Considering his literary works especially his novels together with his writings on literature, philosophy, and politics, Hermann Broch is one of the most innovative German-language writers of the 20th century. This handbook was created in cooperation with an international research team. It presents Broch s life history along with all of his literary and essayistic output, analyzing and reassessing Broch s work in its multiple contexts.".

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In contrast to vertical gene transfer from parent to offspring, horizontal (or lateral) gene transfer moves genetic information between different species. Bacteria and archaea often adapt through horizontal gene transfer. Recent analyses indicate that eukaryotic genomes, too, have acquired numerous genes via horizontal transfer from prokaryotes and other lineages. Based on this we raise the hypothesis that horizontally acquired genes may have contributed more to adaptive evolution of eukaryotes than previously assumed. Current candidate sets of horizontally acquired eukaryotic genes may (...) just be the tip of an iceberg. We have recently shown that adaptation of the thermoacidophilic red algaGaldieria sulphurariato its hot, acid, toxic‐metal laden, volcanic environment was facilitated by the acquisition of numerous genes from extremophile bacteria and archaea. Other recently published examples of horizontal acquisitions involved in adaptation include ice‐binding proteins in marine algae, enzymes for carotenoid biosynthesis in aphids, and genes involved in fungal metabolism.Editor's suggested further reading in BioEssaysJumping the fine LINE between species: Horizontal transfer of transposable elements in animals catalyses genome evolution Abstract. (shrink)

Dentre os problemas tradicionais da Epistemologia, uma das controvérsiasmais persistentes é a questão da inserção versus isenção de valores naciência. Filiando-se a uma longa tradição crítica, o filósofo Hugh Laceydesenvolve um exame contundente acerca dos fundamentos da ciência emsua interação com a sociedade, questionando a noção tradicional deneutralidade científica. Pretendemos nesse trabalho estender a crítica deLacey às ciências sociais, e especificamente à Economia. Argumentamosque a ortodoxia da ciência econômica moderna , atravésda incorporação do paradigma mecanicista da física clássica, bem comode (...) todo instrumental analítico das estratégias materialistas, não representaum tipo de compreensão neutra dos fenômenos econômicos, mas sim umaparticularmente notável manifestação dos valores predominantes nessasociedade , da qual faz parte.Assim, procuramos mostrar que, também no âmbito social, a preeminênciados aspectos nomológicos e quantitativos da realidade na formulação dasteorias econômicas de tradição neoclássica espelha valores sociais altamenteestimados nas sociedades modernas.Among the traditional problems in Epistemology, one of the most persistentcontroversies is the question of value insertion versus value exemption inscience. The philosopher Hugh Lacey, in consonance with a long criticaltradition, advances a sharp examination of the foundations of science andits interaction with society, questioning the traditional notion of scientificneutrality. In this essay we intend to extend Lacey’s criticism to the socialsciences – specifically to Economics. We argue that modern economicsorthodoxy , by the adoption of the mechanicalparadigm of classical physics and all the analytical instruments of thematerialist strategies, does not represent a type of neutral understandingof the economic phenomena, but instead, a particularly considerablemanifestation of the predominant values of the society of which it is a part. So, we intend to showthat also in the social scope, the favoring of the nomological and quantitativeaspects of reality mirrors social values highly regarded in modern societies. (shrink)

There is no reason to expect that the twenty-first century will not see the rise of new modes of religiosity, which will demand new styles of analysis and new categories of thought.

Here we discuss the hypothesis that the RNA components of the Ro ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), the Y RNAs, can be processed into microRNAs (miRNAs). Although Ro RNPs, whose main protein components Ro60 and La are targeted by the immune system in several autoimmune diseases, were discovered many years ago, their function is still poorly understood. Indeed, recent data show that miRNA-sized small RNAs can be generated from Y RNAs. This hypothesis leads also to a model in which Ro60 acts as a (...) modulator in the Y RNA-derived miRNA biogenesis pathway. The implications of these Y RNA-derived miRNAs, which may be specifically produced under pathological circumstances such as in autoimmunity or during viral infections, for the enigmatic function of Ro RNPs are discussed. (shrink)

What factors drove the transformation of the cyanobacterial progenitor of plastids (e.g. chloroplasts) from endosymbiont to bona fide organelle? This question lies at the heart of organelle genesis because, whereas intracellular endosymbionts are widespread in both unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes (e.g. rhizobial bacteria, Chlorella cells in ciliates, Buchnera in aphids), only two canonical eukaryotic organelles of endosymbiotic origin are recognized, the plastids of algae and plants and the mitochondrion. Emerging data on (1) the discovery of non‐canonical plastid protein targeting, (2) (...) the recent origin of a cyanobacterial‐derived organelle in the filose amoeba Paulinella chromatophora, and (3) the extraordinarily reduced genomes of psyllid bacterial endosymbionts begin to blur the distinction between endosymbiont and organelle. Here we discuss the use of these terms in light of new data in order to highlight the unique aspects of plastids and mitochondria and underscore their central role in eukaryotic evolution. BioEssays 29:1239–1246, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

The opportunity cost model (OCM) aims to explain various phenomena, among which the finding that performance degrades if executive functions are used repeatedly (). We argue that an OCM account of resource depletion requires two unlikely assumptions, and we discuss an alternative that does not require these assumptions. This alternative model describes the interplay between executive function and motivation.

Along with offering an historically-oriented interpretive reconstruction of the syntax of PM ( rst ed.), I argue for a certain understanding of its use of propositional function abstracts formed by placing a circum ex on a variable. I argue that this notation is used in PM only when de nitions are stated schematically in the metalanguage, and in argument-position when higher-type variables are involved. My aim throughout is to explain how the usage of function abstracts as “terms” (loosely speaking) is (...) not inconsistent with a philosophy of types that does not think of propositional functions as mind- and language-independent objects, and adopts a nominalist/substitutional semantics instead. I contrast PM’s approach here both to function abstraction found in the typed λ-calculus, and also to Frege’s notation for functions of various levels that forgoes abstracts altogether, between which it is a kind of intermediary. (shrink)