Complexity Digest 2008.07 14-Feb-2008 Archive: http://comdig.unam.mx "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 Aletter from Gottfried Mayer to our readers and friends is at http://www.comdig.de/GMLetter.html _________________________________________________________________ 01. The Size, Scale, and Shape of Cities, Science 01.01. The Urban Transformation of the Developing World, Science 01.02. Health and Urban Living, Science 01.03. China's Living Laboratory in Urbanization, Science 01.04. From Gasoline Alleys to Electric Avenues, Science 02. Sustainable Development: Climate Change--the Chinese Challenge, Science 02.01. Global Change and the Ecology of Citie, Science 03. Unclogging Urban Arteries, Science 03.01. Could Smart Traffic Lights Stop Motorists Fuming?, NewScientist 04. Bacteria And Nanofilters -- The Future Of Clean Water Technology, Physorg.com 05. Studies Deem Biofuels a Greenhouse Threat, NY Times 05.01. Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land Use Change, Science 05.02. Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt, Science 06. 'Normal' Genes Key To Cancer Growth, Nature 06.01. A Systematic Look At An Old Problem, Nature 07. Evolution Of Anatomy And Gene Control, Nature 08. Towards A Molecular Understanding Of Shape Selectivity, Nature 09. Synaptic Protein Degradation Underlies Destabilization of Retrieved Fear Memory, Science 09.01. More Brain Research Suggests 'Use It Or Lose It', Science Daily 09.02. Misery Is Not Miserly: Why Even Momentary Sadness Increases Spending, ScienceDaily 10. Neural Basis Of 'Number Sense' In Young Infants, ScienceDaily 10.01. Neuropathology: Alzheimer's In Real Time, Nature 10.02. 'Lab On A Chip' Mimics Brain Chemistry, Science Daily 11. Growing Up To Prozac: Drug Makes New Neurons Mature Faster, Science News 11.01. Biochemistry: Lifting the Veil on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Science 11.02. MIT Develops Thin-Film 'Micro Pharmacy', Innovations-report 12. The Dynamics Of Measles In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nature 13. Transparent Fish To Make Human Biology Clearer: Researchers Can Watch Cancer Spread, Innovations-report 14. Palaeotemperature Trend For Precambrian Life Inferred From Resurrected Proteins, Nature 14.01. Evolutionary Biology: Ancient Bacteria Liked It Hot, Nature 15. Physics: From Complexity To Simplicity, Science 16. Computational Science: A Hard Statistical View, Nature 16.01. Using Musical Chords To Analyze And Illustrate Hydrogen Molecule's Response To Laser Pulses, Science Daily 17. Wiring Up Quantum Systems, Nature 17.01. Wiring Up DNA, Technology Review 18. America's Liberal Illiberalism: The Ideological Origins Of Overreaction In U.S. Foreign Policy, Int. Security 19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks 19.01. Pakistan's Theater of Jihad and the Growing Complexity of the Terror War, World Politics Review Exclusive 19.02. Global Terrorist And Drug Trafficking Cartels, American Chronicle 20. Links & Snippets 20.01. Other Publications 20.02. Webcast Announcements 20.03. Conference Announcements 20.04. Other Announcements _________________________________________________________________ 01. The Size, Scale, and Shape of Cities , Science Excerpts: Despite a century of effort, our understanding of how cities evolve is still woefully inadequate. Recent research, however, suggests that cities are complex systems that mainly grow from the bottom up, their size and shape following well-defined scaling laws that result from intense competition for space. An integrated theory of how cities evolve, linking urban economics and transportation behavior to developments in network science, allometric growth, and fractal geometry, is being slowly developed. * The Size, Scale, and Shape of Cities, Michael Batty , 08/02/08, Science: 769-771. _________________________________________________________________ 01.01. The Urban Transformation of the Developing World , Science Excerpts: Sometime in the next 20 to 30 years, developing countries in Asia and Africa are likely to cross a historic threshold, joining Latin America in having a majority of urban residents. The urban demographic transformation is described here, with an emphasis on estimates and forecasts of urban population aggregates. To provide policy-makers with useful scientific guidance in the upcoming urban era, demographic researchers will need to refine their data sets to include spatial factors as well as urban vital rates and to make improvements to forecasting methods currently in use. * The Urban Transformation of the Developing World, Mark R. Montgomery , 08/02/08, Science: 761-764. _________________________________________________________________ 01.02. Health and Urban Living , Science Excerpts: The majority of people now live in urban areas and will do so for the foreseeable future. As a force in the demographic and health transition, urbanization is associated with falling birth and death rates and with the shift in burden of illness from acute childhood infections to chronic, noncommunicable diseases of adults. Urban inhabitants enjoy better health on average than their rural counterparts, but the benefits are usually greater for the rich than for the poor, thus magnifying the differences between them. * Health and Urban Living, Christopher Dye , 08/02/08, Science : 766-769. _________________________________________________________________ 01.03. China's Living Laboratory in Urbanization , Science Excerpts: With millions of