In this paper we view the folding of polynucleotide (RNA) sequences as a map that assigns to each sequence a minimum free energy pattern of base pairings, known as secondary structure. Considering only the free energy leads to an energy landscape over the sequence space. Taking into account structure generates a less visualizable non-scalar "landscape", where a sequence space is mapped into a s...

How do we experience and appreciate landscapes when know too much about them? Looking over a familiar view, begin to note the intrusive presence of countless threats—climate change, urban sprawl, deforestation name but few—that seem linger on edge frame, revealing each landscape be unstable, at risk, subject creeping or sudden onset massive change. Likewise, increasing awareness violent his...

The building-block hypothesis states that the GA works well when short, low-order, highly-fit schemas recombine to form even more highly fit higher-order schemas. The ability to produce fitter and fitter partial solutions by combining building blocks is believed to be a primary source of the GA’s search power, but the GA research community currently lacks precise and quantitative descriptions o...

Managing quality (such as service availability or process adherence) during the development, operation, and maintenance of software(-intensive) systems and services is a challenging task. Although many organizations need to define, control, measure, and improve various quality aspects of their development artifacts and processes, nearly no guidance is available on how to select, adapt, define, ...

Dispersal has long been recognized as a mechanism that shapes many observed ecological and evolutionary processes. Thus, understanding the factors that promote its evolution remains a major goal in evolutionary ecology. Landscape connectivity may mediate the trade-off between the forces in favour of dispersal propensity (e.g. kin-competition, local extinction probability) and those against it (...

Multipurpose mosaic (“ecoagriculture”) landscapes can serve the purpose of land sharing to combine objectives of agricultural production and biodiversity conservation. Rewarding the people who shape and maintain those landscapes could act as a mechanism to generate added-value representing an indirect payment for ecosystem services. We investigated the feasibility of such an approach in two are...

Sustainable designs like low-carbon landscapes are key to lowering the anthropogenic carbon footprint of our society and promoting harmony with natural ecosystems. We can design low-carbon landscapes for terrestrial (e.g. forests and urban farming areas) as well as aquatic (e.g. urban streams, ponds, and wetlands) urban spaces. Ecological interactions between water and soil in an urban ecosyste...

Maria Ferguson talks with Ken Oertling, superintendent of the Saint Charles Parish Public Schools in Louisiana, to learn more about how school opened its doors in-person learning fall 2020, during COVID-19 pandemic. The plan for reopening required district leaders juggle a variety logistical challenges and communicate clearly at every step. And physical mental health staff students became an ev...