5 research outputs found
Monte Carlo simulations of the inside-intron recombination
Biological genomes are divided into coding and non-coding regions. Introns
are non-coding parts within genes, while the remaining non-coding parts are
intergenic sequences. To study the evolutionary significance of recombination
inside introns we have used two models based on the Monte Carlo method. In our
computer simulations we have implemented the internal structure of genes by
declaring the probability of recombination between exons. One situation when
inside-intron recombination is advantageous is recovering functional genes by
combining proper exons dispersed in the genetic pool of the population after a
long period without selection for the function of the gene. Populations have to
pass through the bottleneck, then. These events are rather rare and we have
expected that there should be other phenomena giving profits from the
inside-intron recombination. In fact we have found that inside-intron
recombination is advantageous only in the case when after recombination,
besides the recombinant forms, parental haplotypes are available and selection
is set already on gametes.Comment: 12 pages inc. 5 Figs., for Int. J. Mod. Phys. C 17, issue 4 (2006
Shifting of the ontological-epistemological balance in contemporary research agendas: A critique
With greater calls for public involvement, there are now claims of methodological shifts to âbottom-upâ, âpolitically informedâ and âboundary-lessâ approaches. This is not accurate as there is still predominantly an emphasis on epistemological considerations (for instance, in how knowledge of âissuesâ being investigated are created and/or discovered)âseen through various community engagement forums and/or transfer of resources to local actors. However, the ontological (concerned with problem definition, âwhat is actually the issue being investigatedâ, âwhat do I/we think about itâ) is not effectively conceptualised and understood in the local space by local actors. Thus, in order for actual shifts to âbottom-upâ, âpolitically informedâ and âboundary lessâ approaches to take place, mechanisms to shape the ontology of the research problem must be facilitated in local spaces