Molecular evolution in protobiological systems Final report, Dec. 1, 1961 - Nov. 30, 1964

Arc discharge of irradiated mixtures of simple organic and inorganic compounds for development of theory of molecular evolution in protobiological system

Pollen Content of Iowa Honey

Beekeeping literature contains numerous references to the fact that honey is eaten by some people for its pollen content. Consequently, the writer was interested in learning what kinds of pollen are contained in honey. Thirteen samples were studied to determine their pollen content. These samples were secured directly from beekeepers or were purchased in local stores. The source of honey samples and the number of pollen grains counted in each is shown in Table I

Pollen of Iowa Honey

Pollen that is preserved in honey reveals the identity of the plants which bees visit in gathering nectar and to some extent the place of origin and season in which it is collected. In 1944 a study of pollen in Iowa honey was made by the author and the present paper describes some of the pollen types encountered in that study. A few of the common types with descriptions are here presented and the sizes given are those of the pollen grains which had been in honey and treated according to the method outlined in the earlier paper

Constraint

International audienceConstraint refers to a reduction of the degrees of freedom of the elements of a system exerted by some collection of elements, or a limitation or bias on the variability or possibilities of change in the kind of such elements

Closure, causal

In biological systems, closure refers to a holistic feature such that their constitutive processes, operations and transformations (1) depend on each other for their production and maintenance and (2) collectively contribute to determine the conditions at which the whole organization can exist. According to several theoretical biologists, the concept of closure captures one of the central features of biological organization since it constitutes, as well as evolution by natural selection, an emergent and distinctively biological causal regime. In spite of an increasing agreement on its relevance to understand biological systems, no agreement on a unique definition has been reached so far

Bulbar and speech motor assessment in ALS: Challenges and future directions

Bulbar motor deterioration due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leads to the eventual impairment of speech and swallowing functions. Despite these devastating consequences, no standardized diagnostic procedure for assessing bulbar dysfunction in ALS exists and adequate objective markers of bulbar deterioration have not been identifi ed. In this paper, we consider objective measures of speech motor function, which show promise for forming the basis of a comprehensive, quantitative bulbar motor assessment in ALS. These measures are based on the assessment of four speech subsystems: respiratory, phonatory, articulatory, and resonatory. The goal of this research is to design a non-invasive, comprehensive bulbar motor assessment instrument intended for early detection, monitoring of disease progression, and clinical trial application. Preliminary data from an ongoing study of bulbar motor decline are presented, which demonstrate the potential clinical effi cacy of the speech subsystem approach

Bulbar and speech motor assessment in ALS: Challenges and future directions

Bulbar motor deterioration due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leads to the eventual impairment of speech and swallowing functions. Despite these devastating consequences, no standardized diagnostic procedure for assessing bulbar dysfunction in ALS exists and adequate objective markers of bulbar deterioration have not been identifi ed. In this paper, we consider objective measures of speech motor function, which show promise for forming the basis of a comprehensive, quantitative bulbar motor assessment in ALS. These measures are based on the assessment of four speech subsystems: respiratory, phonatory, articulatory, and resonatory. The goal of this research is to design a non-invasive, comprehensive bulbar motor assessment instrument intended for early detection, monitoring of disease progression, and clinical trial application. Preliminary data from an ongoing study of bulbar motor decline are presented, which demonstrate the potential clinical effi cacy of the speech subsystem approach

Semantic closure demonstrated by the evolution of a universal constructor architecture in an artificial chemistry

We present a novel stringmol-based artificial chemistry system modelled on the universal constructor architecture (UCA) first explored by von Neumann. In a UCA, machines interact with an abstract description of themselves to replicate by copying the abstract description and constructing the machines that the abstract description encodes. DNA-based replication follows this architecture, with DNA being the abstract description, the polymerase being the copier, and the ribosome being the principal machine in expressing what is encoded on the DNA. This architecture is semantically closed as the machine that defines what the abstract description means is itself encoded on that abstract description. We present a series of experiments with the stringmol UCA that show the evolution of the meaning of genomic material, allowing the concept of semantic closure and transitions between semantically closed states to be elucidated in the light of concrete examples. We present results where, for the first time in an in silico system, simultaneous evolution of the genomic material, copier and constructor of a UCA, giving rise to viable offspring

The Constraint Interpretation of Physical Emergence

I develop a variant of the constraint interpretation of the emergence of purely physical (non-biological) entities, focusing on the principle of the non-derivability of actual physical states from possible physical states (physical laws) alone. While this is a necessary condition for any account of emergence, it is not sufficient, for it becomes trivial if not extended to types of constraint that specifically constitute physical entities, namely, those that individuate and differentiate them. Because physical organizations with these features are in fact interdependent sets of such constraints, and because such constraints on physical laws cannot themselves be derived from physical laws, physical organization is emergent. These two complementary types of constraint are components of a complete non-reductive physicalism, comprising a non-reductive materialism and a non-reductive formalism