[tt] Complexity Digest 2008.34 (text version -2)
Eugen Leitl
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Fri Aug 22 12:34:38 UTC 2008
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Subject: Complexity Digest 2008.34 (text version -2)
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Complexity Digest 2008.34 21-Aug-2008
Archive: [1]http://www.comdig.org, European Mirror: [2]http://www.comdig.de
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"I think the next century will be the century of complexity." Stephen
Hawking, 2000
_________________________________________________________________
PDF files of our annual editions are available at
www.comdig.de/AnnualEditions.html
A letter from Gottfried Mayer to our readers and friends is at
www.comdig.de/GMLetter.html
_________________________________________________________________
01. Do Subatomic Particles Have Free Will?, Science News
02. Brain Will Be Battlefield Of Future, Warns US Intelligence Report, Guardian
02.01. Scientists To Study Synthetic Telepathy, PhysOrg.com
03. Brain's Counting Skill 'Built-In', BBC News
03.01. Sleep Selectively Preserves Emotional Memories, ScienceDaily
04. Cultural Complexity And Religion: Persistent Interaction And Conceptual
Order, Culture and Religion
05. (Dis)Integration, Incoherence And Complexity In UN Post-Conflict
Interventions, Int. Peacekeeping
06. Rise Of The Rat-Brained Robots, New Scientist
06.01. Robot With A Biological Brain: New Research Provides Insights Into How
The Brain Works, Innovations-report
07. Neuroscience: State-Sanctioned Synchrony, Nature
07.01. The Contribution of Single Synapses to Sensory Representation in Vivo,
Science
08. By Amplifying Cell Death Signals, Scientists Make Precancerous Cells
Self-Destruct, PhysOrg.com
08.01. Tumor Regression in Cancer Patients by Very Low Doses of a T
Cell-Engaging Antibody, Science
09. Survival Of The Fittest: Even Cancer Cells Follow The Laws Of Evolution,
ScienceDaily
10. Immunology: Surprising Side Effects, Nature
10.01. Immunology: Neutrophil Soldiers Or Trojan Horses?, Science
10.02. ALife Conference To Reveal Bio-inspired Spam Detection, ScienceDaily
11. Biochemistry: Fit For An Enzyme, Nature
12. Molecular Biology: Secret Weapon, Science
13. A Blueprint to Regenerate Limbs, Technology review
14. Slave Ants Rebel, Science News
14.01. Dazzle Coloration And Prey Movement, Proc. Biol. Sc.
14.02. Differential Selection According To The Degree Of Cheating In A Status
Signal, Biol. Lett.
15. Using a Poison to Turn Sunlight into Food, Scientific American
16. Spreading Dead Zones And Consequences For Marine Ecosystems, Science
17. Climate Prediction: Seasonal-Climate Forecasts Improving Ever So Slowly,
Science
17.01. Global Warming: Climate Change Hot Spots Mapped Across The United
States, Science
17.02. Smoke Invigoration Versus Inhibition Of Clouds Over The Amazon, Science
18. Nanotechnology: Shaping The Void, Nature
18.01. Scientists Learn From Nature To Split Water, PhysOrg.com
18.02. Virus Helps To Build Tiny Battery, Nature News
18.03. Materials Science: Directing Self-Assembly Toward Perfection, Science
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
19.01. Good News, Bad News In Annual Terrorism Index, Homeland Security Today
20. Links & Snippets
20.01. Other Publications
20.02. Webcast Announcements
20.03. Conference Announcements
20.04. Other Announcements
_________________________________________________________________
01. Do Subatomic Particles Have Free Will? , Science News
Excerpts: If we have free will, so do subatomic particles, mathematicians claim
to prove. (...) They used a pure mathematical argument to show that there is no
way the particle can choose spins around every imaginable axis in a way that is
consistent with the 1-0-1 rule. Indeed, there is a set of just 33 axes that are
enough to force the particle into a paradox. It could choose spins around the
first 32 axes that conform with the rule, but for the last, neither 0 nor
non-zero would do.
* [4] Do Subatomic Particles Have Free Will?, Julie Rehmeyer, 08/08/15, Science
News
[4]
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35391/title/Do_subatomic_particles_h
ave_free_will%3F
_________________________________________________________________
02. Brain Will Be Battlefield Of Future, Warns US Intelligence Report ,
Guardian
Excerpts: On the battlefield, bullets may be replaced with
"pharmacological land mines" that release drugs to incapacitate soldiers on
contact, while scanners and other electronic devices could be developed to
identify suspects from their brain activity and even disrupt their ability to
tell lies when questioned, the report says. (...) The report highlights one
electronic technique, called transcranial direct current stimulation, which
involves using electrical pulses to interfere with the firing of neurons in the
brain and has been shown to delay a person's ability to tell a lie.
