[tt] Complexity Digest 2008.35 (text version -2)

Fri Aug 29 13:40:38 UTC 2008

----- Forwarded message from Complexity Digest Distribution <comdig at ms68.hinet.net> -----

From: Complexity Digest Distribution <comdig at ms68.hinet.net>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:32:11 +0800
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Subject: Complexity Digest 2008.35 (text version -2)
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3138

Complexity Digest 2008.35 28-Aug-2008

Archive: [1]http://www.comdig.org, European Mirror: [2]http://www.comdig.de

[1] http://www.comdig.org/
[2] http://www.comdig.de/

Asian Mirror: [3]http://www.phil.pku.edu.cn/resguide/comdig/ (Chinese
GB-Code)

[3] http://www.phil.pku.edu.cn/resguide/comdig/

"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. A Case For Nurture, Nature
01.01. Innovation Policy: Not Just A Jumbo Shrimp, Nature
02. Automatic Mental Associations Predict Future Choices Of Undecided
Decision-Makers, Science
02.01. Psychology: The Unseen Mind, Science
03. Efficient Technique Enables Thinking, PhysOrg.com
04. Is It Possible To Teach Experience? European Researchers Say Yes,
ScienceDaily
05. Face Recognition: Nurture Not Nature, ScienceDaily
06. Spatio-Temporal Correlations And Visual Signalling In A Complete Neuronal
Population, Nature
07. Free Will Versus The Programmed Brain, Scientific American
08. Scientists Unmask Brain's Hidden Potential, PhysOrg.com
09. Wireless Sensors Learn From Life, PhysOrg.com
09.01. Google Rolls Out Tool That Suggests Search Queries, NY Times
10. Biophysics: Mob Rule, Nature
11. Animal Behaviour: Crowd Control, Nature
12. Immunology: The Power Of Tick Spit, Nature
13. Genomics: 'Simple' Animal's Genome Proves Unexpectedly Complex, Science
13.01. Exploding Chromosomes Fuel Research About Evolution, Innovations-report
14. Self-Destructive Cooperation Mediated By Phenotypic Noise, Nature
15. Ecology: A Matter Of Timing, Science
16. Birds Are Tracking Climate Warming, But Not Fast Enough, Proc. Biol. Sc.
16.01. Climate Indicators: Early Birds, Nature
16.02. Ecology: Toward A Global Biodiversity Observing System, Science
17. Turbulent Times for Climate Model, Science
18. Atmospheric Chemistry: Attacked From Within, Nature
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks 
19.01. Incubators Of Terror: Do Failed And Failing States Promote Transnational
Terrorism?, Int. Studies Quar.
20. Links & Snippets 
20.01. Other Publications 
20.02. Webcast Announcements 
20.03. Conference Announcements 
20.04. Other Announcements 

_________________________________________________________________

01. A Case For Nurture , Nature

Excerpts: Innovation is a complex ecosystem that requires careful cultivation. 
Where does innovation come from? How can it best be nurtured and encouraged?
These questions are taking on global significance as fast-developing nations
such as China, India and Brazil increasingly see leadership in innovation as
key to their economic competitiveness.

* [4] A Case For Nurture, 08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/454918a, Nature 454, 918

[4] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454918a.html

_________________________________________________________________

01.01. Innovation Policy: Not Just A Jumbo Shrimp , Nature

Excerpts: Policies that predict and direct innovative research might seem to be
a practical impossibility, says David H. Guston, but social sciences point to a
solution.

Innovation policy could be seen as an oxymoron. Like an 'open secret', or
'jumbo shrimp' - which the late comedian George Carlin compared to 'military
intelligence' the words just don't go together. Innovation policy evokes a
tension. How does one predict and direct something that is by nature
unpredictable and, by necessity, often undirected?

The tension in innovation policy runs deeper than word play, of course.
Policies are made too late to change the past that necessitated them and too
early to understand the future they are meant to shape.

