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Scooped by
Complexity Digest
March 28, 2021 2:02 PM
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Lambiotte, R & Schaub, M Complex networks are typically not homogeneous, as they tend to display an array of structures at different scales. A feature that has attracted a lot of research is their modular organisation, i.e., networks may often be considered as being composed of certain building blocks, or modules. In this book, we discuss a number of ways in which this idea of modularity can be conceptualised, focusing specifically on the interplay between modular network structure and dynamics taking place on a network. We discuss, in particular, how modular structure and symmetries may impact on network dynamics and, vice versa, how observations of such dynamics may be used to infer the modular structure. We also revisit several other notions of modularity that have been proposed for complex networks and show how these can be related to and interpreted from the point of view of dynamical processes on networks. Several references and pointers for further discussion and future work should inform practitioners and researchers, and may motivate further studies in this area at the core of Network Science. Download the book at: ora.ox.ac.uk
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Complexity Digest
February 25, 2021 2:01 PM
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How we became so burdened by red tape and unnecessary paperwork, and why we must do better.
We've all had to fight our way through administrative sludge--filling out complicated online forms, mailing in paperwork, standing in line at the motor vehicle registry. This kind of red tape is a nuisance, but, as Cass Sunstein shows in Sludge, it can also also impair health, reduce growth, entrench poverty, and exacerbate inequality. Confronted by sludge, people just give up--and lose a promised outcome: a visa, a job, a permit, an educational opportunity, necessary medical help. In this lively and entertaining look at the terribleness of sludge, Sunstein explains what we can do to reduce it.
Because of sludge, Sunstein, explains, too many people don't receive benefits to which they are entitled. Sludge even prevents many people from exercising their constitutional rights--when, for example, barriers to voting in an election are too high. (A Sludge Reduction Act would be a Voting Rights Act.) Sunstein takes readers on a tour of the not-so-wonderful world of sludge, describes justifications for certain kinds of sludge, and proposes "Sludge Audits" as a way to measure effects of sludge. On balance, Sunstein argues, sludge infringes on human dignity, making people feel that their time and even their lives don't matter. We must do better. Preorder at: www.amazon.com
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Complexity Digest
February 4, 2021 11:43 AM
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Scriptinformatics, in other words, scriptological informatics or computational scriptology, as a branch of applied computer science (informatics), deals with the investigation concerning the evolution of graphemes in various scripts and with the exploration of relationships between scripts, where the scripts could be any sequence of symbols of cultural origin, such as historical writing systems or urban graffiti. In a scriptinformatic research, the machine learning, artificial intelligence and bioinformatics tools are used (Hosszú 2010a; Hosszú 2017). It deals with phylogenetic (phyletic) modelling, developing the necessary algorithms and the phenetic, evolutionary and statistical analyses of features of the studied scripts (Hosszú 2014b; Hosszú 2019: 120). Read the full book at: real.mtak.hu
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Complexity Digest
January 5, 2021 12:21 PM
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During this year 2020, and for the first time in the history of the series of Conferences sponsored by the Complex Systems Society, the CCS series, the annual meeting was organized virtually in the period December 7-11, 2020 and the young researchers CCS2020 Warm Up sessions on December 4, 2020. This Conference is in line with the series of meetings previously held in Singapore (2019), Thessaloniki, Greece (2018), Cancun, Mexico (2017), Amsterdam, Netherlands (2016), Tempe, Arizona, USA (2015), Lucca, Italy (2014), and more meetings in previous years. All these past meetings have delivered the highest quality of presentations, the most up-to-date findings, have been attended by the pioneers in the field of Complex Systems, as well by young aspiring students, numbering an attendance of close to one thousand. Our purpose is to deliver a well-tailored and focused event of the highest scientific and organizational standards, and for the first time in this online mode. We all for sure missed the warmth and cordiality that has been the tradition of past CCS meetings, but in view of the current world situation we were forced to this unprecedented step of meeting online. We all hope that next year we will return to the classical physical meetings that we all know. This year’s meeting was organized by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. It was attended by ~600 scientists from ~60 different countries spanning ~18 different time zones. It comprised of four (4) full days of 17 plenary and invited presentations, and ~350 contributed oral, ignite, and poster presentations. Additionally, there was one (1) day of 16 satellite meetings, with over ~100 presentations. Here in this volume are given the abstracts of these presentations in the four regular days. Furthermore, during this annual meeting we had some exciting special sessions that attracted interest. These included a presentation of journals from the European Physical Society and other publishers that specialize in Complexity topics. A session was given on funding opportunities by the European Commission. A round-table discussion took place with the subject of Covid-19 and Complexity. Finally, the annual presentation of awards took place, to honor members of our community who have given outstanding contributions to our field. Due to the online mode of presentations all events were recorded and are available to all participants. On behalf of the Organizing Committee Panos Argyrakis, Chairman of CCS2020 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4419178
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Complexity Digest
October 23, 2020 3:05 PM
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This is the book of Abstracts from the 2018 Conference on Complex Systems held in Thessaloniki, Greece, 23-28 September, 2018. With this DOI reference any abstract in the CCS2018 Conference can be referenced in other future publications, and easily located as a citation by any other scientists. It is planned for CCS2020 to also publish the Book of Abstracts in the same way. In order for your abstract to be included please note that it must conform exactly with the instructions as given in the CCS2020 Website.
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Complexity Digest
September 23, 2020 12:41 PM
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An up-to-date overview of the field of connectomics, introducing concepts and mechanisms underlying brain network change at different stages.
