复杂性文摘 NO：2003.20
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Complexity Digest 2003.20 May-18-2003
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. Kin Selection May Inhibit The Evolution Of
Reciprocation, J.
Theor. Biol.
2. Learning To Control Brain Activity, Brain &
Cogn.
3. Time-scales, Meaning, and Availability of
Information in a
Global Brain, [7]arXiv
4. Blowing Off Self-Esteem, ScienceNow
4.1. Violent Song Lyrics
Increase Aggression, NewScientist.com
5. Mathematics Reveals The Cuttlefish's Wink,
NewScientist.com
6. Single Signal Unites Treatments That Prolong Life,
Science
6.1. Virus Tames Glioma,
ScienceNow
7. Cell Biology: Patches For Wounded Muscle, Nature
8. Molecule Battles Heart Disease, The Atlanta
Journal-Constutution
9. Computational Biology: Biosensor Design, Nature
9.1. Computational Design
Of Receptor And Sensor Proteins,
Nature
10. Folding At The Speed Limit, Nature
11. Pattern Recognition Method Zeroes in on Genes, NSF Press
Release
12. Self-Organization In Evolution: A Mathematical
Perspective,
Phil. Tran. Math., Phys.
& Engg. Sc.
12.1. Rapid Evolution Can
Foil Even the Best-Laid Plans,
Science
13. Universal Scaling Relations In Food Webs, Nature
13.1. Origin of the
Scaling Rule for Fundamental Living
Organisms, Biosystems
13.2. Explaining the
Abundance of Ants in Lowland Tropical
Rainforest Canopies, Science
13.3. Army Ants Have
Defied Evolution For 100 Million Years,
ScienceDaily
14. The Evolutionary Origin Of Complex Features, Nature
15. A Question of Dose, Science
15.1. The Biogeochemical
Cycles of Trace Metals in the Oceans,
Science
15.2. The Interface
Between the Biological and Inorganic
Worlds, Science
16. Microfluidic Memory and Control Devices, Science
16.1. Complex Fluids:
Spread The Word About Nanofluids, Nature
17. Bad News for Quantum Clones, Science Now
18. Mathematics: Conjuring With Conjectures, Nature
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
19.1. The Guantánamo
Scandal, NYTimes
19.2. The China Syndrome,
NYTimes
19.3. Osama's Offspring,
NYTimes
19.4. U.S. Agency to
Review Its Role in Hunt for Texas
Lawmaker, NYTimes
19.4.1. A Texas-Size Power Grab, NYTimes
19.4.2. Top 10 Differences Between Fugitive Texas Democrats
and Saddam Hussein, Young Conservatives of Texas
Information Services
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. Exploratorium's
Complexity Web Site
20.5. ComDig
Announcement: New ComDig Archive in Beta Test
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1. Kin Selection May Inhibit The Evolution Of Reciprocation, J. Theor. Biol.
Abstract: Kin selection and reciprocal cooperation provide two candidate
explanations for the evolution of cooperation. Models of the evolution of
cooperation have typically focussed on one or the other mechanism, despite
claims that kin selection could pave the way for the evolution of
reciprocal cooperation. We describe a computer simulation model that
explicitly supports both kin selection and reciprocal cooperation. The
model simulates a viscous population of discrete individuals with social
interaction (¡K) We recount how the analytical and empirical study of this
model led to the conclusion that kin selection may actually inhibit the
evolution of effective strategies for establishing reciprocal cooperation.
Kin Selection May Inhibit The Evolution Of Reciprocation, J. A. R. Marshall
& J. E. Roweb, J. Theor. Biol., Vol. 222, Issue 3, pp: 331-335, 2003/06/07,
doi:10.1016/S0022-5193(03)00039-0
Contributed by Pritha Das
2. Learning To Control Brain Activity, Brain & Cogn.
Abstract: Brain¡Vcomputer interface (BCI) technology relies on the ability
of individuals to voluntarily and reliably produce changes in their
electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The present paper reviews research
on cognitive tasks and other methods of generating and controlling specific
changes in EEG activity that can be used to drive BCI systems. To date,
motor imagery has been the most commonly used task. This paper explores the
possibility that other cognitive tasks, including those used in imaging
studies, may prove to be more effective.
Learning To Control Brain Activity: A Review Of The Production And Control
Of EEG Components For Driving Brain¡VComputer Interface (BCI) Systems, E.