* [5] Innovation Policy: Not Just A Jumbo Shrimp, David H. Guston, 08/08/21,
DOI: 10.1038/454940a, Nature 454, 940-941

[5] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454940a.html

_________________________________________________________________

02. Automatic Mental Associations Predict Future Choices Of Undecided
Decision-Makers , Science

Excerpts: Common wisdom holds that choice decisions are based on conscious
deliberations of the available information about choice options. On the basis
of recent insights about unconscious influences on information processing, we
tested whether automatic mental associations of undecided individuals bias
future choices in a manner such that these choices reflect the evaluations
implied by earlier automatic associations. With the use of a computer-based,
speeded categorization task to assess automatic mental associations (i.e.,
associations that are activated unintentionally, difficult to control, and not
necessarily endorsed at a conscious level) and self-report measures to assess
consciously endorsed beliefs and choice preferences, automatic associations of
undecided participants predicted changes in consciously reported beliefs and
future choices over a period of 1 week.

* [6] Automatic Mental Associations Predict Future Choices Of Undecided
Decision-Makers, Silvia Galdi,  Luciano Arcuri,  Bertram Gawronski, 08/08/22,
DOI: 10.1126/science.1160769, Science : Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp. 1100 - 1102

[6]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1100?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Automatic+Mental+Associations+Predict+Future+Ch
oices+Of+Undecided+Decision-Makers&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

_________________________________________________________________

02.01. Psychology: The Unseen Mind , Science

Excerpts: Can people think they are undecided about a political issue after
they have already made up their minds? The study by Galdi et al., on page 1100
in this issue (1), suggests that they can, which raises intriguing questions
about how well people know their own minds. The short answer, based on research
in social psychology, is not very well.

* [7] Psychology: The Unseen Mind, Timothy D. Wilson ,  Yoav Bar-Anan,
08/08/22, DOI: 10.1126/science.1163029, Science : Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp. 1046
- 1047

[7]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1046?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Psychology%3A+The+Unseen+Mind&searchid=1&FIRSTI
NDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

_________________________________________________________________

03. Efficient Technique Enables Thinking , PhysOrg.com

Excerpts: Nerve cells constantly create new contact points to their
neighbouring cells. This is how the basic structure of our brain develops. In
adults, new contact makes learning and memory possible. However, not all
contact between cells is useful - most of it is dismantled again very quickly.
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Martinsried near
Munich have now described a completely new technique with which nerve cells can
evaluate the quality of the cells they contact in a very time- and energy-savin
g
way. (Neuron, July 31, 2008)

* [8] Efficient Technique Enables Thinking, 08/08/19, PhysOrg.com

[8] http://www.physorg.com/news138377586.html

_________________________________________________________________

04. Is It Possible To Teach Experience? European Researchers Say Yes ,
ScienceDaily

Excerpt: Business veterans claim you cannot teach experience? but European
researchers say you can. The team developed software that helps players acquire
real-life skills and realistic experiences through game playing. But this game
is no executive toy. The interactive software has caught the imagination of
world-class business colleges in the USA and elsewhere and it has prompted
enormous interest in Europes leading corporations. ChangeMasters represents an
emerging shift in business education, based on realistic computer games.
Colleges and companies believe it gives students real-world skills through
experience? (...)

* [9] Is It Possible To Teach Experience? European Researchers Say Yes,
2008/08/23, ScienceDaily &ICT Results
* Contributed by [10] Atin Das

[9] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821110410.htm
[10] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

05. Face Recognition: Nurture Not Nature , ScienceDaily

Excerpts: (...) said: "In a series of eye-movement studies, we showed that
social experience has an impact on how people look at faces. Specifically we
noticed a striking difference in eye movements in Westerners and East Asian
observers. We found that Westerners tend to look at specific features on an
individual's face such as the eyes and mouth whereas East Asian observers tend
to focus on the nose or the centre of the face which allows a more general view
of all the features. One possible cause of this could be that direct or
excessive eye contact may be considered rude in East Asian cultures." (...)

