复杂性文摘 NO：2003.14
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Complexity Digest 2003.14 April-06-2003
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. Industry as an Organisation of Agents: Innovation
and R&D
Management, JASSS
2. The Structure and Function of Complex Networks,
arXiv
2.1. Simulating Social
Networks: A Review of Three Books, JASSS
2.2. Subnetwork
Hierarchies Of Biochemical Pathways,
Bioinformatics
3. Nonlinear Dynamics: Synchronization From Chaos,
Nature
4. Cooperation with Random Interactions and Without
Memory or
"Tags", JASSS
5. Co-evolving Complex Robot Behavior, Proc. ICES2003
6. New Lenses Create Distorted Images For Digital
Enhancement,
Science News
7. I Want My TIA, Total Information Awareness Will
Consign Google
To The Stone Age, Wired
7.1. How Antispam
Software Works, 5 Killer Ways To Eradicate
Junk Mail, Wired
7.2. The Fight to Control
Your Mind, Wired
7.3. 65 and Just Itching
for a Little Convergence, NYTimes
8. Computers That 'Pay Attention' To Users; Reduce
Interruptions
From E-mail, Cell Phones,
ScienceDaily
9. Quantum Computers: Dream Code, The Economist
9.1. Quantum Physics:
Wheels Within Wheels, Nature
10. The Behavioral Ecology Of A Cognitive Constraint: Limited
Attention, Behav. Ecology
10.1. Two Brain Systems
Tell Us To Breathe, ScienceDaily
11. Prostaglandins Are Important In Thermoregulation Of A
Reptile,
Alphagalileo & Biol.
Letters
12. A Bright Future for Biologists and Mathematicians?,
Science
13. Gene Therapy May Tackle Bowel Cancer, Health-News.co.uk
13.1. Protein "Turns
Breast Tumours Invasive",
Health-News.co.uk
14. Mystery Virus Slow To Yield Its Identity As Patient
Numbers
Rise, Nature
14.1. A Second Suspect in
the Global Mystery Outbreak, Science
15. Ecological And Immunological Determinants Of Influenza
Evolution, Nature
16. High-Tech Fingers on Earth's Erratic Pulse, Science
16.1. New Network Aims to
Explore Hidden Perils, Science
17. The Genes and Brains of Mice and Men, Am. J. Psychiatry
18. The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War With Iraq,
Independent
Media Center
18.1. Allies' Vital
Supply Line Now Stretches Into Orbit,
NYTimes
18.2. Victims Describe
'Friendly Fire' Terror, BBC News
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
19.1. Undercutting the
9/11 Inquiry, NYTimes
19.2. 'Molecular Switch';
Technique Could Lead To New Drug
Delivery Systems, Biological Warfare Sensors, ScienceDaily
20. Links & Snippets
20.1. Other Publications
20.2. Webcast
Announcements
20.3. Conference &
Call for Papers Announcements
20.3.1. Public Conference Calls
20.4. ComDig
Announcement: New ComDig Archive in Beta Test
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1. Industry as an Organisation of Agents: Innovation and R&D Management,
JASSS
Abstract: We present a model of the dynamics of the industry for innovation
and R&D [Research and Development] management. It is a novel view of the
evolution of industry, both in theoretical and computational terms.
Industries are seen as organisations of firms and consumers, and the
aggregated behaviour is the consequence of the decisions taken by the
individual firms. A multi-agent system [MAS] is designed and programmed to
model the industry. The agents are the individual firms and the consumers
are represented by the group demands for two products: a new and an old
one. The strategic decisions of the firms are the patterns of investment in
process and product innovation, and whether to stay or to leave the
industry. Agents information and incentives in terms of assets returns are
specified. Co-ordination is embedded into the model. We include in the
model the relevant ideas from evolutionary economics in the product life
cycle context. The model is used to explain and to reproduce the main
observed facts in life cycle dynamics, in terms of the rise and fall of
incumbent firms, concentration ratios, R&D expenditure and path-dependence
in the evolution of the industry. Thus showing the utility of MAS in
industrial evolutionary modeling and policy assessment.
Industry as an Organisation of Agents: Innovation and R&D Management,
Javier Pajares, Adolfo Lopez, Cesareo Hernandez, 2003-03-31, JASSS vol. 6,
no. 2
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
2. The Structure and Function of Complex Networks, arXiv
Abstract: Inspired by empirical studies of networked systems such as the
Internet, social networks, and biological networks, researchers have in
recent years developed a variety of techniques and models to help us
understand or predict the behavior of these systems. Here we review
developments in this field, including such concepts as the small-world
effect, degree distributions, clustering, network correlations, random
graph models, models of network growth and preferential attachment, and
dynamical processes taking place on networks.
