scholarly journals Fitness ecológico

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Ginnobili
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Ecological Fitness ◽  
Propensity Interpretation

RESUMENExiste un acuerdo relativo en la necesidad de distinguir dos usos del término «fitness»: el ecológico y el de la genética de poblaciones. Algunos consideran que el segundo ha venido a reemplazar al primero. Otros que el fitness ecológico tiene cierta capacidad explicativa de la que el segundo carece. Estos últimos autores han intentado dar respuesta a cómo es que el fitness ecológico se relaciona con las propiedades particulares de los organismos, siendo estas tan heterogéneas. En este trabajo intentaré dar una respuesta más adecuada a esta cuestión, utilizando el marco conceptual de la metateoría estructuralista.PALABRAS CLAVEFITNESS, SUPERVENIENCIA, SELECCIÓN NATURAL, ESTRUCTURALISMO METATEÓRICO, INTERPRETACIÓN PROPENSIONISTA DEL FITNESSABSTRACTThere is relative agreement on the need to distinguish two different uses of the term «fitness»: the ecological fitness and the population genetics fitness. Many consider that the latter has come to replace the former. Others think that the ecological fitness has certain explanatory power that the population genetics fitness lacks of. Among the last ones, many have tried to give response to how ecological fitness relates to organism’s properties, especially because of their being so heterogeneous. In this paper I will try to give a better answer to this matter using the conceptual framework of metatheoretical structuralism.KEYWORDSFITNESS, SUPERVENIENCE, NATURAL SELECTION, METATHEORETICAL STRUCTURALISM, PROPENSITY INTERPRETATION OF FITNESS

Does culture evolve by means of Darwinian selection? The lessons of Candide’s travels

2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Guillo
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
General Theory ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Darwinian Selection ◽  
Universal Algorithm ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Biological Phenomena

The meaning of the concept of natural selection undergoes important changes when it circulates, through the use of analogies, between the realms of biological and cultural phenomena. These changes are not easily detected, but they are unavoidable. They have to do with differences between the properties of cultural phenomena and those of biological phenomena: in particular, the absence of the equivalent of a Hardy–Weinberg law for culture. These differences make it necessary to translate the concepts of classic population genetics into the language of transmission. This translation enables the theorists discussed here to build a unitary general theory of evolution (GTE) based on analogies between biological and cultural evolution, and at the same time to single out their differences. But the unity and the rigor of this theoretical approach are merely apparent. The concept of selection as it is defined here loses, in its three spheres of application – GTE, culture but also biology – the meaning and explanatory power it has in classic population genetics. This means that the mechanism of Darwinian selection cannot be considered as a universal algorithm that is valid for both biological and cultural phenomena alike.

Medication Adherence: Expanding the Conceptual Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Krousel-Wood ◽  
Leslie S Craig ◽  
Erin Peacock ◽  
Emily Zlotnick ◽  
Samantha O’Connell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Time Preferences ◽  
Adherence Behavior ◽  
Individual Level

Abstract Interventions targeting traditional barriers to antihypertensive medication adherence (AHMA) have been developed and evaluated, with evidence of modest improvements in adherence. Translation of these interventions into population-level improvements in adherence and clinical outcomes among older adults remains suboptimal. From the Cohort Study of Medication Adherence among Older adults (CoSMO), we evaluated traditional barriers to AHMA among older adults with established hypertension (N=1544; mean age=76.2 years, 59.5% women, 27.9% Black, 24.1% and 38.9% low adherence by proportion of days covered (i.e., PDC<0.80) and the 4-item Krousel-Wood Medication Adherence Scale (i.e., K-Wood-MAS-4≥1), respectively), finding that they explained 6.4% and 14.8% of variance in pharmacy refill and self-reported adherence, respectively. Persistent low adherence rates, coupled with low explanatory power of traditional barriers, suggest that other factors warrant attention. Prior research has investigated explicit attitudes toward medications as a driver of adherence; the roles of implicit attitudes and time preferences (e.g., immediate versus delayed gratification) as mechanisms underlying adherence behavior are emerging. Similarly, while associations of individual-level social determinants of health (SDOH) and medication adherence are well-reported, there is growing evidence about structural SDOH and specific pathways of effect. Building on published conceptual models and recent evidence, we propose an expanded conceptual framework that incorporates implicit attitudes, time preferences and structural SDOH, as emerging determinants that may explain additional variation in objectively and subjectively measured adherence. This model provides guidance for design, implementation and assessment of interventions targeting sustained improvement in implementation medication adherence and clinical outcomes among older women and men with hypertension.