* [11] Face Recognition: Nurture Not Nature, 2008/08/22, ScienceDaily & Public
Library of Science
* Contributed by [12] Atin Das

[11] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819213027.htm
[12] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

06. Spatio-Temporal Correlations And Visual Signalling In A Complete Neuronal
Population , Nature

Excerpts: Statistical dependencies in the responses of sensory neurons govern
both the amount of stimulus information conveyed and the means by which
downstream neurons can extract it. Although a variety of measurements indicate
the existence of such dependencies their origin and importance for neural
coding are poorly understood. Here we analyse the functional significance of
correlated firing in a complete population of macaque parasol retinal ganglion
cells using a model of multi-neuron spike responses. The model, with parameters
fit directly to physiological data, simultaneously captures both the stimulus
dependence and detailed spatio-temporal correlations in population responses,
and provides two insights into the structure of the neural code. First, neural
encoding at the population level is less noisy than one would expect from the
variability of individual neurons: spike times are more precise, and can be
predicted more accurately when the spiking of neighbouring neurons is taken
into account. Second, correlations provide additional sensory information:
optimal, model-based decoding that exploits the response correlation structure
extracts 20% more information about the visual scene than decoding under the
assumption of independence, and preserves 40% more visual information than
optimal linear decoding.

* [13] Spatio-Temporal Correlations And Visual Signalling In A Complete
Neuronal Population, Jonathan W. Pillow,  Jonathon Shlens,  Liam Paninski, 
Alexander Sher,  Alan M. Litke,  E. J. Chichilnisky,  Eero P. Simoncelli,
08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/nature07140, Nature 454, 995-999

[13] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/nature07140.html

_________________________________________________________________

07. Free Will Versus The Programmed Brain , Scientific American

Excerpts: If our actions are determined by prior events, then do we have a
choice about anything - or any responsibility for what we do? Many scientists
and philosophers are convinced that free will doesn't exist at all. According
to these skeptics, everything that happens is determined by what happened
before - our actions are inevitable consequences of the events leading up to
the action - and this fact makes it impossible for anyone to do anything that
is truly free. This kind of anti-free will stance stretches back to 18th
century philosophy, but the idea has recently been getting much more exposure
through popular science books and magazine articles. Should we worry? If people
come to believe that they don't have free will, what will the consequences be
for moral responsibility?

* [14] Free Will Versus The Programmed Brain, Shaun Nichols, 08/08/19,
Scientific American

[14] http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=free-will-vs-programmed-brain

_________________________________________________________________

08. Scientists Unmask Brain's Hidden Potential , PhysOrg.com

Excerpts: Now a long-term study from the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive
Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates
that sudden and complete loss of vision leads to profound - but rapidly
reversible -- changes in the visual cortex. These findings, reported in the
August 27 issue of the journal PLOS One, not only provide new insights into how
the brain compensates for the loss of sight, but also suggest that the brain is
more adaptable than originally thought.

* [15] Scientists Unmask Brain's Hidden Potential, 08/08/27, PhysOrg.com

[15] http://www.physorg.com/news139028746.html

_________________________________________________________________

09. Wireless Sensors Learn From Life , PhysOrg.com

Excerpts: European and Indian researchers are applying principles learned from
living organisms to design self-organising networks of wireless sensors
suitable for a wide range of environmental monitoring purposes. Monsoon rains
in the Indian state of Kerala often bring increased risk of landslides. What
can be done to warn nearby communities that a landslide is imminent?  One
answer is to use a wireless sensor network to monitor geological conditions.
Wireless sensors are becoming popular because the sensor nodes are small,
simple and cheap and require no cabling to connect them together and to the
control centre. They can be used for numerous purposes and are well suited to
environmental monitoring.

* [16] Wireless Sensors Learn From Life, PhysOrg.com

[16] http://www.physorg.com/news138892683.html

_________________________________________________________________

09.01. Google Rolls Out Tool That Suggests Search Queries , NY Times

Excerpts: After more than four years in development, a new feature that
suggests queries as letters and words are typed into Google Inc.'s search
engine, is being rolled out over the next week. Google Suggest, which the
company began developing in 2004, aims to help users better formulate queries,
reduce spelling errors and save keystrokes, Google noted in a blog post Monday.