farmers each year moving to its burgeoning cities, China is searching for novel ways to expand urban areas while conserving natural resources. (...) Shanghai is hoping to show that development can be environmentally responsible with the world's first "carbon neutral" city, in which carbon emissions would be completely offset by carbon absorption. Construction of Dongtan Eco-city will begin early this year on land adjacent to Chongming's wetlands. * China's Living Laboratory in Urbanization, Dennis Normile , 08/02/08, Science: 740-743. _________________________________________________________________ 01.04. From Gasoline Alleys to Electric Avenues , Science Excerpts: A grass-roots campaign for next-generation electric cars could help make fuel-efficient and less polluting hybrid plug-ins a reality. (...) "We have a vision," says Duncan. He's spearheading a nationwide grass-roots effort to popularize the next-generation hybrid vehicle. Like today's hybrids, such as Toyota's popular Prius, they have dual gasoline and electric engines. But whereas current hybrids recharge their battery packs only during driving, plug-ins can also be recharged from the electrical grid by plugging into wall sockets. * From Gasoline Alleys to Electric Avenues, Eli Kintisch , 08/02/08, Science : 750-751. _________________________________________________________________ 02. Sustainable Development: Climate Change--the Chinese Challenge , Science Excerpts: Controlling CO2 emissions without hindering economic development is a major challenge for China and the world. The large population dictates that China cannot duplicate the energy-intensive Western model because of resource limitations. In 2006, China imported 47% of its crude oil and is projected to import 60% by 2020. Given escalating oil prices and concerns about energy security, China has no alternative but to focus on domestic resources. * Sustainable Development: Climate Change--the Chinese Challenge, Ning Zeng , Yihui Ding , Jiahua Pan , Huijun Wang , Jay Gregg , 08/02/08, Science: 730-731. _________________________________________________________________ 02.01. Global Change and the Ecology of Citie , Science Excerpts: Urban areas are hot spots that drive environmental change at multiple scales. Material demands of production and human consumption alter land use and cover, biodiversity, and hydrosystems locally to regionally, and urban waste discharge affects local to global biogeochemical cycles and climate. For urbanites, however, global environmental changes are swamped by dramatic changes in the local environment. Urban ecology integrates natural and social sciences to study these radically altered local environments and their regional and global effects. Cities themselves present both the problems and solutions to sustainability challenges of an increasingly urbanized world. * Global Change and the Ecology of Citie, Nancy B. Grimm , Stanley H. Faeth , Nancy E. Golubiewski , Charles L. Redman , Jianguo Wu , Xuemei Bai , John M. Briggs , 08/02/08, Science: 756-760. _________________________________________________________________ 03. Unclogging Urban Arteries , Science Excerpts: "Congestion charges" can significantly reduce gridlock. Next step: Taxes on high-polluting vehicles? (...) In 2003, soon after London authorities slapped a tax on each vehicle entering the city center, traffic volume fell 15%, and drivers spent 30% less time in gridlock, according to the city's Transport for London. Commuters were delighted, and once-virulent opposition to the fee, now $16 a day, subsided. Congestion charges are a big hit in London and Stockholm, which adopted a similar tax in 2007. Other cities are expected to follow suit. New York City plans to implement a charge this year, and politicians in Shanghai, China, and Sydney, Australia, are debating the idea. * Unclogging Urban Arteries, Elizabeth Quill , 08/02/08, Science : 750-751. _________________________________________________________________ 03.01. Could Smart Traffic Lights Stop Motorists Fuming? , NewScientist Excerpts: Traffic lights that wirelessly keep track of vehicles could speed up journeys, reduce fuel consumption and improve urban air quality. So say Romanian and US researchers who show that "smart" traffic lights might reduce the time drivers spend waiting at intersections by more than 28% during rush hours. The researchers recorded peak traffic flow at a major junction in Bucharest, Romania, and then used the distributed computing lab at Rutgers University, New Jersey, US, to model traffic flow. * Could Smart Traffic Lights Stop Motorists Fuming?, Max Glaskin , 08/02/12, NewScientist _________________________________________________________________ 04. Bacteria And Nanofilters -- The Future Of Clean Water Technology , Physorg.com Excerpts: Bacteria often get bad press, with those found in water often linked to illness and disease. But researchers at The University of Nottingham are using these tiny organisms alongside the very latest membrane filtration techniques to improve and refine water cleaning technology. (...) Current membrane technology used in water treatment processes can decrease in efficiency over time, as the membranes become fouled with contaminants. By using bioremediation the membranes can be cleaned within the closed system, without removing the membranes. * Bacteria And Nanofilters -- The Future Of Clean Water Technology, 08/02/12, Physorg.com _________________________________________________________________ 05. Studies Deem Biofuels a Greenhouse Threat , NY Times Excerpts: Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these "green" fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded. * Studies Deem Biofuels a Greenhouse Threat, Elisabeth Rosenthal , 08/02/08, NYTimes _________________________________________________________________ 05.01. Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land Use Change , Science Excerpts: Most prior studies have found that substituting biofuels for gasoline will reduce greenhouse gases because biofuels sequester carbon through the growth of the feedstock. These analyses have failed to count the carbon emissions that occur as farmers worldwide respond to higher prices and convert forest and grassland to new cropland to replace the grain (or cropland) diverted to biofuels. Using a worldwide agricultural model to estimate emissions from land use change, we found that corn-based ethanol, instead of producing a 20% savings, nearly doubles greenhouse emissions over 30 years and increases greenhouse gases for 167 years. * Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land Use Change, T. Searchinger , , R. Heimlich , R. A. Houghton , F. Dong , A. Elobeid , J. Fabiosa , S. Tokgoz , D. Hayes , T.-H. Yu , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1126/science.1151861, Science _________________________________________________________________ 05.02. Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt , Science Excerpts: Increasing energy use, climate change, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels make switching to low-carbon fuels a high priority. Biofuels are a potential low-carbon energy source, but whether biofuels offer carbon savings depends on how they are produced. Converting rainforests, peatlands, savannas, or grasslands to produce food-based biofuels in Brazil, Southeast Asia, and the United States creates a 'biofuel carbon debt' by releasing 17 to 420 times more CO2 than the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions these biofuels provide by displacing fossil fuels. * Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt, J. Fargione , J. Hill , D. Tilman , S. Polasky , P. Hawthorne , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1126/science.1152747, Science _________________________________________________________________ 06. 'Normal' Genes Key To Cancer Growth , Nature Excerpts: Shutting off genes stops cancer cells from growing but leaves healthy cells unharmed. (...) studies highlight the need for the cancer atlas to fund some functional-genomics work. "What's clear now that wasn't clear at the beginning of The Cancer Genome Atlas is the complexity and heterogeneity of the mutational signatures that are going to be found in most cancers," says Vogelstein, who demonstrated such complexity in a 2006 study on breast and colorectal cancers. * 'Normal' Genes Key To Cancer Growth, Erika Check Hayden , 080/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451615a, Nature 451, 615- (2008) _________________________________________________________________ 06.01. A Systematic Look At An Old Problem , Nature Excerpts: As life expectancy increases, a systems-biology approach is needed to ensure that we have a healthy old age. The continuing increase in life expectancy, which in many countries advances by several hours per day, is one of humanity's most astonishing successes. But as the population ages, new approaches are required to unravel the complex biology of ageing and understand its links with frailty and disease. * A Systematic Look At An Old Problem, Thomas B. L. Kirkwood , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451644a, Nature 451, 644-647 _________________________________________________________________ 07. Evolution Of Anatomy And Gene Control , Nature Excerpts: Evo-devo meets systems biology.(...) Since Darwin we know that we must explain the elephant not only in mechanistic terms (of mutation, selection and adaptation on the population level) but also in historical terms, as 'descent with modification', evolution in phylogeny. Molecular changes hundreds of millions of years ago constrain the possibility of change here and now. Not everything is possible, and evolutionary history is as much a story of constraint as functionality. * Evolution Of Anatomy And Gene Control, Georgy Koentges , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451658a, Nature 451, 658-663 _________________________________________________________________ 08. Towards A Molecular Understanding Of Shape Selectivity , Nature Excerpts: Shape selectivity is a simple concept: the transformation of reactants into products depends on how the processed molecules fit the active site of the catalyst. Nature makes abundant use of this concept, in that enzymes usually process only very few molecules, which fit their active sites. Industry has also exploited shape selectivity in zeolite catalysis for almost 50 years, yet our mechanistic understanding remains rather limited. Here we review shape selectivity in zeolite catalysis, and argue that a simple thermodynamic analysis of the molecules adsorbed inside the zeolite pores can explain which products form and guide the identification of zeolite structures that are particularly suitable for desired catalytic applications. * Towards A Molecular Understanding Of Shape Selectivity, Berend Smit , Theo L. M. Maesen , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/nature06552, Nature 451, 671-678 _________________________________________________________________ 