* [5] Brain Will Be Battlefield Of Future, Warns US Intelligence Report, Ian
Sample, 08/08/13, Guardian
[5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/aug/13/military.neuroscience
_________________________________________________________________
02.01. Scientists To Study Synthetic Telepathy , PhysOrg.com
Excerpts: A team of UC Irvine scientists has been awarded a $4 million grant
from the U.S. Army Research Office to study the neuroscientific and
signal-processing foundations of synthetic telepathy. (...) The brain-computer
interface would use a noninvasive brain imaging technology like
electroencephalography to let people communicate thoughts to each other. For
example, a soldier would "think" a message to be transmitted and a
computer-based speech recognition system would decode the EEG signals. The
decoded thoughts, in essence translated brain waves, are transmitted using a
system that points in the direction of the intended target.
* [6] Scientists To Study Synthetic Telepathy, 08/08/13, PhysOrg.com
[6] http://www.physorg.com/news137863959.html
_________________________________________________________________
03. Brain's Counting Skill 'Built-In' , BBC News
Excerpts: Some cultures do not have words for numbers A study in
Australian Aboriginal children, whose languages lack number words, found they
did just as well as English-speaking children in numeracy. The findings
contradicts other research which found having "counting words" was the key to
developing number skills. (...) British and Australian researchers assessed 45
indigenous Australian children aged between four and seven years.
* [7] Brain's Counting Skill 'Built-In', 08/08/19, BBC News
[7] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7563265.stm
_________________________________________________________________
03.01. Sleep Selectively Preserves Emotional Memories , ScienceDaily
Excerpts: As poets, songwriters and authors have described, our memories range
from misty water-colored recollections to vividly detailed images of the times
of our lives. Now, a study (...) offers new insights into the specific
components of emotional memories, suggesting that sleep plays a key role in
determining what we remember ?and what we forget. (...) a period of slumber
helps the brain to selectively preserve and enhance those aspects of a memory
that are of greatest emotional resonance, while at the same time diminishing
the memory's neutral background details. "This tells us that sleep's role in
emotional memory preservation is more than just mechanistic," (...).
* [8] Sleep Selectively Preserves Emotional Memories, 2008/08/14, ScienceDaily
& Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
* Contributed by [9] Atin Das
[8] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814091411.htm
[9] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in
_________________________________________________________________
04. Cultural Complexity And Religion: Persistent Interaction And Conceptual
Order , Culture and Religion
Excerpt: Although there have been attempts to question the notion of the world
of non-Western people as essentially religious and symbolic, there has
simultaneously been a widespread tendency to study these in terms taken from a
religious vocabulary such as mana, taboo, totemism, magic and sorcery. Using
the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea as an example, this article suggests that we see
culture as a complex dynamic system in which persistent interaction produces
emergent properties that are symbolically elaborated. Thus, there are no
universal contents of categories, but only universal principles of relating
simple rules to emergent properties. (...)
* [10] Cultural Complexity And Religion: Persistent Interaction And Conceptual
Order In Mekeo Society, Papua New Guinea, S. Bergendorff, Jul. 2008, DOI:
10.1080/14755610802211486, Culture and Religion
* Contributed by [11] Pritha Das
[10]
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/rcare/2008/00000009/00000002/art
00001;jsessionid=pnxuf6nf2emb.victoria
[11] mailto:prithadas01 at yahoo.com
_________________________________________________________________
05. (Dis)Integration, Incoherence And Complexity In UN Post-Conflict
Interventions , Int. Peacekeeping
Excerpt: The UN has developed a series of internal 'integration reforms' that
aim to increase its capacity to integrate its post-conflict efforts through a
single coherent strategy, and ultimately to support sustainable war-to-peace
transitions. This article argues that these reforms could be redesigned to take
into account the causes of the (dis)integration, incoherence and complexity of
UN post-conflict interventions, to make them more comprehensive and more
realistic. While some degree of both strategic coherence and operational
integration may be necessary to improve the effectiveness of UN post-conflict
interventions, these are inadequate without an increased conflict-sensitivity
in each UN entity involved in post-conflict interventions. (...)
* [12] (Dis)Integration, Incoherence And Complexity In UN Post-Conflict
Interventions, S. Campbell, Aug. 2008, DOI: 10.1080/13533310802239881,
International Peacekeeping
* Contributed by [13] Pritha Das
[12]
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/ip/2008/00000015/00000004/art000
09;jsessionid=pnxuf6nf2emb.victoria
[13] mailto:prithadas01 at yahoo.com
_________________________________________________________________
06. Rise Of The Rat-Brained Robots , New Scientist
Excerpts: (Image: Diem Photography/University of Reading) (...),
Whalley's colleagues Dimitris Xydas and Julia Downes started by connecting a
culture [of 300,000 neurons, Ed.] to an ultrasound sensor in a wheeled robot.
They then record the spikes of voltage produced at points within the culture
when signals from the sensor are sent to it. When they find an area that fires
consistently when the sensor input reaches it, those signals can be picked up
by an electrode and used to, say, make the robot avoid an obstruction.