* [17] Google Rolls Out Tool That Suggests Search Queries, Heather Havenstein,
08/08/26, NYTimes

[17]
http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_852573C400693880002574B100555BF2.html?ref=techno
logy

_________________________________________________________________

10. Biophysics: Mob Rule , Nature

Excerpts: The crowding inherent within cells may affect not only protein
movement and folding, but also shape (...).
They focused on the VlsE protein, a proposed virulence factor in Borrelia
burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. VlsE is usually rugby-ball
shaped, but the team found that it adopts different equilibrium shapes in vitro
in the presence of varying levels of a polymeric 'crowding agent' that mimics
cytoplasmic macromolecules. When the native protein is loosened up by a
denaturing agent or by heat, two new structures - a 'bean' shape and a roughly
spherical conformation - intervene between the rugby ball and the denatured
protein as soon as the crowding agent is added.

If crowding can be 'tuned', it might be possible to expose different sites in
proteins and alter their behaviour.

* [18] Biophysics: Mob Rule, 08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/454921d, Nature 454, 921

[18] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454921d.html

_________________________________________________________________

11. Animal Behaviour: Crowd Control , Nature

Excerpts: Many researchers would expect parasitic infection rates to increase
as groups of animals get bigger and more hosts are available. Contrary to this,
researchers reveal that as groups of red colobus monkeys (Procolobus
rufomitratus) get larger, they have fewer parasites.

Tamaini Snaith at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and her colleagues
made the discovery while studying the monkeys in Uganda. They tested faeces for
parasites and monitored group dynamics. The researchers noticed that large
groups tended to spread out more than smaller ones, and suggest that this could
lower infection rates.

* [19] Animal Behaviour: Crowd Control, 08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/454921a, Nature
454, 921

[19] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454921a.html

_________________________________________________________________

12. Immunology: The Power Of Tick Spit , Nature

Excerpts: Proteins used by ticks to evade their hosts' immune systems may one
day provide a new way to fight inflammation, researchers say.

Compounds in tick saliva block inflammation and allow the bloodsucking
parasites to feed off a host for long time periods without alerting its immune
system.

* [20] Immunology: The Power Of Tick Spit, 08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/454921b,
Nature 454, 921

[20] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454921b.html

_________________________________________________________________

13. Genomics: 'Simple' Animal's Genome Proves Unexpectedly Complex , Science

Excerpts: Aptly named "sticky hairy plate," Trichoplax adhaerens barely
qualifies as an animal. About 1 millimeter long and covered with cilia, this
flat marine organism lacks a stomach, muscles, nerves, and gonads, even a head.
It glides along like an amoeba, its lower layer of cells releasing enzymes that
digest algae beneath its ever-changing body, and it reproduces by splitting or
budding off progeny. Yet this animal's genome looks surprisingly like ours,
says Daniel Rokhsar, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California,
Berkeley (UCB) and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute in
Walnut Creek, California. Its 98 million DNA base pairs include many of the
genes responsible for guiding the development of other animals' complex shapes
and organs, he and his colleagues report in the 21 August issue of Nature.

* [21] Genomics: 'Simple' Animal's Genome Proves Unexpectedly Complex,
Elizabeth Pennisi, 08/08/22, DOI: 10.1126/science.321.5892.1028b, Science Vol.
321. no. 5892, pp. 1028 - 1029

[21]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1028b?maxtoshow=&HITS=1
0&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Genomics%3A+%27Simple%27+Animal%27s+Genome+Pro
ves+Unexpectedly+Complex&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

_________________________________________________________________

13.01. Exploding Chromosomes Fuel Research About Evolution , Innovations-report

Excerpt: Human cells somehow squeeze two meters of double-stranded DNA into the
space of a typical chromosome, a package 10,000 times smaller than the volume o
f
genetic material it contains. Now research into single-celled, aquatic algae
called dinoflagellates is showing that these and related organisms may have
evolved more than one way to achieve this feat of genetic packing. Even so, the
evolution of chromosomes in dinoflagellates, humans and other mammals seem to
share a common biochemical basis, (...). Packing the whole length of DNA into
tiny chromosomes is problematic because DNA carries a negative charge that,
unless neutralized, prevents any attempt at folding (...).

