Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics PDF Download

Author: Hsiang-Ke Chao
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400724543
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
This volume addresses fundamental issues in the philosophy of science in the context of two most intriguing fields: biology and economics. Written by authorities and experts in the philosophy of biology and economics, Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics provides a structured study of the concepts of mechanism and causality in these disciplines and draws careful juxtapositions between philosophical apparatus and scientific practice. By exploring the issues that are most salient to the contemporary philosophies of biology and economics and by presenting comparative analyses, the book serves as a platform not only for gaining mutual understanding between scientists and philosophers of the life sciences and those of the social sciences, but also for sharing interdisciplinary research that combines both philosophical concepts in both fields. The book begins by defining the concepts of mechanism and causality in biology and economics, respectively. The second and third parts investigate philosophical perspectives of various causal and mechanistic issues in scientific practice in the two fields. These two sections include chapters on causal issues in the theory of evolution; experiments and scientific discovery; representation of causal relations and mechanism by models in economics. The concluding section presents interdisciplinary studies of various topics concerning extrapolation of life sciences and social sciences, including chapters on the philosophical investigation of conjoining biological and economic analyses with, respectively, demography, medicine and sociology.

Author: Tadeusz Uhl
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030201317
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 4248

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Book Description
This book gathers the proceedings of the 15th IFToMM World Congress, which was held in Krakow, Poland, from June 30 to July 4, 2019. Having been organized every four years since 1965, the Congress represents the world’s largest scientific event on mechanism and machine science (MMS). The contributions cover an extremely diverse range of topics, including biomechanical engineering, computational kinematics, design methodologies, dynamics of machinery, multibody dynamics, gearing and transmissions, history of MMS, linkage and mechanical controls, robotics and mechatronics, micro-mechanisms, reliability of machines and mechanisms, rotor dynamics, standardization of terminology, sustainable energy systems, transportation machinery, tribology and vibration. Selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, they highlight numerous exciting advances and ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

Author: Domenico Bertoloni Meli
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822986523
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
The mechanical philosophy first emerged as a leading player on the intellectual scene in the early modern period—seeking to explain all natural phenomena through the physics of matter and motion—and the term mechanism was coined. Over time, natural phenomena came to be understood through machine analogies and explanations and the very word mechanism, a suggestive and ambiguous expression, took on a host of different meanings. Emphasizing the important role of key ancient and early modern protagonists, from Galen to Robert Boyle, this book offers a historical investigation of the term mechanism from the late Renaissance to the end of the seventeenth century, at a time when it was used rather frequently in complex debates about the nature of the notion of the soul. In this rich and detailed study, Domenico Bertoloni Meli focuses on strategies for discussing the notion of mechanism in historically sensitive ways; the relation between mechanism, visual representation, and anatomy; the usage and meaning of the term in early modern times; and Marcello Malpighi and the problems of fecundation and generation, among the most challenging topics to investigate from a mechanistic standpoint.

Author: Brian G. Henning
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739174371
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
It has been said that new discoveries and developments in the human, social, and natural sciences hang “in the air” (Bowler, 1983; 2008) prior to their consummation. While neo-Darwinist biology has been powerfully served by its mechanistic metaphysic and a reductionist methodology in which living organisms are considered machines, many of the chapters in this volume place this paradigm into question. Pairing scientists and philosophers together, this volume explores what might be termed “the New Frontiers” of biology, namely contemporary areas of research that appear to call an updating, a supplementation, or a relaxation of some of the main tenets of the Modern Synthesis. Such areas of investigation include: Emergence Theory, Systems Biology, Biosemiotics, Homeostasis, Symbiogenesis, Niche Construction, the Theory of Organic Selection (also known as “the Baldwin Effect”), Self-Organization and Teleodynamics, as well as Epigenetics. Most of the chapters in this book offer critical reflections on the neo-Darwinist outlook and work to promote a novel synthesis that is open to a greater degree of inclusivity as well as to a more holistic orientation in the biological sciences.

Author: Doina Pisla
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030550613
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 539

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Book Description
This volume presents the latest research and industrial applications in the areas of mechanism science, robotics and dynamics. The respective contributions cover such topics as computational kinematics, control issues in mechanical systems, mechanisms for medical rehabilitation, mechanisms for minimally invasive techniques, cable robots, design issues for mechanisms and robots, and the teaching and history of mechanisms. Written by leading researchers and engineers, and selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, the papers highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations. They reflect the outcomes of the 8th European Conference on Mechanism Science (EuCoMeS) in 2020.

