The Evolution of Economic Diversity

The Evolution of Economic Diversity PDF Author: Antonio Nicita
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136356762
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description
The traditional role of evolutionary theory in the social sciences has been to explain the existence of an object in terms of the survival of the fittest. In economics this approach has acted as a justification for hypotheses such as profit maximisation, or the existence of institutions in terms of their overall efficiency. This volume challenges that view and argues that one of the first tasks of economic theory should be to explain the enormous diversity of institutional arrangements that has characterised human societies.

The Evolution of Economic Diversity

The Evolution of Economic Diversity PDF Author: Antonio Nicita
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136356762
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 460

Get Book Here

Book Description
The traditional role of evolutionary theory in the social sciences has been to explain the existence of an object in terms of the survival of the fittest. In economics this approach has acted as a justification for hypotheses such as profit maximisation, or the existence of institutions in terms of their overall efficiency. This volume challenges that view and argues that one of the first tasks of economic theory should be to explain the enormous diversity of institutional arrangements that has characterised human societies.

Evolution of Organismal Form: From Regulatory Interactions to Developmental Processes and Biological Patterns

Evolution of Organismal Form: From Regulatory Interactions to Developmental Processes and Biological Patterns PDF Author: Sylvain Marcellini
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288945097X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
Today's biodiversity is the spectacular product of hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Understanding how this diversity of living organisms appeared is one of the most intriguing and challenging question in biology. Because organismal morphology is established during embryonic development, and because morphological traits diversified from ancestral forms during evolution, it can be inferred that changes in the mechanisms controlling embryonic development are instrumental for morphological evolution. This syllogism lies at the very heart of a new discipline called Evo-Devo which is centered in the identification of the cellular and genetic mechanisms that, through modifications in developmental programmes, were at the base of morphological innovations during evolution. After the discovery of the broad conservation of gene content and regulatory networks in the animal kingdom, as well as in plants, Evo-Devo is orienting towards the study of differences through experimental and functional approaches. Given the wide range of species, gene families, and developmental processes considered, a concerted effort is still required to shed light on the genetic, cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in phenotypic evolution. It is a particularly exciting time for this field of evolutionary developmental biology, as the advent of novel imaging, genome editing and sequencing technologies allows the study of almost any organism in ways that were unthinkable only a few years ago. Therefore, the aim of this Frontiers Research Topic is to gather an original collection of experimental approaches, concepts and hypotheses reflecting the current diversity of the Evo-Devo field. We have organized the articles according to the mechanistic depth with which they tackle specific evolutionary issues. Hence, comparisons of expression patterns have been grouped in Chapter 1, changes in regulatory interactions and gene networks are presented in Chapter 2, while Chapter 3 focuses on the evolution of developmental processes and biological patterns.

The Evolution of Adaptive Systems

The Evolution of Adaptive Systems PDF Author: James Patrick Brock
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080542468
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 657

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Book Description
The data of evolutionary biology have changed in a very radical way in recent years, the most significant input to this revolution being the advances made in developmental genetics. Another recent development is a noticeable shift away from extreme specialization in evolutionary biology. In this, we are perhaps to be reminded of George Gaylord Simpson's comments: "evolution is an incredibly complex but at the same time integrated and unitary process." The main objective of this book is to illustrate how natural adaptive systems evolve as a unity--with the particular objective of identifying and merging several special theories of evolution within the framework of a single general theory. The Evolution of Adaptive Systems provides an interdisciplinary overview of the general theory of evolution from the standpoint of the dynamic behavior of natural adaptive systems. The approach leads to a radically new fusion of the diverse disciplines of evolutionary biology, serving to resolve the considerable degree of conflict existing between different schools of contemporary thought. - The book is a timely volume written by a natural historian with a broad view of biology - The author draws examples from a large range of organisms from many different habitats and niches where interesting adaptations have evolved - Probes deeply into mechanisms of evolution such as developmental genetics, morphogenesis, chromosome structure, and cladogenesis - Clear definition of terms, with illustrations visualizing the main theoretical structures, and point-by-point summaries clearly stating the principal conclusions

Origin and Evolution of Viruses

Origin and Evolution of Viruses PDF Author: Esteban Domingo
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080564968
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 573

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Book Description
New viral diseases are emerging continuously. Viruses adapt to new environments at astounding rates. Genetic variability of viruses jeopardizes vaccine efficacy. For many viruses mutants resistant to antiviral agents or host immune responses arise readily, for example, with HIV and influenza. These variations are all of utmost importance for human and animal health as they have prevented us from controlling these epidemic pathogens. This book focuses on the mechanisms that viruses use to evolve, survive and cause disease in their hosts. Covering human, animal, plant and bacterial viruses, it provides both the basic foundations for the evolutionary dynamics of viruses and specific examples of emerging diseases. - NEW - methods to establish relationships among viruses and the mechanisms that affect virus evolution - UNIQUE - combines theoretical concepts in evolution with detailed analyses of the evolution of important virus groups - SPECIFIC - Bacterial, plant, animal and human viruses are compared regarding their interation with their hosts