* [22] Exploding Chromosomes Fuel Research About Evolution, 2008/08/25,
Innovations-report
* Contributed by [23] Atin Das

[22]
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/exploding_chromoso
mes_fuel_research_evolution_116581.html
[23] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

14. Self-Destructive Cooperation Mediated By Phenotypic Noise , Nature

Excerpts: In many biological examples of cooperation, individuals that
cooperate cannot benefit from the resulting public good. This is especially
clear in cases of self-destructive cooperation, where individuals die when
helping others. If self-destructive cooperation is genetically encoded, these
genes can only be maintained if they are expressed by just a fraction of their
carriers, whereas the other fraction benefits from the public good. One
mechanism that can mediate this differentiation into two phenotypically
different sub-populations is phenotypic noise. Here we show that noisy
expression of self-destructive cooperation can evolve if individuals that have
a higher probability for self-destruction have, on average, access to larger
public goods.

* [24] Self-Destructive Cooperation Mediated By Phenotypic Noise, Martin
Ackermann,  Baerbel Stecher,  Nikki E. Freed,  Pascal Songhet,  Wolf-Dietrich
Hardt,  Michael Doebeli, 08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/nature07067, Nature 454,
987-990

[24] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/nature07067.html

_________________________________________________________________

15. Ecology: A Matter Of Timing , Science

Excerpts: Climate change is causing shifts in the distribution and phenology of
many plants and animals. Birds have played a key role in detecting these
changes, because long-term data are available on the distribution, migration,
and breeding of many species. Studies of the timing of egg laying--a key trait
with extensive records dating back half a century for some species--are
providing crucial insights into the mechanisms that underlie the response to
climate change.

* [25] Ecology: A Matter Of Timing, Bruce E. Lyon,  Alexis S. Chaine,  David W.
Winkler, 08/08/22, DOI: 10.1126/science.1159822, Science : Vol. 321. no. 5892,
pp. 1051 - 1052

[25]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1051?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Bruce+E.+Lyon%24+Alexis+S.+Chaine%24+David+W.+W
inkler&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

_________________________________________________________________

16. Birds Are Tracking Climate Warming, But Not Fast Enough , Proc. Biol. Sc.

Excerpt: Range shifts of many species are now documented as a response to
global warming. But whether these observed changes are occurring fast enough
remains uncertain and hardly quantifiable. Here, we developed a simple
framework to measure change in community composition in response to climate
warming. This framework is based on a community temperature index (CTI) that
directly reflects, for a given species assemblage, the balance between low- and
high-temperature dwelling species. Using data from the French breeding bird
survey, we first found a strong increase in CTI over the last two decades
revealing that birds are rapidly tracking climate warming. (...)

* [26] Birds Are Tracking Climate Warming, But Not Fast Enough, V. Devictor , 
R. Julliard ,  D. Couvet ,  F. Jiguet, 2008/08/19, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0878,
Proceedings B: Biological Sciences
* Contributed by [27] Atin Das

[26]
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/a08v6w23460w02j3/?p=36f02f1e762045849e
80caf267b2da32&pi=1
[27] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

16.01. Climate Indicators: Early Birds , Nature

Excerpts: The first robin sighting of spring may not be the best indicator of
climate warming. (...)
They found that the first sighting of a migratory bird, although one of the
most commonly used statistics, can be confounded by population size. As bird
numbers decline, there are fewer early outliers, making the first birds harder
to spot.

* [28] Climate Indicators: Early Birds, 08/08/21, DOI: 10.1038/454920f, Nature
454, 920-921

[28] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454920f.html

_________________________________________________________________

16.02. Ecology: Toward A Global Biodiversity Observing System , Science

Excerpts: Biodiversity is a composite term used to embrace the variety of
types, forms, spatial arrangements, processes, and interactions of biological
systems at all scales and levels of organization, from genes to species and
ecosystems ( [29] 1), along with the evolutionary history that led to their
existence ( [30] 2). In part because of this complexity, universally applicable
measures of biodiversity have proven elusive. Commonly used measures, such as
the number of species present, are strongly scale-dependent and only reveal a
change after species have been lost. Indices incorporating several proxy
signals are potentially sensitive, but their arbitrariness obscures underlying
trends and mechanisms.

