible matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). In terms of desorption behavior of analytes and reproducibility of MALDI-MS measurements, comparative evaluations of this oblique transmission geometry with a reflection geometry were done in this paper. We found a large difference in laser ablation direction and amount of desorbed sample between these two irradiation techniques. This difference directs to drastic improvements of signal intensity and shot-to-shot reproducibility in mass spectra.

Vertical and oblique cultural transmission fluctuating in time and in space

Evolutionary models for a cultural trait under vertical and oblique cultural transmission are analyzed. For a dichotomous trait, both the fitnesses of the variants and their rates of transmission are allowed to vary. In one class of models, transmission fluctuates cyclically together with fitnesses, and conditions are derived for a cultural polymorphism. A second class of models has transmission and selection fluctuating randomly with possible covariance between them. A third class of models involves two populations with migration between them and with transmission rates and fitnesses different in the two populations. Numerical analysis leads to qualitative conditions on the transmission rates and fitnesses that allow protected polymorphisms. With symmetric migration analytical conditions for protected polymorphism are derived.

Social Networks and Knowledge Transmission Strategies among Baka Children, Southeastern Cameroon

The dynamics of knowledge transmission and acquisition, or how different aspects of culture are passed from one individual to another and how they are acquired and embodied by individuals, are central to understanding cultural evolution. In small-scale societies, cultural knowledge is largely acquired early in life through observation, imitation, and other forms of social learning embedded in daily experiences. However, little is known about the pathways through which such knowledge is transmitted, especially during middle childhood and adolescence. This study presents new empirical data on cultural knowledge transmission during childhood. Data were collected among the Baka, a forager-farmer society in southeastern Cameroon. We conducted structured interviews with children between 5 and 16 years of age (n = 58 children; 177 interviews, with children being interviewed 1–6 times) about group composition during subsistence activities. Children’s groups were generally diverse, although children tended to perform subsistence activities primarily without adults and with same-sex companions. Group composition varied from one subsistence activity to another, which suggests that the flow of knowledge might also vary according to the activity performed. Analysis of the social composition of children’s subsistence groups shows that vertical and oblique transmission of subsistence-related knowledge might not be predominant during middle childhood and adolescence. Rather, horizontal transmission appears to be the most common knowledge transmission strategy used by Baka children during middle childhood and adolescence, highlighting the importance of other children in the transmission of knowledge.

Grandparents' Proximity and Children's Traditional Medicinal Plant Knowledge: Insights from Two Schools in Intermediate-Rural Spain

Abstract. In the last decade, researchers have reported the erosion of Traditional Medicinal Plant Knowledge (TMPK), including declines in the knowledge about which plant species are medicines and in the practical skills for using these species. Among the various drivers explaining TMPK loss, the processes governing knowledge acquisition and transmission are not clearly understood. In this study we explore whether grandparent-grandchild proximity relates to child's knowledge, namely through oblique knowledge transmission. Based on the assumption that elders are a repository of TMPK, we hypothesized that children's physical and affective proximity to their grandparents might favor the transmission of TMPK and, therefore, be associated to higher child's TMPK. We test this hypothesis using data from children attending two schools in intermediate-rural towns Guadalix de la Sierra and Figueres, Spain. Contrary to our expectations, neither physical nor affective proximity to grandparents was significantly relat...

Identifying social learning between Roman amphorae workshops through morphometric similarity

The aim of this study is to identify dynamics of social learning between amphorae workshops during the the Roman Empire. The Baetica province developed a massive infrastructure of olive oil production that supplied the Western provinces of Rome for almost 300 years. The olive oil produced in this area was shipped through maritime and riverine transport networks in a standardized amphoric shape made in several workshops spread around the region. These workshops have generated a large amount of evidence but it is still difficult to understand through archaeological proxies how the production of amphorae was organized.We apply here an evolutionary framework to find links between workshops through the morphometric similarities of the amphorae they produced. The suggested approach identifies how individual potters acquired and transmitted technical skills by exploring small yet statistical significant differences in the amphorae made in 5 different workshops. Multivariate methods are used to cluster a variety of amphorae based on morphometric measurements and the outcome shows that the analysis is useful even when a high degree of standardization exists, such as was the case for Roman amphorae (i.e. Dressel 20).Results suggest that morphometric similarity is inversely correlated with spatial distance between workshops. This pattern suggests that pottery-making techniques were transmitted through oblique transmission with little or no movement of potters between distant workshops. The conclusion is that morphometric similarity may be an effective proxy to identify social learning dynamics even amongst workshops producing exactly the same amphoric type.