09. Synaptic Protein Degradation Underlies Destabilization of Retrieved Fear Memory , Science Excerpts: Reactivated memory undergoes a rebuilding process which depends on de novo protein synthesis. This suggests that retrieval is dynamic and serves to incorporate new information into preexisting memories. However, little is known about whether or not protein degradation is involved in the reorganization of retrieved memory. We found that postsynaptic proteins were degraded in the hippocampus by poly-ubiquitination after retrieval of contextual fear memory. Moreover, the infusion of proteasome inhibitor into the CA1 region immediately after retrieval prevented the anisomycin-induced memory impairment, as well as the extinction of fear memory. This suggests that ubiquitin- and proteasome-dependent protein degradation underlies destabilization processes after fear memory retrieval. * Synaptic Protein Degradation Underlies Destabilization of Retrieved Fear Memory, S.-H. Lee , J.-H. Choi , N. Lee , H.-R. Lee , J.-I. Kim , N.-K. Yu , S.-L. Choi , S.-H. Lee , H. Kim , B.-K. Kaang , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1126/science.1150541, Science _________________________________________________________________ 09.01. More Brain Research Suggests 'Use It Or Lose It' , Science Daily Excerpts: QBI neuroscientists are using a molecule derived from bee venom (Tertiapin) to help them to understand why some nerve cells die. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Queensland) "It appears that if a cell is not appropriately stimulated by other cells, it self-destructs," Dr Coulson said. This self-destruct process is also known to be an important factor in stroke, Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, leading to the loss of essential nerve cells from the adult brain. "We know that a lack of both chemical and electrical stimuli causes the cells to self-destruct," Dr Coulson said. "But we believe that nerve cells will survive if appropriate electrical stimuli are produced to block the self-destruct process that we have identified." * More Brain Research Suggests 'Use It Or Lose It', 08/02/12, ScienceDaily _________________________________________________________________ 09.02. Misery Is Not Miserly: Why Even Momentary Sadness Increases Spending , ScienceDaily Excerpts: How you are feeling has an impact on your routine economic transactions, whether you’re aware of this effect or not. (...) a research team finds that people feeling sad and self-focused spend more money to acquire the same commodities than those in a neutral emotional state. The new study follows up on earlier research that established a connection between sadness and buying. Researchers (...) have now discovered that heightened self-focus drives the connection -- a finding that expands understanding of consumer behavior and, more broadly, the impact of emotions on decision-making. (...) * Misery Is Not Miserly: Why Even Momentary Sadness Increases Spending, 2008/02/08, ScienceDaily * Contributed by Atin Das - dasatinyahoo.co.in _________________________________________________________________ 10. Neural Basis Of 'Number Sense' In Young Infants , ScienceDaily Excerpts: Behavioral experiments indicate that infants aged 4½ months or older possess an early "number sense" that allows them to detect changes in the number of objects. In new research (...) provide brain imaging evidence showing that very young infants are sensitive to both the number and identity of objects, and these pieces of information are processed by distinct neural pathways. The authors recorded the electrical activity evoked by the brain on the surface of the scalp as 3-months-old infants were watching images of objects. The number or identity of objects occasionally changed. (...) * Neural Basis Of 'Number Sense' In Young Infants, 2008/02/10, ScienceDaily & PLoS Biology * Contributed by Atin Das - dasatinyahoo.co.in _________________________________________________________________ 10.01. Neuropathology: Alzheimer's In Real Time , Nature Excerpts: A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the presence in the brain of protein deposits, or plaques, which are thought to form over a long period. But studies in mice suggest that the plaques can grow overnight. * Neuropathology: Alzheimer's In Real Time, Eliezer Masliah , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451638a, Nature 451, 638-639 _________________________________________________________________ 10.02. 'Lab On A Chip' Mimics Brain Chemistry , Science Daily Excerpts: Johns Hopkins researchers from the Whiting School of Engineering and the School of Medicine have devised a micro-scale tool - a lab on a chip - designed to mimic the chemical complexities of the brain. The system should help scientists better understand how nerve cells in the brain work together to form the nervous system. "The chip we've developed will make experiments on nerve cells more simple to conduct and to control," (...). * 'Lab On A Chip' Mimics Brain Chemistry, 08/02/13, ScienceDaily _________________________________________________________________ 11. Growing Up To Prozac: Drug Makes New Neurons Mature Faster , Science News Excerpts: The researchers gave the mice a behavioral test to see whether having more newly mature neurons was important for changing how the brain works. For the test, the mice don't get any food for a day. Then researchers place the mice in unfamiliar cages with food pellets in