复杂性文摘 NO：2003.07
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Complexity Digest 2003.07 February-17-2003
Archive: http://www.comdig.org,
European Mirror: http://www.comdig.de
Asian Mirror: http://www.phil.pku.edu.cn/resguide/comdig/
(Chinese GB-Code)
"I think the next century will be the century of complexity." Stephen
Hawking, 2000
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1. Internet Peaks As America's Most Important Source Of
Information, ScienceDaily
2. The Mechanisms Of Social Interaction, Alphagalileo
& Phil.
Trans. B
3. Tax Moves by Enron Said to Mystify the I.R.S.,
NYTimes
4. The Political Economy Of Intergovernmental Grants,
Regional Sc.
& Urban Eco.
5. Chemiosmotic Coupling: The Cost Of Living, Nature
6. Dietary Dilemmas, Is The Pendulum Swinging Away From
Low Fat?,
Science News
7. Neurons To Rewire Damaged Nerves, ScienceDaily
8. A Measured Look at Neuronal Oxygen Consumption,
Science
8.1. Single-Neuron
Activity and Tissue Oxygenation in the
Cerebral Cortex, Science
9. Functional Properties Of Brain Areas Associated With
Motor
Execution And Imagery, J
Neurophysiol.
9.1. Neural Networks For
The Coordination Of The Hands In
Time, J Neurophysiol.
10. Complexity of Visual Stimuli and Non-linear EEG Dynamics
in
Humans, Cognitive Brain
Research
10.1. Surprises: Low
Probabilities or High Contrasts?,
Cognition
11. Conservation Biology: Parasites Lost, Nature
11.1. Introduced Species
And Their Missing Parasites, Nature
12. Ecology: Shady Deals With Lichens, Nature
13. Honeybee Foraging In Differentially Structured
Landscapes,
Alphagalileo & Proc. B
13.1. Dancing For A
Decision: A Matrix Model For Nest-Site
Choice By Honeybees, Proc. Biol. Sc.
14. Study Shows Richer Harvests Owe Much to Climate, Science
14.1. Climate and
Management Contributions to Agricultural
Yields, Science
14.2. Bt Cotton: Yields
Up In India; Pests Low In Arizona,
Science News
15. Biology to Make Mini Machines, BBC news
16. Carbon Nanotube Flow Sensors, Science
17. Low-Noise Current Amplifier Based on Mesoscopic Josephson
Junction, Science
18. Complexity Results For Standard Benchmark Domains In
Planning,
Artificial Intell.
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
19.1. Ridge: Terror Alert
Likely to Be Lowered, NYTimes
19.2. Senior U.S.
Officials Tell Lawmakers of Iraq-Qaeda Ties,
NYTimes
19.3. Harvard Team
Suggests Route To Better Bioterror Alerts,
Nature
19.4. Researchers Respond
To Threat, Look For Anthrax,
ScienceDaily
20. Links & Snippets
20.1. Other Publications
20.2. Webcast
Announcements
20.3. Conference
Announcements
20.3.1. Public Conference Calls
20.4. ComDig
Announcement: New ComDig Archive in Beta Test
20.5. Erratum to Erratum
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1. Internet Peaks As America's Most Important Source Of Information,
ScienceDaily
Excerpts: The more than 70 percent of Americans who use the Internet now
consider online technology to be their most important source of
information, ranking the Internet higher as an information source than all
other media including television and newspapers, according to findings in
Year Three of the UCLA Internet Report.
When Internet users were asked to rank the importance of major media, 61.1
percent said the Internet was very important or extremely important,
surpassing books (60.3 percent), newspapers (57.8 percent), television
(50.2 percent), radio (40 percent), and magazines (28.7 percent). Even the
newest users of online technology believe the Internet is a vital
information source.
Internet Peaks As America's Most Important Source Of Information,
ScienceDaily, 2003/02/10
Contributed by Atin Das
2. The Mechanisms Of Social Interaction, Alphagalileo & Phil. Trans. B
Abstract: Humans, like other primates, are intensely social creatures. One
of the major functions of our brains must be to enable us to be as skilful
in social interactions as we are in our interactions with the physical
world (eg recognising objects and grasping them). Furthermore, any
differences between human brains and those of our nearest relatives, the
great apes, are likely to be linked to our unique achievements in social
interaction and communication rather than our motor or perceptual skills.
In particular, humans have the ability to mentalise (or mind read), that is
to perceive and communicate mental states, such as beliefs and desires.
