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Biogenesis Evolution Homeostasis: A Symposium by Correspondence PDF

183 Pages·1973·5.76 MB·English
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Biogenesis Evolution Homeostasis A Symposium by Correspondence Editor A. Locker With 13 Figures Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York 1973 ISBN-13: 978-3-540-06134-2 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-95235-7 DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-95235-7 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically those of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, broadcasting, repro- duction by photocopying machine or similar means, and storage in data banks. Under § 54 of the German Copyright Law where copies are made for other than private use, a fee is payable to the publisher, the amount ofthe fee to be determined by agreement with the publisher. The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regu- lations and therefore free for general use. © by Springer-Verlag Berlin' Heidelberg 1973. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 72-96743. Preface In 1963, 1965 and 1967 "Symposia on Quantitative Biology of Metabolism" were organized on the pretty island of Helgoland (Biologische Anstalt) by me in col- laboration with O. KINNE and F. KROGER. Unfortunately this worthy approach towards bringing together interested scholars in a regular way ceased, mainly for financial reasons, although the need for and interest in conferences like these for the exchange of ideas on special topics unchangeably persists. So I had to look for other possibilities and one of them was to try to arrange a similar con- ference under the auspices of NASA. This institution, however, eventually re-. treated, although during my discussion with its representatives a new special theme gained shape. This is the topic to which this volume is devoted: Bio- genesis. It is also treated in a new way that probably could be a model for. similar undertakings: a symposium by correspondence. In this new approach to scientific information exchange, manuscripts were collected by the editor and sent to every contributor for his comments. The author could then reply by means of a concluding remark. So, in many instances very valuable ideas concerning the topics of the several papers could be gathered and it is to be hoped that this procedure has conferred upon this volume a certain uniqueness. Of course, I had to observe the agreement with Springer-Verlag not to exceed the extent of the volume allotted to us. I was, therefore, sometimes placed in the pre- dicament of having to shorten the submitted paper and in other cases I was forced to accept only the abstract of the paper. In these instances I must ask the authors for their understanding and patience, since many of these papers will presumably be published in a forthcoming journal. I take the opportunity to thank all the contributors to this volume for their valuable cooperation which made it possible to complete a work which deals indeed with a theme of outstanding topicality. The Austrian Society for Atomic Energy, Ltd, assumed the cost for distributing the many copies of the papers by air mail, thus enabling the exchange of the comments. I have especially to thank Dr. K. F. SPRINGER of Springer-Verlag for agreeing to publish this volume. My particular gratitude is directed to my friend, N. A. COULTER JR., who kindly enabled the completion of the editorial work during my stay with him under an NSF Senior Fellowship. My former secretary, Mrs. H. SONNECK, assisted me at the beginning of the editorial work. It is hoped that this volume will arouse interest among that scientific community which is convinced that Theoretical Biology has now achieved the stage of VI scientific development characterized not only by the appl ication of formal models but also by the use of epistemology in penetrating into the depth of the pro- blems. Vienna and Chapel Hill, March 1973 A. LOCKER Contents I. General Formal and Relational Aspects A. LOCKER: Systemogenesis as a Paradigm for Biogenesis 1 H. P. YOCKEY: Information Theory with Applications to Biogenesis and Evolution . 9 P. DECKER, A. SPEIDEL, and W. NICOLAI: On the Origin of Information in Biological Systems and in Bioids (A). 