The Mathematics of Darwin’s Legacy

The Mathematics of Darwin’s Legacy
Author: Fabio A. C. C. Chalub
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2011-06-24
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 303480122X
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The book presents a general overview of mathematical models in the context of evolution. It covers a wide range of topics such as population genetics, population dynamics, speciation, adaptive dynamics, game theory, kin selection, and stochastic processes. Written by leading scientists working at the interface between evolutionary biology and mathematics the book is the outcome of a conference commemorating Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, and the 150th anniversary of the first publication of his book "On the origin of species". Its chapters vary in format between general introductory and state-of-the-art research texts in biomathematics, in this way addressing both students and researchers in mathematics, biology and related fields. Mathematicians looking for new problems as well as biologists looking for rigorous description of population dynamics will find this book fundamental.

Evolution Evolving

Evolution Evolving
Author: Kevin N. Lala
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2024-09-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691262403
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A new account of the central role developmental processes play in evolution A new scientific view of evolution is emerging—one that challenges and expands our understanding of how evolution works. Recent research demonstrates that organisms differ greatly in how effective they are at evolving. Whether and how each organism adapts and diversifies depends critically on the mechanistic details of how that organism operates—its development, physiology, and behavior. That is because the evolutionary process itself has evolved over time, and continues to evolve. The scientific understanding of evolution is evolving too, with groundbreaking new ways of explaining evolutionary change. In this book, a group of leading biologists draw on the latest findings in evolutionary genetics and evo-devo, as well as novel insights from studies of epigenetics, symbiosis, and inheritance, to examine the central role that developmental processes play in evolution. Written in an accessible style, and illustrated with fascinating examples of natural history, the book presents recent scientific discoveries that expand evolutionary biology beyond the classical view of gene transmission guided by natural selection. Without undermining the central importance of natural selection and other Darwinian foundations, new developmental insights indicate that all organisms possess their own characteristic sets of evolutionary mechanisms. The authors argue that a consideration of developmental phenomena is needed for evolutionary biologists to generate better explanations for adaptation and biodiversity. This book provides a new vision of adaptive evolution.

Statistical Inference for Piecewise-deterministic Markov Processes

Statistical Inference for Piecewise-deterministic Markov Processes
Author: Romain Azais
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2018-07-31
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1119544033
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Piecewise-deterministic Markov processes form a class of stochastic models with a sizeable scope of applications: biology, insurance, neuroscience, networks, finance... Such processes are defined by a deterministic motion punctuated by random jumps at random times, and offer simple yet challenging models to study. Nevertheless, the issue of statistical estimation of the parameters ruling the jump mechanism is far from trivial. Responding to new developments in the field as well as to current research interests and needs, Statistical inference for piecewise-deterministic Markov processes offers a detailed and comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art results. It covers a wide range of general processes as well as applied models. The present book also dwells on statistics in the context of Markov chains, since piecewise-deterministic Markov processes are characterized by an embedded Markov chain corresponding to the position of the process right after the jumps.

Formal Methods – The Next 30 Years

Formal Methods – The Next 30 Years
Author: Maurice H. ter Beek
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 776
Release: 2019-09-23
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3030309428
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This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 23rd Symposium on Formal Methods, FM 2019, held in Porto, Portugal, in the form of the Third World Congress on Formal Methods, in October 2019. The 44 full papers presented together with 3 invited presentations were carefully reviewed and selected from 129 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections named: Invited Presentations; Verification; Synthesis Techniques; Concurrency; Model Checking Circus; Model Checking; Analysis Techniques; Specification Languages; Reasoning Techniques; Modelling Languages; Learning-Based Techniques and Applications; Refactoring and Reprogramming; I-Day Presentations.

Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems

Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
Author: Nardine Osman
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2016-09-23
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3319468820
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This book features a selection of best papers from 11 workshops held at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, in Singapore in May 2016.The 11 full papers were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in this volume. They cover specific topics, both theoretical and applied, in the general area of autonomous agents and multiagent systems.

International Negotiation

International Negotiation
Author: Ho-Won Jeong
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2016-04-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1316432068
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Negotiation has always been an important alternative to the use of force in managing international disputes. This textbook provides students with the insight and knowledge needed to evaluate how negotiation can produce effective conflict settlement, political change and international policy making. Students are guided through the processes by which actors make decisions, communicate, develop bargaining strategies and explore compatibilities between different positions, while attempting to maximize their own interests. In examining the basic ingredients of negotiation, the book draws together major strands of negotiation theories and illustrates their relevance to particular negotiation contexts. Examples of well-known international conflicts and illustrations of everyday situations lead students to understand how theory is utilized to resolve real-world problems, and how negotiation is applied to diverse world events. The textbook is accompanied by a rich suite of online resources, including lecture notes, case studies, discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.

