Studies of social cognition often assume a reductionist, computational-representational conceptual framework. Distributed cognition is one of the few extant conceptual frameworks for a nonreductive understanding of social cognition. This concept’s prototypical cases are exclusively of technical-scientific human institutions, including ships, cockpits, and the Hubble Space Telescope. In the first part of the paper, we outline the properties of distributed cognitive systems. We look at the case of wolf (Canis lupus) packs as an instance of distributed cognition in nonhuman systems. Nevertheless, a broad range of social cognitive phenomena across human and animal populations may not fit into this conceptual framework. We present a case study of bird flocks as a counterexample to distributed cognition. We propose “swarm intelligence” as an alternative concept of nonreductive social cognition. This is not to replace distributed cognition as a concept, but to add to and diversify the taxonomy of nonreductive social cognitive systems.

We provide a definition of ‘memory’ that is broad enough to apply to both natural and artificial systems. Inspired by computation and information theory, we define memory as a process that preserves information through time while maintaining its usefulness as an object to be computed. We defend the extensiveness of our definition by explaining how it applies to both brains and modern computers. We then consider potential objections to our definition. Our primary goal is to provide a definition of ‘memory’ that is broadly applicable across various cognitive sciences subfields.

Dual-processing accounts of reasoning havegained renewed attention in the past decade,particularly in the fields of social judgment,learning, and decision-making under uncertainty.Although the various accounts differ, thecommon thread is the distinction between twoqualitatively different types of reasoning:explicit/implicit, rational/affective, fast/slow, etc.Consequently, much research has focused oncharacterizing the two different processes. Lessextensive are the attempts to find mediators thatinfluence which process is used. In this paper, weargue that the missing perspective on these dual-processing theories is rooted in dynamicalsystems theory. By shifting the perspective to thedynamic interaction and transitions betweendifferent types of reasoning, we provide atheoretical framework for dual-processing withan emphasis on phase transitions. As a specialcase, we focus on dual-processing in decision-making and judgment under uncertainty forwhich we will propose suggestions for futureexperimental evaluation.

Traditionally, models of the decision-making process have fo-cused on the case where a decision-maker must choose be-tween two alternatives. The most successful of these, sequen-tial sampling models, have been extended from the binary caseto account for choices and response times between multiplealternatives. In this paper, I present a geometric representa-tion of diffusion and accumulator models of multiple-choicedecisions, and show how these can be analyzed as Markovprocesses on lattices. I then introduce psychological relation-ships between choice alternatives and show how this impactsthe sequential sampling process. I conclude with two examplesshowing how one can predict distributions of responses on acontinuum as well as response times by incorporating psycho-logical representations into a multi-dimensional random walkdiffusion process.

Studies in distributed cognition (d-cog) almost exclusively focus on human-centered technological systems, such as ships, aircraft, automobiles, scientific and medical institutions, human-computer interfaces, and transactive memory systems. First, we review the literature and claim that d-cog is species-neutral. We then propose three experimentally operationalizable, necessary, and jointly- sufficient criteria for identifying d-cog: task orientation, interaction dominance, and agency. Here we build on previous research on nonhuman intraspecies d-cog by presenting human-dog systems as cases of interspecies d-cog. Domestic dogs’ (Canis familiaris) unique working relationships with humans allow for interspecies coordination and synchronization. Contrasting them with wolves (Canis lupus) and dingoes (Canis dingo), we suggest evolutionary history plays an important role in determining whether different species can form interspecies d-cog systems.

