Systems Science

Systems Biology and the Modern Synthesis are recent versions of two classical biological paradigms that are known as structuralism and functionalism, or internalism and externalism. According to functionalism (or externalism), living matter is a fundamentally passive entity that owes its organization to external forces (functions that shape organs) or to an external organizing agent (natural selection). Structuralism (or internalism), is the view that living matter is an intrinsically active entity that is capable of organizing itself from within, with purely internal (...) processes that are based on mathematical principles and physical laws. At the molecular level, the basic mechanism of the Modern Synthesis is molecular copying, the process that leads in the short run to heredity and in the long run to natural selection. The basic mechanism of Systems Biology, instead, is self-assembly, the process by which many supramolecular structures are formed by the spontaneous aggregation of their components. In addition to molecular copying and self-assembly, however, molecular biology has uncovered also a third great mechanism at the heart of life. The existence of the genetic code and of many other organic codes in Nature tells us that molecular coding is a biological reality and we need therefore a framework that accounts for it. This framework is Code biology, the study of the codes of life, a new field of research that brings to light an entirely new dimension of the living world and gives us a completely new understanding of the origin and the evolution of life. (shrink)

We address the question of whether and to what extent explanatory and modelling strategies in systems biology are mechanistic. After showing how dynamic mathematical models are actually required for mechanistic explanations of complex systems, we caution readers against expecting all systems biology to be about mechanistic explanations. Instead, the aim may be to generate topological explanations that are not standardly mechanistic, or to arrive at design principles that explain system organization and behaviour in general, but not specific mechanisms. These abstraction (...) strategies serve various aims, including prediction and control, that are central to understanding the epistemic diversity of systems biology. (shrink)

An alternative consensus algorithm to both proof-of-work and proof-of-stake, proof-of-loss addresses all their deficiencies, including the lack of an organic block size limit, the risks of mining centralization, and the "nothing at stake" problem.

This paper examines how metaphors can play a key role in triggering individual emergence. Metaphor is referenced in two main ways: the enthalpy metaphor is used to provide understanding of, and guide, the process of effective conversation. Metaphor is also interpreted very broadly to define those images, analogies, concepts, models, and theories that define our understanding of the world and our perception. It is our perception that must change if we are to improve the future. The paper examines how sharing (...) of appropriate metaphor through conversation can lead to collective emergence; and similarly, how integral conversation-with-self triggered by metaphors in (1) conversation with others, (2) other external stimuli, and (3) internal thought processes, can trigger individual emergence. The paper examines which of the three sources of trigger may be singly/jointly or sequentially the most powerful in their effect of triggering individual emergence, and under what context. The model presented is evaluated for the process of emergence of the paper. The reader is invited to participate in furthering the evaluation process. The author's own individual emergence is recognized as stemming from ongoing association with, and inspiration of, Bela Banathy, to whom the work is dedicated. (shrink)

This paper explores the connection between the 2nd thermodynamics and the emergence and evolution of life on Earth. 60 years ago, Erwin Schrodinger understood that the thermodynamically-open nature of living systems exempted them from the constraints imposed by the second law, but it was not clear why such systems should exist at all. Now we’re coming to realize that, not only are open systems ubiquitous, but they are likely, and perhaps even necessary. Some open systems are characterized as dissipative, and (...) they emerge as the system they are embedded in attempts to return closer to thermodynamic equilibrium. The emergence of life itself is a response of the surrounding system to the thermodynamic imperative of the second law. The stability and efficiency of metabolic processes over evolutionary time, as well as properties of entire ecosystems emerged to counter the effects of energy gradients applied to them. (shrink)

