Stuart Kauffman here presents a brilliant new paradigm for evolutionary biology, one that extends the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution to accommodate recent findings and perspectives from the fields of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. The book drives to the heart of the exciting debate on the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. It focuses on the concept of self-organization: the spontaneous emergence of order widely observed throughout nature. Kauffman here argues that self-organization plays an (...) important role in the emergence of life itself and may play as fundamental a role in shaping life's subsequent evolution as does the Darwinian process of natural selection. Yet until now no systematic effort has been made to incorporate the concept of self-organization into evolutionary theory. The construction requirements which permit complex systems to adapt remain poorly understood, as is the extent to which selection itself can yield systems able to adapt more successfully. This book explores these themes. It shows how complex systems, contrary to expectations, can spontaneously exhibit stunning degrees of order, and how this order, in turn, is essential for understanding the emergence and development of life on Earth. Topics include the new biotechnology of applied molecular evolution, with its important implications for developing new drugs and vaccines; the balance between order and chaos observed in many naturally occurring systems; new insights concerning the predictive power of statistical mechanics in biology; and other major issues. Indeed, the approaches investigated here may prove to be the new center around which biologicalscience itself will evolve. The work is written for all those interested in the cutting edge of research in the life sciences. (shrink)

Design and deploy integrated enterprise-class business solutions Enhance productivity, profitability, and efficiency using IBM DB2 9 and the detailed information in this comprehensive resource. Written by experienced IBM data server professionals, IBM DB2 9 New Features covers the technical details of the major new aspects of DB2 9 alongside real-world business uses, syntax examples, and insider tips. Learn how to manipulate and manage XML data using pureXML, automate maintenance tasks, and seamlessly integrate Java, PHP, and Perl scripts. Plus, you'll get (...) vital coverage of the brand-new DB2 Developer Workbench, enhanced.NET developer support, Ruby on Rails, and database security. Learn about all the auto-configuration features that make getting DB2 up and running faster than ever before Define, share, and validate data using XML and the unique pureXML DB2 Hybrid Storage Engine Improve runtime performance and optimize storage with the new DB2 Compression Technology Automatically handle DB2 memory allocation using the Self Tuning Memory Manager Use Automatic Storage, Autonomic Computing, and a host of other autonomic features that make managing DB2 a snap Create dynamic data server blueprints with Rational Data Architect version 6.1 Incorporate Java applications using the IBM WebSphere Application Server and DB2 data server Develop open-source scripts using PHP, Perl, Toad, and Ruby on Rails Utilize the DB2 Developer Workbench or exploit the enhanced.NET developer support Deploy the latest DB2 security and high availability features. (shrink)