CD3δ SCID is a devastating inborn error of immunity caused by mutations in CD3D, encoding the invariant CD3δ chain of the CD3/TCR complex necessary for normal thymopoiesis. We demonstrate an adenine base editing (ABE) strategy to restore CD3δ in autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Delivery of mRNA encoding a laboratory-evolved ABE and guide RNA into a CD3δ SCID patient's HSPCs resulted in a 71.2% ± 7.85% (n = 3) correction of the pathogenic mutation. Edited HSPCs differentiated in artificial thymic organoids produced mature T cells exhibiting diverse TCR repertoires and TCR-dependent functions. Edited human HSPCs transplanted into immunodeficient mice showed 88% reversion of the CD3D defect in human CD34+ cells isolated from mouse bone marrow after 16 weeks, indicating correction of long-term repopulating HSCs. These findings demonstrate the preclinical efficacy of ABE in HSPCs for the treatment of CD3δ SCID, providing a foundation for the development of a one-time treatment for CD3δ SCID patients.

Granulocyte transfusions are sometimes used as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of infection in patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). However, granulocyte transfusions can be associated with a high rate of alloimmunization, and their role in CGD patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) or gene therapy (GT) is unknown. We identified 27 patients with CGD who received granulocyte transfusions pre- (within 6 months) and/or post-HCT or GT in a retrospective survey. Twelve patients received granulocyte transfusions as a bridge to cellular therapy. Six (50%) of these patients had a complete or partial response. However, six of 10 (60%) patients for whom testing was performed developed anti-HLA antibodies, and three of the patients also had severe immune-mediated cytopenia within the first 100 days post-HCT or GT. Fifteen patients received granulocyte transfusions post-HCT only. HLA antibodies were not checked for any of these 15 patients, but there were no cases of early immune-mediated cytopenia. Out of 25 patients who underwent HCT, there were 5 (20%) cases of primary graft failure. Three of the patients with primary graft failure had received granulocyte transfusions pre-HCT and were subsequently found to have anti-HLA antibodies. In this small cohort of patients with CGD, granulocyte transfusions pre-HCT or GT were associated with high rates of alloimmunization, primary graft failure, and early severe immune-mediated cytopenia post-HCT or GT. Granulocyte transfusions post-HCT do not appear to confer an increased risk of graft failure.

Background

X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (XHIGM) is a primary immunodeficiency with high morbidity and mortality compared with those seen in healthy subjects. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has been considered a curative therapy, but the procedure has inherent complications and might not be available for all patients.

Objectives

We sought to collect data on the clinical presentation, treatment, and follow-up of a large sample of patients with XHIGM to (1) compare long-term overall survival and general well-being of patients treated with or without HCT along with clinical factors associated with mortality and (2) summarize clinical practice and risk factors in the subgroup of patients treated with HCT.

Methods

Physicians caring for patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases were identified through the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, United States Immunodeficiency Network, Latin American Society for Immunodeficiency, and Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium. Data were collected with a Research Electronic Data Capture Web application. Survival from time of diagnosis or transplantation was estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method compared with log-rank tests and modeled by using proportional hazards regression.

Results

Twenty-eight clinical sites provided data on 189 patients given a diagnosis of XHIGM between 1964 and 2013; 176 had valid follow-up and vital status information. Sixty-seven (38%) patients received HCT. The average follow-up time was 8.5 ± 7.2 years (range, 0.1-36.2 years). No difference in overall survival was observed between patients treated with or without HCT (P = .671). However, risk associated with HCT decreased for diagnosis years 1987-1995; the hazard ratio was significantly less than 1 for diagnosis years 1995-1999. Liver disease was a significant predictor of overall survival (hazard ratio, 4.9; 95% confidence limits, 2.2-10.8; P < .001). Among survivors, those treated with HCT had higher median Karnofsky/Lansky scores than those treated without HCT (P < .001). Among patients receiving HCT, 27 (40%) had graft-versus-host disease, and most deaths occurred within 1 year of transplantation.

Conclusion

No difference in survival was observed between patients treated with or without HCT across all diagnosis years (1964-2013). However, survivors treated with HCT experienced somewhat greater well-being, and hazards associated with HCT decreased, reaching levels of significantly less risk in the late 1990s. Among patients treated with HCT, treatment at an early age is associated with improved survival. Optimism remains guarded as additional evidence accumulates.