Building on existing forms of critical, cultural, biopolitical, and sociopolitical posthumanism, in this text a new framework is developed for understanding and guiding the forces of technologization and posthumanization that are reshaping contemporary organizations. This ‘organizational posthumanism’ is an approach to analyzing, creating, and managing organizations that employs a post-dualistic and post-anthropocentric perspective and which recognizes that emerging technologies will increasingly transform the kinds of members, structures, systems, processes, physical and virtual spaces, and external ecosystems that are available for organizations (...) to utilize. It is argued that this posthumanizing technologization of organizations will especially be driven by developments in three areas: 1) technologies for human augmentation and enhancement, including many forms of neuroprosthetics and genetic engineering; 2) technologies for synthetic agency, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and artificial life; and 3) technologies for digital-physical ecosystems and networks that create the environments within which and infrastructure through which human and artificial agents will interact. -/- Drawing on a typology of contemporary posthumanism, organizational posthumanism is shown to be a hybrid form of posthumanism that combines both analytic, synthetic, theoretical, and practical elements. Like analytic forms of posthumanism, organizational posthumanism recognizes the extent to which posthumanization has already transformed businesses and other organizations; it thus occupies itself with understanding organizations as they exist today and developing strategies and best practices for responding to the forces of posthumanization. On the other hand, like synthetic forms of posthumanism, organizational posthumanism anticipates the fact that intensifying and accelerating processes of posthumanization will create future realities quite different from those seen today; it thus attempts to develop conceptual schemas to account for such potential developments, both as a means of expanding our theoretical knowledge of organizations and of enhancing the ability of contemporary organizational stakeholders to conduct strategic planning for a radically posthumanized long-term future. (shrink)

Cognitive sciences as an interdisciplinary field, involving scientific disciplines (such as computer science, linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, economics, etc.), philosophical disciplines (philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, analytic philosophy, etc.) and engineering (notably knowledge engineering), have a vast theoretical and practical content, some even conflicting. In this interdisciplinary context and on computational modeling, ontologies play a crucial role in communication between disciplines and also in a process of innovation of theories, models and experiments in cognitive sciences. We propose a model for (...) this process here. An ontological commitment is advocated as the framework of a scientific realism, which leads computational modeling to search for more realistic models, for a complex systems perspective of nature and cognition. In that way multiagent modeling of complex systems has been fulfilling an important role. (shrink)

The goal of this paper is two-fold: first, to emphasize causality in disease ontology and knowledge representation, presenting a general and cursory discussion of causality and causal chains; and second, to clarify and develop the River Flow Model of Diseases (RFM). The RFM is an ontological account of disease, representing the causal structure of pathology. It applies general knowledge of causality using the concept of causal chains. The river analogy of disease is explained, formal descriptions are offered, and the RFM (...) disease definition is refined by describing causal chains in terms of causal relations. The definition is updated to coincide with the actual RFM classes found in its upper-level ontology, YAMATO, which brings to light some challenges in developing both YAMATO and the RFM. The RFM is also discussed in relation to another ontological account of disease. Strategies are offered toward interoperability between these theories. (shrink)

Very often traditional approaches studying dynamics of self-similarity processes are not able to give their quantitative characteristics at infinity and, as a consequence, use limits to overcome this difficulty. For example, it is well know that the limit area of Sierpinski’s carpet and volume of Menger’s sponge are equal to zero. It is shown in this paper that recently introduced infinite and infinitesimal numbers allow us to use exact expressions instead of limits and to calculate exact infinitesimal values of areas (...) and volumes at various points at infinity even if the chosen moment of the observation is infinitely faraway on the time axis from the starting point. It is interesting that traditional results that can be obtained without the usage of infinite and infinitesimal numbers can be produced just as finite approximations of the new ones. (shrink)

Why do policies fail? How can we objectively choose the best policy from two (or more) competing alternatives? How can we create better policies? To answer these critical questions this book presents an innovative yet workable approach. Avoiding Policy Failure uses emerging metapolicy methodologies in case studies that compare successful policies with ones that have failed. Those studies investigate the systemic nature of each policy text to gain new insights into why policies fail. -/- In addition to providing intriguing directions (...) for research, this book also suggests a bold new standard for evaluating policies. While this method is broadly generalizable, specific examples are provided showing how to develop better Economic Policy, Military Policy, and Constitutional Organizations. This book shows scholars, researchers, and policy analysts how to develop more effective policies so that we may achieve our highest aspirations and avoid the horrendous failures of the past. (shrink)