Evolution of vertical and oblique transmission under fluctuating selection

The evolution and maintenance of social learning, in competition with individual learning, under fluctuating selection have been well-studied in the theory of cultural evolution. Here, we study competition between vertical and oblique cultural transmission of a dichotomous phenotype under constant, periodically cycling, and randomly fluctuating selection. Conditions are derived for the existence of a stable polymorphism in a periodically cycling selection regime. Under such a selection regime, the fate of a genetic modifier of the rate of vertical transmission depends on the length of the cycle and the strength of selection. In general, the evolutionarily stable rate of vertical transmission differs markedly from the rate that maximizes the geometric mean fitness of the population. The evolution of rules of transmission has dramatically different dynamics from the more frequently studied modifiers of recombination, mutation, or migration.

An efficient analytical model for baffled, multi-celled membrane-type acoustic metamaterial panels

A new analytical model for the oblique incidence sound transmission loss prediction of baffled panels with multiple subwavelength sized membrane-type acoustic metamaterial (MAM) unit cells is proposed. The model employs a novel approach via the concept of the effective surface mass density and approximates the unit cell vibrations in the form of piston-like displacements. This yields a coupled system of linear equations that can be solved efficiently using well-known solution procedures. A comparison with results from finite element model simulations for both normal and diffuse field incidence shows that the analytical model delivers accurate results as long as the edge length of the MAM unit cells is smaller than half the acoustic wavelength. The computation times for the analytical calculations are 100 times smaller than for the numerical simulations. In addition to that, the effect of flexible MAM unit cell edges compared to the fixed edges assumed in the analytical model is studied numerically. It is shown that the compliance of the edges has only a small impact on the transmission loss of the panel, except at very low frequencies in the stiffness-controlled regime. The proposed analytical model is applied to investigate the effect of variations of the membrane prestress, added mass, and mass eccentricity on the diffuse transmission loss of a MAM panel with 120 unit cells. Unlike most previous investigations of MAMs, these results provide a better understanding of the acoustic performance of MAMs under more realistic conditions. For example, it is shown that by varying these parameters deliberately in a checkerboard pattern, a new anti-resonance with large transmission loss values can be introduced. A random variation of these parameters, on the other hand, is shown to have only little influence on the diffuse transmission loss, as long as the standard deviation is not too large. For very large random variations, it is shown that the peak transmission loss value can be greatly diminished.

Blocking oblique wave sound transmission through a multi-element barrier using alternate resonance tuning

Alternate Resonance Tuning (ART) utilizes a structural barrier subdivided into dynamic panel subsystems with different resonant behaviors. The underlying idea involves adjacent panel subsystems tuned differently to take advantage of the outofphase vibratory behavior, causing the 180° phase shift at different frequencies. In the intermediate range between the two resonance frequencies, the panels vibrate out of phase, leading to strong cancellation of the transmitted sound field. The method has been demonstrated analytically and experimentally for waves striking a barrier at normal incidence. The current work considers the effectiveness of ART to block the transmission of incident oblique waves, and considers both discrete frequencies and angles, and more realistic broadband random incidence fields. The research goal is to show that flexibility and controlled resonant behavior in subsystems can substantially block sound transmission, even for low structural damping. The subsystems alter the vibrating surface wavenumber spectra to reduce coupling between the structure and the acoustic field. Not only is the transmission of incident oblique waves reduced, but the transmitted and reflected waves radiate at a variety of angles due to the modification of the surface wavenumber spectrum. Applications include the development of lightweight flexible sound blocking barriers for vehicles and architectural spaces.