Author: Veli-Pekka Parkkinen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319946102
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 125

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Book Description
This book is open access under a CC BY license. This book is the first to develop explicit methods for evaluating evidence of mechanisms in the field of medicine. It explains why it can be important to make this evidence explicit, and describes how to take such evidence into account in the evidence appraisal process. In addition, it develops procedures for seeking evidence of mechanisms, for evaluating evidence of mechanisms, and for combining this evaluation with evidence of association in order to yield an overall assessment of effectiveness. Evidence-based medicine seeks to achieve improved health outcomes by making evidence explicit and by developing explicit methods for evaluating it. To date, evidence-based medicine has largely focused on evidence of association produced by clinical studies. As such, it has tended to overlook evidence of pathophysiological mechanisms and evidence of the mechanisms of action of interventions. The book offers a useful guide for all those whose work involves evaluating evidence in the health sciences, including those who need to determine the effectiveness of health interventions and those who need to ascertain the effects of environmental exposures.

Author: Xianmin Zhang
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811028753
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 1565

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Book Description
These proceedings collect the latest research results in mechanism and machine science, intended to reinforce and improve the role of mechanical systems in a variety of applications in daily life and industry. Gathering more than 120 academic papers, it addresses topics including: Computational kinematics, Machine elements, Actuators, Gearing and transmissions, Linkages and cams, Mechanism design, Dynamics of machinery, Tribology, Vehicle mechanisms, dynamics and design, Reliability, Experimental methods in mechanisms, Robotics and mechatronics, Biomechanics, Micro/nano mechanisms and machines, Medical/welfare devices, Nature and machines, Design methodology, Reconfigurable mechanisms and reconfigurable manipulators, and Origami mechanisms. This is the fourth installment in the IFToMM Asian conference series on Mechanism and Machine Science (ASIAN MMS 2016). The ASIAN MMS conference initiative was launched to provide a forum mainly for the Asian community working in Mechanism and Machine Science, in order to facilitate collaboration and improve the visibility of activities in the field. The series started in 2010 and the previous ASIAN MMS events were successfully held in Taipei, China (2010), Tokyo, Japan (2012), and Tianjin, China (2014). ASIAN MMS 2016 was held in Guangzhou, China, from 15 to 17 December 2016, and was organized by the South China University under the patronage of the IFToMM and the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES). The aim of the Conference was to bring together researchers, industry professionals and students from the broad range of disciplines connected to Mechanism Science in a collegial and stimulating environment. The ASIAN MMS 2016 Conference provided a platform allowing scientists to exchange notes on their scientific achievements and establish new national and international collaborations concerning the mechanism science field and its applications, mainly but not exclusively in Asian contexts.

Author: Fernando Viadero-Rueda
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400749015
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 766

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Book Description
This book contains the papers of the European Conference on Mechanisms Science (EUCOMES 2012 Conference). The book presents the most recent research developments in the mechanism and machine science field and their applications. Topics addressed are theoretical kinematics, computational kinematics, mechanism design, experimental mechanics, mechanics of robots, dynamics of machinery, dynamics of multi-body systems, control issues of mechanical systems, mechanisms for biomechanics, novel designs, mechanical transmissions, linkages and manipulators, micro-mechanisms, teaching methods, history of mechanism science and industrial and non-industrial applications. This volume will also serve as an interesting reference for the European activity in the fields of Mechanism and Machine Science as well as a source of inspirations for future works and developments.

Author: Stavros Ioannidis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1009022431
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
In recent years what has come to be called the 'New Mechanism' has emerged as a framework for thinking about the philosophical assumptions underlying many areas of science, especially in sciences such as biology, neuroscience, and psychology. This book offers a fresh look at the role of mechanisms, by situating novel analyses of central philosophical issues related to mechanisms within a rich historical perspective of the concept of mechanism as well as detailed case studies of biological mechanisms (such as apoptosis). It develops a new position, Methodological Mechanism, according to which mechanisms are to be viewed as causal pathways that are theoretically described and are underpinned by networks of difference-making relations. In contrast to metaphysically inflated accounts, this study characterises mechanism as a concept-in-use in science that is deflationary and metaphysically neutral, but still methodologically useful and central to scientific practice.

Author: Alan Fersht
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
ISBN: 9789813225190
Category : Catalysis
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The three-dimensional structure of proteins -- Chemical catalysis -- The basic equations of enzyme kinetics -- Measurement and magnitude of individual rate constants -- The pH dependence of enzyme catalysis -- Practical methods for kinetics and equilibria -- Detection of intermediates in enzymatic reactions -- Stereochemistry of enzymatic reactions -- Active-site-directed and enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitors : "affinity labels" and "suicide inhibitors" -- Conformational change, allosteric regulation, motors, and work -- Forces between molecules, and binding energies -- Enzyme-substrate complementarity and the use of binding energy in catalysis -- Specificity and editing mechanisms -- Recombinant DNA technology -- Protein engineering -- Case studies of enzyme structure and mechanism -- Protein stability -- Kinetics of protein folding -- Folding pathways and energy landscapes.