- Author
- Jiankui He, Rice University
- Published
- November 2010
- Kind
- Doctoral thesis in bioengineering, mostly computational analysis
- Original
- repository.rice.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/85449216-b2ec-4519-87cf-83eafe4534e7/content
- Subject
- Science and medicine
What it is
The author, a Rice University doctoral student, wrote the thesis in November 2010. It argues that modularity and hierarchy arise by themselves as systems evolve. Later chapters study influenza strains, CRISPR and antibody genes.
What it says
- The thesis reports that protein interaction networks grew more modular over about 3.5 billion years.
- It reports that phylum-level body plan genes evolve slowly, and class-level genes faster.
- It says theory predicts world trade is more recession-sensitive than 40 years ago.
- It presents a clustering method to spot an emerging dominant influenza strain early.
- It proposes a model for CRISPR spacers being more diverse at the leader end.
- It reports antibody VDJ repertoires correlate between zebrafish, hinting at regulated recombination.
- It concludes that hierarchy emerges and grows in evolving systems in changing environments.
What evidence it gives
The thesis reports analyses of protein interaction networks, gene regulatory networks and trade data. It gives fitted curves and a Wilcoxon test table for the body plan result. Influenza predictions are tested on historical data.
Interests and limits
The front matter, chapter 1 and chapter 8 were read. Chapters 2 and 3 were sampled. Chapters 4 to 7 were not read. The general conclusion rests on four cases. They are protein networks, domain networks, body plans and trade. The thesis was written for a degree committee and predates later work.