the middle of the box. The mice usually cower in the corner, but after about 2 weeks with Prozac treatment the rodents approach the food. Neither untreated mice nor Prozac-treated mice whose hippocampi have been irradiated with X rays to prevent new neuron formation seek out the food. * Growing Up To Prozac: Drug Makes New Neurons Mature Faster, Tina Hesman Saey , 08/02/09, Science News _________________________________________________________________ 11.01. Biochemistry: Lifting the Veil on Traditional Chinese Medicine , Science Excerpts: A Chinese team is about to embark on a 15-year effort to identify the constituents of herbal preparations used as medications for centuries in China. (...) "TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ed.] is not based on science but based on mysticism, magic, and anecdote," asserts biochemist Fang Shi-min, who as China's self-appointed science cop goes by the name Fang Zhouzi. He calls the Herbalome Project "a waste of research funds." Hoping to rebut TCM critics, Herbalome will use high-throughput screening, toxicity testing, and clinical trials to identify active compounds and toxic contaminants in popular recipes. * Biochemistry: Lifting the Veil on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Richard Stone , 08/02/08, Science: 709-710. _________________________________________________________________ 11.02. MIT Develops Thin-Film 'Micro Pharmacy' , Innovations-report Excerpts: A new thin-film coating developed at MIT can deliver controlled drug doses to specific targets in the body following implantation, essentially serving as a "micro pharmacy." The film could eventually be used to deliver drugs for cancer, epilepsy, diabetes and other diseases. It is among the first drug-delivery coatings that can be remotely activated by applying a small electric field. (...) The film, which is typically about 150 nanometers (billionths of a meter) thick, can be implanted in specific parts of the body. (...) The pigment, called Prussian Blue, sandwiches the drug molecules and holds them in place. (...) * MIT Develops Thin-Film 'Micro Pharmacy', 2008/02/12, Innovations-report * Contributed by Atin Das - dasatinyahoo.co.in _________________________________________________________________ 12. The Dynamics Of Measles In Sub-Saharan Africa , Nature Excerpts: Although vaccination has almost eliminated measles in parts of the world, the disease remains a major killer in some high birth rate countries of the Sahel. On the basis of measles dynamics for industrialized countries, high birth rate regions should experience regular annual epidemics. Here, however, we show that measles epidemics in Niger are highly episodic, particularly in the capital Niamey. Models demonstrate that this variability arises from powerful seasonality in transmission - generating high amplitude epidemics - within the chaotic domain of deterministic dynamics. * The Dynamics Of Measles In Sub-Saharan Africa, Matthew J. Ferrari , Rebecca F. Grais , Nita Bharti , Andrew J. K. Conlan , Ottar N. Bjornstad , Lara J. Wolfson , Philippe J. Guerin , Ali Djibo , Bryan T. Grenfell , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/nature06509, Nature 451, 679-684 _________________________________________________________________ 13. Transparent Fish To Make Human Biology Clearer: Researchers Can Watch Cancer Spread , Innovations-report Excerpt: Zebrafish are genetically similar to humans and are good models for human biology and disease. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have created a zebrafish that is transparent throughout its life. The new fish allows scientists to directly view its internal organs, and observe processes like tumor metastasis and blood production after bone-marrow transplant in a living organism. The classic method for studying human diseases in animals is to allow the animal to get the disease, kill and dissect the animal, then ask, "what happened?" But in cancer and other fast-changing processes that traverse the body, this method is bound to miss something. (...) * Transparent Fish To Make Human Biology Clearer: Researchers Can Watch Cancer Spread And Bone Marrow Engraft, 2008/02/07, Innovations-report * Contributed by Atin Das - dasatinyahoo.co.in _________________________________________________________________ 14. Palaeotemperature Trend For Precambrian Life Inferred From Resurrected Proteins , Nature Excerpts: Biosignatures and structures in the geological record indicate that microbial life has inhabited Earth for the past 3.5 billion years or so. Research in the physical sciences has been able to generate statements about the ancient environment that hosted this life. These include the chemical compositions and temperatures of the early ocean and atmosphere. Only recently have the natural sciences been able to provide experimental results describing the environments of ancient life. Our previous work with resurrected proteins indicated that ancient life lived in a hot environment. * Palaeotemperature Trend For Precambrian Life Inferred From Resurrected Proteins, Eric A. Gaucher , Sridhar Govindarajan , Omjoy K. Ganesh, , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/nature06510, Nature 451, 704-707 _________________________________________________________________ 14.01. Evolutionary Biology: Ancient Bacteria Liked It Hot , Nature Excerpts: Proteins from ancestral bacteria have been modelled and reconstructed. Strikingly, the heat stability of these proteins parallels the temperatures