Mutation is the ultimate source of all genetic variation and is, therefore, central to evolutionary change. Previous work on the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia concluded that the presence of a transcriptionally silent germline genome has caused the evolution of a low base-substitution mutation rate in the germline genome of that ciliate. Here, we use mutation accumulation (MA) lines of the cili...

This review deals with computer simulation of biological aging, particularly with the Penna model of 1995. They are based on the mutation accumulation theory of half a century ago. The results agree well with demographical reality, and also with the seemingly contradictory influence of predators on the aging of prey.

Accumulation of contextual data offers new opportunities to improve the preventative health and wellbeing interventions. In this paper, we discuss the importance of understanding the context elements of Behavior Change Support Systems (BCSSs) and present an Event model illustrating the Use, User and Technology Context factors of the Persuasion Context. The model is a conceptual tool for identif...

It is estimated that with the global container population approaching 16m TEU, there are some 2.5m TEU or more, of empty boxes currently sitting idle in yards and depots around the world. In the eyes of port operators, shippers and carries, the number of empty boxes sitting at the terminal should ideally be nil or very few. Given the fact that empty boxes have to go somewhere, storage and repai...

Social capital is as a kind of capital accumulation that causes social solidarity, social commitment and thus improves self-esteem and social health. Erosion of social capital and the turmoil at the macro and micro levels lead to a variety of social and psychological issues and damages. This study aims to investigate the impact of social capital (in-group and out-group) on the mental health of...

Mental health problems represent a potentially important but relatively unexplored factor in explaining human capital accumulation during college. We conduct the first study, to our knowledge, of how mental health predicts academic success during college in a random longitudinal sample of students. We find that depression is a significant predictor of lower GPA and higher probability of droppin...