Elsevier, the world's leading provider of science and health information, published an academic/scientific textbook about a new mathematical discovery discovered in a near-death experience (NDE) that matches the dynamics of living and life-like (social) systems and has applications in general systems theory, universal systems modelling, human clinical molecular genetics modelling, medical informatics, astrobiology, education and other areas of study. This article is about Lynnclaire Dennis and how she brought back perhaps the greatest scientific discovery ever from a NDE. The Mereon (...) Matrix's sequential process generates a coherent link to living and non-living systems whether they are physical, mathematical, philosophical, or social. (shrink)

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى التعرف على العلاقة بين نظم دعم القرار وإعادة الهندسة في الجامعات الفلسطينية بقطاع غزة، واستخدمت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، واستخدم الباحث أسلوب الاستبانة لجمع البيانات، وقام الباحث باستخدام طريقة العينة الطبقية العشوائية، وتم توزيع ( 500 ) إستبانة على .(% عينة الدراسة، حيث تم استرداد ( 449 ) إستبانة بنسبة استرداد ( 89.8 α ≤ وقد أظهرت الدراسة نتائج أهمها ما يلي: وجود علاقة ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى دلالة 0.04 ) بين نظم دع م القرا (...) ر وإعادة الهندسة في الجامعات الفلسطينية في قطاع غز ة، كذلك وضحت ) النتائج وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطات تقديرا ت عينة الدراسة حول العلاقة بين نظم دعم القرا ر وإعادة الهندسة في الجامعات الفلسطينية بقطاع غز ة تعزى لمتغي ر الجنس لصالح الذكور، ووجود فروق بالنسبة لمتغير العمر بالنسبة إلى مجال " دعم الإدارة العليا لاستخدام نظم دعم القرا ر" 55 ) سن ة و( 55 ) سنة فأكثر، ووجود فروق بالنسبة - لدى المبحوثين الذين تتراوح أعمارهم من ( 45 لمتغير المستوى التعليمي بالنسبة إلى مجال " دعم الإدارة العليا لاستخدام نظم دع م الق رار " لد ى المبحوثين الذين يحملون درجة الماجستير، ووجود فروق لمتغير اسم الجامعة وذلك لكل مجال من مجالات الدراس ة لصالح الجامعة الإسلامية ثم جامعة الأزهر ثم جامعة الأقصى، ووجود فروق بالنسبة لمتغير سنوات الخدمة بالنسبة إلى مجال "دعم الإدارة العليا لاستخدام نظم دعم القرار" لدى المبحوثي ن 20 ) سنة و( 21 ) سنة فأكثر. - الذين تتراوح سنوات خدمتهم من ( 15 كما خلصت الدراسة إلى مجموعة من التوصيات أهمه ا: لكي تتمكن الجامعات الفلسطينية بقطاع غزة من معايشة عصر العولمة والتعامل مع مفرداتة التقنية التي فرضت نفسها على مختلف قطاعات الحياة المعاصرة، فان هذا يستلزم إعادة هندسة الجامعات الفلسطينية بقطاع غز ة، وتوضيح أهمية عملية إعادة الهندسة للإدارة العلي ا للجامعات الفلسطيني ة التي لا يوجد لديها توجه لإعادة الهندس ة، وتشجي ع الجامعات التي تخطط لإعادة الهندسة للبدء بتنفيذ برامجها في التغيير الجذري بالسرعة الممكن ة، وانه من الضروري للجامعات الفلسطينية بقطاع غزة عند أعادة هندسة عملياتها أن تقوم بتطوير البنية التحتية لتكنولوجيا المعلومات بصورة عامة، ونظم دعم القرار بصورة خاصة، وتعزيز دعم واهتمام الإدارة العليا في الجامعات الفلسطينية بقطاع غزة بنظ م دعم القرار، زيادة اعتماد الإدارة العليا على نظم دعم القرار في اتخاذ قراراتها، وقيامها بتشخيص المشاكل وتشجيع العاملين من خلال توفير الكادر اللازم لتنفيذ عملية نظم دعم القرار وتشجيع العاملين على استخدام نظم دعم القرار وتشخيص المشاكل والتغلب على المعيقات التي تعترض تطوير نظم دعم القرار. (shrink)