The Structure and Function of Complex Networks, M. E. J. Newman,
2003-03-25, DOI: cond-mat/0303516, arXiv
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
Excerpts: Watts's book is very interesting as it demonstrates in several
empirical data sets (the neural network of C. Elegans, the power grid of
the Western States) the signature of a power law in the distribution for
the degrees of nodes. The book also proposes several algorithms to
reproduce the so-called "Small Worlds" graphs. (...) This systematic
retesting of pre-existing data on networks recalls what happened after
Zipf's work on the power law or Mandelbrot's development of fractals. In
addition, simple explanations of such a widespread property were lacking. I
think it was at this stage (...) that the physicist Albert-Lazlo Barabasi
started to work on networks. First of all, while verifying the
effectiveness of such a power law on several data sets - the World Wide
Web, metabolic networks, scientific collaboration networks, and food webs
in ecology - he then proposes models for what seems to be a universal law
of organisation based on the notion of preferential attachment. Many
subsequent works (...) have been based on the study of these complex
networks in different areas and applied or extended Barabasi's insights.
According to Barabasi and Buchanan, we are actually facing a paradigm shift
(Kuhn 1962) in all fields of science.
Simulating Social Networks: A Review of "Small Worlds" (Watts),
"Linked"
(Barabasi), and Nexus (Buchanan), Frederic Amblard, 2003-03-31, JASSS vol.
6, no. 2
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
See Also: ComDig 2003.13
Abstract: The vastness and complexity of the biochemical networks that have
been mapped out by modern genomics calls for decomposition into
subnetworks. We present a method to decompose biochemical networks into
subnetworks based on the global geometry of the network. This method
enables us to analyze the full hierarchical organization of biochemical
networks and is applied to 43 organisms from the WIT database. Two types of
biochemical networks are considered: metabolic networks and whole-cellular
networks (also including for example information processes). The general
picture (¡K) is that of a few core-clusters centred around the most highly
connected substances enclosed by other substances in outer shells(¡K).
An Implementation of Our Algorithm and Other Programs for Analyzing the
Data is Available.
Subnetwork Hierarchies Of Biochemical Pathways, Holme P., Huss M. & Jeong
H., Bioinformatics, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp:532-538(7), Mar. 2003
Contributed by Atin Das
3. Nonlinear Dynamics: Synchronization From Chaos, Nature
Excerpts: This is the problem that Wei, Zhan and Lai1 have tackled. They
have come up with a novel way of reducing the necessary coupling in an
array by using wavelet decomposition of the matrix of coupling
coefficients. (¡K) Wei et al. make a small change to the low-frequency
components in the wavelet-transformed matrix, before applying an inverse
transform to obtain a modified coupling matrix. This turns out to be an
efficient strategy for achieving synchronization at much lower coupling
strengths.
Nonlinear Dynamics: Synchronization From Chaos, Peter Ashwin, Nature 422,
384 - 385 (2003); doi:10.1038/422384a
4. Cooperation with Random Interactions and Without Memory or "Tags",
JASSS
Abstract: The self-organization into cooperative regimes of a system of
"selfish" agents playing the pairwise Prisoner's Dilemma game (PDG) is
analyzed using a simple agent-based model. At each time step t, the agents
divide into those who cooperate (C) and those who defect (D). The agents
have no memory and use strategies not based on direct reciprocity nor
'tags'. Only one dynamical variable is assigned to each agent, namely his
income at time t, d C(t), obtained by playing the PDG with a partner chosen
at random. A simple adapting strategy for the behavior of the agents (C or
D) is shown to give rise, for a wide variety of PD payoff matrices, to a
cooperative regime resistant to 'always D' strategy.
Cooperation with Random Interactions and Without Memory or "Tags", H.
Fort,
2003-03-31, JASSS vol. 6, no. 2
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
5. Co-evolving Complex Robot Behavior, Proc. ICES2003
Abstract: Reports on evolutionary robotics systems have so far been on
evolving controllers that make simple robots do simple tasks in simple
environments. In this paper we try to stress the evolutionary robotics
approach by evolving a controller for a more complex task, namely Khepera
robot soccer, and evaluate evolved controller performance against handcoded
controllers. We present a system that uses competitive co-evolution to
develop robot controllers for the task. The system is described (...).
Co-evolution is tested against single-population and it is concluded that
co-evolution has the ability to produce more robust individuals with
respect to opponent strategies.
Co-evolving Complex Robot Behavior, E. H. Ostergaard & H. H. Lund,
Proc.
ICES2003, Norway, 2003/03/17-20
Contributed by Atin Das
6. New Lenses Create Distorted Images For Digital Enhancement, Science
News
Excerpts: With a new generation of optics, engineers are recasting visual
scenes for computers' consumption. To the human eye, these pictures are
visual gibberish, hardly worth a single word, let alone a thousand. To
computers, such data can be worth more words than you'd care to count.