* [31] Ecology: Toward A Global Biodiversity Observing System, R. J. Scholes, 
G. M. Mace,  W. Turner,  G. N. Geller,  N. J?rgens,  A. Larigauderie,  D.
Muchoney,  B. A. Walther,  H. A. Mooney, 08/08/22, DOI:
10.1126/science.1162055, Science Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp. 1044 - 1045

[29]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1044?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Ecology%3A+Toward+A+Global+Biodiversity+Observi
ng+System&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT#ref1
[30]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1044?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Ecology%3A+Toward+A+Global+Biodiversity+Observi
ng+System&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT#ref2
[31]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1044?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Ecology%3A+Toward+A+Global+Biodiversity+Observi
ng+System&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

_________________________________________________________________

17. Turbulent Times for Climate Model , Science

Excerpts: Researchers are running out of time to finish updating an important
U.S. climate change model that has been hamstrung by the budget woes of its
home institution, the National Center for Atmospheric Research Every June, U.S.
climate scientists descend upon Breckenridge, Colorado, to kick the tires on th
e
nation's foremost academic global climate model. Some years there is added
pressure, as scientists try to tune up the Community Climate System Model
(CCSM) for simulations that will feed into the next report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is one of those years,
and scientists are more worried than usual.

* [32] Turbulent Times for Climate Model, Eli Kintisch, Article Views,
08/08/22, DOI: 10.1126/science.321.5892.1032, Science : Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp.
1032 - 1034

[32]
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5892/1032?maxtoshow=&HITS=10
&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Turbulent+Times+for+Climate+Model&searchid=1&FI
RSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

_________________________________________________________________

18. Atmospheric Chemistry: Attacked From Within , Nature

Excerpts: Organic compounds in the lower atmosphere can be attacked by the
particles they are sitting on, according to researchers at the University of
California, Irvine.

Lab-based experiments by Barbara Finlayson-Pitts and her colleagues show that
airborne sea-salt particles containing nitrate or nitrite ions can produce
reactive hydroxyl radicals that attack the organic compounds adsorbed onto the
particles' surfaces. It was previously thought that oxidation of these organics
occurred through attack from outside by ozone or hydroxyl radicals.

* [33] Atmospheric Chemistry: Attacked From Within, 08/08/21, DOI:
10.1038/454920e, Nature 454, 920

[33] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7207/full/454920e.html

_________________________________________________________________

19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks 

_________________________________________________________________

19.01. Incubators Of Terror: Do Failed And Failing States Promote Transnational
Terrorism? , Int. Studies Quar.

Abstract: A growing body of scholars and policymakers have raised concerns that
failed and failing states pose a danger to international security because they
produce conditions under which transnational terrorist groups can thrive. This
study devises an empirical test of this proposition, along with
counter-theories, using simple descriptive statistics and a time-series,
cross-national negative binomial analysis of 197 countries from 1973 to 2003.
It finds that states plagued by chronic state failures are statistically more
likely to host terrorist groups that commit transnational attacks, have their
nationals commit transnational attacks, and are more likely to be targeted by
transnational terrorists themselves.

* [34] Incubators Of Terror: Do Failed And Failing States Promote Transnational
Terrorism?, J. A. Piazza, Sep. 2008, Online 2008/08/07, DOI:
10.1111/j.1468-2478.2008.00511.x, International Studies Quarterly
* Contributed by [35] Pritha Das

[34] http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121372257/abstract
[35] mailto:prithadas01 at yahoo.com