Decoding, Imitating And Influencing The Actions Of Others: The Mechanisms
Of Social Interaction, T. Watson, Alphagalileo & Phil. Trans. B, 2003/02/06
Contributed by Pritha Das
3. Tax Moves by Enron Said to Mystify the I.R.S., NYTimes
Excerpts: Enron and other big companies have escaped taxes in recent years
through financial maneuvers so complex that the Internal Revenue Service
has been unable to understand them, the Senate Finance Committee will be
told this morning by Congressional tax experts who spent nearly a year
going over Enron's tax returns.
(¡K) the experts will explain that companies can avoid taxes by exploiting
differences in the rules governing the two sets of books that all companies
must keep, one for shareholders and the other for the I.R.S., (¡K).
Tax Moves by Enron Said to Mystify the I.R.S., David Cay Johnston, NYTimes,
03/02/13
4. The Political Economy Of Intergovernmental Grants, Regional Sc. & Urban
Eco.
Abstract: We study the effect of politics on the distribution of
intergovernmental grants. We consider a model where local government
officials lobby the central government who in turn distributes grants based
on the local governments' lobbying efforts. We argue that the marginal
costs of lobbying increase with the geographical and `political' distance
from the central government capital. Hence, in equilibrium, grants should
decrease with a jurisdiction's distance from the capital. Moreover, grants
to a jurisdiction which produces spillover benefits for other jurisdictions
will meet less opposition. Therefore, higher spillover benefits will imply
more grants to the jurisdiction producing the spillover in equilibrium.
The Political Economy Of Intergovernmental Grants, R. Borck, S. Owings,
Regional Sc. & Urban Eco., Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp: 139-156, Mar. 2003, DOI:
10.1016/S0166-0462(02)00005-4
Contributed by Pritha Das
5. Chemiosmotic Coupling: The Cost Of Living, Nature
Excerpt: The fact that mitochondria are central to the efficient provision
of energy for eukaryotic cells is undisputed. It is generally accepted that
the early and energetically inefficient eukaryotic cell was invaded more
than a billion years ago by a bacterium containing a much more efficient
system for utilizing available energy sources - the oxygen-consuming
respiratory chain. The majority of the bacterial genetic information was
subsequently transferred to the nucleus, transforming the bacterial
symbionts into slave mitochondrial organelles.
We rely on these mitochondria to synthesize ATP.
Chemiosmotic Coupling: The Cost Of Living, Peter Rich, Nature 421, 583
(2003); doi:10.1038/421583a
6. Dietary Dilemmas, Is The Pendulum Swinging Away From Low Fat?, Science News
Excerpt: "New low-fat foods are not necessarily bulky. Nor are they low in
calories because they often have added sugars." That means that it's become
easier for people to eat low-fat meals and still add pounds.
Nevertheless, low-fat eating may have health benefits beyond any weight
loss. Many epidemiological studies have shown that people who report eating
diets low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables are less likely to
develop heart disease and diabetes than people eating higher-fat diets are.
Dietary Dilemmas, Is The Pendulum Swinging Away From Low Fat?, Damaris
Christensen, Science News, Vol. 163, No. 6, 03/02/08, p. 88. , Also
available in Audible
7. Neurons To Rewire Damaged Nerves, ScienceDaily
Excerpts: Using microscale channels cut in an ultrathin biodegradable
polymer, a researcher (¡K) is working to regrow nerve cells. The
technique,
which may one day allow the paralyzed to walk and the blind to see, has
been proven to work for peripheral nerve regeneration in laboratory rats.
Nerve cells are unlike most other biological tissue. When a nerve is
severed, the part of the neuron "downstream" of the injury typically
dies
off. Grafting (¡K) isn't the best option because of loss of nerve function
where the donor tissue is removed and the difficulty in getting the nerve
cells to line up and reconnect.
Polymers Promote Nerve Regeneration: Ames Laboratory Researcher¡¦s
Microscale Channels Steer Neurons To Rewire Damaged Nerves, ScienceDaily,
2003/02/13
Contributed by Atin Das
8. A Measured Look at Neuronal Oxygen Consumption, Science
Excerpts: After neural activation (particularly in the cerebral cortex), an
increase in blood flow produces an influx of oxygenated hemoglobin. This
influx reduces the local concentration of deoxygenated hemoglobin
(deoxyhemoglobin). This reduction can be measured by a sophisticated
imaging technique called BOLD fMRI (blood oxygen level-dependent functional
magnetic resonance imaging). (¡K) However, a paradox of the BOLD response
is that the amount of oxygen supplied to activated neural tissue by the
increase in blood flow seems far greater than would be required simply to
meet the metabolic needs of the tissue.