Central to it all are new styles of lenses. Instead of the familiar concave
and convex disks, optical engineers are making oddly shaped, radically
different lenses tailored to the strengths of computers. (¡K)
"There's no reason to go ahead and form an image," (¡K)
New Lenses Create Distorted Images For Digital Enhancement, Peter Weiss,
Science News, Vol. 163, No. 13, p. 200, 03/03/29
7. I Want My TIA, Total Information Awareness Will Consign Google To The
Stone Age, Wired
Excerpts: Tracking terrorists is just a pretext for getting the best
computer scientists at Darpa to create what we all really want: a
general-purpose IQ expansion pack capable of plowing through the built-in
barriers of central nervous system-based software. It will show us whole
new ways to look at what we're up against - whether it's bin Laden, a
demanding boss, (¡K).
For a paltry $200 million a year - the cost of a B-1 bomber - we finally
get a national technology initiative worth pursuing.
I Want My TIA, Total Information Awareness Will Consign Google To The Stone
Age, Howard Bloom, Wired, Issue 11.04, 03/04
See also: Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the
21st Century,Howard Bloom , John Wiley & Sons; 1st edition (September 2001)
Excerpt: If it seems like you're getting more spam than ever, take comfort
- the junk email tide may be about to turn. Until recently, antispam forces
thought there was no way to catch enough unwanted mail to make a
difference. As quickly as programmers added filters, spammers came up with
new ways to spell v!agra, $ex, and f*ck. But now a raft of smarter
filtering techniques - from rules-based analysis to artificial intelligence
- promises to better shield your inbox. Here's how the most effective
software works.
How Antispam Software Works, 5 Killer Ways To Eradicate Junk Mail, Seth
Kaplan, Wired, Issue 11.04, 03/04
Excerpt: Should the government have the right to alter the biochemistry of
your brain? Richard Glen Boire, codirector and legal counsel of the Center
for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, says no, and he's making his case before
the Supreme Court...
The Fight to Control Your Mind, Wired, April 2003
Excerpt: Nobuyuki Idei the chairman of Sony, is an undaunted preacher for
convergence in music, movies, games and communications in all forms.
(¡K) Sony's singular advantage over other media behemoths is that it makes
the TV's, personal computers, game consoles and mobile phones that deliver
the content Sony controls. But inside Sony, there remains the major
challenge of balancing the divergent aims of the content divisions, which
are fighting to protect their song and movie copyrights, and the gadget
makers (¡K), who are creating products that will allow consumers to swap
content.
65 and Just Itching for a Little Convergence, Ken Belson, NYTimes, 03/04/03
8. Computers That 'Pay Attention' To Users; Reduce Interruptions >From
E-mail, Cell Phones, ScienceDaily
Excerpts: With increasing numbers of digital devices vying for our
attention and time today, researchers (¡K) have developed a new concept
that allows computers to pay attention to their users' needs. Their
Attentive User Interface is a new paradigm for interacting with groups of
computers that moves beyond the traditional desktop interface. Current
computers are generally designed to act in isolation, without considering
what the user is doing (¡K) devices that determine the level of user
attention and the importance of each message relative to what the user is
doing. Then the computer decides whether to "take a turn" to deliver
the
message.
Queen's Researchers Invent Computers That 'Pay Attention' To Users; Reduce
Interruptions From E-mail, Cell Phones, Digital Appliances, ScienceDaily,
2003/04/02
Contributed by Atin Das
9. Quantum Computers: Dream Code, The Economist
Excerpts: Object-oriented programming works by combining both commands and
data into individual bundles known as objects. These objects can be used to
bridge the gap between the classical and quantum worlds. (¡K) any
successful language will have to be able to handle registers and operators
in ways that allow them to be integrated with old-fashioned classical
computations. Representing a unitary transformation as an object makes it
fairly simple to translate programming directives at the classical level
into physical control instructions at the quantum level. Dr Bettelli's
language should do this.
Quantum Computers: Dream Code, The Economist, 03/04/03
Excerpts: Quasi-particles, an ingenious dodge used to simplify calculations
on vast systems of interacting particles, seem to account for the
fractional quantum Hall effect. But do we now need a further generation of
quasi-particles? (¡K)
The recurring pattern of transforming fractional into integer quantum Hall
states also bears on the geometrical properties of the Hall curve itself.
As pointed out some time ago, the curve shows self-similarity, as it
unfolds like a fractal, ever more detail being added as sample quality improves
Editor's Note: The quantum Hall effect is seen as one route for knot based
quantum computation.