* [14] Rise Of The Rat-Brained Robots, Paul Marks, 08/08/13, New Scientist
[14]
http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/mg19926696.100-rise-of-the-ratb
rained-robots.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
_________________________________________________________________
06.01. Robot With A Biological Brain: New Research Provides Insights Into How
The Brain Works , Innovations-report
Excerpts: A multidisciplinary team at the University of Reading has developed a
robot which is controlled by a biological brain formed from cultured neurons.
This cutting edge research is the first step to examine how memories manifest
themselves in the brain, and how a brain stores specific pieces of data. (...)
The researchers are now working towards getting the robot to learn by applying
different signals as it moves into predefined positions. It is hoped that as
the learning progresses, it will be possible to witness how memories manifest
themselves in the brain when the robot revisits familiar territory. (...)
* [15] Robot With A Biological Brain: New Research Provides Insights Into How
The Brain Works, 2008/08/14, Innovations-report
* Contributed by [16] Atin Das
[15]
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/interdisciplinary_research/robot
_a_biological_brain_research_insights_brain_116046.html
[16] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in
_________________________________________________________________
07. Neuroscience: State-Sanctioned Synchrony , Nature
Excerpts: A sleepy brain pays little attention to its surroundings, and its
neurons are lulled by a common oscillation. As the brain swiftly rouses from
this sluggish state, its neurons function more independently. (...)
Poulet and Petersen found that these subthreshold fluctuations are highly
correlated among cortical cells during quiet wakefulness and relatively
desynchronized during whisking.
* [17] Neuroscience: State-Sanctioned Synchrony, Scott J. Cruikshank, Barry W.
Connors, 08/08/14, DOI: 10.1038/454839a, Nature 454, 839-840
[17] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7206/full/454839a.html
_________________________________________________________________
07.01. The Contribution of Single Synapses to Sensory Representation in Vivo ,
Science
Excerpts: The extent to which synaptic activity can signal a sensory stimulus
limits the information available to a neuron. We determined the contribution of
individual synapses to sensory representation by recording excitatory
postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in cerebellar granule cells during a
time-varying, quantifiable vestibular stimulus. Vestibular-sensitive synapses
faithfully reported direction and velocity, rather than position or
acceleration of whole-body motion, via bidirectional modulation of EPSC
frequency. The lack of short-term synaptic dynamics ensured a highly linear
relationship between velocity and charge transfer, and as few as 100 synapses
provided resolution approaching psychophysical limits.
* [18] The Contribution of Single Synapses to Sensory Representation in Vivo,
Alexander Arenz, R. Angus Silver, Andreas T. Schaefer, Troy W. Margrie,
08/08/15, Science : 977-980.
[18] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/977
_________________________________________________________________
08. By Amplifying Cell Death Signals, Scientists Make Precancerous Cells
Self-Destruct , PhysOrg.com
Excerpts: When a cell begins to multiply in a dangerously abnormal way, a
series of death signals trigger it to self-destruct before it turns cancerous.
Now, (...), Rockefeller University scientists have figured out a way in mice to
amplify the signals that tell these precancerous cells to die. The trick:
Inactivating a protein that normally helps cells to avoid self-destruction.
(...) "We now can study how IAPs contribute to the development of cancer in a
living animal and develop drugs to prevent or thwart the disease."
* [19] By Amplifying Cell Death Signals, Scientists Make Precancerous Cells
Self-Destruct, 08/08/15, PhysOrg.com
[19] http://www.physorg.com/news138027888.html
_________________________________________________________________
08.01. Tumor Regression in Cancer Patients by Very Low Doses of a T
Cell-Engaging Antibody , Science
Excerpts: Previous attempts have shown the potential of T cells in
immunotherapy of cancer. Here, we report on the clinical activity of a
bispecific antibody construct called blinatumomab, which has the potential to
engage all cytotoxic T cells in patients for lysis of cancer cells. Doses as
low as 0.005 milligrams per square meter per day in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
patients led to an elimination of target cells in blood.
* [20] Tumor Regression in Cancer Patients by Very Low Doses of a T
Cell-Engaging Antibody, Ralf Bargou, Eugen Leo, Gerhard Zugmaier, Matthias
Klinger, Mariele Goebeler, Stefan Knop, Richard Noppeney, Andreas Viardot,
Georg Hess, Martin Schuler, Hermann Einsele, Christian Brandl, Andreas Wolf
,
Petra Kirchinger, Petra Klappers, Margit Schmidt, Gert Riethm?ller, Carste
n
Reinhardt, Patrick A. Baeuerle, Peter Kufer, 08/08/15, Science : 974-977.
[20] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/974
_________________________________________________________________
09. Survival Of The Fittest: Even Cancer Cells Follow The Laws Of Evolution ,
ScienceDaily
Excerpts: Scientists (...) discovered that the underlying process in tumor
formation is the same as for life itselfevolution. After analyzing a half
million gene mutations, the researchers found that although different gene
mutations control different cancer pathways, each pathway was controlled by
only one set of gene mutations. This suggests that a molecular "survival of the
fittest" scenario plays out in every living creature as gene mutations strive
for ultimate survival through cancerous tumors. This finding (...) improves our
understanding of how evolution shapes life in all forms, while laying a
foundation for new cancer drugs and treatments. (...)
