Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
Peter Fazekas, Balazs Gyenis, Gabor Hofer-Szabo, Gergely Kertesz
Summary: Our approach aims to explain causal claims by examining how the physical states of the underlying dynamical system evolve over time, demonstrating its ability to account for various causal scenarios.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
William Marshall, Matteo Grasso, William G. P. Mayner, Alireza Zaeemzadeh, Leonardo S. Barbosa, Erick Chastain, Graham Findlay, Shuntaro Sasai, Larissa Albantakis, Giulio Tononi
Summary: Integrated Information Theory (IIT) starts with consciousness and identifies a set of properties that apply to all possible experiences. These properties are translated into postulates about the substrate of consciousness, and a mathematical framework is formulated to assess the quality and quantity of experience. The theory proposes that an experience is equal to the cause-effect structure of a maximally irreducible substrate. This work introduces a definition for the integrated information of a system based on the postulates of IIT and explores how determinism, degeneracy, and connectivity affect system-integrated information. It also demonstrates how the proposed measure identifies complexes as systems with higher integrated information than any overlapping candidates.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
John N. Constantino, Tony Charman, Emily J. H. Jones
Summary: A significant portion of the population-attributable risk for autism is related to inherited polygenic risk. Recent studies suggest that inherited susceptibility may impact early developmental liabilities, predicting familial recurrence of the convergent syndrome of social communication disability that defines autism. This research points towards a novel developmental substructure for autism, with implications for understanding its neurobiological causes and informing future therapeutic approaches.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, VOL 17, 2021
(2021)
Editorial Material
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Larissa Albantakis, Robert Prentner, Ian Durham
Summary: This article briefly explores the role of potential hybrid/classical mechanisms in integrated information theory (IIT), discusses whether the (Q)IIT formalism needs to be extended to capture the hypothesized hybrid mechanism, and clarifies the motivation for developing a QIIT formalism and its scope of applicability.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Pierrick Bourrat
Summary: The concept of invariance is discussed in the context of causal relationships within the interventionist account, with two formal measures proposed and limitations on applying it to non-nominal variables highlighted. The paper concludes by suggesting ways to qualify invariance for such variables.
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Karishma Matange, James M. Tuck, Albert J. Keung
Summary: Data storage in DNA has the potential to revolutionize modern information storage, but its stability under various conditions must be carefully considered. The authors of this Perspective propose that ensuring the stability of DNA is crucial for its effective use in data storage systems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Larissa Albantakis
Summary: This article examines different definitions and measures of autonomy proposed in various disciplines. By analyzing the properties of simple artificial agents with diverse neural architectures and functions, it explores the impact of different neural structures and functions on autonomous behavior.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Juan D. Gomez, William G. P. Mayner, Maggie Beheler-Amass, Giulio Tononi, Larissa Albantakis
Summary: Integrated information theory (IIT) and its Python software package PyPhi are used for causal analysis of systems with multi-valued elements, revealing general causal properties of random networks. The tools were also applied to analyze a non-binary regulatory network model p53-Mdm2, with a discussion on binarization methods.
Article
Biology
Sergey B. Yurchenko
Summary: The relationship between information and causation is connected to various concepts in complex systems theory and is particularly relevant in understanding downward causation. Downward causation, which suggests that the behavior of the whole system can influence the behavior of its individual components, is linked to the role of information and scale in biological systems. This understanding has implications for mental causation and the emergence of cognition and consciousness in neural networks.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Beatriz Xavier Soares, Claudia C. Miranda, Tiago G. Fernandes
Summary: Developmental toxicology is the study of the effects of chemical and physical agents on developing organisms. A systems bioengineering approach can be used to understand the complex interactions between organisms, environment, and toxic agents. This approach is valuable in identifying key biological pathways affected by toxic agents and developing predictive models for assessing risks of exposure.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qiu-Long Zhang, Yang Wang, Liang-Liang Wang, Fan Xie, Ruo-Yue Wu, Xu-Yang Ma, Han Li, Yan Liu, Shunchun Yao, Liang Xu
Summary: This study presents a prototype of hybrid computation integrating both nucleic acids and non-NA molecules. Non-NA molecules can be computed as nucleic acid strands and perform arithmetical calculations in the computational nucleic acid system using conformationally controlled ligand converters. This opens up new possibilities for molecular computation.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
Joseph Martinez
Summary: This paper introduces a new view called Causal Pluralism, arguing that free will is compatible with both event and substance causation. It also suggests that agent-causalists should adopt Causal Pluralism, and that the view has interesting implications for the free will debate.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Carlos Gershenson
Summary: Despite the long history of using concepts similar to emergence, there is still no agreed definition. However, emergence is recognized as a key feature of complex systems. Understanding emergence and complexity can greatly contribute to the study of living systems.
Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
Matthew Owen
Summary: This article discusses the causal pairing problem and proposes a solution through the neo-Thomistic hylomorphism view. It provides an account of causal pairing based on a foundational tenet of hylomorphism and suggests that the integrated information theory in theoretical neuroscience can also learn from hylomorphism to explain causal pairing.
Review
Cell Biology
Harold M. McNamara, Beatrice Ramm, Jared E. Toettcher
Summary: Technological advances have contributed to recent developments in developmental biology, such as light sheet imaging for studying single-cell dynamics and single-cell genomic methods for cataloguing cell types and gene expression states. Synthetic approaches are also emerging to understand development processes from the bottom up, including synthetic circuits for signaling delivery and recording, and synthetic reconstitution of pattern formation on multicellular scales.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