Quantum Physics: Wheels Within Wheels, Jurgen H. Smet, Nature 422, 391 -
392 (2003); doi:10.1038/422391a
See Knotty Calculations [ ComDig 2003.09 ]
10. The Behavioral Ecology Of A Cognitive Constraint: Limited Attention,
Behav. Ecology
Abstract: Limited attention may constrain animal behavior in situations in
which the rate of relevant information exceeds the threshold processing
capacity of the brain. In the present study, we examine why attention is
limited by quantifying how attention affects the ubiquitous problem of
balancing foraging and antipredator activity. We analyze how a given
attentional capacity affects feeding requirements, the optimal attentional
focus during predator scanning, and the probability of detecting predators.
Our model indicates that because of the complex interplay between the costs
and benefits associated with a given attentional capacity, limited
attention can be an optimal strategy (¡K).
The Behavioral Ecology Of A Cognitive Constraint: Limited Attention, Clark
C.W., Dukas R., Behav. Ecology, Vol. 14, no. 2, pp:151-156(6), Mar. 2003
Contributed by Atin Das
Excerpts: Until now, scientists believed that a single area in the brain
generated breathing rhythm, enabling breathing to speed up or slow down to
adapt to the body¡¦ activity and position. (¡K) discovered
that two systems
in the brain interact to generate breathing rhythm a finding that may
translate into better treatment for sleep apnea and sudden infant death
syndrome.
¡§But our research indicates that two cellular networks closely
collaborate
to control breathing. This brings us an important step closer to
understanding how breathing control is organized in the brain. Breathing is
a good model for understanding brain function in general.¡¨
Two Brain Systems Tell Us To Breathe, ScienceDaily, 2003/04/02
Contributed by Atin Das
11. Prostaglandins Are Important In Thermoregulation Of A Reptile,
Alphagalileo & Biol. Letters
Abstract: A lizard sitting in the sun to warm itself is a common sight all
around the world. What is less obvious, however, is that despite its look
of inactivity, the animal is very active on the inside; it is changing its
heart beat and blood flow to regulate how fast it is heating, or cooling
when in the shade. In this research, we have discovered that
prostaglandins, a widespread group of substances that are known to mediate
inflammatory responses and fever in humans for example, are also important
for lizards to modify their heart beat and thereby allow control of body
temperature. Our findings show that viewing lizards as "cold-blooded"
thermal opportunists is no longer appropriate. On the contrary, the lizards
in our study, and probably other reptiles too, use intricate physiological
systems to control their body temperature, albeit different ones from those
known in mammals.
Prostaglandins Are Important In Thermoregulation Of A Reptile (Pogona
Vitticeps), F. Seebacher, C. E. Franklin, Alphagalileo & Biol. Letters,
2003/03/31
Contributed by Atin Das
12. A Bright Future for Biologists and Mathematicians?, Science
Excerpts: In the cell, chemical energy in the form of ATP is converted into
mechanical work by molecular motors--molecules that govern movement in
living systems. The dynamics of these movements within the cell depend on
stochastic forces that lead to discrete conformations of the motors,
enabling them to operate like molecular ratchets. (...) Computational
approaches make it possible to attack problems that are much more complex
than the mere mechanics of single motors and to generate "virtual"
structures that can be compared to real data from time-lapse microscopy.
A Bright Future for Biologists and Mathematicians?, Alan Hastings and
Margaret A. Palmer, Science 2003 299: 2003-2004
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/299/5615/2003?etoc
13. Gene Therapy May Tackle Bowel Cancer, Health-News.co.uk
Excerpts: Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer, according to
Cancer Research UK.(...) In studies, Cancer Research UK scientists based at
the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester used genetic
engineering to help patient¡¦s white blood cells recognise and
destroy
tumours. Taking blood samples from 10 patients with advanced bowel cancer,
the scientists isolated a type of white blood cell that is responsible for
finding alien cells and attacking them. They then engineered the cells with
an artificial gene so they could recognise bowel cancer cells.
Gene Therapy May Tackle Bowel Cancer, Rebecca Oppenheim, 2003-04-02,
Health-News.co.uk
Contributed by Nadia Gershenson
Excerpts: Israeli researchers have shown that a specific protein prompts
breast cancer cells to invade other tissues and acquire the properties
characteristic of metastatic tumour cells.The protein, known as
lysyl-oxidase-related protein 1 (LOR-1), causes tumours to spread and
induces the deposition of large amounts of collagen fibres, which is
characteristic of deadly breast cancers. The team believes that their
discovery could lead to the development of drugs that block or inhibit
LOR-1 and prevent the spread of cancer.
Protein ¡§Turns Breast Tumours Invasive¡¨, 2003-04-03,
Health-News.co.uk
Contributed by Nadia Gershenson
14. Mystery Virus Slow To Yield Its Identity As Patient Numbers Rise, Nature
Excerpt: (¡K) researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, reported that the SARS pathogen might
be a new member of the coronavirus family, which includes viruses that
cause some common colds and respiratory infections. Particles found in the
tissues of some SARS patients had a similar structure and genetic sequence
to known coronaviruses.