* [21] Survival Of The Fittest: Even Cancer Cells Follow The Laws Of Evolution,
2008/08/12, ScienceDaily & Federation of American Societies for Experimental
Biology
* Contributed by [22] Atin Das
[21] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801094300.htm
[22] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in
_________________________________________________________________
10. Immunology: Surprising Side Effects , Nature
Excerpts: A drug that normally suppresses an immune response by trapping
lymphocytes in lymphoid organs results in the elimination of a chronic viral
infection when applied at low doses. Why should this be? (...)
(...) administration of a drug that enhances such lymphocyte trapping converts
what would be a chronic viral infection into one that is rapidly cleared by the
immune system. The observation gives an unexpected twist to the potential side
effects of this immunosuppressive drug.
* [23] Immunology: Surprising Side Effects, Michael J. Bevan, Pamela J. Fink,
08/08/14, DOI: 10.1038/454837a, Nature 454, 837-838
[23] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7206/full/454837a.html
_________________________________________________________________
10.01. Immunology: Neutrophil Soldiers Or Trojan Horses? , Science
Excerpts: Biting insects transmit numerous viral, bacterial, and parasitic
infections of human and veterinary importance. However, the initial events that
occur as pathogens are introduced by these vectors at sites of local feeding
(wounds) are poorly understood. On page [24] 970 in this issue, Peters et al. (
[25] 1) report that early events in vector-mediated injury influence the outcom
e
of infection with the sand-fly-transmitted parasite Leishmania major.
* [26] Immunology: Neutrophil Soldiers Or Trojan Horses?, Beena John,
Christopher A. Hunter, 08/08/15, Science : 917-918.
[24] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/970
[25] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/917#ref1
[26] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/917
_________________________________________________________________
10.02. ALife Conference To Reveal Bio-inspired Spam Detection , ScienceDaily
Excerpt: In their presentation, the authors will claim that this bio-inspired
spam detection algorithm based on the cross-regulation model of T-cell
dynamics, is equally as competitive as state-of-the-art spam binary classifiers
and provides a deeper understanding of the behaviour of T-cell cross-regulation
systems.
See Also: [27] ALife XI online proceedings
* [28] ALife Conference To Reveal Bio-inspired Spam Detection, 2008/08/09,
ScienceDaily
* Contributed by [29] Carlos Gershenson
[27] http://www.alifexi.org/proceedings/ target=new
[28] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806194601.htm
[29] http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~cgershen/
_________________________________________________________________
11. Biochemistry: Fit For An Enzyme , Nature
Excerpts: Certain enzymes that synthesize antibiotics play a game of pass the
parcel, handing biosynthetic intermediates from one active site to another. A
study reveals the dynamic nature of interactions between the enzyme domains.
Although crystal structures provide vivid insights into the architecture of
enzymes, they reinforce a static picture of the molecules, providing only a
snapshot of what a protein looks like in one stable conformation. This can be
misleading, because enzymes in solution are certainly not static.
* [30] Biochemistry: Fit For An Enzyme, Shiven Kapur, Chaitan Khosla,
08/08/14, DOI: 10.1038/454832a, Nature 454, 832-833
[30] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7206/full/454832a.html
_________________________________________________________________
12. Molecular Biology: Secret Weapon , Science
Excerpts: The battle between bacteria and their viruses (bacteriophages) is,
quantitatively, the dominant predator-prey relation in the biosphere, with an
estimated 1030 infections per day. It is an unequal contest in many ways.
Phages replicate prodigiously. Within 2 hours of the addition of a single T7
bacteriophage particle to a culture of 10 billion Escherichia coli cells, more
than 99.9% of the bacteria are destroyed and 10 trillion virus particles are
generated.
* [31] Molecular Biology: Secret Weapon, Ryland F. Young III, 08/08/15, Science
: 922-923.
[31] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/922
_________________________________________________________________
13. A Blueprint to Regenerate Limbs , Technology review
Excerpts: Growing limbs: The axolotl salamander is one of the only
vertebrates that can regrow entire limbs as an adult. Scientists are now
sequencing parts of its unusually large genome in order to understand the
genetic basis for this capability.
Credit: Jeramiah Smith Probing the salamander genome reveals clues to its
remarkable ability to regrow damaged limbs and organs. (...) In order to
quickly identify sections of the salamander's genome involved in regeneration,
the scientists sequenced genes that were most highly expressed during limb-bud
formation and growth. They found that at least 10,000 genes were transcribed
during regeneration. Approximately 9,000 of those seem to have related human
versions, but there appear to be a few thousand more that don't resemble known
genes. "We think many of them are genes that evolved uniquely in salamanders to
help with this process," (...).