25 J. R. HAMANN and L. M. BIANCHI: On the Evolutionary Origin of Life and the Definition and Nature of Organism: Relational Redundancies (A) . 27 II. Optimization and Evolution H. J. BREMERMANN: On the Dynamics and Trajectories of Evolution Pro- cesses . 29 D. COHEN: The Limits on Optimization in Evolution 39 III. Control and Homeostasis H. H. PATTEE: Physical Problems of the Origin of Natural Controls 41 CH. WALTER: The Significance of Cooperative Interactions in Bio- chemical Control Systems (A) . 51 B. HESS: Organization of Glycolysis (A) . 53 Z. SIMON: Cell Models and the Homeostasis Problem (A) 55 N. A. COULTER, JR.: Contribution to a Mathematical Theory of Synergic Systems . 51' IV. Oscillation, Excitability and Evolution B. GROSS and Y. G. KIM: The Role of Precursors in Stimulating Oscil- lations in Autocatalytic Diffusion Coupled Systems . 63 S. COMOROSAN: Oscillatory Behavior o'f Enzymic Activities: A New Type of Metabolic Control System (A) . 71 TH. PAVLlDIS: The Existence of Synchronous States in Populations of Oscillators 73 R. WEVER: Reactions of Model-Oscillations to External Stimuli De- pending on the Type of Oscillation (A) . 81 N. W. GABEL: Abiogenic Aspects of Biological Excitability. A General Theory for Evolution 85 VIII V. Statistics and Thermodynamics P. FONG: Thermodynamic and Statistical Theory of Life: An Outline 93 H. C. MEL and D. A. EWALD: Thermodynamic Potentials and Evolution towards the Stationary State in Open Systems of Far-from-Equili- brium Chemical Reactions: The Affinity Squared Minimum Function (A) . 107 G. NICOllS: Thermodynamic Stability and Spatio-Temporal Structures in Chemical Systems (A) . 109 D. DETCHEV and S. TEODOROVA: Optimal Adaptation of the Metabolic Processes in the Cell (A). 111 VI. Metabolic Evolution R. ROSEN: On the Generation of Metabolic Novelties in Evolution 113 D. C. REANNEY: Circular Nucleic Acids in Evolution (A) . 125 VII. Time and Evolution B. GONTHER: Physiological Time and Its Evolution 127 E. W. BASTIN: Timeless Order . 137 VIII. Learning, Memory and Evolution A. M. ANDREW: The Ontogenesis of Purposive Activity 147 J. S. GRIFFITH: Some General Problems of Memory . 159 E. G. BRUNNGRABER: Role of Glycoproteins in Neural Ontogenesis, Membrane Phenomena, and Memory (A) . 165 D. L. SZEKELY: On Controlled and Totally Neural-Replies Generated Concepts for Biology and Functional Brain Theory . 169 R. E. KALMAN: Remarks on Mathematical Brain Models 173 IX. Conclusion A. LOCKER: How to Conceive of Biogenesis (A Reflection Instead of a Summary). 181 Subject Index . . 185 (A): Abstract List of Participants ANDREW, A. M., Department of Applied Physical Sciences, The University of Read- ing, Building 3, Early Gate, Whiteknights, Reading/Great Britain BASTIN, E. W., Language Research Unit, 20 Millington Road, Cambridge/Great Britain BREMERMANN, H. J., Department of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720/USA BRUNNGRABER, E. G., Research Department, Illinois State Psychiatric Institute, 1601 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612/USA COHEN, D., Department of Botany, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem/Israel COMOROSAN, S., Department of Biochemistry, University Postgraduate Medical School, Fundeni Hospital, Bucharest/Romania COULTER, N. A., JR., Curriculum in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics" UNC Medical School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514/ USA DECKER, P., Chemisches Institut, Tierarztliche Hochschule, 3 Hannover, Bischofs- holer Damm 15/W. Germany DETCHEV, G., Central Biophysical Laboratory, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia/Bulgaria FONG, P., Physics Department, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322/USA GABEL, N. W" Illinois State Psychiatric Institute, 1601 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612/USA GRIFFITH, J. S. (deceased; formerly): Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401/USA GROSS, B., Research Department, Mobil Research and Development Corp., Pauls- boro, NJ 08066/USA . GONTHER, B., Departamento de Medicina Experimental, Universidade de Chile, Casilla 16038, Santiago/Chile HAMANN, J. R., Center for Theoretical Biology, SUNY at Buffalo, 4248 Ridge Lea Road, Amherst, NY 14226/USA HESS, B., Max-Planck-Institut fUr Ernahrungsphysiologie, 46 Dortmund, Rhein- landdamm 201/W. Germany KALMAN, R. E., Department of Mathematics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305/USA