This followed suggestions last week that the pathogen responsible might be
a previously unknown member of the Paramyxoviridae family, which includes
the agents that cause measles and mumps.
Mystery Virus Slow To Yield Its Identity As Patient Numbers Rise, Helen
Pearson, Nature 422, 364 (2003); doi:10.1038/422364b
Excerpts: As a new respiratory disease that originated in Southeast Asia
spread this week and raised alarms, especially in Hong Kong, the global
hunt for the mysterious pathogen behind the outbreak took an unexpected
turn. Just as evidence seemed to point to a paramyxovirus, researchers have
fingered a candidate from a very different virus family, the coronaviruses.
WHO officials kept all options open (¡K), including the two-agent scenario
and the possibility that something entirely different is to blame.
A Second Suspect in the Global Mystery Outbreak, Martin Enserink, Science
299: 1963
15. Ecological And Immunological Determinants Of Influenza Evolution, Nature
Excerpts: In pandemic and epidemic forms, influenza causes substantial,
sometimes catastrophic, morbidity and mortality. Intense selection from the
host immune system drives antigenic change in influenza A and B, resulting
in continuous replacement of circulating strains with new variants able to
re-infect hosts immune to earlier types. This 'antigenic drift' often
requires a new vaccine to be formulated before each annual epidemic. (...)
Here we explore ecological and immunological factors underlying these
patterns using a mathematical model capturing both realistic
epidemiological dynamics and viral evolution at the sequence level.
Ecological And Immunological Determinants Of Influenza Evolution, Neil M.
Ferguson, Alison P. Galvani, Robin M. Bush, Nature 422, 428 - 433 (2003);
doi:10.1038/nature01509
16. High-Tech Fingers on Earth's Erratic Pulse, Science
Excerpts: Volcanologists are throwing new sensors and instruments at a
problem of immense societal importance: predicting when a volcano near an
inhabited area may erupt. The results are encouraging but far from
consistent (¡K)
Using instruments ranging from satellite-borne radars to strainmeters
buried in boreholes, researchers can now track magma from the time it first
rises and pools in the upper crust, pushes on into the volcano, and then,
sometimes with deadly consequences, breaks through the surface. A major
concern, however, is that "most volcanoes are not well monitored
High-Tech Fingers on Earth's Erratic Pulse, Richard A. Kerr, Science 2003
299: 2016-2020
Excerpts: After 2 decades of intriguing but inconclusive findings, a
disparate group of scientists from 20 institutions and counting has banded
together to study the risks of living close enough to an active volcano to
breathe its fumes. The International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, (¡K),
will foster collaborations and equip researchers with data about chronic
health risks, information that can be disseminated to governments, volcano
observatories, and emergency managers. "Observatories are faced with
questions on health effects all the time, and it's important to have a
resource to turn to," (¡K).
New Network Aims to Explore Hidden Perils, John Pickrell, Science 2003 299:
2023
17. The Genes and Brains of Mice and Men, Am. J. Psychiatry
Excerpts: The elucidation of the human genome presents a challenge for
psychiatry-determining the impact of thousands of genes on brain functions
relevant to mental disorders. (¡K) Essential to the effective use of these
technologies is the implementation of sound strategies for discerning the
impact of genetic manipulations on mouse behaviors relevant to psychiatric
conditions. (¡K) However, advances in implementing and interpreting
behavioral assays have not kept pace with molecular genetic technologies.
To maximize the extent to which the revolution in mammalian genetics may be
effectively applied to psychiatric research, new technologies and
strategies for mouse behavioral assessment must be developed.
The Genes and Brains of Mice and Men, Laurence H. Tecott, Am. J. Psychiatry
2003 April 1; 160(4): p. 646-656
18. The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War With Iraq, Independent Media Center
Summary: Although completely suppressed by the U.S. media and government,
the answer to the Iraq enigma is simple yet shocking -- it is an oil
currency war. The real reason for this upcoming war is this
administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction
currency standard. However, in order to pre-empt OPEC, they need to gain
geo-strategic control of Iraq along with its 2nd largest proven oil
reserves. This essay will discuss the macroeconomics of the `petro-dollar'
and the unpublicized but real threat to U.S. economic hegemony from the
euro as an alternative oil transaction currency. The author advocates
reform of the global monetary system including a dollar/euro currency
`trading band' with reserve status parity, and a dual OPEC oil transaction
standard. These reforms could potentially reduce future oil currency warfare.
Contributing Editor's Note: My impression is that the rise of the Euro may
be a consequence of the war but that to think the US would mount a war for
such a good reason gives its government too much credit in understanding
implications of currency flows (note: there is no foreign currency expert
anywhere near the top echelons of govt).
Instead the reasons for the war are doctrine as published in
1992....America must dominate the rest of the world. The Cominterm of
Soviet days arises again on the other side of the outmoded Cold War. (See
attached article on National Defense Strategy Draft produced under the
chairmanship of Rumsfeld.)
The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War With Iraq: A Macroeconomic and
Geostrategic Analysis of the Unspoken Truth, W. Clark, Independent Media
Center, 03/01 (last revised 03/03/06)
See also: The Anniversary of a Neo-Imperial Moment, Jim Lobe, AlterNet,
02/09/12
Why the US Makes War in Iraq?, Dean LeBaron, Daily Video Commentary, 03/04/04
Contributed by Dean LeBaron
Excerpts: Such satellites, in addition to linking troops and commanders,
are performing new missions like relaying signals between ground
controllers and Predator pilotless drones, military experts said. In Iraq,
military commanders are using Predators to scout ahead.
(¡K) satellites of the military's Global Positioning System have nurtured
a
revolution in exact bombing. Each of the system's 24 satellites constantly
beams radio signals to the earth. Receivers on the ground then compare the
signals coming in from three or four different satellites to calculate
their position with great precision, usually within yards.
Allies' Vital Supply Line Now Stretches Into Orbit, William J. Broad,
NYTimes, 03/03/31
Excerpts: They said the US pilot apparently failed to recognize that their
tanks were a British make, with special coalition identification aids and
even a large Union flag on another machine in the five-vehicle convoy.
(...) "All this kit has been provided by the Americans. They've said if you
put this kit on you won't get shot. "We can identify a friendly vehicle
from 1,500 metres [4,921 ft]. "You've got an A-10 with advanced technology
and he can't use a thermal sight to identify whether a tank is a friend or foe.
Victims Describe 'Friendly Fire' Terror, Patrick Barkham, BBC News, 03/03/31
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
Excerpts: The committee's mandate includes scrutiny of intelligence
failures and eight other government areas.(...) As things now stand, $3
million budgeted as start-up funding could run out summer. An estimated $14
million is needed for the task of finding out precisely how the attackers
were able to pull off their plot in which nearly 3,000 people died. (...)
By comparison, the inquiry into the shuttle disaster's loss of seven lives
may cost an estimated $40 million, and the inquiry into the Whitewater
controversy ate up more than $30 million.
Undercutting the 9/11 Inquiry, NYTimes, 03/03/31
Excerpts: Using a lab technique called domain insertion, Johns Hopkins
researchers have joined two proteins in a way that creates a molecular
¡§switch.¡¨ The result, the researchers say, is a microscopic
protein
partnership in which one member controls the activity of the other.
Similarly coupled proteins may someday be used to produce specialized
molecules that deliver lethal drugs only to cancerous cells. They also
might be used to set off a warning signal when biological warfare agents
are present. (¡K) find two fusion proteins (¡K) in which the
presence of
maltose actually caused the beta-lactamase partner to step up its attack on
an antibiotic.
Protein Engineering Produces 'Molecular Switch'; Technique Could Lead To
New Drug Delivery Systems, Biological Warfare Sensors, ScienceDaily,
2003/03/31
Contributed by Atin Das
20. Links & Snippets
20.1 Other Publications
Will the Genomics Revolution Revolutionize Psychiatry?, Kathleen Ries
Merikangas, Neil Risch, Am. J. Psychiatry 2003 April 1; 160(4): p. 625-635
The Double Helix 50 Years Later: Implications for Psychiatry, James Watson,
Am. J. Psychiatry 2003 April 1; 160(4): p. 614
From a Hurricane's Eye, Skydiving Sensors Yield Answers, Anne Eisenberg,
NYTimes, 03/04/03, Researchers can now measure in detail the wind's speed
at different altitudes at times when there are high winds near the ocean's
surface.
Dinosaur Cannibal Unearthed In Madagascar, NSF PR 03-36 - April 2, 2003
Neuron Recognition By Parallel Potts Segmentation, S. Peng, B. Urbanc, L.
Cruz, B. T. Hyman, and H. E. Stanley, PNAS 2003;100 3847-3852
Why The Kidney Glomerulus Does Not Clog: A Gel Permeation/Diffusion
Hypothesis Of Renal Function, Oliver Smithies, PNAS 2003;100 4108-4113
A Model Of The Glycine Receptor Deduced From Brownian Dynamics Studies,
Megan O'Mara, Peter H. Barry, and Shin-Ho Chung, PNAS 2003;100 4310-4315
The History Of Effective Population Size And Genetic Diversity In The
Yellowstone Grizzly (Ursus Arctos): Implications For Conservation, Craig R.