International Symposium: Retroviruses and Human Pathology

International Symposium: Retroviruses and Human Pathology PDF Author: Robert C. Gallo
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 592

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Book Description
For decades retroviruses have been riding the crest of a wave of experimental research directed toward the identification of an infectious agent of human neoplastic diseases. In the early 1970s, several scientists successfully demonstrated the presence of retroviruses in numerous animal species and proved their etiological role in some related diseases. Corresponding findings in humans were somewhat discouraging. Although financial support for this line· of research declined, a few dedicated retrovirologists survived and continued to collect more biological information and technological expertise that opened a new approach to the search for a human retrovirus. The rewards came with the discovery that the genes responsible for neoplastic transformation (oncogenes) are of cellular origin and can be shuttled about by retroviruses, and with the identification of a new family of Human T-cell Lymphotrophic retroViruses (HTLV) from patients with diseases ranging from leukemia to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). An understanding of the role and significance of retroviruses in human pathology requires basic knowledge of the major animal systems studied. With this perspective in mind, we present here a survey that includes general overviews, minireviews on each animal system studied with selected experimental reports and, finally, a stimulating review of the field of human retrovirology by many of the pioneer scientists who created it. We are especially grateful to Profs. C. A. Romanzi and G. C. Schito for promoting the organization of the Symposium. On behalf of the Sym posium Committee, we thank E. Soeri, L. Casarino, G. P. Gesu, M.

Retroviruses

Retroviruses PDF Author: John M. Coffin
Publisher: CSHL Press
ISBN: 9780879695712
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 856

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Book Description
For over 25 years the study of retroviruses has underpinned much of what is known about information transfer in cells and the genetic and biochemical mechanisms that underlie cell growth and cancer induction. Emergent diseases such as AIDS and adult T-cell lymphoma have widened even further the community of investigators directly concerned with retroviruses, a development that has highlighted the need for an integrated understanding of their biology and their unique association with host genomes. This remarkable volume satisfies that need. Written by a group of the field's most distinguished investigators, rigorously edited to provide a seamless narrative, and elegantly designed for clarity and readability, this book is an instant classic that demands attention from scientists and physicians studying retroviruses and the disorders in which they play a role.

Viruses and the Evolution of Life

Viruses and the Evolution of Life PDF Author: Luis P. Villarreal
Publisher: Amer Society for Microbiology
ISBN: 9781555813093
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
Viruses and the Evolution of Life is an intriguing presentation of the virus–host relationship, as revealed through an examination of host evolution. This new volume avails the informed reader of a new perspective on the evolution of life while targeting the expert reader with discussions of specific scientific literature. Addresses the adaptation and evolution of viruses and, more importantly, the role of viruses in evolutionary biology Develops integrated themes for study of virology Contributes valuable information to the understanding of the virus–host relationship Integrates the relationship between genetic parasites found in host genomes with the virology of the host Communicates basic principles to the informed reader while presenting a scholarly evaluation of literature to challenge the specialist Written by one of the foremost experts in the field

Essentials of Glycobiology

Essentials of Glycobiology PDF Author: Ajit Varki
Publisher: CSHL Press
ISBN: 9780879696818
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 694

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Book Description
Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.

Endogenous Innovation

Endogenous Innovation PDF Author: Cristiano Antonelli
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 178254514X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
This ground-breaking new book builds upon the Schumpeterian creative response. The author shows that firms, in out-of-equilibrium conditions, try and react by means of introducing innovations. The success of their reaction is contingent upon their access conditions to knowledge, which are shaped by the system in which they operate. The emergence of new innovations can, in turn, knock firms further out-of-equilibrium and cause changes in the system properties that govern their access to external knowledge. This path dependent loop of interactions between the system properties and the individual actions of firms, accounts for endogenous innovation and the dynamics of the system.

Social and Economic Networks

Social and Economic Networks PDF Author: Matthew O. Jackson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140083399X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 519

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Book Description
Networks of relationships help determine the careers that people choose, the jobs they obtain, the products they buy, and how they vote. The many aspects of our lives that are governed by social networks make it critical to understand how they impact behavior, which network structures are likely to emerge in a society, and why we organize ourselves as we do. In Social and Economic Networks, Matthew Jackson offers a comprehensive introduction to social and economic networks, drawing on the latest findings in economics, sociology, computer science, physics, and mathematics. He provides empirical background on networks and the regularities that they exhibit, and discusses random graph-based models and strategic models of network formation. He helps readers to understand behavior in networked societies, with a detailed analysis of learning and diffusion in networks, decision making by individuals who are influenced by their social neighbors, game theory and markets on networks, and a host of related subjects. Jackson also describes the varied statistical and modeling techniques used to analyze social networks. Each chapter includes exercises to aid students in their analysis of how networks function. This book is an indispensable resource for students and researchers in economics, mathematics, physics, sociology, and business.