Defending eliminative structuralism and a whole lot more (or less)

Ontic structural realism argues that structure is all there is. In (French, 2014) I argued for an ‘eliminativist’ version of this view, according to which the world should be conceived, metaphysically, as structure, and objects, at both the fundamental and ‘everyday’ levels, should be eliminated. This paper is a response to a number of profound concerns that have been raised, such as how we might distinguish between the kind of structure invoked by this view and mathematical structure in general, how we should choose between eliminativist ontic structural realism and alternative metaphysical accounts such as dispositionalism, and how we should capture, in metaphysical terms, the relationship between structures and particles. In developing my response I shall touch on a number of broad issues, including the applicability of mathematics, the nature of representation and the relationship between metaphysics and science in general.     

Pollen evidence of historical forest disturbance on the Wasatch Plateau, Utah

Environmental indicators from lake sediments provide excellent opportunities to improve understanding of forest disturbance processes and corresponding changes in forest composition. Our research provides a methodology for assessing recent, historic, and prehistoric disturbances using lacustrine sediment records. We collected sediment cores from Blue Lake, a small subalpine lake on the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah. These cores record environmental changes caused by both spruce beetle ( Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) and human (logging and livestock grazing) modification. We observed deteriorated insect remains in the lake sediments. These remains correspond temporally with a historic spruce beetle outbreak, though alkaline conditions in the lake water may have inhibited preservation of bark beetle remains. Pollen data reveal that despite the unprecedented level of mortality among Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) resulting from the spruce beetle epidemic, logging activities subsequent to Euro-American settlement appear to be the most severe disturbance to the Blue Lake watershed over the last 750 years.     

Distribution of the subterranean amphipod Stygobromus in central Colorado streams, with notes on the interstitial community

As part of a larger study on the aquatic life of streams in central Colorado, efforts were made to determine the distribution of interstitial organisms, with emphasis on the subterranean amphipod Stygobromus . In a preliminary screening-level study, sampling for Stygobromus was conducted in 1985 at 47 sites along the Front Range of Colorado at elevations generally matching the type locale for S. coloradensis and S. pennaki at the confluence of the North Fork of the South Platte River and its mainstem. A more intensive follow-up study was conducted in 1988 at 30 sites concentrating on the upper South Platte River basin. In the follow-up study both hyporheic and shore zone (phreatic) habitats were sampled using a variety of techniques (Bou-Rouch pump, Karaman-Chappuis technique, and a coarsemesh wide-mouth net, as appropriate). In the preliminary study Stygobromus spp. were collected at only 12 of 47 study sites, with all collections in the vicinity of the type locale. In the follow-up study Stygobromus were found at 16 of 30 sites sampled, extending the known distribution in Colorado of S. coloradensis and S. pennaki well beyond the type locale. The use of multiple sampling techniques was important in locating these organisms. In addition to the amphipod Stygobromus , sampling sites in the follow-up study contained a rich interstitial community, including copepods, bathynellids, tardigrades, archiannelids, and ostracods.     

A Note on the Correspondence Between Complexity and Systems Theory

Complexity theory shares a common vocabulary with systems theory. Terms such as emergence, complexity, and adaptation appear in both traditions. Despite the similarities, complexity theory is not a misnomer for systems theory. Several points of departure exist in complexity's research agenda and methods. Moreover, while systems theory appears to have embraced interpretivist and critical philosophies, complexity theory remains firmly in the positivist camp, despite claims that it is a postmodern science.     

Recent advances in Cys-loop receptor structure and function

Throughout the nervous system, moment-to-moment communication relies on postsynaptic receptors to detect neurotransmitters and change the membrane potential. For the Cys-loop superfamily of receptors, recent structural data have catalysed a leap in our understanding of the three steps of chemical-to-electrical transduction: neurotransmitter binding, communication between the binding site and the barrier to ions, and opening and closing of the barrier. The emerging insights might be expected to explain how mutations of receptors cause neurological disease, but the opposite is generally true. Namely, analyses of disease-causing mutations have clarified receptor structure-function relationships as well as mechanisms governing the postsynaptic response.     

The DNA sequence, annotation and analysis of human chromosome 3

After the completion of a draft human genome sequence, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium has proceeded to finish and annotate each of the 24 chromosomes comprising the human genome. Here we describe the sequencing and analysis of human chromosome 3, one of the largest human chromosomes. Chromosome 3 comprises just four contigs, one of which currently represents the longest unbroken stretch of finished DNA sequence known so far. The chromosome is remarkable in having the lowest rate of segmental duplication in the genome. It also includes a chemokine receptor gene cluster as well as numerous loci involved in multiple human cancers such as the gene encoding FHIT, which contains the most common constitutive fragile site in the genome, FRA3B. Using genomic sequence from chimpanzee and rhesus macaque, we were able to characterize the breakpoints defining a large pericentric inversion that occurred some time after the split of Homininae from Ponginae, and propose an evolutionary history of the inversion.