A. Curran & M. J. Stokes, Brain & Cogn., Vol. 51, Issue 3, pp: 326-336,
Apr. 2003, doi:10.1016/S0278-2626(03)00036-8
Contributed by Atin Das
3. Time-scales, Meaning, and Availability of Information in a Global Brain,
arXiv
Abstract: We note the importance of time-scales, meaning, and availability
of information for the emergence of novel information meta-structures at a
global scale. We discuss previous work in this area and develop future
perspectives. We focus on the transmission of scientific articles and the
integration of traditional conferences with their virtual extensions on the
Internet, their time-scales, and availability. We mention the Semantic Web
as an effort for integrating meaningful information.
Time-scales, Meaning, and Availability of Information in a Global Brain,
Carlos Gershenson, Gottfried Mayer-Kress, Atin Das, Pritha Das, Matus
Marko, 2003-05-15, DOI: cs.AI/0305012, arXiv
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
4. Blowing Off Self-Esteem, ScienceNow
Excerpts: (¡K) "indiscriminate praise might just as easily promote
narcissism." And thinking you're great doesn't necessarily mean you are. (¡K)
Self-esteem as panacea is "a very compelling illusion," because it
correlates with happiness and other good things, says Baumeister. But he
believes psychologists "were a little too eager in promoting the program
before the data were in." Baumeister says his current research contains
quite a different lesson about how to be a successful person: "Forget about
self-esteem--concentrate on self-control."
Blowing Off Self-Esteem, Constance Holden, ScienceNow, 03/05/09
Excerpts: Songs with violent lyrics increase aggressive thoughts and
emotions, suggests a study in US college students.
The study contradicts a popular suggestion that music loaded with violent
imagery, such as some rap and heavy metal, are cathartic in venting
aggression. (¡K)
Although, the effects were measured over a short time only, the team
believes listening to violent lyrics could have a long-term effect -
contributing to the development of a more aggressive and confrontational
personality.
Violent Song Lyrics Increase Aggression, , NewScientist, 03/05/04
5. Mathematics Reveals The Cuttlefish's Wink, NewScientist.com
Excerpts: The patterns on cuttlefish's backs change as they try to
camouflage themselves, or when they are startled.(...)
The team obtained 30 clear pictures of the patterns. (¡K) the researchers
used a mesh of reference points to convert each image into a plan view of
the animal's back.
They then used specialised ICA computer software to study the images. The
technique looks for elements within the images that change independently of
one another between pictures, and assumes these are the building blocks
used to create the patterns.
Mathematics Reveals The Cuttlefish's Wink, Jenny Hogan, NewScientist, 03/05/18
6. Single Signal Unites Treatments That Prolong Life, Science
Excerpts: Many techniques can bestow Methuselah-like life-spans on yeast
and other lab creatures: heating their environments, tinkering with their
genes, or restricting their food, for example. But the molecular mechanisms
that translate these manipulations into longevity remain mysterious. New
work suggests that, at least in yeast, a protein whose antiaging powers had
been unrecognized until now could explain how diverse stimuli stall aging.
Single Signal Unites Treatments That Prolong Life, Evelyn Strauss, Science
300: 881a-883a
Excerpts: Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation barely slow the progression
of malignant glioma, a chillingly aggressive brain cancer. The fast growing
tumors destroy the brain and kill most people within a year. But for the
first time, researchers have completely cured mice of the disease using a
modified virus.
Virus Tames Glioma, Deborah Hill, Science Now, 03/05/08
7. Cell Biology: Patches For Wounded Muscle, Nature
Excerpts: Cell membranes in tissues such as skin, gut and muscle are
routinely exposed to mechanical damage, which can produce holes in them.
When that damage is not repaired, the consequences can be severe - often
resulting in cell death - and may contribute to the development of the
muscle degenerative diseases termed muscular dystrophies. From a
combination of observations on human muscular dystrophy patients and
experiments with mice, (¡K) a protein called dysferlin is a component of
the mechanism for resealing the holes, and thus healing the muscle membrane.
Cell Biology: Patches For Wounded Muscle, Juliet A. Ellis, Nature 423, 129
- 131 (2003); doi:10.1038/423129a
8. Molecule Battles Heart Disease, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Excerpts: A molecule called beta3 integrin that scientists thought
contributed to heart disease now appears to help fight it.(...) The
scientists fed a high-fat diet to mice that lacked the beta3 molecule and
got unexpected results. The mice developed lung inflammation and clogged
arteries, and about two-thirds of the mice died within six weeks. That
suggests that long-term suppression of this beta3 molecule may contribute
to the development of heart disease, instead of preventing it, the study
concludes. The information may help guide new strategies for developing
drugs to combat heart disease.
Molecule Battles Heart Disease, 2003-05-16, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contributed by Nadia Gershenson
9. Computational Biology: Biosensor Design, Nature
Excerpts: A series of bacterial receptor proteins have been 'redesigned' by
computer so that they bind molecules that are quite different from their
natural ligands. The approach might be useful for designing catalytic
proteins.