scholarly journals IS NATURAL SELECTION A CHIMERA? REFLECTIONS ON THE ‘SURVIVAL’ OF A PRINCIPLE

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gláucia Oliveira da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Scientific Field ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Social Anthropology ◽  
Victorian Britain ◽  
A Value ◽  
Great Divide

Abstract My objective is to discuss the persistence of the notion of natural selection in the biological sciences, exploring the fact that: (1) this notion, just like the term culture in anthropology, is historically an inaugural concept in its particular scientific field, and, insofar as both possess a value of heuristic delimitation, both thus came to be considered as explanatory concepts, although today they may be more widely accepted as descriptive in kind; (2) this persistence seems to be equally linked to the fact that the term combines randomness and teleology, but without foregrounding the inherent contradiction; (3) the anthropomorphic metaphors generally used in the description of biological processes, by attributing intentionality to beings lacking in self-determination, presume the existence of a nature defined by processes oriented towards precise ends, endorsing the finalism that, I believe, underlies the idea of natural selection; (4) and, finally, I think that ‘culture’ and ‘natural selection’ correspond to disciplinary labels - for social anthropology and biology respectively - that arose in Victorian Britain, as defined by the Great Divide, but they no longer have explanatory power.

scholarly journals Intragenomic variation in mutation biases causes underestimation of selection on synonymous codon usage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander L Cope ◽  
Premal Shah
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Codon Usage ◽  
Codon Bias ◽  
Synonymous Codon ◽  
Synonymous Codon Usage ◽  
Mutation Bias ◽  
Biased Gene Conversion ◽  
Intragenomic Variation ◽  
The Impact

Patterns of non-uniform usage of synonymous codons (codon bias) varies across genes in an organism and across species from all domains of life. The bias in codon usage is due to a combination of both non-adaptive (e.g. mutation biases) and adaptive (e.g. natural selection for translation efficiency/accuracy) evolutionary forces. Most population genetics models quantify the effects of mutation bias and selection on shaping codon usage patterns assuming a uniform mutation bias across the genome. However, mutation biases can vary both along and across chromosomes due to processes such as biased gene conversion, potentially obfuscating signals of translational selection. Moreover, estimates of variation in genomic mutation biases are often lacking for non-model organisms. Here, we combine an unsupervised learning method with a population genetics model of synonymous codon bias evolution to assess the impact of intragenomic variation in mutation bias on the strength and direction of natural selection on synonymous codon usage across 49 Saccharomycotina budding yeasts. We find that in the absence of a priori information, unsupervised learning approaches can be used to identify regions evolving under different mutation biases. We find that the impact of intragenomic variation in mutation bias varies widely, even among closely-related species. We show that the overall strength and direction of selection on codon usage can be underestimated by failing to account for intragenomic variation in mutation biases. Interestingly, genes falling into clusters identified by machine learning are also often physically clustered across chromosomes, consistent with processes such as biased gene conversion. Our results indicate the need for more nuanced models of sequence evolution that systematically incorporate the effects of variable mutation biases on codon frequencies.