* [32] A Blueprint to Regenerate Limbs, Emily Singer, 08/08/18, Technology
review
[32] http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/21265/?a=f
_________________________________________________________________
14. Slave Ants Rebel , Science News
Excerpts: Members of a species of ants captured to work as slaves rebel
against their captors by destroying the pupae they were enslaved to nurture.
Credit: Alexandra Achenbach/ Ludwig-Maximilians University Killing sprees
by slave nannies could be an overlooked form of resistance, Foitzik suggests.
The baby-killing offers any kin in nearby colonies some protection from
slave-makers, since the kidnapper queen's offspring make up the raiding
parties. Paring back their number cuts back the raiding power. Foitzik proposes
that this benefit to kin could drive the evolution of the trait. "This is
evolution to be a bad nanny," (...).
* [33] Slave Ants Rebel, Susan Milius, 08/08/14, ScienceNews
[33] http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35309/title/Slave_ants_rebel
_________________________________________________________________
14.01. Dazzle Coloration And Prey Movement , Proc. Biol. Sc.
Excerpts: Many traits in animals reduce the rate of attack from visually
hunting predators, including camouflage, warning signals and mimicry. In
addition, some animal markings may reduce the likelihood that an attack ends in
successful capture. These might include dazzle markings, high-contrast patterns
that make the estimation of speed and trajectory difficult. (...) We developed
a computer game?where human predators?have to capture computer-generated
prey moving across a background. In two experiments, we find that although
uniform camouflaged targets were among the hardest to capture, so were a range
of high-contrast conspicuous patterns, such as bands and zigzags.
* [34] Dazzle Coloration And Prey Movement, M. Stevens , D. H. Yule , G. D.
Ruxton, 2008/08/12, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0877, Proceedings B: Biological
Sciences
* Contributed by [35] Atin Das
[34]
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/013g34302054112v/?p=f41078bb0f0e4b6fa4
91ef35f62d3973&pi=2
[35] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in
_________________________________________________________________
14.02. Differential Selection According To The Degree Of Cheating In A Status
Signal , Biol. Lett.
Excerpts: The maintenance of honesty in a badge-of-status system is not fully
understood, despite numerous empirical and theoretical studies. Our experiment
examined the relationship between a status signal and winter survival, and the
long-term costs of cheating, by manipulating badge size in male house sparrows,
Passer domesticus. The effect of badge-size manipulation on survival was comple
x
owing to the significant interactions between the treatments and original
(natural) badge size, and between the treatments and age classes (yearlings and
older birds). (...) This indicates that differential selection can act on a
trait according to the degree of cheating.
* [36] Differential Selection According To The Degree Of Cheating In A Status
Signal, S. Nakagawa , J.-W. Lee , B. K. Woodward , B. J. Hatchwell , T.
Burke, 2008/08/12, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0349, Biological Letters
* Contributed by [37] Atin Das
[36]
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/64x6212w635t1264/?p=269c8932f7744107a8
f37f4b0d3f24b5&pi=2
[37] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in
_________________________________________________________________
15. Using a Poison to Turn Sunlight into Food , Scientific American
Excerpts: POISON PHOTOSYNTHESIS: This red slime mat is made up of an
extremophile bacteria that uses arsenic to power photosynthesis. Bacteria
from a hot spring in California conduct photosynthesis with arsenic--and
suggest a process that might have predated typical photosynthesis (...) These
are not the only bacteria that use poison to make food: They are from the genus
Ectothiorhodospira, which largely relies on another poison, toxic hydrogen
sulfide, for the same purpose. By analyzing the genetic material of the
microbe, the researchers have also determined that this is a primitive process,
going back at least three billion years, according to Oremland. That could mean
that arsenic-based photosynthesis predates the oxygen-producing variety that
enables life as we know it.
* [38] Using a Poison to Turn Sunlight into Food, David Biello, 08/08/18,
Scientific American
[38]
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=using-a-poison-to-turn-sunlight-into-food
_________________________________________________________________
16. Spreading Dead Zones And Consequences For Marine Ecosystems , Science
Excerpts: Dead zones in the coastal oceans have spread exponentially since the
1960s and have serious consequences for ecosystem functioning. The formation of
dead zones has been exacerbated by the increase in primary production and
consequent worldwide coastal eutrophication fueled by riverine runoff of
fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels. Enhanced primary production
results in an accumulation of particulate organic matter, which encourages
microbial activity and the consumption of dissolved oxygen in bottom waters.
Dead zones have now been reported from more than 400 systems, affecting a total
area of more than 245,000 square kilometers, and are probably a key stressor on
marine ecosystems.
* [39] Spreading Dead Zones And Consequences For Marine Ecosystems, Robert J.
Diaz , Rutger Rosenberg, 08/0815, Science : 926-929.