On page 185 of this issue, Looger and colleagues describe a powerful
computational method for designing proteins that can detect small
molecules. The authors have tested their approach on compounds such as
trinitrotoluene (TNT) and the neurotransmitter serotonin, and their
findings might see applications in, for instance, medicine and biotechnology.
Computational Biology: Biosensor Design, William F. Degrado, Nature 423,
132 - 133 (2003); doi:10.1038/423132a
Excerpts: Here we present a structure-based computational method that can
drastically redesign protein ligand-binding specificities. (¡K) we also
incorporated them into synthetic bacterial signal transduction pathways,
regulating gene expression in response to extracellular trinitrotoluene or
L-lactate. The use of various ligands and proteins shows that a high degree
of control over biomolecular recognition has been established
computationally. The biological and biosensing activities of the designed
receptors illustrate potential applications of computational design.
Computational Design Of Receptor And Sensor Proteins With Novel Functions,
Loren L. Looger, Mary A. Dwyer, James J. Smith & Homme W. Hellinga, Nature
423, 185 - 190 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature01556
10. Folding At The Speed Limit, Nature
Excerpt: Many small proteins seem to fold by a simple process explicable by
conventional chemical kinetics and transition-state theory. This assumes an
instant equilibrium between reactants and a high-energy activated state. In
reality, equilibration occurs on timescales dependent on the molecules
involved, below which such analyses break down. The molecular timescale,
normally too short to be seen in experiments, can be of a significant
length for proteins. To probe it directly, we studied very rapidly folding
mutants of the five-helix bundle protein, whose activated state is
significantly populated during folding.
Folding At The Speed Limit, Wei Yuan Yang, Martin Gruebele, Nature 423, 193
- 197 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature01609
11. Pattern Recognition Method Zeroes in on Genes, NSF Press Release
Excerpts: Using a new technique for recognizing patterns in biological
databases, a team of U.S. and Israeli computer scientists and geneticists
has developed a practical computational method that zeroes in on the genes
responsible for controlling the genetic machinery of a cell. (...)
Ordinarily, regulatory genes are identified experimentally, not
computationally. The new computational method makes the experimental
process much more efficient. It identifies regulatory candidates for
testing in the lab and predicts how each regulator will affect cellular
activity.
Pattern Recognition Method Zeroes in on Genes, NSF Press Release, NSF PR
03-55, 03/05/12
12. Self-Organization In Evolution: A Mathematical Perspective, Phil. Tran.
Math., Phys. & Engg. Sc.
Abstract: The neo-Darwinian view of evolution centres upon the role of the
gene. Here there seems to be little scope for self-organization. However,
models based on phenotypes, and including nonlinear and collective effects,
suggest that evolution can indeed be viewed as a process whereby the
ecosystem self-organizes. Here we focus on the phenomenon of speciation,
and discuss a series of phenotypic models which together illuminate some of
the issues surrounding the role of self-organization, including new
approaches to fitness landscapes and species selection. All of these models
represent speciation as a symmetry-breaking bifurcation, but in different
mathematical contexts (¡K).
Self-Organization In Evolution: A Mathematical Perspective, I. Stewart,
Phil. Tran. Math., Phys. & Engg. Sc., 2003/05/02, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1187
Contributed by Atin Das
Excerpts: A number of biologists now suspect that fisheries managers have
been inadvertently triggering similar bouts of rapid evolution. To keep
stocks from collapsing, managers often put a minimum size limit on catch,
giving younger fish a chance to breed before they are killed. Despite these
efforts, the average size of caught fish has been falling in recent decades
in many fisheries.
(¡K) suggest that the strategy selects for smaller individuals. The
evolutionary advantages are clear: If fish can become sexually mature while
still small, they have more chance to reproduce (¡K).
Rapid Evolution Can Foil Even the Best-Laid Plans, Carl Zimmer, Science
2003 300: 895
13. Universal Scaling Relations In Food Webs, Nature
Excerpts: Furthermore, food webs (except in isolated cases) do not share
general features with other types of network (including the Internet, the
World Wide Web and biological webs). These features are a small-world
character and a scale-free (power-law) distribution of the degree (the
number of links per vertex). Here we propose to describe food webs as
transportation networks by extending to them the concept of allometric
scaling (how branching properties change with network size). (¡K)We show
that, (¡K), spanning trees are characterized by universal scaling
relations.