_________________________________________________________________

20. Links & Snippets 

_________________________________________________________________

20.01. Other Publications 

- Japan Warns Of Ipod Nano Fires: Faulty Batteries Blamed For Spontaneous
Combustion, 2008/08/20, vnunet.com
- Brain Study Could Lead To New Understanding Of Depression, 2008/08/25,
Innovations-report
- Pre-School Age Exercises Can Prevent Dyslexia, 2008/08/22, Innovations-report
- The Effect Of Opinion Clustering On Disease Outbreaks, 2008/08/19, Interface,
DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0271
- Maximal Frustration As An Immunological Principle, 2008/08/20, Interface,
DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0280
- False Memories Affect Behavior, 2008/08/20, ScienceDaily & Association for
Psychological Science
- FBI Unveils Science Of Anthrax Investigation, 2008/08/21, ScienceDaily &
DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
- Ventriloquism In Motion: How Sound Can Move Light, 2008/08/24, ScienceDaily &
Brunel University
- The ILO: An Agency For Globalization?, May 2008, Online 2008/07/29,
Development and Change, DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7660.2008.00484.x
- Effect Of Meditation On Scaling Behavior And Complexity Of Human Heart Rate
Variability, Sep. 2008, Fractals, DOI: 10.1142/S0218348X08003983
- Size Measure Relationship Method For Fractal Analysis Of Signals, Sep. 2008,
Fractals, DOI: 10.1142/S0218348X08003995
- Epigenetic Reprogramming by Adenovirus e1a, 08/08/22, Science :
Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp. 1086 - 1088, DOI: 10.1126/science.1155546

_________________________________________________________________

20.02. Webcast Announcements 

 [36] 
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

 [37] 
Reseau Nationale des Systemes Complexes , (in French), 2007

 [38] 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
 [39] An Afternoon with Michael Crichton, Washington, 05/11/06
 [40] 
Illuminating the Shadow of the Future, Ann Arbor, Mi 05/09/23-25

 [41] 
Open Network of Centres of Excellence in Complex Systems - Brainstorming
Meeting, Paris, France 05/09/19-23

 [42] 
Complexity, Science & Society Conference 2005, U. Liverpool, UK 2005/09/11-14

 [43] 
ECAL 2005 - VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life, 
Canterbury, Kent, UK 2005/09/5-9

 [44] 
T. Irene Sanders, Executive Director and Founder, [45] The Washington Center
for Complexity & Public Policy, 05/08/27, QuickTime video (10:38 min), [46]
Podcast 

 [47] 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

 [48] Understanding Complex Systems - Computational Complexity and
Bioinformatics, Virtual Conference Network, Urbana-Champaign, Il, UIUC,
05/05/16-19

 [49] 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

 [50] 
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

[36] http://www.slatev.com/player.html?id=1681718043 target=new
[37] http://webcast.in2p3.fr/RNSC/ target=new
[38]
http://gaia.world-television.com/wef/worldeconomicforum_annualmeeting2008/Targe
t=new
[39] http://www.complexsys.org/news.htm target=new
[40] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05ISF/index.html target=new
[41] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ONCECS05/ target=new
[42] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/CSS05/ target=new
[43] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ECAL2005/ target=new
[44] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Sanders0508/Sanders0508.mov target=new
[45] http://www.complexsys.org/ target=new
[46] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Sanders0508/Sanders.mp3
[47] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05NASPSA/ target=new
[48] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05UCS/ target=new
[49] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Nicolis05/Target=new
[50] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ECCS04/Target=new

_________________________________________________________________

20.03. Conference Announcements 

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 

[51] 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

20 Mall

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

[51]
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/VB307/PhD_Studentship_in_Unconventional_Computing_or
_Cellular_Automata/
target=new

_________________________________________________________________

[52]Complexity Digest is an independent publication available to
organizations that may wish to repost [53]ComDig to their own mailing
lists. [54]ComDig is published by [55]Dean LeBaron and edited by
[56]Gottfried J. Mayer.
To unsubscribe from this list, please send a note to
[57]subscriptions at comdig.org.

[52] http://www.comdig.org/
[53] http://www.comdig.org/
[54] http://www.comdig.org/
[55] http://www.deanlebaron.com/index.html
[56] http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/g/x/gxm21/
[57] mailto:subscriptions at comdig.org

----- End forwarded message -----
-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A  7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE