Nature as a Network of Morphological Infocomputational Processes for Cognitive Agents

This paper presents a view of nature as a network of infocomputational agents organized in a dynamical hierarchy of levels. It provides a framework for unification of currently disparate understandings of natural, formal, technical, behavioral and social phenomena based on information as a structure, differences in one system that cause the differences in another system, and computation as its dynamics, i.e. physical process of morphological change in the informational structure. We address some of the frequent misunderstandings regarding the natural/morphological computational models and their relationships to physical systems, especially cognitive systems such as living beings. Natural morphological infocomputation as a conceptual framework necessitates generalization of models of computation beyond the traditional Turing machine model presenting symbol manipulation, and requires agent-based concurrent resource-sensitive models of computation in order to be able to cover the whole range of phenomena from physics to cognition. The central role of agency, particularly material vs. cognitive agency is highlighted

Feroptoza: regulirana stanična smrt

Ferroptosis is a recently identified form of regulated cell death that differs from other known forms of cell death morphologically, biochemically, and genetically. The main properties of ferroptosis are free redox-active iron and consequent iron-dependent peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membrane phospholipids, which results in the accumulation of lipid-based reactive oxygen species due to loss of glutathione peroxidase 4 activity. Ferroptosis has increasingly been associated with neurodegenerative diseases, carcinogenesis, stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. It has also shown a significant therapeutic potential in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. This review summarises current knowledge about and the mechanisms that regulate ferroptosis.Feroptoza je nedavno identificirani oblik regulirane stanične smrti koji se od ostalih poznatih oblika stanične smrti razlikuje morfološki, biokemijski i genetski. Glavna svojstva feroptoze uključuju slobodno redoks aktivno željezo i posljedičnu, o željezu ovisnu, peroksidaciju polinezasićenih masnih kiselina u fosfolipidima staničnih membrana te gubitak aktivnosti glutation peroksidaze 4, što rezultira akumulacijom lipidnih, reaktivnih kisikovih spojeva. Feroptoza se sve više povezuje s raznim bolestima kao što su neurodegenerativne bolesti, karcinom, moždani udar, intracerebralna krvarenja, traumatične ozljede mozga i ishemijsko-reperfuzijska ozljeda. Također je pokazan značajan terapijski potencijal u liječenju raka i drugih bolesti. Ovaj pregled sažima trenutačne spoznaje i mehanizme koji reguliraju feroptozu

Ethical and Social Aspects of Self-Driving Cars

As an envisaged future of transportation, self-driving cars are being discussed from various perspectives, including social, economical, engineering, computer science, design, and ethics. On the one hand, self-driving cars present new engineering problems that are being gradually successfully solved. On the other hand, social and ethical problems are typically being presented in the form of an idealized unsolvable decision-making problem, the so-called trolley problem, which is grossly misleading. We argue that an applied engineering ethical approach for the development of new technology is what is needed; the approach should be applied, meaning that it should focus on the analysis of complex real-world engineering problems. Software plays a crucial role for the control of self-driving cars; therefore, software engineering solutions should seriously handle ethical and social considerations. In this paper we take a closer look at the regulative instruments, standards, design, and implementations of components, systems, and services and we present practical social and ethical challenges that have to be met, as well as novel expectations for software engineering.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

Metastatis of cancer cells

Rak je bolest kod koje se tjelesne stanice nekotrolirano razmnožavaju zbog poremećenih normalnih regulacijskih mehanizama. Maligni tumori infiltriraju se u okolna tkiva prodirući među zdrave stanice i mogu se kroz krv i limfne žile proširiti na udaljene dijelove tijela. Proces kojim maligne stanice migriraju s mjesta nastanka primarnog tumora u druge dijelove tijela naziva se metastaziranje. Metastaziranje obuhvaća invaziju, intravazaciju, transport, ekstravazaciju i metastatsku kolonizaciju. Ključni korak za preživljavanje tumora je angiogeneza, odnosno formiranje novih krvnih žila iz već postojećih. Svaki pojedini korak omogućen je brojnim genetskim i epigenetskim promjenama tumorskih stanica, kao i specifičnim interakcijama sa stromalnim stanicama pripadajućeg organa. Kako bi došlo do metastaziranja, potrebno je pronaći odgovarajuću mikrookolinu. Neki tumori kao svoje odredište za metastaziranje biraju prvi najbliži organ, budući da tumorske stanice na svom putu zbog veličine i raznih prepreka lako mogu zaglaviti unutar kapilara. Drugi pak metastaziraju na karakteristična, unaprijed određena mjesta, pri čemu se radi o genetski manipuliranim interakcijama između tumorskih stanica i receptora na stijenkama krvnih žila. Iako otprilike 1 od 3 osobe u nekom razdoblju svog života dobije rak, mnogi se mogu izliječiti zahvaljujući dostignućima u postavljanju dijagnoza i liječenju. Ovisno o vrsti i stadiju raka, terapija može biti namijenjena izliječenju, usporavanju rasta raka ili omogućavanju što ugodnijeg života. Dvije obećavajuće biološke terapije su genska terapija i angiogenska inhibicija. Razvijanje novih terapija koje će ciljno djelovati na produkte gena koji se eksprimiraju u određenim fazama rasta tumora omogućit će sprječavanje daljnjeg rasta i metastaziranje tumora.Cancer is a disease in which somatic cells multiplicate uncontrollably due to disfunctional regulation mechanisms. A malignant tumor is capable of invading into adjacent tissues and may be capable of spreading to distant tissues through blood and lymph vessels. The process by which tumor cells from a primary site invade and migrate to other parts of the body is called metastasis. Tumor cells undergo several major steps during metastasis: invasion, intravasation, transport, extravasation, and metastatic colonization. Metastatic colonization cannot be successful without the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones in a proces called angiogenesis. Each of these events is driven by the acquisition of genetic and epigenetic alterations within tumor cells and the co-option of nonneoplastic stromal cells. Metastases selectively colonize specific organs because of a ‘match’ between the migrating tumor cell and a suitable environment. As the bloodstream is the predominant means of long-distance transport and tumor cells can easily get stuck in the vasculature, organs in close proximity are likely to be main sites of metastasis for a particular primary tumor. On the contrary, the destination of metastasized cells can be genetically influenced by interactions between receptors lining the capillaries in certain a organ and tumor cells. Basic research findings have helped develop two new most promising therapies: gene and anti-angiogenic therapy. Developing new techniques which will target protein products of genes that are associated with primary tumor growth and risk of metastasis could give us hope of managing cancer