Universal Scaling Relations In Food Webs, Diego Garlaschelli, Guido
Caldarelli & Luciano Pietronero, Nature 423, 165 - 168 (2003);
doi:10.1038/nature01604
Abstract: The regular relationships between metabolic energy and body mass
M of unicellular organisms, poikilotherms and homeotherms were well known
as general equations. The metabolic energy rate and the life span are
proportional to M0.75 and to M0.25, respectively. As a result, the product
of the metabolic energy rate and the life time, namely, life metabolic
energy, is proportional to the mass of the living organism. The origin of
the scaling rules for environmental organizing systems is as follows: (1)
the scaling rules for internal energy, activation energy and free energy as
a function of temperature and mass of a mole of molecules. (2) The majority
of species of the living organisms have the same molecules such as
polysaccharides, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids in nearly same the
ratio. (3) The internal energy of reactants in living organisms is
equilibrium with the internal energy of water. Then, the integrated
metabolic energy over the synthesizing time depends on internal energy of
water and is proportional to mass M, despite the synthesizing time of the
system depending on reaction rate. The proportional constant is obtained
based on the thermodynamics for fundamental living organisms such as
unicellular organisms and plants. Information on the environmental
organizing system is also discussed.
Origin of the Scaling Rule for Fundamental Living Organisms Based on
Thermodynamics, Noboru Fujiwara, 2003-06, DOI:
10.1016/S0303-2647(03)00029-7, Biosystems 70(1-7)
Contributed by Carlos Gershenson
Excerpts: The extraordinary abundance of ants in tropical rainforest
canopies has led to speculation that numerous arboreal ant taxa feed
principally as "herbivores" of plant and insect exudates. Based on
nitrogen
(N) isotope ratios of plants, known herbivores, arthropod predators, and
ants from Amazonia and Borneo, we find that many arboreal ant species
obtain little N through predation and scavenging. Microsymbionts of ants
and their hemipteran trophobionts might play key roles in the nutrition of
taxa specializing on N-poor exudates. For plants, the combined costs of
biotic defenses and herbivory by ants and tended Hemiptera are substantial,
and forest losses to insect herbivores vastly exceed current estimates.
Explaining the Abundance of Ants in Lowland Tropical Rainforest Canopies,
Diane W. Davidson, Steven C. Cook, Roy R. Snelling, and Tock H. Chua,
Science 300: 969-972
Excerpts: Army ants, nature's ultimate coalition task force, strike their
prey en masse in a blind, voracious column and pay no attention to the
conventional wisdom of evolutionary biologists. The common scientific
belief has been that army ants originated separately on several continents
over millions of years. Now it is found there was no evolution. Using
fossil data and the tools of a genetics detective, a Cornell University
entomologist has discovered that these ants come from the same point of
origin, because since the reign of the dinosaurs, about 100 million years
ago, army ants in essence have not changed a bit.
Army Ants Have Defied Evolution For 100 Million Years, ScienceDaily &
Cornell Univ., 2003/05/09
Contributed by Atin Das
14. The Evolutionary Origin Of Complex Features, Nature
Excerpts: A long-standing challenge to evolutionary theory has been whether
it can explain the origin of complex organismal features. (¡K). Complex
functions evolved by building on simpler functions that had evolved
earlier, provided that these were also selectively favoured. However, no
particular intermediate stage was essential for evolving complex functions.
The first genotypes able to perform complex functions differed from their
non-performing parents by only one or two mutations, (¡K). In some cases,
mutations that were deleterious when they appeared served as
stepping-stones in the evolution of complex features.
The Evolutionary Origin Of Complex Features, Richard E. Lenski, Charles
Ofria, Robert T. Pennock & Christoph Adami, Nature 423, 139 - 144 (2003);
doi:10.1038/nature01568
15. A Question of Dose, Science
Summary: Metals have been adopted by biological systems because of their
catalytic versatility, but their reactivity can also make them toxic at low
concentrations. Hence they are classified as nutrients or poisons. But this
is a misleading division, because many enzyme catalysts have reaction
centers with diverse and variable metal associates. Such flexibility is
useful for organisms living in metal-poor environments that may have to
take what they can get, but it is potentially dangerous. Thus, the
availability of trace metals may govern an organism's nutritional strategy
in a particular environment. This special issue explores the double-edged
nature of metal chemistry, how it can be exploited for our benefit, and the
consequences if it is not tamed.
A Question of Dose, Caroline Ash and Richard Stone, Science May 9 2003: 925
Abstract: Planktonic uptake of some essential metals results in
extraordinarily low concentrations in surface seawater. To sequester or
take up these micronutrients, various microorganisms apparently release
strong complexing agents and catalyze redox reactions that modify the
bioavailability of trace metals and promote their rapid cycling in the
upper water column. In turn, the low availability of some metals controls
the rate of photosynthesis in parts of the oceans and the transformation
and uptake of major nutrients such as nitrogen. The extremely low
concentrations of several essential metals are both the cause and the
result of ultraefficient uptake systems in the plankton and of widespread
replacement of metals by one another for various biochemical functions.
