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Computing the rate of evolution in spatially structured populations is difficult. A key quantity is the fixation time of a single mutant with relative reproduction rate $r$ which invades a population of residents. We say that the fixation time is "fast" if it is at most a polynomial function in terms of the population size $N$. Here we study fixation times of advantageous mutants ($r>1$) and neutral mutants ($r=1$) on directed graphs, which are those graphs that have at least some one-way connections. We obtain three main results. First, we prove that for any directed graph the fixation time is fast, provided that $r$ is sufficiently large. Second, we construct an efficient algorithm that gives an upper bound for the fixation time for any graph and any $r\ge 1$. Third, we identify a broad class of directed graphs with fast fixation times for any $r\ge 1$. This class includes previously studied amplifiers of selection, such as Superstars and Metafunnels. We also show that on some graphs the fixation time is not a monotonically declining function of $r$; in particular, neutral fixation can occur faster than fixation for small selective advantages., Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures

Translation is one of the most fundamental processes in the biological cell. Because of the central role that translation plays across all domains of life, the enzyme that carries out this process, the ribosome, is required to process information with high accuracy. This accuracy often approaches values near unity experimentally. In this paper, we model the ribosome as an information channel and demonstrate mathematically that this biological machine has information-processing capabilities that have not been recognized previously. In particular, we calculate bounds on the ribosome's theoretical Shannon capacity and numerically approximate this capacity. Finally, by incorporating estimates on the ribosome's operation time, we show that the ribosome operates at speeds safely below its capacity, allowing the ribosome to process information with an arbitrary degree of error. Our results show that the ribosome achieves a high accuracy in line with purely information-theoretic means., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

We extend the notion of proper elements to all Coxeter groups. For all infinite families of finite Coxeter groups we prove that the probability a random element is proper goes to zero in the limit. This proves a conjecture of the third author and A. Yong regarding the proportion of Schubert varieties that are Levi spherical for all infinite families of Weyl groups. We also enumerate the proper elements in the exceptional Coxeter groups., Comment: 21 pages

We define and study proper permutations. Properness is a geometrically natural necessary criterion for a Schubert variety to be Levi-spherical. We prove the probability that a random permutation is proper goes to zero in the limit., Comment: 8 pages