[39] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/926
_________________________________________________________________
17. Climate Prediction: Seasonal-Climate Forecasts Improving Ever So Slowly ,
Science
Excerpts: Farmers, ski-resort operators, and heating-oil suppliers would very
much like to know what the coming winter will be like. If a strong El Nino were
brewing in the tropical Pacific, at least some of them would be in luck. The
official United States winter forecast could warn them, with considerable
reliability, that the Southeast and the Gulf Coast will be cooler and wetter
than normal. But without an El Nino or its counterpart, La Nina, next winter's
weather is pretty much anybody's guess.
* [40] Climate Prediction: Seasonal-Climate Forecasts Improving Ever So Slowly,
Richard A. Kerr, 08/08/15, Science : 900-901.
[40] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/900a
_________________________________________________________________
17.01. Global Warming: Climate Change Hot Spots Mapped Across The United States
, Science
Excerpts: Now that almost everyone expects a certain amount of global warming
by the end of the century, attention can turn to more local climate change.
What's going to happen in our own backyards? Researchers can't go that far yet,
but in an effort to squeeze the maximum detail out of notoriously fuzzy climate
models, they are pooling results from some of the most sophisticated
simulations available.
* [41] Global Warming: Climate Change Hot Spots Mapped Across The United
States, Richard A. Kerr, 08/08/15, Science: 909.
[41] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/909
_________________________________________________________________
17.02. Smoke Invigoration Versus Inhibition Of Clouds Over The Amazon , Science
Excerpts: The effect of anthropogenic aerosols on clouds is one of the most
important and least understood aspects of human-induced climate change. Small
changes in the amount of cloud coverage can produce a climate forcing
equivalent in magnitude and opposite in sign to that caused by anthropogenic
greenhouse gases, and changes in cloud height can shift the effect of clouds
from cooling to warming. Focusing on the Amazon, we show a smooth transition
between two opposing effects of aerosols on clouds: the microphysical and the
radiative.
* [42] Smoke Invigoration Versus Inhibition Of Clouds Over The Amazon, Ilan
Koren, J. Vanderlei Martins, Lorraine A. Remer, Hila Afargan, 08/08/15,
Science : 946-949.
[42] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/946
_________________________________________________________________
18. Nanotechnology: Shaping The Void , Nature
Excerpts: A vacuum may be devoid of matter, but its shape is still important.
The strength of the Casimir force caused by quantum fluctuations in the space
between surfaces is critically dependent on their nanometre-scale shape. (...)
This provides the first experimental evidence that Casimir forces are not in
general additive, despite being weak forces.
* [43] Nanotechnology: Shaping The Void, Astrid Lambrecht, 08/08/14, DOI:
10.1038/454836a, Nature 454, 836-837
[43] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7206/full/454836a.html
_________________________________________________________________
18.01. Scientists Learn From Nature To Split Water , PhysOrg.com
Excerpts: An international team of researchers led by Monash University has
used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis
paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into
hydrogen and oxygen. (...) "Whilst man has been able to split water into
hydrogen and oxygen for years, we have been able to do the same thing for the
first time using just sunlight, an electrical potential of 1.2 volts and the
very chemical that nature has selected for this purpose," Professor Spiccia
said
* [44] Scientists Learn From Nature To Split Water, 08/08/17, PhysOrg.com
[44] http://www.physorg.com/news138179858.html
_________________________________________________________________
18.02. Virus Helps To Build Tiny Battery , Nature News
Excerpts: Scanning electron microscope image of the microbattery electrode.
Each whorl is about 4 micrometres across. Nam et al / PNAS Simple technique
could create power packs for microdevices. (...) The scientists first made a
template from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a commonly used silicon-based
organic polymer. After coating it with alternating layers of positive and
negative electrolytes, they added the virus. The virus had been designed to
have negatively charged amino acids at its surface, so that it stuck to the
template, and an affinity for cobalt - a favoured material for batteries. Each
virus is a semi-rigid fibre a few nanometres in diameter and about a micrometre
long, which tends to pack tightly into a whorl that looks similar to a
fingerprint.
* [45] Virus Helps To Build Tiny Battery, Katharine Sanderson, 08/08/18, DOI:
10.1038/news.2008.1047, NatureNews
[45] http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080818/full/news.2008.1047.html
_________________________________________________________________
18.03. Materials Science: Directing Self-Assembly Toward Perfection , Science
Excerpts: The self-assembly of block copolymers into nanoscale features is
potentially attractive as a means for patterning media in microelectronic
applications. This new route to nanopatterning is gaining interest as optical
lithography, the current engine of the semiconductor industry, begins to
approach intrinsic technological limits while demand for higher-density
features for improved data storage and computing speed continues to grow ( [46]
1). These applications require not only regularly sized nanoscale features but
also a degree of perfection of order and registry relative to other components,
which have so far been elusive in self-assembled systems.
* [47] Materials Science: Directing Self-Assembly Toward Perfection, Rachel A.
Segalman, 08/08/15, Science: 919-920.