The Biogeochemical Cycles of Trace Metals in the Oceans, F. M. M. Morel, N.
M. Price, Science May 9 2003: 944-947
Excerpts: Complex iron-sulfur metalloclusters form the active sites of the
enzymes that catalyze redox transformations of N2, CO, and H2, which are
likely components of Earth's primordial atmosphere. Although these centers
reflect the organizational principles of simpler iron-sulfur clusters, they
exhibit extensive elaborations that confer specific ligand-binding and
catalytic properties. These changes were probably achieved through
evolutionary processes, including the fusion of small clusters, the
addition of new metals, and the development of cluster assembly pathways,
driven by selective pressures resulting from changes in the chemical
composition of the biosphere.
The Interface Between the Biological and Inorganic Worlds: Iron-Sulfur
Metalloclusters, Douglas C. Rees, James B. Howard, Science May 9 2003: 929-931
16. Microfluidic Memory and Control Devices, Science
Excerpts: We demonstrate microscopic fluidic control and memory elements
through the use of an aqueous viscoelastic polymer solution as a working
fluid. By exploiting the fluid's non-Newtonian rheological properties, we
were able to demonstrate both a flux stabilizer and a bistable flip-flop
memory. These circuit elements are analogous to their solid-state
electronic counterparts and could be used as components of control systems
for integrated microfluidic devices. Such miniaturized fluidic circuits are
insensitive to electromagnetic interference and may also find medical
applications for implanted drug-delivery devices.
Microfluidic Memory and Control Devices, Alex Groisman, Markus Enzelberger,
Stephen R. Quake, Science 300: 955-958
Excerpts: Liquid spreads and wets a surface, but wetting behaviour changes
if the liquid contains nanoparticles.(...)
Excess pressure (known as the disjoining pressure) can also develop in a
thin liquid film (less than 10 nm thick) when its two surfaces attract or
repel each other through van der Waals and electrostatic forces. The
interplay of the capillary and disjoining pressures is critical to the
stability of thin curved films, such as the wedge-like region at the edge
of a wetting solution, trapped between a solid surface and the air above.
Complex Fluids: Spread The Word About Nanofluids, Manoj K. Chaudhury,
Nature 423, 131-132 (8 May 2003); doi:10.1038/423131a
17. Bad News for Quantum Clones, Science Now
Excerpts: Now, however, all the old questions of classical computing, such
as whether there can be a universal constructor, are being asked again in
the quantum domain. And that question, at least, has been answered with a
resounding no. Pati and Samuel Braunstein (¡K), have proven that in a
universe with finite resources, a quantum robot would be unable to make a
perfect copy of itself. So, in a sense, Pati argues, it could never be
"alive." (¡K)
Not quite, says Seth Lloyd, (¡K).
Bad News for Quantum Clones, Charles Seife, Science Now, 03/05/07
18. Mathematics: Conjuring With Conjectures, Nature
Excerpts: In 1904, Henri Poincare was making fundamental advances in
topology - the multi-dimensional study of mathematical properties such as
'knotted' or 'connected', which are unchanged by continuous deformations.
Buried in his work was an unjustified assumption about three-dimensional
spaces. When he noticed it, and failed to find a proof, the assumption
became first a question, and then a conjecture. (¡K) 'Millennium Prize
Problems' for whose solutions a substantial cash prize is offered1. Grisha
Perelman of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics in St Petersburg, Russia,
may now have found the answer2,3.
Mathematics: Conjuring With Conjectures, Ian Stewart, Nature 423, 124-127
(8 May 2003); doi:10.1038/423124a
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
Excerpt: The extraordinary attacks of Sept. 11 clearly demanded
extraordinary measures. All reports, moreover, indicate that the prisoners
have not been physically mistreated. But America vowed after Sept. 11 that
the terrorists would not be allowed to drag us down to their level.
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense has held more than 600 male prisoners,
some as young as 13 - and of 42 different nationalities, including citizens
of our closest allies - in a concentration camp. (¡K) declared
"unlawful
combatants" in order to deny them the protection of the Geneva Convention.
The Guantanamo Scandal, NYTimes, 03/05/15
Excerpts: (¡K) during the Iraq war: many Americans turned to the BBC for
their TV news. They were looking for an alternative point of view -
something they couldn't find on domestic networks, (¡K).
Leave aside the rights and wrongs of the war itself, and consider the
paradox. The BBC is owned by the British government, and one might have
expected it to support that government's policies. In fact, however, it
tried hard - (¡K) - to stay impartial. America's TV networks are privately
owned, yet they behaved like state-run media.