A Measured Look at Neuronal Oxygen Consumption, John E. W. Mayhew, Science
2003 299: 1023-1024
Excerpts: Blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance
imaging uses alterations in brain hemodynamics to infer changes in neural
activity. Are these hemodynamic changes regulated at a spatial scale
capable of resolving functional columns within the cerebral cortex? To
address this question, we made simultaneous measurements of tissue
oxygenation and single-cell neural activity within the visual cortex.
Results showed that increases in neuronal spike rate were accompanied by
immediate decreases in tissue oxygenation. (¡K) suggest that
high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging may be used to
localize neural activity at a columnar level.
Single-Neuron Activity and Tissue Oxygenation in the Cerebral Cortex,
Jeffrey K. Thompson, Matthew R. Peterson, and Ralph D. Freeman, Science
2003 299: 1070-1072
9. Functional Properties Of Brain Areas Associated With Motor Execution And
Imagery, J Neurophysiol.
Abstract: Imagining motor acts is a cognitive task that engages parts of
the executive motor system. While motor imagery has been intensively
studied using neuroimaging techniques, most studies lack behavioral
observations. Here, we used functional MRI to compare the functional
neuroanatomy of motor execution and imagery using a task that objectively
assesses imagery performance. (¡K)10 healthy subjects performed
sequential
finger-tapping movements according to visually presented number stimuli in
either a movement or an imagery mode of performance. A time-course analysis
of activity suggested a functional gradient, which was characterized by a
more "executive" or more "imaginative" property in many
areas related to
movement and/or imagery.
Functional Properties Of Brain Areas Associated With Motor Execution And
Imagery, T. Hanakawa, I. Immisch, K. Toma, M. A. Dimyan, P. Van Gelderen &
M. Hallett, J Neurophysiol., 89: 989-1002,2003/02/01,
DOI:10.1152/jn.00132.2002
Contributed by Atin Das
Abstract: Without practice, bimanual movements can typically be performed
either in phase or in antiphase. Complex temporal coordination, e.g.,
during movements at different frequencies with a noninteger ratio
(polyrhythms), requires training. Here, we investigate the organization of
the neural control systems for in-phase, antiphase, and polyrhythmic
coordination using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Brisk
rhythmic tapping with the index fingers was used as a model behavior. We
demonstrate different patterns of brain activity during in-phase and
antiphase coordination. Antiphase and polyrhythmic coordination may thus to
a large extent use common neural control circuitry.
Neural Networks For The Coordination Of The Hands In Time, F. Ullen, H.
Forssberg & H. H. Ehrsson, J Neurophysiol 89:1126-1135, 2003/02/01, DOI:
10.1152/jn.00775.2002
Contributed by Atin Das
10. Complexity of Visual Stimuli and Non-linear EEG Dynamics in Humans,
Cognitive Brain Research
Abstract: The effects of stimulus complexity on the nonlinear electrical
brain (EEG) dynamics were investigated in a sample of 24 healthy
volunteers. Stimuli used were either a single mechanical low-friction
pendulum with a periodic movement (temporal frequency about 1 Hz) or a
double-pendulum with a chaotic movement, which were observed for 2¡V3 min
in each case. The prediction that a more complex visual stimulus
(double-pendulum) increases the dimensional complexity of brain activity as
compared to a simple visual stimulus (single-pendulum), was confirmed by
determination of pointwise correlation dimension. Further, there was a
significant decrease of alpha power in the double-pendulum compared to a
single-pendulum condition. Moreover, a correlation analysis showed a
positive correlation between EEG complexity and beta power over the whole
cortex in the single- and, above all, in the double-pendulum condition, and
also a positive correlation between dimensional complexity and alpha power
in the double-pendulum condition only, particularly in the brain regions
responsible for the `bottom-up' sustained attention processes.
Complexity of Visual Stimuli and Non-linear EEG Dynamics in Humans, Viktor
Muller, Werner Lutzenberger, Hubert Preissl, Friedemann Pulvermuller, Niels
Birbaumer, 2003-03, DOI: 10.1016/S0926-6410(02)00225-2, Cognitive Brain
Research 16 (1):104-110
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
Abstract: Outcome expectations can be expressed prospectively in terms of
probability estimates, and retrospectively in terms of surprise. Surprise
ratings and probability estimates differ, however, in some important ways.
