title: A Decentralized Approach to the Formulation of Hypotheses: A Hierarchical Structural Model for a Prion Self-Assembled System.
abstract: Innovation in hypotheses is a key transformative driver for scientific development. The conventional centralized hypothesis formulation approach, where a dominant hypothesis is typically derived from a primary phenomenon, can, inevitably, impose restriction on the range of conceivable experiments and legitimate hypotheses, and ultimately impede understanding of the system of interest. We report herein the proposal of a decentralized approach for the formulation of hypotheses, through initial preconception-free phenomenon accumulation and subsequent reticular logical reasoning processes. The two-step approach can provide an unbiased, panoramic view of the system and as such should enable the generation of a set of more coherent and therefore plausible hypotheses. As a proof-of-concept demonstration of the utility of this open-ended approach, a hierarchical model has been developed for a prion self-assembled system, allowing insight into hitherto elusive static and dynamic features associated with this intriguing structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Mingyang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D006801:Humans; D008961:Models, Structural; D011328:Prions / Q000378:metabolism*; D011340:Problem Solving; D055503:Protein Multimerization
chemical_list: D011328:Prions