The China Syndrome, Paul Krugman, NYTimes, 03/05/13
Excerpts: "Al Qaeda is on the run," President Bush said last week.
"That
group of terrorists who attacked our country is slowly but surely being
decimated. . . . They're not a problem anymore." (¡K)
"This was the big game for them - you put up or shut up, and they have
failed," Cofer Black, who heads the State Department's counterterrorism
office, told The Washington Post last week.
(¡K) Al Qaeda works at its own pace and knows how to conduct operations on
the run.
Osama's Offspring, Maureen Dowd, NYTimes, 03/05/14
Excerpt: The Department of Homeland Security said today that it would
conduct an internal investigation to see if there was misuse of federal
resources when the department helped Texas law enforcement agencies in a
politically inspired search for the private plane of a prominent Democratic
state legislator.
The department said the investigation would be conducted by the agency's
acting inspector general, Clark Kent Ervin, a Houston Republican who is
well known among some of the same state lawmakers in Texas who wanted the
plane tracked down.
U.S. Agency to Review Its Role in Hunt for Texas Lawmaker, Philip Shenon,
NYTimes, 03/05/17
Excerpts: The Constitution requires that a census be held every 10 years
and that it be the basis for Congressional reapportionment. District lines
are redrawn at that point, but once they are, whether by a legislature or a
court, there is a strong tradition of keeping them until the next census.
Lines have been redrawn at mid-decade to deal with extraordinary
circumstances, like a voting rights violation, but there is no basis for
redistricting simply so a political party can gain an advantage.
A Texas-Size Power Grab, NYTimes, 03/05/17
Excerpt: 1) Saddam concealed his weapons of mass destruction. Texas
Fugitive Dems are concealing their weapons of mass obstruction.
2) Saddam granted a prime-time hour-long interview with Dan Rather right
before the war. Texas Fugitive Dems refuse to talk with media except in a
choreographed news conference.
3) Saddam ran an oil for food program. Texas Fugitive Dems are running a
blackmail for quorum program.
Top 10 Differences Between Fugitive Texas Democrats and Saddam Hussein,
Young Conservatives of Texas Information Services, Crosswalk.com, 03/05/14
Editor's Note: These two examples hint at an attempt to associate
political opponents with an enemy ("terrorist", "unlawful
combatant") for
whom some constitutional protection ("Bill of Rights") has been
denied.
From a complex systems perspective this is not a surprising consequence of
a diminution of checks and balances.
20. Links & Snippets
20.1 Other Publications
Rice Could Spare Diabetics Daily Injections, 2003/05/14, Discovery Health
Reconstructing Prehistoric Civilizations in a New Theory of Civilizations,
Blaha, Stephen, 2003/05/07, CogPrints
The Self-Composing Brain: Towards A Glial¡VNeuronal Brain Theory, B.
Mitterauer & K. Kopp, Brain & Cogn., Vol. 51, Issue 3, pp:357-367, Apr.
2003, doi:10.1016/S0278-2626(03)00043-5
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Dreaming Is Characterized By Uncoupled EEG
Activity Between Frontal And Perceptual Cortical Regions, M. Corsi-Cabrer &
E. Miro, Y. R. Portilla, E. Perez-Garcia, Y. Villanueva & M. A. Guevara,
Brain & Cogn., Vol. 51, Issue 3, pp: 337-345, Apr. 2003,
doi:10.1016/S0278-2626(03)00037-X
Birds Tails Do Act Like Delta Wings But Delta-Wing Theory Does Not Always
Predict The Forces They Generate, M. R. Evans, Alphagalileo & Proc. B,
2003/05/12
Towards The Delineation Of The Ancestral Eutherian Genome Organization:
Comparative Genome Maps Of Human And The African Elephant (Loxodonta
Africana) Generated By Chromosome Painting, L Fronicke, J. Wienberg, G.
Stone, L. Adams & R. Stanyon, Alphagalileo & Proc. B, 2003/05/12
Self-Organization And Complexity: A New Age For Theory, Computation And
Experiment, P. V. Coveney, Phil. Tran. Math., Phys. & Engg. Sc.,
2003/05/02, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1191
Self-Organized Living Systems: Conjunction Of A Stable Organization With
Chaotic Fluctuations In Biological Space-Time, Auffray and others, Phil.
Tran. Math., Phys. & Engg. Sc., 2003/05/02, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1188
'Order >From Disorder Sprung': Recognition And Regulation In The Immune
System, T. W. Mak, Phil. Tran. Math., Phys. & Engg. Sc., 2003/05/02,
DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1196
Self-Organized Maps Of Sensory Events, T. Kohonen, Phil. Tran. Math., Phys.