of their ocean habitats, as determined from the geological record. The study of the environment in which early life evolved has long been the domain of the physical sciences. For example, analyses of the chemical and isotopic compositions of rocks formed during the Archaean (from 3,800 million years ago to 2,500 million years ago) allow precise dating and reconstruction of environmental parameters at that time, such as seawater temperature and atmospheric composition. * Evolutionary Biology: Ancient Bacteria Liked It Hot, Manolo Gouy , Marc Chaussidon , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451635a, Nature 451, 635-636 _________________________________________________________________ 15. Physics: From Complexity To Simplicity , Science Excerpts: A combination of positively and negatively charged current carriers may provide a key to understanding cuprate superconductors. (...) We may be finally beginning to understand these superconductors after two decades. The fly in the ointment is the lack of observation of electron and hole pockets in other measurements in hole-doped superconductors (in angleresolved photoemission spectroscopy, for instance) that are also capable of measuring Fermi surfaces [see, however, the work on electron- doped materials (11)]. Missing so far in experiments are also the higher frequency oscillations that must arise from the hole pockets, not just the electron pockets (4). * Physics: From Complexity To Simplicity, Sudip Chakravarty , 08/02/08, Science : 735-736. _________________________________________________________________ 16. Computational Science: A Hard Statistical View , Nature Excerpts: The sheer number of variables and logical conditions makes some computing problems seem intractable. Statistical physics, normally used to study huge groups of interacting particles, can supply powerful tools to crack them. As computer hardware and software become ever more sophisticated, we are shifting from a setting in which computers merely assist us in processing information with the aid of well-understood algorithms, to a landscape in which computers themselves make decisions and are in full control of a given situation. * Computational Science: A Hard Statistical View, Bart Selman , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451639a, Nature 451, 639-640 _________________________________________________________________ 16.01. Using Musical Chords To Analyze And Illustrate Hydrogen Molecule's Response To Laser Pulses , Science Daily Excerpts: Researchers in Heidelberg visualized the development over time of molecular resonance. The distance between the two nuclei (R) in the heavy hydrogen (deuterium) ion D2+ is plotted against the time. After approximately 100 femtoseconds, the wave packet, i.e. the location of the nuclei, starts to become hazy, after 400 femtoseconds there is a "revival" and the wave packet is put back together again. (Credit: Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics) (...) have shown how a hydrogen molecule responds to laser pulses by using the changing musical chord created by the molecule's vibrational motion. (...) The new laser systems in the laboratory offer some advantages over the big particle accelerators, Thumm said. The laser pulses offer more control and can be made so short that the researchers now routinely observe the motion of nuclei inside small molecules in time. In addition, the laser pulses' peak intensity is enormous and would equal all of the sun's light focused onto a small spot of the size of a postage stamp or smaller. * Using Musical Chords To Analyze And Illustrate Hydrogen Molecule's Response To Laser Pulses, 08/02/08, ScienceDaily _________________________________________________________________ 17. Wiring Up Quantum Systems , Nature Excerpts: The emerging field of circuit quantum electrodynamics could pave the way for the design of practical quantum computers. In the past two decades, scientists and engineers in a variety of disciplines have been excited by the idea of quantum information processing, in which a computation is carried out by controlling a complex collection of quantum objects. This idea seeks to combine two of the greatest advances in science and technology of the twentieth century. * Wiring Up Quantum Systems, R. J. Schoelkopf , S. M. Girvin , 08/02/07, DOI: 10.1038/451664a, Nature 451, 664-669 _________________________________________________________________ 17.01. Wiring Up DNA , Technology Review Excerpts: Hot-wired: By placing a double-stranded DNA segment in a gap in a single-walled carbon nanotube, researchers have measured the electrical properties of the biological molecule. Since even a single mismatch in the DNA letters affects the conductivity of the segment, the system could eventually be the basis of chemical sensors to detect mutations in DNA. Credit: Colin Nuckolls Measuring the conductivity of DNA could provide a way to detect mutations. (...) "In my opinion, the results of this work will survive, in contrast to many other publications on this topic," says chemist Bernd Giese, of the University of Basel, Switzerland. Previous estimates of DNA's conductivity have varied dramatically, Giese says, partly because it was unclear if the delicate DNA or its connection to electrodes had become damaged by the high voltages used. "One thinks one has burned the DNA to charcoal," Giese says. "It's extremely complicated experimentally." * Wiring Up DNA, Helen Pearson , 08/02/13, Technology Review _________________________________________________________________ 18. America's Liberal Illiberalism: The Ideological Origins Of Overreaction In U.S. Foreign Policy , Int. Security Excerpt: Why has the United States, with its long-standing Liberal tradition, come to embrace the illiberal policies it has in recent years? The conventional wisdom is that al-Qaida's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent war on terrorism have made America less Liberal. The logic of this argument is straightforward: interstate war has historically undermined domestic liberties, and the war on terrorism is causing the United States to follow this well-worn path. This explanation confronts a puzzle, however: illiberal U.S. policies—including the pursuit of global hegemony, launching of a preventive war, imposition of restrictions on civil (...). * America's Liberal Illiberalism: The Ideological Origins Of Overreaction In U.S. Foreign Policy, M. C. Desch , Winter 2007-2008, Online 2008/01/10, DOI: 10.1162/isec.2008.32.3.7, International Security * Contributed by Pritha Das - prithadas01yahoo.com _________________________________________________________________ 19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks _________________________________________________________________ 19.01. Pakistan's Theater of Jihad and the Growing Complexity of the Terror War , World Politics Review Exclusive Excerpts: To date, U.S. military support to the Pakistani army in combating the jihadist presence has remained largely indirect. But as militant activity has stepped up its intensity in recent months with a string of deadly suicide attacks, most markedly with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Dec. 27, U.S. officials are becoming increasingly concerned about President Pervez Musharraf's capacity and will to confront the groups operating in these lawless regions. * Pakistan's Theater of Jihad and the Growing Complexity of the Terror War, Aidan Kirby , 08/02/13, World Politics Review Exclusive _________________________________________________________________ 19.02. Global Terrorist And Drug Trafficking Cartels , American Chronicle Excerpts: There is a connection between Middle East terrorists and the drug trade dates back more than two decades, when the United States and pro-Western governments opposed the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. At that time the focus was on training and equipping fierce mujahideen fighters to resist communist occupation forces, but the means to that end were often the same drug money. Today it is the same thing but growing. The drugs raised in Afghanistan finds its way via smuggling routes into markets in both Europe and the United States where they are sold. * Global Terrorist And Drug Trafficking Cartels, Michael Webster , 08/02/13, American Chronicle _________________________________________________________________ 20. Links & Snippets _________________________________________________________________ 20.01. Other Publications - Time Travel Could Be Possible In Months: Wormholes Expected In Switzerland When Large Hadron Collider Goes Live, I. Thomson , 2008/02/08, vnunet.com - Computer Interaction Gets Some Humanity, 2008/02/08, Innovations-report - Ambient Intelligence: Snowboarding To The New Frontier, 2008/02/08, Innovations-report - Oxygen Mass Transfer In A Model Three-Dimensional Artery, G. Coppola , C. Caro , 2008/02/05, Interface, DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2007.1338 - Hurry-Up And Hatch: Selective Filial Cannibalism Of Slower Developing Eggs, H. Klug , K. Lindström , 2008/02/05, Biological Letters, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0589 - Birds, Bats And Insects Hold Secrets For Aerospace Engineers, 2008/02/09, ScienceDaily & University of Michigan - Genes And Environment Interact In First Graders To Predict Physical But Not Social Aggression, 2008/02/08, ScienceDaily - Video Games Activate Reward Regions Of Brain In Men More Than Women, 2008/02/08, ScienceDaily - Neocortex's Small World Of Fractal Coupling, C. Wagner , R. Stoop ruedi@ini.phys.ethz.ch , Oct. 2007, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, DOI: 10.1142/S0218127407019135 - Network As A Chaotic Dynamical System, S. Miyazaki , Y. Nagashima , Oct. 2007, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, DOI: 10.1142/S0218127407019317 - Chaos Does Help Motion Control, A. Buscarino , L. Fortuna lfortuna@diees.unict.it , M. Frasca , G. Muscato , Oct. 2007, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, DOI: 10.1142/S0218127407019391 - Physics: Amplifying a Tiny Optical Effect, K. J. Resch , 08/02/08, Science: 733-734. A controversial approach in quantum physics now appears capable of improving the sensitivity and precision of measurements. - Experienced Saxophonists Learn to Tune Their Vocal Tracts, Jer Ming Chen , John Smith , Joe Wolfe , 08/02/08, Science : 776. To play the high range of the saxophone, players learn to tune the second resonance of their vocal tract to the desired note. - The Spatial Pattern and Mechanisms of Heat-Content Change in the North Atlantic, M. Susan Lozier , Susan Leadbetter , Richard G. Williams , Vassil Roussenov , Mark S. C. Reed , Nathan J. Moore , 08/02/08, Science: 800-803. Warming and cooling in different parts of the North Atlantic since 1950 reflects variable atmospheric circulation, complicating understanding of anthropogenic changes., DOI: 10.1126/science.1146436 - Direct and Indirect Effects of Resource Quality on Food Web Structure, Tibor