THE FORMATION OF INDIVIDUAL MUSIC STYLE OF KACAPI INDUNG ACCOMPANIMENT MUSIC IN TEMBANG SUNDA CIANJURAN IN INDONESIA

Ponte Academic JournalMar 2017, Volume 73, Issue 3 THE FORMATION OF INDIVIDUAL MUSIC STYLE OF KACAPI INDUNG ACCOMPANIMENT MUSIC IN TEMBANG SUNDA CIANJURAN IN INDONESIAAuthor(s): Dr. Julia ,Tjetjep Rohendi Rohidi, Totok Sumaryanto F., Heri HerdiniJ. Ponte - Mar 2017 - Volume 73 - Issue 3 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2017.3.13 Abstract:This study analyzes the formation process of individual musical style in Tembang Sunda Cianjuran (Cianjur Sundanese Traditional Songs) in Indonesia. Individual music style has become a barometer for artists so that their virtuosity, creativity, and trademark are recognized by other artists. Individual musical style is not formed easily because it needs to be supported by a variety of factors. At times, the formation process may even violate the rules or norms that exist in the community of Tembang Sunda Cianjuran. The study was conducted using an interdisciplinary approach (Rohidi, 2011). The studied artist and also key informant was a newcomer on kacapi indung player. He has begun showing his individual music style, has performed in several countries, and released several audio recordings. The data were collected from observations, interviews, document studies, and video recordings. Data analysis used qualitative data analysis model of Miles and Huberman (1994) and musical analysis of Nettl (1964). The results show that individual musical style is formed as a result of learning from figure artists with high reputation, oblique transmission, association, and creativity. The style evolves as it is supported by association and kinship with other popular artists and the courage to be creative in creating new accompaniment musical patterns for performance and recording needs. Stage performances and recordings widespread and draw other artists to adopt individual music style by learning directly from the artist. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Shielding Design for Adjacent, Underground Buildings of a Megavoltage Radiotherapy Facility.

In a radiotherapy facility, safety in areas next to the treatment room can be of concern when irradiating downward due to oblique x-ray transmission through the floor and/or walls, especially in areas immediately adjacent or underground. Even when there is no basement underneath, a usual conservative solution is to build a thick concrete slab as the base for the treatment room. Of course, this implies deeper soil excavation and higher associated costs. As a convenient alternative, the limiting walls can be buried a certain depth below floor level to shield oblique, downward irradiation. Besides, for space considerations, laminated barriers are usually employed, and some additional shielding to the floor may be required (L-shaped barriers). In this work, the author introduces an analytical method for calculating the required wall penetration below floor level or, alternatively, the additional floor shielding for L-shaped barriers, taking into account in either case the attenuation properties of the earth underneath the vault. Interestingly, the required penetration depth for a given wall barrier (primary or secondary), relative to a reference thickness, is only a function of basic attenuation data. Likewise, for a laminated, lead-concrete barrier, the required dimensions depend on the relative amount of lead used for the wall and on the corresponding attenuation data. The shielding design criteria developed in this work to protect underground nearby sites is conservative in nature, yet it yields optimal shield dimensions for wall footing and for wall-floor shielding, avoiding the need to construct oversized concrete slab floors.

Nothing else matters: Evolution of preference for social prestige

This paper seeks answers to two questions. First, if a greater social activity of an individual enhances oblique (i.e. to non-relatives) transmission of her cultural traits at the expense of vertical (i.e. to children) transmission as well as family size, which behavior is optimal from cultural evolution standpoint? I formalize a general model that characterizes evolutionarily stable social activity. The proposed model replicates the theory of Newson et al. (2007) that fertility decline is caused by increasing role of oblique cultural transmission. Second, if social activity is a rational choice rather than a culturally inherited trait, and if cultural transmission acts on preferences rather than behaviors, which preferences survive the process of cultural evolution? I arrive at a very simple yet powerful result: under mild assumptions on model structure, only preferences which emphasize exclusively the concern for social prestige, i.e. extent to which one’s cultural trait has been picked up by others, survive.