& Engg. Sc., 2003/05/06, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1192
The Formation Of Spatial Patterns In Social Insects: From Simple Behaviours
To Complex Structures, Theraulaz And Others, Phil. Tran. Math., Phys. &
Engg. Sc., 2003/05/06, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1198
Bacterial Self-Organization: Co-Enhancement Of Complexification And
Adaptability In A Dynamic Environment, E. Ben-Jacob, Phil. Tran. Math.,
Phys. & Engg. Sc., 2003/05/07, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2003.1199
Fetus Heart Races When Mom Reads Poetry; New Findings Reveal Fetuses
Recognize Mother¡¦s Voice In-utero, ScienceDaily & Queen's
Univ., 2003/05/13
Astronomers Map The Hidden Universe, ScienceDaily & Cardiff Univ.,
2003/05/13
Researchers Develop Techniques For Computing Google-style Web Rankings Up
To Five Times Faster; Speed-up May Make 'Topic-sensitive' Page Rankings
Feasible, ScienceDaily & National Sc. Found., 2003/05/14
A Mathematical Model For Self-Limiting Brain Tumors, W. I. Newman & J. A.
Lazareff, J. Theor. Biol., Vol. 222, Issue 3, pp:361-371, 2003/06/07,
doi:10.1016/S0022-5193(03)00043-2
Statistical Information Approaches For The Modelling Of The Epileptic
Brain, P. M. Pardalos, J. C. Sackellares, L. D. Iasemidis, V. Yatsenko, M.
C.K. Yang, D. S. Shiau & W. Chaovalitwongse, Compu. Stat. & Data Anal.,
Vol. 43, Issue 1, pp:79-108, Apr. 2003
Discovering Simple Rules In Complex Data: A Meta-Learning Algorithm And
Some Surprising Musical Discoveries, G. Widmer, Arti. Intell., Vol. 146,
Issue 2, pp:129-148, Jun. 2003, doi:10.1016/S0004-3702(03)00016-X
How Fast Elements Can Affect Slow Dynamics, K. Fujimoto & K. Kaneko,
Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, Vol. 180, No 1-2, pp:1-16, May 2003
Complexity In The Case Against Accuracy Estimation, R. Nock, Theor. Comp.
Sc., Vol. 301, Issue 1-3, pp:143-165, May 2003
Cro Magnons Are Close Kin, The DNA sequences they analyzed are like those
of modern humans and very different from those of Neandertals, consistent
with the notion that there is little or no Neandertal blood in the human
heritage, 2003/5/12
Bizarre New Jellyfish Discovered, 18:03 07 May 03, Shaoni Bhattacharya
Proteins Are Transformed, Then Put To More Uses, Andrew Pollack, May 13, 2003
Time Slows For People Who Stop Smoking, Shaoni Bhattacharya, 14:00 10 May 2003
'Digital Organisms' Illuminate Evolution, Will Knight, 19:00 07 May 2003
Technology: A New Tool for Translating Ancient, Flowing Script, Ian Austen,
Sanskrit, in which classical Indian literature was composed, is among the
world's oldest recorded languages. But putting works created over the last
3,000 years onto the Web has not been easy.May 15, 2003
'Matrix' Virtually Frames The Future, Kevin Coughlin, Star-Ledger Staff,
2003/05/15
20.2 Coming and Ongoing Webcasts
U.S. Militarism Threatens the Destiny of Humanity, Ramsey Clark, c-span,
03/05/12
NAS Sackler Colloquium on Mapping Knowledge Domains, Video/Audio Report,
03/05/11
Robert Baer, Fmr. CIA Field Officer Baer discusses his article in the
current issue of The Atlantic Monthly on Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism
efforts, c-span, 4/30/2003, 1 hr., (Video clip13399)
Uncertainty and Surprise: Questions on Working with the Unexpected and
Unknowable, The University of Texas Austin, Texas USA, 2003/04/10-12
Autonomous Agents, Stuart Kauffman, FRIAM Group sponsored Applied
Complexity Lecture Series at the Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 2003/03/13
New Trends In Industrial Partnership And Innovation Management At European
Research Laboratories, CERN, Geneva, 2003/03/19 (with webcast)
CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events
"New Frontiers of Neuroscience" Symposium, Taipei, Taiwan, 2003/03/07
INSC 2003, International Nonlinear Sciences Conference, Vienna, Austria,
2003/02/07-09
World Economic Forum Meeting "Building Trust", Davos, Switzerland,
2003/01/23-28
Artificial Life Conference (A-Life 8), Sydney, Australia, 2002/12/09-13
Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998
20.3 Conference Announcements & Call for Papers
Understanding Complex Systems Symposium, UIUC, Urbana-Champaign, Il,
2003/05/19-21
The Opening of Systems Theory, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, DK,
2003/05/23-25
Innovating Strategy Processes: Concepts, Experiences And Experiments,
Storrs, Connecticut U.S.A. 03/05/25-28
SPIE's 1st Intl Symp on Fluctuations and Noise, Santa Fe, NM, 2003/06/01-04
The First International Workshop on "Socio-Cognitive Grids: The Net as a
Universal Human Resource", Santorini, Greece, 2003/06/01-04
