Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: smart on 19/06/2016 15:22:46
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http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2014.00166/full
Theoretical and experimental studies show that critical systems often exhibit optimal computational properties, suggesting the possibility that criticality has been evolutionarily selected as a useful trait for our nervous system. Evidence for criticality has been found in cell cultures, brain slices, and anesthetized animals. Yet, inconsistent results were reported for recordings in awake animals and humans, and current results point to open questions about the exact nature and mechanism of criticality, as well as its functional role. Therefore, the criticality hypothesis has remained a controversial proposition.
http://willcov.com/bio-consciousness/review/Complexity,%20Self-Organization,%20Emergence.htm
Consciousness is an emergent property arising from the self-organization of concurrently active but spatially distributed regions of the brain; there is no central organizer and no unique location where it comes into existence. Quote from Susan Greenfield, professor at Oxford University: Consciousness is spatially multiple yet effectively single at any one time. It is an emergent property of non-specialized and divergent groups of neurons (gesalts) that is continuously variable.
Is self-organized criticality (SOC) in brain-mind interactions an evidence of non-classical computation capacity of humans? Is consciousness an emergent property of neural criticality ?
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Inanimate matter spontaneously seeks lowest energy. Hot things get cool, chemicals react, object fall downward, etc. Life, on the other hand, builds up internal energy value, as it grows. The larger tree can produce more heat than the little tree. The larger older tree reaches higher in the sky, against gravity. Or the large older deer can feed more wolves than the little young deer.
The second law of thermodynamics states the entropy of the universe has to increase. This is true of inanimate matter, which constantly changes. Life is different in that it can lower entropy as it builds its structures. If we burn a tree, entropy increases as the wood become CO2 and H2O. These simple molecules have far more freedom of movement than the original piece of wood. The CO2 may circle the earth and water can rain in another state. When photosynthesis occurs, the opposite happens, with high entropy CO2 and H2O, fixed, becoming part of living plant matter confined in space.
The critical state between phase boundary is actually between the energy/entropy of inanimate matter, versus energy/entropy of life, with each moving in the opposite direction. Life contains both within itself. Life builds structures and stores energy, while life also digests higher energy materials and increases entropy in tribute to inanimate matter.
One good analogy of the phase boundary between these two phases is a fountain. Life is like the pump of the fountain that pumps the water upward against gravity, making it gain potential energy. The height of the water has a limit, because gravity; inanimate matter, is constantly pulling the water downward toward lower energy. Life has to expand energy, to gain internal energy. Life uses the principle of inanimate matter; lower energy through digestion, to generate energy, so it can build energy.
The fountain also lowers the entropy of the water, by suctioning the water inward, so it is confined in the pump and pipe, while it is pushed upward against gravity. When the water finally exits the top of the fountain, entropy will increase, as the energy potential lowers and water cascades down the fountain, splashing.
Consciousness is like the dynamics of the fountain. All our neurons pump and exchange sodium and potassium cations, concentrating one cation type on opposite sides of the membrane. It does not matter what the neuron does, they all do this same task. This task adds membrane energy and lowers entropy; concentration gradient, pumps to the top of the fountain. The push of inanimate matter, causes the potential to lower; neurons fire in tribute to inanimate matter, while the entropy increase is connected to the cascade down the fountain; neural currents.
The neural currents, like with the fountain, give a sense of consistency to the fountain based on the number and size of the trays and levels. The fountain seems to maintain a sense of continuous identity. While the second law and the increase in entropy via the cascade, adds subtle continuous changes; different water molecules entering the trays differently each time.
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Self organization in life and in the brain is fundamentally connected to the system of water and organics. Water and organics are copartners in life, in ways that are connected to system energy and entropy. One way to see this is to begin by looking at the system of water and oil. If we mix water and oil; increase the entropy of this two component system with an agitator, and then let it settle, the water and oil will separate back into two layers. The entropy will spontaneously decrease from the mixed state.
If we start with a protein being synthesized in the water of a cell, a similar affect occurs with the water causing the protein to pack, fold and separate out from the water as a separate phase. The protein will not only be induced to pack; bead up, but the protein will fold with exact folds, without any statistical variation. The impact of the water on organics like protein will be to remove even statistical entropy from the protein. Random does not even apply. While the second law of inanimate matter, acting on the perfectly packed protein; entropy offset, will increase entropy via conformational changes for binding and reactions. The water restores the enzyme's perfect folding like the pump of the fountain.
Water itself has its own internal duality. Water binds with itself and other materials through hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding is a binary type of bond showing both polar and covalent character. The result is what is called high density water (HDW) and low density water (LDW). High density water has more polar hydrogen bonding. It has higher entropy and higher energy, and takes up less volume. While low density water has more covalent bonding character. it has lower entropy and lower energy and takes up more volume. Water can shift between the needs of life and inanimate matter by shifting the hydrogen bonding binary. Water is foundation from which organic scale up appears; fountain.
The binary of water is similar to the binary of computer memory. Water can transmit information by flipping the hydrogen switches between the two states. While the interaction of water with any molecule or surface, by impacting the hydrogen bonding, will flip local water switches. The binary of water differs from computer memory in that they are more than just switches since each state of the switch defines difference in energy, entropy and volume. The switches not only define information but can act as a lever for moving matter and helping with chemical reactions.
For example, if the water binary was in the more compact polar state and global information transmission flipped these switches to the more expanded covalent state, chemicals in water will feel an instant squeeze due to the pressure being exerted. This can immobilize protein push things together.
Consciousness is wired right down to the binary of water, making use of the fastest data transmission. The connection to water also equates to ability of consciousness to use information to generate physical and chemical changes in organic matter; memory.
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Can synaptic phase transition potentiate neural criticality?
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The neurocomputational criticality is the capacity of neurons to self-organize consciousness. Self-organized criticality is an evidence of coherent hypercomputation of conscious activity.