Game-Theoretical Models in Biology

Game-Theoretical Models in Biology
Author: Mark Broom
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2013-03-27
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1439853223
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Covering the major topics of evolutionary game theory, Game-Theoretical Models in Biology presents both abstract and practical mathematical models of real biological situations. It discusses the static aspects of game theory in a mathematically rigorous way that is appealing to mathematicians. In addition, the authors explore many applications of game theory to biology, making the text useful to biologists as well. The book describes a wide range of topics in evolutionary games, including matrix games, replicator dynamics, the hawk-dove game, and the prisoner’s dilemma. It covers the evolutionarily stable strategy, a key concept in biological games, and offers in-depth details of the mathematical models. Most chapters illustrate how to use MATLAB® to solve various games. Important biological phenomena, such as the sex ratio of so many species being close to a half, the evolution of cooperative behavior, and the existence of adornments (for example, the peacock’s tail), have been explained using ideas underpinned by game theoretical modeling. Suitable for readers studying and working at the interface of mathematics and the life sciences, this book shows how evolutionary game theory is used in the modeling of these diverse biological phenomena.

Becoming a Christian

Becoming a Christian
Author: Ola Hossjer
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2018-02-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 149824632X
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What influences the decision to become a Christian? In the seventeenth century the famous scientist Blaise Pascal viewed this as a game, with truth our adversary. Pascal argued that we are in the game whether we like it or not. Christianity is either true or not, and we have to weigh the two alternatives. According to Pascal's Wager we have everything to win and nothing to lose by taking a leap of faith and becoming a Christian. In this book Ola Hossjer extends Pascal's Wager and argues that we respond to the Christian message very differently. There are three main attitudes among people: the first group follows Pascal's advice, even if evidence before the decision is incomplete; the second group requires convincing evidence at first; and members of the third group will not become Christians regardless of evidence. Hossjer contends that the decision consists of three components: a religious disposition from birth, evidence, and a willingness to act. Although we weigh evidence and will differently, our priorities may change after a life crisis so that we either reevaluate evidence or become more positive toward Christianity. This is illustrated by a number of people who became Christians.

The Philosophy of Social Evolution

The Philosophy of Social Evolution
Author: Jonathan Birch
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2017-10-13
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0191047368
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From mitochondria to meerkats, the natural world is full of spectacular examples of social behaviour. In the early 1960s Bill Hamilton changed the way we think about how such behaviour evolves. He introduced three key innovations - now known as Hamilton's rule, kin selection, and inclusive fitness - which have been enormously influential, but which remain the subject of fierce controversy. Hamilton's pioneering work kick-started a research program now known as social evolution theory. This is a book about the philosophical foundations and future prospects of that program. Part I, "Foundations", is a careful exposition and defence of Hamilton's ideas, with a few modifications along the way. In Part II, "Extensions", Jonathan Birch shows how these ideas can be applied to phenomena including cooperation in micro-organisms, cooperation among the cells of a multicellular organism, and culturally evolved cooperation in the earliest human societies. Birch argues that real progress can be made in understanding microbial evolution, evolutionary transitions, and human evolution by viewing them through the lens of social evolution theory, provided the theory is interpreted with care and adapted where necessary. The Philosophy of Social Evolution places social evolution theory on a firm philosophical footing and sets out exciting new directions for further work.

Evolvability

Evolvability
Author: Thomas F. Hansen
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 407
Release: 2023-06-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0262374706
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Essays on evolvability from the perspectives of quantitative and population genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, systems biology, macroevolution, and the philosophy of science. Evolvability—the capability of organisms to evolve—wasn’t recognized as a fundamental concept in evolutionary theory until 1990. Though there is still some debate as to whether it represents a truly new concept, the essays in this volume emphasize its value in enabling new research programs and facilitating communication among the major disciplines in evolutionary biology. The contributors, many of whom were instrumental in the development of the concept of evolvability, synthesize what we have learned about it over the past thirty years. They focus on the historical and philosophical contexts that influenced the emergence of the concept and suggest ways to develop a common language and theory to drive further evolvability research. The essays, drawn from a workshop on evolvability hosted in 2019–2020 by the Center of Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, in Oslo, provide scientific and historical background on evolvability. The contributors represent different disciplines of evolutionary biology, including quantitative and population genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, systems biology and macroevolution, as well as the philosophy of science. This pl[urality of approaches allows researchers in disciplines as diverse as developmental biology, molecular biology, and systems biology to communicate with those working in mainstream evolutionary biology. The contributors also discuss key questions at the forefront of research on evolvability. Contributors: J. David Aponte, W. Scott Armbruster, Geir H. Bolstad, Salomé Bourg, Ingo Brigandt, Anne Calof, James M. Cheverud, Josselin Clo, Frietson Galis, Mark Grabowski, Rebecca Green, Benedikt Hallgrímsson, Thomas F. Hansen, Agnes Holstad, David Houle, David Jablonski, Arthur Lander, Arnaud LeRouzic, Alan C. Love, Ralph Marcucio, Michael B. Morrissey, Laura Nuño de la Rosa, Øystein H. Opedal, Mihaela Pavličev, Christophe Pélabon, Jane M. Reid, Heather Richbourg, Jacqueline L. Sztepanacz, Masahito Tsuboi, Cristina Villegas, Marta Vidal-García, Kjetil L. Voje, Andreas Wagner, Günter P. Wagner, Nathan M. Young