Surprises are generally created by low-probability outcomes, yet, as shown
by several experiments, not all low-probability outcomes are equally
surprising. To account for surprise, we propose a contrast hypothesis
according to which the level of surprise associated with an outcome is
mainly determined by the extent to which it contrasts with the default,
expected alternative. Three ways by which contrasts can be established are
explored: contrasts due to relative probabilities, where the obtained
outcome is less likely than a default alternative; contrasts formed by
novelty and change, where a contrast exists between the obtained outcome
and the individual's previous experience; and contrasts due to the
perceptual or conceptual distance between the expected and the obtained. In
all these cases, greater contrast was accompanied by higher ratings of
surprise.
Surprises: Low Probabilities or High Contrasts?, Karl Halvor Teigen, Gideon
Keren, 2003-03, DOI: 10.1016/s0010-0277(02)00201-9, Cognition 87(2):55-71
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
11. Conservation Biology: Parasites Lost, Nature
Excerpts: Invasive species can be a real bother. (¡K) They tend to reduce
biodiversity, and can have adverse effects on human well-being. (¡K)
They report the results of surveying parasite loads of invasive plants and
animals in their naturalized and native ranges. They find that parasitism
is significantly reduced in organisms in the introduced range, so
supporting the 'enemy release hypothesis' - the idea that species are more
likely to become invasive when they are released from control by their
natural enemies.
Conservation Biology: Parasites Lost, Keith Clay, Nature 421, 585 - 586
(2003); doi:10.1038/421585a
Excerpt: To test whether introduced species are less parasitized, we have
compared the parasites of exotic species in their native and introduced
ranges, using 26 host species of molluscs, crustaceans, fishes, birds,
mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Here we report that the number of
parasite species found in native populations is twice that found in exotic
populations. In addition, introduced populations are less heavily
parasitized (in terms of percentage infected) than are native populations.
Reduced parasitization of introduced species has several causes, including
reduced probability of the introduction of parasites (¡K).
Introduced Species And Their Missing Parasites, Mark E. Torchin, Kevin D.
Lafferty, Andrew P. Dobson, Valerie J. Mckenzie, Armand M. Kuris, Nature
421, 628 - 630 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature01346
12. Ecology: Shady Deals With Lichens, Nature
Excerpts: In tropical forests, many species of lichen gain a place in the
sun by living on the leaves of other plants. It seems they can do so
without compromising the photosynthetic capacity of their host.
Life can be challenging for a small plant in a tropical rainforest. Most
plants of lesser stature solve the problem of light acquisition by being
epiphytic - they use taller plants as support systems to gain a place in
the sun. (¡K) Most epiphytes present no direct threat to the host species,
(¡K).
Ecology: Shady Deals With Lichens, Peter D. Moore, Nature 421, 591 - 593
(2003); doi:10.1038/421591a
13. Honeybee Foraging In Differentially Structured Landscapes, Alphagalileo
& Proc. B
Abstract: We analysed nectar and pollen foraging of honeybee colonies in
relation to landscape structure using the spatial information provided by
bee dances. Foraging honeybees visited food patches at a mean distance of
about 1500m and maximum distances up to 10km. Foraging distances of
pollen-collecting bees were significantly larger in simple landscapes,
dominated by agricultural crops as compared to complex landscapes with a
higher proportion of semi-natural perennial habitats. The results help to
understand how human landscape modification may change the evolutionary
significance of bee dances and ecological interactions such as pollination
and competition between honeybees and other bee species.
Honeybee Foraging In Differentially Structured Landscapes, I. S. Dewenter,
A Kuhn, Alphagalileo & Proc. B, 2003/02/13
Contributed by Atin Das
Abstract: A mathematical model is formulated for decision making by
honeybees during nest-site choice, using a population matrix model. This
model explains how the observed dynamics of the nest-site scouts' dancing
can reliably lead to a choice of the best nest site available.
Dancing For A Decision: A Matrix Model For Nest-Site Choice By Honeybees,
M. R. Myerscough, Proc. Biol. Sc., 2003/02/03, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2002.2293
Contributed by Atin Das
14. Study Shows Richer Harvests Owe Much to Climate, Science
Excerpts: Since the 1940s, harvests across the United States have become
ever more bountiful as farmers have planted better varieties of crops,
generously fertilized them, and gained the upper hand against pests and
weeds. (¡K) A new study shows that a surprisingly high percentage of the
improvement in yield was due not to farm management but to climate change.
