90 research outputs found
Evo-Devo in the Sky
No full textDesigners interested in applying evo-devo-design methods for performance based multi-objective design exploration have typically faced two main hurdles: it’s too hard and too slow. An evo-devo-design method is proposed that effectively overcomes the hurdles of skill and speed by leveraging two key technologies: computational workflows and cloud computing. In order to tackle the skills hurdle, Workflow Systems are used that allow users to define computational workflows using visual programming techniques. In order to tackle the speed hurdle, cloud computing infrastructures are used in order to allow the evolutionary process to be parallelized. We refer to the proposed method as Evo-Devo In The Sky (EDITS). This paper gives an overview of both the EDITS method and the implementation of a software environment supporting the EDITS method. Finally, a case-study is presented of the application of the EDITS method
Punk rock as popular theatre
No full textPunk rock performance consciously draws on popular theatre forms like music hall and
stand-up comedy, as exemplified by the occasion when Max Wall appeared with Ian Dury
at the Hammersmith Odeon. Oliver Double traces the historical and stylistic connections
between punk, music hall and stand-up, and argues that punk shows can be considered a
form of popular theatre in their own right. He examines a wide range of punk bands and
performers- including Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Devo, Spizz, The Ramones, The Clash, and
Dead Kennedys- and considers how they use costume, staging, persona,
characterisation, and audience-performer relationships, arguing that these are as
important and carefully considered as the music they play. Art movements like Dada and
Futurism were important influences on the early punk scene, and Double shows how, as
with early 20th Century cabaret, punk performance manages to include avant garde
elements within popular theatre forms. Oliver Double started his career performing a
comedy act alongside anarchist punk bands in Exeter, going on to spend ten years on the
alternative comedy circuit. Currently, he lectures in Drama at the University of Kent, and
he is the author of Stand-Up! On Being a Comedian (Methuen, 1997) and Getting the
Joke: The Inner Workings of Stand-Up Comedy (Methuen, 2005)
Adaptive radiations: Insights from Evo-Devo
No full textAdaptive radiations, whereby a number of species exhibiting ecological specializations arises from a common ancestor, have been an important focus for evolutionary studies. While traditionally investigated from the perspective of ecology research into adaptive radiations has also become an area of focus for evolutionary developmental biology (i.e., evo-devo). This follows a historical tradition where a persistent but steady minority of researchers have been interested in the underlying developmental mechanisms of adaptation. Vertebrate taxa have been a particular focus for this research with topics such as phenotypic plasticity providing an early common ground for ecologists and developmental biologists. Here, the author focuses on how evo-devo has merged itself into studies of adaptive divergence and provide several examples from key evolutionary systems (e.g., fish, birds, herpetofauna). This involves both how evo-devo thinking and its methods have been taken into the study of adaptive radiations. We are now at a precipice where evo-devo, and ecology seem to be merging and it is also discussed how this new transition is being aided by the study of adaptive radiation
Carcino-Evo-Devo, A Theory of the Evolutionary Role of Hereditary Tumors
No full textA theory of the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors, or the carcino-evo-devo theory, is being developed. The main hypothesis of the theory, the hypothesis of evolution by tumor neofunctionalization, posits that hereditary tumors provided additional cell masses during the evolution of multicellular organisms for the expression of evolutionarily novel genes. The carcino-evo-devo theory has formulated several nontrivial predictions that have been confirmed in the laboratory of the author. It also suggests several nontrivial explanations of biological phenomena previously unexplained by the existing theories or incompletely understood. By considering three major types of biological development—individual, evolutionary, and neoplastic development—within one theoretical framework, the carcino-evo-devo theory has the potential to become a unifying biological theory
The Theory of Carcino-Evo-Devo and Its Non-Trivial Predictions
No full textTo explain the sources of additional cell masses in the evolution of multicellular organisms, the theory of carcino-evo-devo, or evolution by tumor neofunctionalization, has been developed. The important demand for a new theory in experimental science is the capability to formulate non-trivial predictions which can be experimentally confirmed. Several non-trivial predictions were formulated using carcino-evo-devo theory, four of which are discussed in the present paper: (1) The number of cellular oncogenes should correspond to the number of cell types in the organism. The evolution of oncogenes, tumor suppressor and differentiation gene classes should proceed concurrently. (2) Evolutionarily new and evolving genes should be specifically expressed in tumors (TSEEN genes). (3) Human orthologs of fish TSEEN genes should acquire progressive functions connected with new cell types, tissues and organs. (4) Selection of tumors for new functions in the organism is possible. Evolutionarily novel organs should recapitulate tumor features in their development. As shown in this paper, these predictions have been confirmed by the laboratory of the author. Thus, we have shown that carcino-evo-devo theory has predictive power, fulfilling a fundamental requirement for a new theory
Scenario-analysis to assess impacts of altered cropping and management practices associated with GMHT crop cultivation – RR soybean as a case study
No full textDeveloping an integrated understanding of the evolution of arthropod segmentation using fossils and evo-devo