[46] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/919#ref1
[47] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5891/919
_________________________________________________________________
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
_________________________________________________________________
19.01. Good News, Bad News In Annual Terrorism Index , Homeland Security Today
Excerpts: Progress noted in North Korea, China and Iraq, but deepening concerns
elsewhere. (...) Compared to a year ago fewer respondents, 70 percent versus 91
percent in 2007, said they believed the world was growing more dangerous for
Americans and the United States. Similarly, an increasing percentage (though
still a small minority of just 21 percent) of experts agreed with the statement
that "The United States is winning the war on terror." This compares to just 6
percent of the experts surveyed a year ago
* [48] Good News, Bad News In Annual Terrorism Index, Phil Leggiere, 08/08/21,
Homeland Security Today
[48] http://hstoday.us/content/view/4800/149/
_________________________________________________________________
20. Links & Snippets
_________________________________________________________________
20.01. Other Publications
- Physicists Spooked by Faster-than-light Information Transfer, 2008/08/13,
News at Nature, DOI: 10.1038/news.2008.1038
- Tech Giants Pitch Human Rights Platform: Companies Offer Up Internet Rights
Suggestions, 2008/08/16, vnunet.com
- The Olympics Can Be Bad Publicity, 2008/08/15, Innovations-report
- Infant Sensitivity To Negative Emotional Expressions Develops At Around Six
Months, 2008/08/14, Innovations-report
- The Paradox Of Enrichment In An Adaptive World, 2008/08/12, Proceedings B:
Biological Sciences, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0889
- Sharing The Burden: Antigen Transport And Firebreaks In Immune Responses,
2008/08/15, Interface, DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0258
- Snooze Button For Body's Circadian Clock, 2008/08/15, ScienceDaily &
Rockefeller University
- Timing Of Political Messages Influences Voter Preferences, Researcher Finds,
2008/08/15, ScienceDaily & University of Minnesota
- Southeast Asian Water ConflictsFrom A Political Geography Perspective, Jun.
2008, Asia Europe Journal, DOI: 10.1007/s10308-008-0187-x
- Zero Returns To Compulsory Schooling In Germany: Evidence And Interpretation,
Aug. 2008, Online 2008/06/22, Review of Economics and Statistics, DOI:
10.1162/rest.90.3.592
_________________________________________________________________
20.02. Webcast Announcements
[49]
Can Ants Solve Traffic Jams?, Danielle Parsons, Slatev.com, 08/07/22
As roads and highways become ever more clogged, Danielle Parsons tells us how
researchers are studying ways to learn from nature's own traffic-flow experts:
ants.
7th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 07/10/28-11/02
[50]
Reseau Nationale des Systemes Complexes , (in French), 2007
[51] World Economic Forum , Davos, Switzerland, 08/01/22-27
TED Talks, TED Conferences LLC , since 2006
Talking Robots: The PodCast on Robotics and AI, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de
Lausanne, Switzerland, 06/11/03
Potentials of Complexity Science for Business, Governments, and the Media 2006,
Budapest, Hungary, 06/08/03-05
6th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 06/06/25-30
Artificial Life X,
10th Intl Conf on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems, Bloomington,
IN, USA. 2006/06/03-07
6th Understanding Complex Systems Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, Il, 06/05/15-18
Ralph Abraham on Complexity Digest, , Calcutta, India, 05/12/27
[52] An Afternoon with Michael Crichton, Washington, 05/11/06
[53]
Illuminating the Shadow of the Future, Ann Arbor, Mi 05/09/23-25
[54]
Open Network of Centres of Excellence in Complex Systems - Brainstorming
Meeting, Paris, France 05/09/19-23
[55]
Complexity, Science & Society Conference 2005, U. Liverpool, UK 2005/09/11-14
[56]
ECAL 2005 - VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life,
Canterbury, Kent, UK 2005/09/5-9
[57]
T. Irene Sanders, Executive Director and Founder, [58] The Washington Center
for Complexity & Public Policy, 05/08/27, QuickTime video (10:38 min), [59]
Podcast
[60] North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
2005 Conference, Virtual Conference Network, St. Pete's Beach, Florida,
05/06/09-11
[61] Understanding Complex Systems - Computational Complexity and
Bioinformatics, Virtual Conference Network, Urbana-Champaign, Il, UIUC,
05/05/16-19
[62] Nonlinearity, Fluctuations, and Complexity, with a celebration of the
65th birthday of Gregoire Nicolis. , Complexity Session, Universite' Libre de
Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 05/03/16
[63]
1st European Conference on Complex Systems, Torino, Italy, 04/12/5-7
>From Autopoiesis to Neurophenomenology: A Tribute to Francisco Varela
(1946-2001), Paris, France, 2004/06/18-20
Evolutionary Epistemology, Language, and Culture, Brussels, Belgium,
04/05/26-28
International Conference on Complex Systems 2004, Boston, 04/05/16-21
Nonlinear Dynamics And Chaos: Lab Demonstrations, Strogatz, Steven H.,
Internet-First University Press, 1994
CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events
Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998
Edge Videos