The finding suggests that food production in the United States may be more
vulnerable to shifts in climate than was previously suspected, a fact that
could affect global food security.
Study Shows Richer Harvests Owe Much to Climate, Erik Stokstad, Science
2003 299: 997
Excerpt: (...) changes in climate and diminishing returns from
technological advances may limit the ability of many regions to achieve the
necessary gains. Many researchers have predicted the effect of future
climate changes on crop production using a combination of field studies and
models, but there has been little evidence relating decadal-scale climate
change to large-scale crop production. Here, we show that recent trends in
temperature have increased the productivity of the two major U.S. crops and
that accounting for climate significantly reduces the perceived gains due
to management and other factors.
Climate and Management Contributions to Recent Trends in U.S. Agricultural
Yields, David B. Lobell, Gregory P. Asner , Science 2003 299: 1032.
Excerpts: The crop, Bt cotton, has borrowed a toxin gene from the bacterium
Bacillus thuringiensis to make its own pesticide. (¡K), Bt cotton has
raised yields some 80 percent on small farm plots in India compared with
neighboring plots growing conventional cotton. (¡K)
(¡K), clusters of Arizona cotton fields with Bt plants on more than 60
percent of the acreage have managed to suppress the local populations of
the dreaded pink bollworm, (¡K). The analysis represents the first time
that observers have documented such a drop, (¡K).
Bt Cotton: Yields Up In India; Pests Low In Arizona, Susan Milius, Science
News, Vol. 163, No. 6, 03/02/08, p. 85. , Also available in Audible
15. Biology to Make Mini Machines, BBC news
Excerpts: Computers of the future will be built not by factory machines,
but by living cells such as bacteria. That at least is the vision which has
been outlined by scientists speaking at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science annual meeting in Denver. (...) Plants and animals
produce an extraordinary variety of chemical substances, all designed to
help them in their lives. But some of these substances - proteins or other
kinds of molecule - might also be useful in the electronics industry, as it
seeks ways of making silicon chips smaller and faster.
Biology to Make Mini Machines, Richard Black, 2003-02-14, BBC news
Contributed by Nadia Gershenson
16. Carbon Nanotube Flow Sensors, Science
Excerpts: We report that the flow of a liquid on single-walled carbon
nanotube bundles induces a voltage in the sample along the direction of the
flow. The voltage that was produced fit a logarithmic velocity dependence
over nearly six decades of velocity. The magnitude of the voltage depended
sensitively on the ionic conductivity and on the polar nature of the
liquid. Our measurements suggest that the dominant mechanism responsible
for this highly nonlinear response involves a direct forcing of the free
charge carriers in the nanotubes by the fluctuating Coulombic field of the
liquid flowing past the nanotubes. We propose an explanation based on
pulsating asymmetric ratchets. Our work highlights the device potential for
nanotubes as sensitive flow sensors and for energy conversion.
Carbon Nanotube Flow Sensors, Shankar Ghosh, A. K. Sood, N. Kumar, Science,
Vol. 299, Issue 5609, 1042-1044, 03/02/14
17. Low-Noise Current Amplifier Based on Mesoscopic Josephson Junction, Science
Excerpts: We used the band structure of a mesoscopic Josephson junction to
construct low-noise amplifiers. By taking advantage of the quantum dynamics
of a Josephson junction, i.e., the interplay of interlevel transitions and
the Coulomb blockade of Cooper pairs, we created transistor-like devices,
Bloch oscillating transistors, with considerable current gain and
high-input impedance. In these transistors, the correlated supercurrent of
Cooper pairs is controlled by a small base current made up of single
electrons. Our devices reached current and power gains on the order of 30
and 5, respectively. The noise temperature was estimated to be around 1
kelvin, but noise temperatures of less than 0.1 kelvin can be realistically
achieved. These devices provide quantum-electronic building blocks that
will be useful at low temperatures in low-noise circuit applications with
an intermediate impedance level.
Low-Noise Current Amplifier Based on Mesoscopic Josephson Junction, J.
Delahaye, J. Hassel, R. Lindell, M. Sillanpaa, M. Paalanen, H. Seppa, P.
Hakonen, Science, Vol. 299, Issue 5609, 1045-1048, 03/02/14
18. Complexity Results For Standard Benchmark Domains In Planning,
Artificial Intell.