21st ICDE World Conf on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong,
2003/06/01-05
The Co-Revolutionary Competition An Alternative War Game Inspired By The
New Sciences, Newport, RI, 2003/06/03-05
Summer School on Nonlinear Phenomena In Computational Chemical Physics,
Barcelona, Spain, 2003/06/09-14
17th Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Simulation (PADS 2003), San
Diego, California, 2003/06/10-13
One-Week Intensive Course: Complex Physical, Biological and Social Systems,
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 2003/06/16-20
2003 Summer Computer Simulation Conference (SCSC '03), Montreal, Canada,
2003/06/20-24
5th Intl Conf "Symmetry in Nonlinear Mathematical Physics", Kiev,
Ukraine,
2003/06/23-29, Mirror
Workshops of Dynamical Systems with Applications to Biology, Hsinchu,
Taiwan, 2003/06/24-28
UQAM Summer Institute in Cognitive Sciences 2003: Categorization In
Cognitive Sciences, Montreal, 2003/06/30-07/11
9th International Conference on Auditory Display, Boston, MA,
2003/07/07-09, Wkshp on Assistive Technologies for the Blind, 2003/07/07-09
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, 2003/07/07-11
2nd International School Topics In Nonlinear Dynamics, Siena (Italy),
2003/07/09-11
2003 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-2003), Chicago,
IL,2003/07/12-16
2nd Intl Joint Conf on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
(AAMAS-2003), Melbourne, Australia, 2003/07/14-18
7th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (SCI
2003), Orlando, Florida, 2003/07/27-30
Intl Conf on Socio Political Informatics and Cybernetics: SPIC '03,
Orlando, Fl, USA, 2003/07/31-08/02
13th Annual International Conference, Soc f Chaos Theory in Psych & Life
Sciences,Boston, MA, USA, 2003/08/08-10
Call for Papers on Dynamical Hierarchies, Special Issue of Artificial Life,
Deadline: 2003/09/05
A Dual International Conference on Ethics, Complexity & Organisations &
Creativity, London WC2, UK, 2003/09/16-18
1st German Conference on Multiagent System Technologies (MATES'03), Erfurt,
Germany, 2003/09/22-25
Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 2003/09/24-25
7th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL-2003), Dortmund, Germany,
2003/09/14-17
2003 IEEE/WIC Intl Joint Conf. Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent
Technology, Beijing, China, 2003/10/13-17
American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) 2003 Conference (H.v.Foerster),
Vienna, Austria , 2003/11/10-15
Trends And Perspectives In Extensive And Non-Extensive Statistical
Mechanics, In Honour Of The 60th Birthday Of Constantino Tsallis, Angra Dos
Reis, Brazil, 2003/11/19-21
ICDM '03: The Third IEEE International Conference on Data Mining,
Melbourne, Florida, USA, 2003/11/19-22
3rd International Workshop on Meta-Synthesis and Complex System, Guangzhou,
China, 2003/11/29-30
2nd International Workshop on the Mathematics and Algorithms of Social
Insects, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 2003/12/15-17
Fractal 2004, "Complexity and Fractals in Nature", 8th Intl
Multidisciplinary Conf , Vancouver, Canada, 2004/04/04-07
Fifth International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS2004), Boston, MA,
USA, 2004/05/16-21
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,
2003/01/10, Audio File Available Now, mp3
John Holland in Conversation, PlexusCalls, - Audio File Available Now, mp3
Are Disease and Aging Information/Complexity Loss Syndromes?, PlexusCalls,
2002/11/08, 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, 2002/11/22, 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 Exploratorium's Complexity Web Site
Excerpt: This site attempts to place the idea of complexity in nature into
a broader scientific context, and to provide newcomers to the field with an
introduction to the concepts and theories that contribute to contemporary
complexity research.
Editor's Note: The Exploratorium is not only one of the best hands-on
science museums in the world but also integrates informal science education
in the museum with outstanding classroom science curriculum development in
interaction with science teachers. Currently methods of integrating the
Internet based science resources with hands-on science activities are
explored. The Exploratorium is also part of a global science education network.
Exploratorium's Complexity Web Site
Turbulent Landscapes Site
Video Statement by Melissa Alexander
Teacher's Institute
Institute for Inquiry
Exhibit Services
20.5 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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