LOCKER, A" Osterreichische Studiengesellschaft fUr Atomenergie GmbH., Lenau- gasse 10, 1082 Wien/Osterreich (jointly 1972-1974; Curriculum in Bio- medical Engineering and Mathematics, UNC Medical School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514/USA) x MEL, H. C., Donner Laboratory of Medical Physics, University of California, Ber- keley, CA 94720/USA NICOllS, G., Faculte des Sciences, Universite Libre, Bruxelles/Belgique PATIEE, H. H., Center for Theoretical Biology, SUNY at Buffalo, 4248 Ridge Lea Road, Amherst, NY 14226/USA PAVLlDIS, T., Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08540/USA REANNEY, D. C., Lincoln College, Canterbury/New Zealand ROSEN, R., Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Santa Barbara, CA 93102/USA SIMON, Z., Catedra Chimie Organica, Universitatea Timisoara, Bd. Parvean 4, Timisoara/Romania SZEKELY, D. L., Association of Unification and Automation in Science, P.O.B. 1364, Jerusalem/Israel WALTER, CH., Department of Biomathematics, M. D. Anderson Hospital, Univer- sity of Texas, Houston, TX 77025/USA WEVER, R., Max-Planck-Institut fUr Verhaltensphysiologie, 8131 Erling-Andechs/ W. Germany YOCKEY, H., Atomic Pulse Radiation Facility, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21002/USA Systemogenesis as a Paradigm for Biogenesis A Locker Abstract Starting with a description of the features of a system as a given entity it is shown that an adapting or self-organizing system undergoes transformations that can be extended to formally explain self-generation. This process depends on the interplay between structurally determined constraints and relationally enabled decisions which a "self"-like representation of the system can use to realize itself and thus to constructively build up transitions of states with ever in- creasing complexities. The need of a certain a priori framework for those considerations is out- lined. I. The Problem It seems to be easier to grasp and understand the being as such than to find a reasonable explanation for its origin. The difficulties in assigning an origin to ordered phenomena, called systems, are widely accepted. In tackling the problem it may possibly be wise to look at these properties of systems which could offer a hint at the commencement of their existence. A further step in approaching the problem could be furnished by cogitating about the means systems hawe in re- organizing themselves following perturbing influences or in adapting against new situations. However, for the proper understad:ling of the genesis of a system, i.e. an organized q>mplex emerging out of unorganized entities, a certain reorientation of thinking is required. In this reorientation the problem of measurement (or of the observer) is of paramount importance. It intimately relates to the problem of how to appropriately apply a conceptual framework (or a mode of consideration) to a description. Based upon the recognition of these epistemological aspects an attempt is undertaken to comprehend biogenesis as a specification of the more formally accentuated problem of systemo- genesis. The reference to the conscious subject possibly enables one to outl ine systemogenesis in a constructive (or pragmatic) way. II. System as Given Entity All the definitions of systems proposed up to now have in common that they implicitly contain certain definitions of structure, order, complexity or the like. These implicit definitions pre- suppose, therefore, the existence of interrelated parts or system variables. Parts (elements) can be defined qual itatively, variabl es quantitatively. Since, however, a system is characterized also by its activity or function, it is possible to ascribe activity to the parts (elements) as well as the relations connecting them. The elements exert their effects onto their proper environment, e.g. other parts (elements) in the system. Activity is thus channeled and guided by the relations. It is the relations which allow to distinguish the system from a pure collection of individual elements isolated from each other. In dependence upon the kind of relations, e. g. whether they are permanent or temporary, strong or weak, etc., certain alternatives of activity are given. By means of these alternatives certain possibilities of activity can be delineated. Consider (2) a

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