[49] http://www.slatev.com/player.html?id=1681718043 target=new
[50] http://webcast.in2p3.fr/RNSC/ target=new
[51]
http://gaia.world-television.com/wef/worldeconomicforum_annualmeeting2008/Targe
t=new
[52] http://www.complexsys.org/news.htm target=new
[53] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05ISF/index.html target=new
[54] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ONCECS05/ target=new
[55] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/CSS05/ target=new
[56] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ECAL2005/ target=new
[57] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Sanders0508/Sanders0508.mov target=new
[58] http://www.complexsys.org/ target=new
[59] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Sanders0508/Sanders.mp3
[60] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05NASPSA/ target=new
[61] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05UCS/ target=new
[62] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Nicolis05/Target=new
[63] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ECCS04/Target=new
_________________________________________________________________
20.03. Conference Announcements
4th Intl Conf on Natural Computation (ICNC'08) - 5th Intl Conf on Fuzzy Systems
and Knowledge Discovery (FSKD'08),
Jinan, China, 08/08/25-27
Intl Conf DEscribing COmplex Systems (DECOS), Zadar,
Croatia, 08/09/03-07
BICS Conference - Emergence in Complex Systems,
Bath, UK, 08/09/09-11
5th European
Conference on Complex Systems, Jerusalem, Israel, 08/09/14-19
EPOS 2008, III Edition of Epistemological Perspectives on Simulation, Lisbon,
Portugal, 08/10/02-03
1st Intl Conf on the Evolution and Development of the Universe, Paris, France,
08/10/08-09
International Congress on Complex Thought, Hermosillo , Sonora , Mexico,
08/10/21-24
What Is Computation? (How) Does Nature Compute? - 2008 Midwest NKS Conference,
Bloomington, IN, 08/10/30-11/02
2nd Intl Congress of Complex Systems in Sport (2nd ICCSS) and 10th European
Workshop of Ecological Psychology. (10th EWEP), Funchal, in Madeira Island,
Portugal, 08/11/05-08
2008 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on
Web Intelligence (WI-08), Sydney, Australia, 08/12/09-12
COMPLEX'2009, First Intl Conf on Complex Systems: Theory and Applications,
Shanghai, China, 09/02/23-25
Models and Simulations 3 Conference, Charlottesville, USA 09/03/05-07
2009 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence, Nashville, Tennessee,
USA,09/03/30-04/02
2009 IEEE Symposium on Artificial Life
IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics and
Computational Biology (CIBCB 2009)
IEEE Workshop on Evolving and Self-Developing Intelligent Systems (ESDID 2009)
IEEE Symposium on Intelligent Agents (IA 2009)
IEEE Workshop on Organic Computing (OC 2009)
IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium (SIS 2009)
IEEE Workshop on Evolvable and Adaptive Hardware (WEAH 2009)
_________________________________________________________________
20.04. Other Announcements
[64] PhD Studentship in Unconventional Computing or Cellular Automata,
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, Deadline: 08/10/01
A short notice from Dean LeBaron
Dear ComDig Readers,
Our editor, Dr. Gottfried Mayer, is affectionately esteemed by many of you --
as readers, you know he devotes himself unselfishly to widening our knowledge
of complexity science. He was recently diagnosed with advanced colon cancer and
given a timetable of a very few years. Knowing Gottfried, you can imagine that,
in addition to the customary processes of chemotherapy, he would explore other
frontier therapies, especially those arising out of interdisciplinary
applications of complexity. These are expensive ... if he can find them.
Many of you have sent your good wishes and indicated your desire to assist.
With Gottfrieds permission, I am posting this note with information, below,
about how to send contributions to him. Please indicate the source since
Gottfried will want to express his warm gratitude.
I know that Gottfried, the good scientist that he is, will explain from time to
time what he is doing and what the results are ... and we will follow his
progress with great interest and hope.
Dean LeBaron
Publisher, Complexity Digest
Bank Information:
If your contribution is made by check:
Please mail the check, payable to Gottfried Mayer? to:
Manufacturers & Traders Trust
2080 Western Avenue
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Guilderland, NY 12084 USA
(on the back of the check, please write: For Deposit Only: Account # 983 338
3814?
If your contribution is made by wire:
Manufacturers & Traders Trust
2080 Western Avenue
20 Mall
Guilderland, NY 12084 USA
SWIFT Code# MANTUS33
UID: 209 791
ABA routing # 022 00 00 46 [for US wire transfers]
Account # 983 338 3814
Ref. Gottfried Mayer
[64]
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/VB307/PhD_Studentship_in_Unconventional_Computing_or
_Cellular_Automata/
target=new
_________________________________________________________________
[65]Complexity Digest is an independent publication available to
organizations that may wish to repost [66]ComDig to their own mailing
lists. [67]ComDig is published by [68]Dean LeBaron and edited by
[69]Gottfried J. Mayer.
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[65] http://www.comdig.org/
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