An Integrated Model of Pop Culture Fans’ Travel Decision-Making Processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
SoJung Lee ◽  
HakJun Song ◽  
Choong-Ki Lee ◽  
James F. Petrick
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Integrated Model ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Aida Model ◽  
Travel Decision ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

This study integrated the Model of Goal-directed Behavior (MGB) and the Attention, Interest, Desire, and Actions (AIDA) model into a conceptual framework to examine how pop culture influences decisions to visit a pop culture–featured destination. Findings revealed that visit intentions were significantly influenced by variables in the two models (MGB and AIDA), highlighting that attention to pop culture and positive anticipated emotions played important roles in unifying them. Results suggest that the integrated framework offers a comprehensive and coherent perspective on the complicated decision-making process of pop culture fans, which enhances the explanatory power for predicting future intentions. Thus, this paper offers an innovative approach to integrating models from the disciplines of psychology and advertising.

Applications of Supercomputers in Population Genetics

2015 ◽  
pp. 176-200
Author(s):  
Gerard G. Dumancas
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Genetic Drift ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Allele Frequency Distribution ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
Mathematical Discipline ◽  
Modern Evolutionary Synthesis ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Population genetics is the study of the frequency and interaction of alleles and genes in population and how this allele frequency distribution changes over time as a result of evolutionary processes such as natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation. This field has become essential in the foundation of modern evolutionary synthesis. Traditionally regarded as a highly mathematical discipline, its modern approach comprises more than the theoretical, lab, and fieldwork. Supercomputers play a critical role in the success of this field and are discussed in this chapter.

Evolution: Medicine’s most basic science

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-42
Author(s):  
Randolph M. Nesse ◽  
Richard Dawkins
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
The Body ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Cost

The role of evolutionary biology as a basic science for medicine is expanding rapidly. Some evolutionary methods are already widely applied in medicine, such as population genetics and methods for analysing phylogenetic trees. Newer applications come from seeking evolutionary as well as proximate explanations for disease. Traditional medical research is restricted to proximate studies of the body’s mechanism, but separate evolutionary explanations are needed for why natural selection has left many aspects of the body vulnerable to disease. There are six main possibilities: mismatch, infection, constraints, trade-offs, reproduction at the cost of health, and adaptive defences. Like other basic sciences, evolutionary biology has limited direct clinical implications, but it provides essential research methods, encourages asking new questions that foster a deeper understanding of disease, and provides a framework that organizes the facts of medicine.

On the evolution and population genetics of hybrid-dysgenesis-causing transposable elements in Drosophila

1986 ◽  
Vol 312 (1154) ◽  
pp. 205-215 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Transposable Elements ◽  
Transposable Element ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Element Composition ◽  
Hybrid Dysgenesis ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Genetic Elements ◽  
Transposable Genetic Elements

Much has been learned about transposable genetic elements in Drosophila , but questions still remain, especially concerning their evolutionary significance. Three such questions are considered here, (i) Has the behaviour of transposable elements been most influenced by natural selection at the level of the organism, the population, or the elements themselves? (ii) How did the elements originate in the genome of the species? (iii) Why are laboratory stocks different from natural populations with respect to their transposable element composition? No final answers to these questions are yet available, but by focusing on the two families of hybrid dysgenesis-causing elements, the P and I factors, we can draw some tentative conclusions.

Evidence and Metaphor in Evolutionary Archaeology

2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Bamforth
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Darwinian Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Archaeology ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Archaeological Work

Evolutionary theory and terminology are widely used in recent archaeological work, and many evolutionary archaeologists have argued that the integration of such theory and terminology is essential to the future of our field. This paper considers evolutionary archaeology from two perspectives. First, it examines substantive claims that archaeology can study the operation of Darwinian evolution, either through a reliance on optimal-foraging theory or by linking the process of natural selection to archaeological data. It concludes that there are serious problems with both of these claims on Darwin: the relation between evolution and foraging theory has never been documented, and midrange arguments linking selection and archaeological data are unsustainable. Second, it argues that archaeologists rely metaphorically on evolutionary terminology to help make sense out of archaeological data. Although the use of evolutionary metaphor can be, and has been, problematic, it also offers a powerful conceptual framework for our research. However, this framework is only of one of a number of comparable frameworks that have been offered to our field, as a comparison of systems archaeology and evolutionary archaeology shows.

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