Abstract: The efficiency of AI planning systems is usually evaluated
empirically. In this contribution, we try to remedy this fact by providing
a map of the computational complexity of non-optimal and optimal planning
for the set of domains used in the competitions. We identify a common
transportation theme shared by the majority of the benchmarks and use this
observation to define and analyze a general transportation problem (¡K)
.
We then apply the results of that analysis to the actual transportation
domains from the competitions. We next examine the remaining benchmarks,
which do not exhibit a strong transportation feature (¡K).
Complexity Results For Standard Benchmark Domains In Planning, M. Helmert,
Artificial Intell., Vol. 143, Issue 2, pp:219-262, Feb. 2003, DOI:
10.1016/S0004-3702(02)00364-8
Contributed by Pritha Das
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
Excerpts: ``We know that they've got a rather substantial network. But this
is a country that operates under the rule of law. There are restrictions to
what we can do and when can do it,'' he said. (¡K)
Ridge defended the Bush administration's decision last week to increase the
level to the second from the top on a color-coded scale of five, even
though the government later determined that some of the information which
led to the upgrading was likely fabricated.
Editor's Note: It would be interesting to estimate the economical and other
damage that is done e.g. by a false "orange alert". Besides the direct
costs of alert responses, false alerts also have the tendency to weaken the
response itself. For instance on 03/01/30 we witnessed an alert at Detroit
Intl. airport with an announcement that passengers need to leave the
building. As far as we could observe, that announcement was ignored by
literally all passengers and without any consequences.
Ridge: Terror Alert Likely to Be Lowered, NYTimes, The Associated Press,
03/02/17
Excerpt: The administration's attempt to tie Iraq to Al Qaeda also included
the most explicit public statement yet by Mr. Tenet, who told the Senate
intelligence committee that intelligence officials had unearthed powerful
evidence showing a connection.
Mr. Tenet's testimony was especially noteworthy because some Pentagon and
White House officials had privately complained that the C.I.A. was too
reluctant to conclude there was an Iraq-Qaeda link.
Senior U.S. Officials Tell Lawmakers of Iraq-Qaeda Ties, David Johnston,
NYTimes, 03/02/12
Excerpts: A simple improvement in the way health data are monitored for
signs of a bioterror attack could speed up the process and cut the number
of false alarms, says a team of specialists at Harvard Medical School. (¡K)
Public-health officials fear that biological attacks may not be recognized
until it is too late to prevent casualties. Smallpox and anthrax, for
example, start with 'flu-like symptoms, and the first victims are likely
just to be sent home to rest.
Harvard Team Suggests Route To Better Bioterror Alerts, Jonathan Knight,
Nature 421, 564 (2003); doi:10.1038/421564b
Excerpts: (¡K) a system that will sample mail for airborne contaminants,
such as anthrax spores, and ultimately provide a reliable means of
detecting biological and chemical agents sent through the mail. As mail
goes through a sorter, it moves through rollers that apply pressure to each
piece. Any air or toxic substances that are in the envelope can escape and
be spread on anything (¡K) has developed a vacuum system that is placed in
the part of a machine where substances could first be released from mail.
The equipment is designed to draw samples of air and pass them to a
detector (¡K).
Researchers Respond To Threat, Look For Anthrax, ScienceDaily, 2003/02/12
Contributed by Atin Das
20. Links & Snippets
20.1 Other Publications
Opinion: Back to the United Nations, NYTimes, 03/02/13, An operation so
complex, fateful and potentially bloody as an invasion of Iraq requires the
broadest international approval.
National: Scientists Seek Clues in Solar Storm That Enveloped Shuttle,
James Glanz, NYTimes, 03/02/13, A storm of particles and radiation, similar
to previous disturbances that have sent satellites out of control, crossed
the path of the Columbia during its descent.
Essence of g, Science News, Vol. 163, No. 6, 03/02/08, p. 92. , Also
available in Audible, New efforts to probe the biology of intelligence stir
up a long-running controversy over what mental tests actually measure.
Dust Devils Produce Magnetic Fields, Science News, Vol. 163, No. 6,
03/02/08, Also available in Audible, Scientists who chase dust devils
report that the tiny twisters can produce a small magnetic field that
changes magnitude between 3 and 30 times per second.
Sleepy Brains Make Memorable Waves, Science News, Vol. 163, No. 6,
03/02/08, Also available in Audible, Precisely timed electrical discharges
in two parts of the brains of sleeping rodents offer clues to how slumber
may foster memories of recently learned material.
Microscopic Glass Ribbons Provide Molecular Labels, Science News, Vol. 163,
No. 6, 03/02/08, Also available in Audible, A new type of barcode too small
to see with the naked eye holds promise for biomedical research, law
enforcement, and everyday life.