No full textSegmentation is fundamental to the arthropod body plan. Understanding the evolutionary steps by which arthropods became segmented is being transformed by the integration of data from evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), Cambrian fossils that allow the stepwise acquisition of segmental characters to be traced in the arthropod stem-group, and the incorporation of fossils into an increasingly well-supported phylogenetic framework for extant arthropods based on genomic-scale datasets. Both evo-devo and palaeontology make novel predictions about the evolution of segmentation that serve as testable hypotheses for the other, complementary data source. Fossils underpin such hypotheses as arthropodization originating in a frontal appendage and then being co-opted into other segments, and segmentation of the endodermal midgut in the arthropod stem-group. Insights from development, such as tagmatization being associated with different modes of segment generation in different body regions, and a distinct patterning of the anterior head segments, are complemented by palaeontological evidence for the pattern of tagmatization during ontogeny of exceptionally preserved fossils. Fossil and developmental data together provide evidence for a short head in stem-group arthropods and the mechanism of its formation and retention. Future breakthroughs are expected from identification of molecular signatures of developmental innovations within a phylogenetic framework, and from a focus on later developmental stages to identify the differentiation of repeated units of different systems within segmental precursors.Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Ageing perspective on cognitive outcomes from ancillary reproductive hormone adjustments
No full textIn addition to primary reproductive functions, gonadal hormones play an important role in regulating neural mechanisms across the human lifespan. The ageing-related decline in their activity has been linked to cognitive impairments in otherwise healthy women, contributing to higher incidents of post-menopause dementia. Given the growing utility of gonadal steroids for birth control, as well as for compensatory treatment of menopause and oophorectomy symptoms, and adjuvant transgender therapy, their long-term effects on neural mechanisms warrant comprehensive assessment. In this article, we present an ageing perspective on the cognitive outcomes of contraceptive and ancillary medical use of gonadal hormones and discuss their effects on the risk of cognitive impairments and late-life dementia. Despite rising data supporting the ameliorative effects of reproductive hormones on cognitive facilities, their impact varies depending on study design and type of intervention, implying dynamic neuro-endocrine interactions with complex compensatory mechanisms. Elucidating differential effects of reproductive hormone adjustments on cognition is expected not only to shed light on important aspects of brain ageing and dementia but to facilitate their use in personalized medicine with better safety and therapeutic outcomes
Exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of renal cell cancer
No full textRenal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most prevalent type of kidney cancer originating from renal tubular epithelial cells, with clear cell RCC comprising approximately 80% of cases. The primary treatment modalities for RCC are surgery and targeted therapy, albeit with suboptimal efficacies. Despite progress in RCC research, significant challenges persist, including advanced distant metastasis, delayed diagnosis, and drug resistance. Growing evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a pivotal role in multiple aspects of RCC, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, immune evasion, and drug response. These membrane-bound vesicles are released into the extracellular environment by nearly all cell types and are capable of transferring various bioactive molecules, including RNA, DNA, proteins, and lipids, aiding intercellular communication. The molecular cargo carried by EVs renders them an attractive resource for biomarker identification, while their multifarious role in the RCC offers opportunities for diagnosis and targeted interventions, including EV-based therapies. As the most versatile type of EVs, exosomes have attracted much attention as nanocarriers of biologicals, with multi-range signaling effects. Despite the growing interest in exosomes, there is currently no widely accepted consensus on their subtypes and properties. The emerging heterogeneity of exosomes presents both methodological challenges and exciting opportunities for diagnostic and clinical interventions. This article reviews the characteristics and functions of exosomes, with a particular reference to the recent advances in their application to the diagnosis and treatment of RCC
HyperCell: A Bio-Inspired Information Design Framework for Real-Time Adaptive Spatial Components
No full textContemporary explorations within the evolutionary computational domain have been heavily instrumental in exploring biological processes of adaptation, growth and mutation. On the other hand a plethora of designers owing to the increasing sophistication in computer aided design software are equally enthused by the formal aspects of biological organisms and are thus meticulously involved in form driven design developments. This focus on top-down appearance and surface condition based design development under the banner of organic architecture in essence contributes to the growing misuse of bio-inspired design and the inherent meaning associated with the terminology. HyperCell, a bio-inspired information design framework for real-time adaptive spatial components, is an ongoing research, at Hyperbody, TU Delft, which focuses on extrapolating bottom-up generative design and real-time interaction based adaptive spatial re-use logics by understanding processes of adaptation, multi-performance and self sustenance in natural systems. Evolutionary developmental biology is considered as a theoretical basis for this research
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