Miller and Lisette P. Waits, PNAS 2003;100 4334-4339
Science Protecting and Protected, Elena O. Nightingale, Science 299: 1986-1987
Making Sense of Dreaming, G. William Domhoff, Science 299: 1987-1988
The Price Of Collecting Life, Gideon F. Smith, Yolande Steenkamp, Ronell R.
Klopper, Stefan J. Siebert, Trevor H. Arnold, Nature 422, 375 - 376 (2003);
doi:10.1038/422375a
Digital Analysis: Manual Dexterity In Neanderthals, Wesley A. Niewoehner,
Aaron Bergstrom, Derrick Eichele, Melissa Zuroff, Jeffrey T. Clark, Nature
422, 395 (2003); doi:10.1038/422395a
Hidden Complexity In The Mechanical Properties Of Titin, Philip M.
Williams, Susan B. Fowler, Robert B. Best, Jose Luis Toca-Herrera, Kathryn
A. Scott, Annette Steward & Jane Clarke, Nature 422, 446
(2003);Doi:10.1038/Nature01517
Pyogenic Bacterial Infections in Humans with IRAK-4 Deficiency, Picard, C,
Puel, A, Bonnet, M, Ku, C-L, Bustamante, J, Yang, K, Soudais, C, Dupuis, S,
Feinberg, J, F, C, Elbim, C, Hitchcock, R, Lammas, D, Davies, G, Al-G,
Abdulaziz, Al-R, Hassan, Al-J, Sulaiman, Al-H, Sami, A, Ibrahim Z, Frayha,
HH., Rucker, R Hawn, T R., Aderem, A Tufenkeji, H, Haraguchi, S, Day, NK.,
Good, RA., G, M, O, Adrian, C, J, Science 2003 299: 2076-2079, These
findings suggest that, in humans, the TIR-IRAK signaling pathway is crucial
for protective immunity against specific bacteria but is redundant against
most other microorganisms.
Pub Med Central , U.S. National Library of Medicine
Fourier And Fractal Analysis Of Maxillary Alveolar Ridge Repair Using
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) And Inorganic Bovine Bone, Wojtowicz A, Chaberek
S, Kryst L, Urbanowska E, Ciechowicz K, Ostrowski K., Int J Oral Maxillofac
Surg. 2003 Feb;32(1):84-6. PMID: 12653239
Hidden Complexity In The Mechanical Properties Of Titin, Williams PM,
Fowler SB, Best RB, Luis Toca-Herrera J, Scott KA, Steward A, Clarke J.,
Nature. 2003 Mar 27;422(6930):446-9, PMID: 12660787
Inbreeding And The Genetic Complexity Of Human Hypertension, Rudan I,
Smolej-Narancic N, Campbell H, Carothers A, Wright A, Janicijevic B, Rudan
P., Genetics. 2003 Mar;163(3):1011-21, PMID: 12663539
Anthropic Agency: A Multiagent System For Physiological Processes, Amigoni
F, Dini M, Gatti N, Somalvico M.,Artif Intell Med. 2003 Mar;27(3):305-34,
PMID: 12667741
Does Mental Simulation Of Following A Path Improve Navigation Performance
Without Vision?, Vieilledent S, Kosslyn SM, Berthoz A, Giraudo MD., Brain
Res Cogn Brain Res. 2003 Apr;16(2):238-49, PMID: 12668233
Management Of Arrhythmias In Heart Failure, Ellison KE, Stevenson WG,
Sweeney MO, Epstein LM, Maisel WH., Congest Heart Fail. 2003
Mar-Apr;9(2):91-9, PMID: 12671340
Nonlinear Analysis Of The Development Of Sitting Postural Control,
Harbourne RT, Stergiou N., Dev Psychobiol. 2003 May;42(4):368-77., PMID:
12672087
Agent-Based Verification of von Thunen's Location Theory, Yuya Sasaki, Paul
Box, 2003-03-31, JASSS vol. 6, no. 2
Formal Models, Social Theory and Computer Simulations: Some Methodical
Reflections, Jurgen Kluver, Christina Stoica, Jorn Schmidt, 2003-03-31,
JASSS vol. 6, no. 2
Models for Generation 1/f Noise, B. Kaulakys, T. Meskauskas, 2003-03-28, arXiv
The Urban Economy as a Scale-free Network, Claes Andersson, Alexander
Hellervik¡P Kristian Lindgren, Anders Hagson, Jonas Tornberg, 2003-03-31,
arXiv
Fitting the Power-law Distribution to the Mexican Stock Market Index Data,
H.F. Coronel-Brizio, C.R. de la Cruz-Laso, A.R. Hernandez-Montoya,
2003-03-27, arXiv
Self-referential Behaviour, Overreaction and Conventions in Financial
Markets, Matthieu Wyart, Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, 2003-03-27, arXiv
A Context-Free Data Compression Approach To Measuring Information
Transmission By Action Potentials, A. S. French, U. Hoger, S. Sekizawa & P.