Mangrove

Pojam mangrove odnosi se na biljne zajednice koju nalazimo u slanim močvarnim područjima. Porijeklo naziva mangrove potječe iz zapadne Afrike (Senegal, Gambija i Gruzija) od riječi mangue. Nastale su prije oko 114 milijuna godina. Prilagodbe na ekstremne uvjete obuhvaćaju viviparno razmnožavanje, specijalno prilagođen korijenski sustav i mogućnost tolerancije visokog saliniteta. Mangrove su globalno važne za zaštitu obala od erozije, pružaju zaštitu juvenilnim stadijima riba i morskih beskralješnjaka te su stalna staništa mnogim ugroženim vrstama. Rasprostranjenost mangrova procjenjuje se na oko 181000 km², a najveća površina mangrova nalazi se u južnoj i jugoistočnoj Aziji. Njihova rasprostranjenost uvjetovana je razinom mora i njenim fluktuacijama, salinitetom, temperaturom zraka, nagibom terena, olujama, oceanskim strujama i sastavom tla. Zajednice mangrova obuhvaćaju 54 prave vrste mangrova, iz 20 rodova koje pripadaju u 16 porodica, te 60 pridruženih vrsta iz 46 rodova. Najzastupljenije porodice su Avicenniaceae i Rhizophoraceae. U posljednjih 50 godina nestalo je oko polovice površine mangrova. Najviše ih ugrožavaju urbanizacija, turizam, agrikultura i akvakultura. Očuvanje mangrova obuhvaća suradnju na internacionalnoj, nacionalnoj i lokalnoj razini, obrazovanje i provođenje zakona.The term mangrove referes to the whole floral community that can be found in the saline wetlands. The word mangrove originally came from the West African word mangue. They appeared about 114 milion years ago. Adaptations on the extreme conditions they live in include viviparic reproduction, special root adaptaions and salt tolerance. The global importance of mangroves includes protection of the coastal zone from erozion, protection of the juvenil species of fish and invertebrates and as habitat for indengered species. Distribution takes over a surface of 181000 km², the biggest area of distribution is found in South and Southeast Asia. Their distribution is conditioned with sea level and its fluctuations, salinity, air temperature, ocean currents, shore slope, storms and soil substrate. Mangrove community includes 54 real mangrove floral species, arranged in 20 generas and 16 families, as well as 60 associated species in 46 generas. The most common species belong to families Avicenniaceae and Rhizophoraceae. In the last 50 years half of the mangrove community has evanished. Urbanization, tourism, agriculture and aquaculture represent the biggest threats for the mangrove communities. Mangrove conservation include cooperation on the international, national and local community level, as well as education and enviromental law

Direct derivation of Lienard Wiechert potentials, Maxwell's equations and Lorentz force from Coulomb's law

In 19th century Maxwell derived Maxwell equations from the knowledge of three experimental physical laws: the Coulomb's law, the Ampere's force law and Faraday's law of induction. However, theoretical basis for Ampere's force law and Faraday's law remains unknown to this day. Furthermore, the Lorentz force is considered as experimental phenomena, the theoretical foundation of this force is still unknown. To answer these fundamental theoretical questions, we derive Lienard Wiechert potentials, Maxwell's equations and Lorentz force from two simple postulates: (a) when all charges are at rest the Coulomb's force acts between the charges, and (b) that disturbances caused by charge in motion propagate away from the source with finite velocity. The special relativity was not used in our derivations nor the Lorentz transformation. In effect, it was shown all the electrodynamic laws, including the Lorentz force, can be derived from Coulomb's law and time retardation. This was accomplished by analysis of hypothetical experiment where test charge is at rest and where previously moving source charge stops at some time in the past. Then the generalized Helmholtz decomposition theorem, also derived in this paper, was applied to reformulate Coulomb's force acting at present time as the function of positions of source charge at previous time when the source charge was moving. From this reformulation of Coulomb's law the Lienard Wiechert potentials and Maxwell's equations were derived. In the second part of this paper, the energy conservation principle valid for moving charges is derived from the knowledge of electrostatic energy conservation principle valid for stationary charges. This again was accomplished by using generalized Helmholtz decomposition theorem. From this dynamic energy conservation principle the Lorentz force is derived

Information and Disinformation Boundaries and Interfaces

This paper presents the highlights from the Boundaries of Disinformation workshop held at the Chalmers University of Technology. It addresses the phenomenon of disinformation—its historical and current forms. Digitalization and hyperconnectivity have been identified as leading contemporary sources of disinformation. In the effort to counteract disinformation globally, diverse strategies have been proposed. However, it is important not to forget the need for the balance between individual freedom of expression and institutionalized societal thinking used to prevent the spreading of disinformation. The important aspect of the solution is that the debate about adequate and truthful information, as opposed to disinformation, involves stakeholders