Publications by authors named "Iris van de Pol"

Despite wide variation among natural languages, there are linguistic properties thought to be universal to all or nearly all languages. Here, we consider universals at the semantic level, in the domain of quantifiers, which are given by the properties of monotonicity, quantity, and conservativity, and we investigate whether these universals might be explained by differences in complexity. First, we use a minimal pair methodology and compare the complexities of individual quantifiers using approximate Kolmogorov complexity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aerobic metabolism generates 15-20 times more energy (ATP) than anaerobic metabolism, which is crucial in maintaining energy budgets in animals, fueling metabolism, activity, growth and reproduction. For ectothermic water-breathers such as fishes, low dissolved oxygen may limit oxygen uptake and hence aerobic metabolism. Here, we assess, within a phylogenetic context, how abiotic and biotic drivers explain the variation in hypoxia tolerance observed in fishes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cell size may be important in understanding the thermal biology of ectotherms, as the regulation and consequences of cell size appear to be temperature dependent. Using a recently developed model system of triploid zebrafish (which have around 1.5-fold larger cells than their diploid counterparts) we examine the effects of cell size on gene expression, growth, development and swimming performance in zebrafish larvae at different temperatures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Being composed of small cells may carry energetic costs related to maintaining ionic gradients across cell membranes as well as benefits related to diffusive oxygen uptake. Here, we test the hypothesis that these costs and benefits of cell size in ectotherms are temperature dependent. To study the consequences of cell size for whole-organism metabolic rate, we compared diploid and triploid zebrafish larvae differing in cell size.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There is renewed interest in the regulation and consequences of cell size adaptations in studies on understanding the ecophysiology of ectotherms. Here we test if induction of triploidy, which increases cell size in zebrafish (Danio rerio), makes for a good model system to study consequences of cell size. Ideally, diploid and triploid zebrafish should differ in cell size, but should otherwise be comparable in order to be suitable as a model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The conflict between pro-self and pro-social behaviour is at the core of many key problems of our time, as, for example, the reduction of air pollution and the redistribution of scarce resources. For the well-being of our societies, it is thus crucial to find mechanisms to promote pro-social choices over egoistic ones. Particularly important, because cheap and easy to implement, are those mechanisms that can change people's behaviour without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives, the so-called "nudges".

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Theory of mind refers to the human capacity for reasoning about others' mental states based on observations of their actions and unfolding events. This type of reasoning is notorious in the cognitive science literature for its presumed computational intractability. A possible reason could be that it may involve higher-order thinking (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Energy is the common currency of life. To guarantee a homeostatic supply of energy, multiple neuro-endocrine systems have evolved in vertebrates; systems that regulate food intake, metabolism, and distribution of energy. Even subtle (lasting) dysregulation of the delicate balance of energy intake and expenditure may result in severe pathologies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF