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MATHEMATICAL BIOPHYSICS
VOLUME 3 0 , 1 9 6 8
ORGANISMIC S U P E R C A T E G O R I E S :
I. P R O P O S A L S F O R A G E N E R A L U N I T A R Y T H E O R Y
OF SYSTEMS
9 I, B X ~ u and M. MARINESCU
University of Bucharest,
Faculty of Physics,
Section of Biophysics,
Bucharest, S. R. Romania
626
ORGANISMIC SUPERCATEGORIES: I
627
DEFINITIONS
Definition 1. A category C is a class Ob C, together with a class Fl G which
is a union of the form:
F1C
1,3
C(Ai, Aj)
ObG
1 = a class of indexes i, j 81
(1)
To avoid logical difficulties we postulate that each C(Ai, Aj) is a set (possibly
void).
We shall impose to a category the following axioms of definition:
C1). For each two distinct couples (A,, As), (A~, A~) of objects from ObC we
must have:
(2)
C2). For each ordered triple of objects A~, Aj, A n of C we have defined a
mapping of sets:
(3)
C(A~, Aj) x C(Aj, A~) x C(An, Al) O(.4,,Aj.A~) lC(A~.,40C(A~, Ak) x C(Ak, A3
11C(A~,A1)
, C(A~, Az)
ho(gof)=(hog)of,
with
h ~ C ( A ~ , A 3.
(4)
CO. For any A e ObC, the set C(A, A) has at least an element denoted b y
1A or i dA called the identity morphism.
628
GX
a(1) ) G Y
>FY
\GX
a(r) >
ORGANISMIC SUPERCATEGORIES: I
629
A. Axioms of representation
I. A state of a "system" (that is, a state of its components and relations which
are defined by a table of its observables) is represented by an appropriate
diagram of a "supercategory".
II. Passing from one state to another, that is, from diagram to diagram, we
obtain, by means of some rules of transformations for diagrams, a dynamical
characterization of a "system".
III. Operating a measure on a "system" we can get with a certain probability
a state of the given "system". This probability must result from some
statistical considerations and from the rules of transformation.
III'. An equivalent formulation of III. There is a "fuzzy supercategory"
associated to the "system" which predicts the behavior of the given "system"
under measurements.
IV. A system is abstractly represented by a "supereategory" built from
appropriate diagrams together with a corresponding "fuzzy supercategory";
consequently these supercategories are imposed to some restrictions given by the
principles and laws of particular sciences which study particular classes of systems.
The following principles are an attempt to generalize some principles which
were discovered by particular sciences.
B. Principles.
I. The Principle of G-relations. "The elements of any system . . . . . will
aggregate or disperse if this aggregation or dispersal results in certain specified
G-relations." (Rashevsky, 1967c.)
7~a.M.B.
630
Ato ~ At1
where to, t 1 are different instants.
We could approach the problem of "fine structure" i n a "structural S~"
that is, all objects and morphisms of this "structural Sa" will be defined with
reference to some structural observables.
Similarly we could approach the problem of "course structure" in a "functional Sa", and we could define a functor between a "structural Sa" and its
corresponding "functional Sa". This functor shall represent the relations between structure and function.
But a structure could perform m a n y functions; so, we have to compare
different "functional Sa" corresponding to the same "structural S~". These
"functional S~" could be "compared" by functorial morphisms (see Def. 3).
We could approach these problems in a "unit Sa" where any object and morphism is defined with reference to structural and functional observables.
ORGANISMIC SUPERCATEGORIES: I
681
Diencephalus
J- . . . . Neurosecrelion
Y
] Adenohypophyse ]
Scheme 1. Hormonal Control
(from Karlson, 1966) (Indications
in text)
A C T H (adrenocorticolrop hormone)
I C~176
~
A1
~al
1"are ala I
I
Corticosteroids
il ) A1
v~
12
*~ >A2
Diagram 1.
~ 3 9 *3
U3t~
A4
As
i~ > A4
A n abstract representation of H o r m o n a l
Control (Indications in text)
632
"I
(6)
u% V u~s = u2s
(7)
where " V " is the law of composition which associates to u% and u~s (as they
were defined above) another morphism u2a from A 2 to As; u2a expresses the relation between A~ and As as a result of two distinct relations between A2 and As,
namely u% and u~a.