H. Torkkeli, Biosystems, Vol. 69, Issue 1, pp:55-61, Apr. 2003,
doi:10.1016/S0303-2647(02)00162-4 (The specification of SBML Level 1 is
freely available.)
The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML): A Medium For Representation And
Exchange Of Biochemical Network Models, Cornish B. A. , Hunter P.J.,
Cuellar A. A., Mjolsness E.D., Juty N.S., Dronov S., Takahashi K., Nakayama
Y., Gilles E.D., Kasberger J.L., Nelson M.R., Tomita M., Kremling A.,
Ginkel M., Wagner J., Kummer U., Nielsen P.F., Gor V., Wang J., Sakurada
T., Goryanin I.I., Le Novere N., Schaff J.C., Loew L.M., Hedley W.J., Lucio
D., Hodgman T.C., Shapiro B.E., Mendes P., Hofmeyr J.-H., Shimizu T.S.,
Minch E., Spence H.D., Stelling J., Hucka M., Finney A., Sauro H.M.,
Bolouri H., Doyle J.C., Kitano H., Arkin A.P., Bornstein B.J. & Bray
D.,
Bioinformatics, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp:524-531(8), Mar. 2003
Electro magnetic Signatures As A Tool For Connectionless Test, M. Salamati
& D. Stranneby, IEEE Design & Test of Computers, Mar.-Apr. 2003
African Wild Dogs Test The Survivial Of The Fittest Paradigm, A. Pole, I.
J. Gordon & M. L. Gorman, Alphagalileo & Biol. Letters, 2003/03/31
The Coward Of The Coral Reef, S. Blackford, Alphagalileo, 2003/04/01
Cl imate Change Linked To Migratory Bird Decrease, ScienceDaily, 2003/03/26
New Study Shows Drivers Using Cell Phones Twice As Likely To Cause Rear-end
Collisions, ScienceDaily, 2003/03/27
Vegetation Essential To Balancing Climate Models; Climate Change 6,000
Years Ago In Sahara Desert Explained By MIT Scientists, ScienceDaily,
2003/04/01
Internet Rising As Preferred Traffic Info Source, ScienceDaily, 2003/04/03
20.2 Coming and Ongoing Webcasts
Autonomous Agents, Stuart Kauffman, FRIAM Group sponsored Applied
Complexity Lecture Series at the Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 03/03/13
New Trends In Industrial Partnership And Innovation Management At European
Research Laboratories, CERN, Geneva, 03/03/19 (with webcast)
CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events
"New Frontiers of Neuroscience" Symposium, Taipei, Taiwan, 03/03/07
Television & Children's Media Policy: Where Do We Go From Here?,
Washinghton, DC, 03/02/28, c-span, (clip12657), 1:35
INSC 2003, International Nonlinear Sciences Conference, Vienna, Austria,
03/02/07-09
World Economic Forum Meeting "Building Trust", Davos, Switzerland,
03/01/23-28
2002 Financial Management Conference, 02/10/16-19
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 & Call for Papers
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
2003 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, Santa Clara, CA, 03/04/22-25
Managing Complex Organizations in a Complex World, Cambridge, MA, 03/05/01-02
NAS Sackler Colloquium on Mapping Knowledge Domains, The Beckman Center,
Irvine, CA, 03/05/09-11
The Opening of Systems Theory, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, DK,
03/05/23-25
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
Summer School on Nonlinear Phenomena In Computational Chemical Physics,
Barcelona, Spain, 03/06/09-14
17th Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Simulation (PADS 2003), San
Diego, California, 03/06/10-13
One-Week Intensive Course: Complex Physical, Biological and Social Systems,
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 03/06/16-20
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
Workshops of Dynamical Systems with Applications to Biology, Hsinchu,
Taiwan, 03/06/24-28
47th Meeting of the Intl Soc for the System Sciences: Conscious Evolution
Of Humanity: Using Systems Thinking To Construct Agoras Of The Global
Village, Iraklion, Crete, Greec, 03/07/07-11
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
Intl Conf on Socio Political Informatics and Cybernetics: SPIC '03,
Orlando, Fl, USA, 03/07/31-08/02
13th Annual International Conference, Soc f Chaos Theory in Psych & Life
Sciences,Boston, MA, USA, 03/08/08-10
Call for Papers on Dynamical Hierarchies, Special Issue of Artificial Life,
Deadline: 03/09/05
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
Fractal 2004, "Complexity and Fractals in Nature", 8th Intl
Multidisciplinary Conf , Vancouver, Canada, 04/04/04-07
Fifth International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS2004), Boston, MA,
USA, 04/05/16-21
20.3.1 Public Conference Calls
PlexusCalls: "Surprise! Surprise!", McDaniel, Reuben, Audio File
Available
Now, mp3
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.
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