Cell Phones Distract Drivers, Hands Down, Science News, Vol. 163, No. 6,
03/02/08, Also available in Audible, Laboratory experiments indicate that
using a hands-free cell phone while driving markedly interferes with the
ability to maneuver a vehicle safely.
Microwave Chemistry: Out Of The Kitchen, David Adam, Nature 421, 571 - 572
(2003);doi:10.1038/421571a, Designer microwave ovens that can heat
reactants in record time are heralding a quiet revolution in chemical
synthesis.
Attophysics: Ultrafast Control, Philip H. Bucksbaum, Nature 421, 593 - 594
(2003); doi:10.1038/421593a, The successes of two pioneering groups are now
brought together to create trains of identical ultrashort laser pulses that
can control what's happening inside an atom.
Telomere Dysfunction And Atm Deficiency Compromises Organ Homeostasis And
Accelerates Ageing , Kwok-Kin Wong, Richard S. Maser, Robert M. Bachoo,
Jayant Menon, Daniel R. Carrasco, Yansong Gu, Frederick W. Alt, Ronald A.
Depinho, Nature 421, 643 - 648 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature01385, We examined
the impact of Atm deficiency as a function of progressive telomere
attrition at both the cellular and whole-organism level in mice
Is the World in the Brain, or the Brain in the World?. Max Velmans.
CogPrints [Behavioural and Brain Sciences, in press]. 2003-02-03
Noise-induced Failures of Chaos Stabilization: Large Fluctuations and Their
Control. I.A. Khovanov, N.A. Khovanova, P.V.E. McClintock. arXiv. 2003-02-12
DNA Bar Codes For GM Food, C. Bowles, Alphagalileo, 2003/02/13
A High-Dimensional Chaotic Discrete-Time Neuron Model And Bursting
Phenomena, H. Tanaka, T. Ushio & S. Kawanami, Physics Letters A, Vol. 308,
Issue 1, pp:41-46, 2003/02/17, DOI: 10.1016/S0375-9601(02)01733-4
A Model Of Song Selectivity And Sequence Generation In Area HVc Of The
Songbird, P. J. Drew & L. F. Abbott, J Neurophysiol.,
DOI:10.1152/jn.00801.2002, 2003/01/22
First Genetic Response In Animal Species To Global Warming, ScienceDaily,
2003/02/12
University Of Missouri Physicist Creating Vascular Tissue; Could Lead To
'Natural' Human Organs, ScienceDaily, 2003/02/07
Afghanistan¡¦s Wetlands And Birdlife Bear Brunt Of War And Drought,
N.
Nuttall, UNEP, Alphagalileo, 2003/02/06
A Fast Evaluation Strategy For Evolutionary Algorithms, M. Salami & T.
Hendtlass, Applied Soft Computing, Vol. 2, Issue 3, pp:156-173, Jan. 2003,
DOI: 10.1016/S1568-4946(02)00067-4
Geographical Segmentation In Japanese Bank Loan Markets, M. Kanoa & Y.
Tsutsui, Regional Sc. & Urban Eco., Vol. 33, Issue 2, Mar. 2003,
pp:157-174, DOI: 10.1016/S0166-0462(02)00009-1
Is Height Related To Longevity?, T. T. Samaras, H. Elrick & L. H.
Storms,
Life Sciences, Vol. 72, Issue 16, pp: 1781-1802, 2003/032/07, DOI:
10.1016/S0024-3205(02)02503-1
High-Speed Cell Sorting: Fundamentals And Recent Advances, S. F. Ibrahim &
G. van den Engh, Current Opin. in Biotech. Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp:5-12 Feb.
2003, DOI: 10.1016/S0958-1669(02)00009-5
Primary Colours Combine to Curb Cancer, 2003-02-14, health-news.co.uk
20.2 Coming and Ongoing Webcasts
INSC 2003, International Nonlinear Sciences Conference, Conference Webcast
World Economic Forum Meeting "Building Trust", Davos, Switzerland,
03/01/23-28
2002 Financial Management Conference, 02/10/16-19
The Center for Business Innovation Bi-Monthly Web Cast, 03/01/15, TOPIC:
CBI Future Scan Version 6.0, WHO: David McIntosh, Director of the CBI Network
Artificial Life Conference (A-Life 8), Sydney, Australia, 02/12/09-13
Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998
20.3 Conference Announcements
2003 AAAS Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 03/02/13-18
Globalisation, Terrorism and Complexity, Liverpool, UK, 03/02/19
Complexity Science In Practice: Understanding & Acting To Improve Health
and Health Care, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota USA, 03/03/21-22
Fourth International Conference on Intelligent Data Engineering and
Automated Learning (IDEAL'03), Hong Kong, 03/03/21-23
2003 AAAI Spring Symposium Series, Computational Synthesis: From Basic
Building Blocks To High Level Functionality, Stanford, 03/03/24-27
Jahrestagung 2003 des AKSOE (Physics of Socio-Economical Systems), Dresden,
Germany, 03/03/24-28
Design and Product Complexity Meeting, Open Univ, Milton Keynes, UK, 03/04/07
Explorations of Complexity - A Science of Qualities: A Conversation with
Brian Goodwin, Open Univ, Milton Keynes, UK, 03/04/07
Uncertainty and Surprise: Questions on Working with the Unexpected, U. of
Texas at Austin, Texas, 03/04/10-12
7th Annual Swarm Researchers and Users Meeting (SwarmFest2003), Notre Dame,
IN, 03/04/13-14
Agent-Based Simulation 4, Montpellier, France, 03/04/28-30
NAS Sackler Colloquium on Mapping Knowledge Domains, The Beckman Center,
Irvine, CA, 03/05/09-11
SPIE's 1st Intl Symp on Fluctuations and Noise, Santa Fe, NM, 03/06/01-04
21st ICDE World Conf on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong,
03/06/01-05
17th Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Simulation (PADS 2003), San
Diego, California, 03/06/10-13
2003 Summer Computer Simulation Conference (SCSC '03), Montreal, Canada,
03/06/20-24
5th Intl Conf "Symmetry in Nonlinear Mathematical Physics", Kiev,
Ukraine,
03/06/23-29, Mirror
9th International Conference on Auditory Display, Boston, MA, 03/07/07-09,
Wkshp on Assistive Technologies for the Blind, 03/07/06
2003 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-2003), Chicago,
IL,03/07/12-16
2nd Intl Joint Conf on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
(AAMAS-2003), Melbourne, Australia, 03/07/14-18
7th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (SCI
2003), Orlando, Florida, 03/07/27-30
13th Annual International Conference, Soc f Chaos Theory in Psych & Life
Sciences,Boston, MA, USA, 03/08/08-10
1st German Conference on Multiagent System Technologies (MATES'03), Erfurt,
Germany, 03/09/22-25
7th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL-2003), Dortmund, Germany,
03/09/14-17
2003 IEEE/WIC Intl Joint Conf. Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent
Technology, Beijing, China, 03/10/13-17
ICDM '03: The Third IEEE International Conference on Data Mining,
Melbourne, Florida, USA, 03/11/19-22
3rd International Workshop on Meta-Synthesis and Complex System, Guangzhou,
China, 03/11/29-30
2nd International Workshop on the Mathematics and Algorithms of Social
Insects, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 03/12/15-17
20.3.1 Public Conference Calls
Complexity And Medical Practice, Pat Rush & Bob Lindberg, PlexusCalls,
03/01/10, Audio File Available Now, mp3
John Holland in Conversation, PlexusCalls, - Audio File Available Now, mp3
Are Disease and Aging Information/Complexity Loss Syndromes?, PlexusCalls,
02/11/08, 1 - 2 pm EST (To learn more about Ary Goldberger¡¦s work
and
HeartSongs, Music of the Heart.) Audio File Available Now, mp3
Brenda Zimmerman in Conversation, PlexusCalls, Audio File Available Now, mp3
The Complexity of Entrepreneurship: A Launchcyte Story, Tom Petzinger,
PlexusCalls, 02/11/22, Audio File Available Now, mp3
A Practical and Appreciative Approach to Complex and Chronic Challenges,
Keith McCandless, PlexusCalls, Jan 2003, Audio File Available Now, mp3
20.4 ComDig Announcement: New ComDig Archive in Beta Test
We are in the process of upgrading the Complexity Digest archives to a
format with improved search capabilities. Also, we will finally be able to
adequately publish the valuable feedback and comments from our knowledgable
readers. You are cordially invited to become a beta tester of our new
ComDig2 archive.
20.5 Erratum to Erratum
Brian Josephson has written to point out that the link to his paper,
included in Complexity Digest 2002.49.12 of December-09-2002, was also
incorrect. The correct URL is
http://cogprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/archive/00001456/.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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