We shall use another law of composition " A " which associates to v~3 and v~a
another morphism--their composition, t h a t is, us4, v+2s, v+s composed by " A "
result in a morphism
u~ = is [ ] u2s
(S)
with an evident restriction--the extremity of i must be the origin for via,
~)~3~ 234"
Then we have:
u~ = us4A(v~s A v~s).
(9)
(m)
ORGANISMIC
SUPERCATEGORIES:I
633
or,
u34 & (v~3 & v~) = i~ [] ([i~ [] (i~ [] vi~)] V (i~ [] v~)}
(103
Yffu,2 = fu%;
or,
(If)
(11')
And finally:
df~4
d
,y
-~ = Ya ~ [ Y 2 lfux3 + Y'~fv~*3]
+ [Y2Yxfux3 +
y,
+ dY8
2/v23] at
df~r
df~t~
dt - d---i-"
(12)
> N~
X
S T
Scheme2. A biochemicalrepresentation of Biogenesisof
Ribosomes (Indications in
text)
"'',
/
2
~ ~ ~ U
\\\\:
M~
~-
634
I. B A I A N U AND M. M A R I N E S C U
A1
>
"~'"',
A8 i--L> A8 v."
II
II / / ',,
.A 3 / /
//
"'
,,:o\
[II
12~ \\
ORGANISMIC SUPERCATEGORIES: I
635
LITERATURE
Birkhoff, Garret. 1948. Lattice Theory. New Y o r k City: American Mathematical
Society.
Comoro~an, S. and O. Pl~tie~. 1967. "On the Biotopology of Protein Biosynthesis."
Bull. Math. Biophysics, 29, 48-51.
Goodwin, B. 1963. A Dynamic Theory of Cellular Control Processes. London and
New York: Academic Press.
Karlson, P. 1966. Biochcmie fi~r Mediziner und iVaturwissenschaftler.
Stuttgart:
Georg. Thieme-Verlag.
Mullin, A. 1962. "On Mutant Sets." Bull. Math. Biophysics, 24, 209-215.
Popeseu, N. 1968. Teoria categoriilor. (In press.)
Rashevsky, N. 1959. " A Set-Theoretical Approach to Biology." Bull. Math. Biophysics, 21, 101-106.
. 1961a. "Biological Epimorphism, Adequate Design, and the Problem of Regeneration." Ibid., 23, 109-113.
1961b. " O n Relations between Sets." Ibid., 23, 233-235.
~ .
1964. "Some R e m a r k s on Rosen's Quantum-MechanlcalApproach to Genetics."
Ibid., 26, 187-191.
~ .
1965. "The Representation of Organisms in Terms of Predicates." Ibid., 27,
477-491.
--..
1967a. "Organismic Sets: Outline of a General Theory of Biological and Social
Organisms." Ibid., 29, 139-152.
1967b. " O n Relations Between Sets: I I I . " Ibid., 29, 639-642.
1967c. "Physics, Biology and Sociology: I I Suggestions for a Synthesis."
Ibid., 29, 643-648.
Rosen, R. 1958a. " A Relational Theory of Biological Systems." Ibid., 20, 245-260.
9 1958b. "The Representation of Biological Systems from the Standpoint of the
Theory of Categories." Ibid., 26, 317-341.
1961. " A Relational Theory of the Structural Changes Induced in Biological
Systems of Alterations in Environment." Ibid., 23, 165-171.
1962. " A Note on Abstract Relational Biologies." Ibid., 24, 31-38.
- - .
1963. " O n the Reversibility of E n v i r o n m e n t a l l y Induced Alterations in
A b s t r a c t Biological Systems." Ibid., 25, 41-50.
~ .
1964. " A b s t r a c t Biological Systems as Sequential Machines." Ibid., 26,
103--111.
1965. "Some Comments on Re-Establishability." Ibid., 27, 11-14.
1966. " A Note on Replication in ( ~ , ~ ) Systems." Ibid., 28, 149-151.
- - .
1967. " F u r t h e r Comments on Replication in (2}l, ~ ) - S y s t e m s . " Ibid., 29,
91--94.
Somrnerfield, M. 1963. " E l e m e n t a r y Propositions on Relations between Sets." Bull.
Ma~h. Biophysics, 25, 177-181.
R~CEIVED 5-21-68