Bukovinszky , F. J. Frank van Veen , Yde Jongema , Marcel Dicke , 08/02/08, Science: 804-807. Food webs that contain either Brussels sprouts or a wild Brassica relative have surprisingly large differences in structure and complexity, extending to three trophic levels. - Biomechanical Energy Harvesting: Generating Electricity During Walking with Minimal User Effort, J. M. Donelan , Q. Li, V. Naing , J. A. Hoffer , D. J. Weber , A. D. Kuo , 08/02/08, Science: 807-810. A knee-mounted device can generate several watts of power at the end of each leg swing in a process similar to regenerative braking in hybrid cars. - An Association Between the Kinship and Fertility of Human Couples, Agnar Helgason , Sn?bj?rn P?lsson , Dan?el F. Gu?bjartsson , ??r?ur Kristj?nsson , K?ri Stef?nsson , 08/02/08, Science : 813-816. The extensive genealogies of the Icelandic people show that couples who are 3rd or 4th cousins have more children and grandchildren than couples whose relationships are more or less distant. _________________________________________________________________ 20.02. Webcast Announcements 7th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 07/10/28-11/02 Reseau Nationale des Systemes Complexes , (in French), 2007 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 An Afternoon with Michael Crichton, Washington, 05/11/06 Illuminating the Shadow of the Future, Ann Arbor, Mi 05/09/23-25 Open Network of Centres of Excellence in Complex Systems - Brainstorming Meeting, Paris, France 05/09/19-23 Complexity, Science & Society Conference 2005, U. Liverpool, UK 2005/09/11-14 ECAL 2005 - VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life, Canterbury, Kent, UK 2005/09/5-9 T. Irene Sanders, Executive Director and Founder, The Washington Center for Complexity & Public Policy, 05/08/27, QuickTime video (10:38 min), Podcast 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 Understanding Complex Systems - Computational Complexity and Bioinformatics, Virtual Conference Network, Urbana-Champaign, Il, UIUC, 05/05/16-19 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 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 _________________________________________________________________ 20.03. Conference Announcements 8. Interdisziplinärer Salon für Europa [I.S.E.]. Thema: Struktur, Berlin, Germany, 08/02/26 The 1st Conf on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI-08), Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 08/03/01-03 The 3rd Intl Nonlinear Sciences Conference (INSC), Tokyo, Japan, 08/03/13-15 19th European Meeting On Cybernetics And Systems Research, (EMCSR 2008), Vienna, Austria, 08/03/25-28 2nd KES Intl Symp on Agent and Multi-Agent Systems : Technologies and Applications, Incheon, Korea, 08/03/26-28 Nexus for Change II, Bowling Green, OH, 08/03/29-04/01 2nd Applied Neuroscience Meeting, Monterrey, Mexico, 08/04/03-06 Fumee 1 - 1St Futures Meeting - Understanding Anticipatory Systems, Rovereto (Italy), 08/04/10-12 1st Intl Conf on Social Entrepreneurship & Complexity, Garden City, NY, USA, 08/04/10-12 Emergence In The Physical And Biological World: A Notion In Search Of Clarification, Erice (Italy), 08/04/12-16 BIO_IT World Conf & Expo, Boston, MA, 08/04/28/30 CHAOS2008 Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference, Chania, Crete, Greece, 08/06/03-06 International Conference on Chaos, Complexity & Conflict, Omaha, NE, 08/06/05-07 4th Organization Studies Summer Workshop: “Embracing Complexity: Advancing Ecological Understanding in Organization Studies”, Pissouri, Cyprus, 08/06/05-07 Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Tenth Annual... Applying Systems Biology, San Francisco, CA, 08/06/09-11 9th Intl Mathematica Symposium, Maastricht, The Netherlands, 08/06/20-24 The 14th Intl Conf on Auditory Display (ICAD), Paris, France, 08/06/24-27 7th Intl Summer School and Conf "Let's Face Chaos through Nonlinear Dynamics", Maribor, Slovenia, 08/06/29-07/13 The 12th World Multi-Conf on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics: WMSCI 2008, Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02 From Animals To Animats 10 - The 10th Intl Conf on the Simulation Of Adaptive Behavior (SAB'08), Osaka, Japan, 08/07/07-12 Complex Systems and Social Simulations, CEU Summer University, Budapest, Hungary, 08/07/07-18 Stochastic Resonance 2008, Perugia, Italy, 08/08/17-21 1st Intl Workshop on Nonlinear Dynamics and Synchronization (INDS’08), Klagenfurt, Austria, 08/07/18-19 Scratch@MIT,Cambridge, MA, 08/07/24-26 8th Intl Conf on Epigenetic Robotics: Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems, Brighton, UK, 08/07/31-08/02 _________________________________________________________________ 20.04. Other Announcements 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 Gottfried’s 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 _________________________________________________________________ Complexity Digest is an independent publication available to organizations that may wish to repost ComDig (http://comdig.unam.mx/) to their own mailing lists. ComDig (http://comdig.unam.mx/) is published by the Computer Sciences Department (http://turing.iimas.unam.mx/En/index.html ), IIMAS (http://www.iimas.unam.mx/ ) and the C3 (http://c3.fisica.unam.mx/ ) at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (http://www.unam.mx ) and edited by Carlos Gershenson (http://turing.iimas.unam.mx/~cgg/ ). To unsubscribe from this list, please go to http://comdig.unam.mx/subscriptions.php