The human brain undergoes massive changes during its development, from early childhood and the teenage years to adulthood and old age. Across a wide range of species, from C. elegans and fruit flies to mice, monkeys, and humans, information about brain connectivity (connectomes) at different stages is now becoming available. New approaches in network neuroscience can be used to analyze the topological, spatial, and dynamical organization of such connectomes. In Changing Connectomes, Marcus Kaiser provides an up-to-date overview of the field of connectomics and introduces concepts and mechanisms underlying brain network changes during evolution and development. Drawing on a range of results from experimental, clinical, and computational studies, Kaiser describes changes during healthy brain maturation and during brain network disorders (including such neurodevelopmental conditions as schizophrenia and depression), brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders including dementia. He argues that brain stimulation is an area where understanding connectome development could help in assessing long-term effects of interventions. Changing Connectomes is a suitable starting point for researchers who are new to the field of connectomics, and also for researchers who are interested in the link between brain network organization and brain and cognitive development in health and disease. Matlab/Octave code examples available at the MIT Press website will allow computational neuroscience researchers to understand and extend the shown mechanisms of connectome development.
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Complexity Digest
August 8, 2020 4:53 PM
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A piercing and scientifically grounded look at the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and how it will change the way we live.
Apollo's Arrow offers a riveting account of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as it swept through American society in 2020, and of how the recovery will unfold in the coming years. Drawing on momentous (yet dimly remembered) historical epidemics, contemporary analyses, and cutting-edge research from a range of scientific disciplines, bestselling author, physician, sociologist, and public health expert Nicholas A. Christakis explores what it means to live in a time of plague — an experience that is paradoxically uncommon to the vast majority of humans who are alive, yet deeply fundamental to our species.
Unleashing new divisions in our society as well as opportunities for cooperation, this 21st-century pandemic has upended our lives in ways that will test, but not vanquish, our already frayed collective culture. Featuring new, provocative arguments and vivid examples ranging across medicine, history, sociology, epidemiology, data science, and genetics, Apollo's Arrow envisions what happens when the great force of a deadly germ meets the enduring reality of our evolved social nature.
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Complexity Digest
July 24, 2020 10:08 AM
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Editors: Josh Bongard, Juniper Lovato, Laurent Hebert-Dufrésne, Radhakrishna Dasari and Lisa Soros This volume presents the proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Artificial Life (ALIFE 2020) which took place online July 13-18. Originally scheduled to be held in Montreal, Canada, this was the first time our conference had been conducted in this manner. Of course, our community was not alone: just about every human community has had to adapt to the covid-19 pandemic and its repercussions. It is difficult to avoid seeing the irony in this: Artificial Life researchers have declared, since the field’s inception at a small workshop at Los Alamos in 1987, that we wish to understand how life adapts to unforeseen circumstances. Further, we wish to incorporate learned mechanisms of adaptation into our technologies and, possibly, our societies. Put simply, Artificial Life invites us to think and learn about adaptation; SARS-CoV-2 forces us to adapt. More simple yet: ALife is theory; COVID is practice. There is a long tradition in our field of peering at our computer screens or into our petri dishes, waiting with bated breath to see what new forms emerge. Likewise for the post-pandemic world. Whatever does emerge from the conference, and from the pandemic — and whether we learn from it, and whether we use that knowledge to benefit each other — it is our honor to be part of the adventure with you.
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Complexity Digest
June 19, 2020 1:16 PM
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Imagine living in a city where people could move freely and buildings could be replaced at minimal cost. Reality cannot be further from such. Despite this imperfect world in which we live, urban planning has become integral and critical especially in the face of rapid urbanization in many developing and developed countries. This book introduces the axiomatic/experimental approach to urban planning and addresses the criticism of the lack of a theoretical foundation in urban planning. With the rise of the complexity movement, the book is timely in its depiction of cities as complex systems and explains why planning from within is useful in the face of urban complexity. It also includes policy implications for the Chinese cities in the context of axiomatic/experimental planning theory.
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Complexity Digest
June 13, 2020 9:29 AM
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Gary W. Miller The Exposome: A New Paradigm for the Environment and Health, Second Edition, is a thoroughly expanded and updated edition of The Exposome: A Primer, the first book dedicated to the topic. This new release outlines the purpose and scope of this emerging field of study, its practical applications, and how it complements a broad range of disciplines. The book contains sections on -omics-based technologies, newer detection methods, managing and integrating exposome data (including maps, models, computation and systems biology), and more. Both students and scientists in toxicology, environmental health, epidemiology and public health will benefit from this rigorous, yet readable, overview. This updated edition includes a more in-depth examination of the exposome, including full references, further reading and thought questions.
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Scooped by
Complexity Digest
May 19, 2020 1:48 PM
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Edited by Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Michael K. Lemke, and Kristen Hassmiller Lich - The first comprehensive book integrating complex systems theory, methodology and modeling, with current population health practices
- An instructional primer including learning objectives, take-home messages, and resources for further reading
- Makes complex systems approachable for university professors, graduate students, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners of population health
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Scooped by
Complexity Digest
March 7, 2020 3:08 PM
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The book investigates the misapplication of conventional statistical techniques to fat tailed distributions and looks for remedies, when possible.
Switching from thin tailed to fat tailed distributions requires more than "changing the color of the dress". Traditional asymptotics deal mainly with either n=1 or n=∞, and the real world is in between, under of the "laws of the medium numbers" --which vary widely across specific distributions. Both the law of large numbers and the generalized central limit mechanisms operate in highly idiosyncratic ways outside the standard Gaussian or Levy-Stable basins of convergence.
A few examples:
+ The sample mean is rarely in line with the population mean, with effect on "naive empiricism", but can be sometimes be estimated via parametric methods.
+ The "empirical distribution" is rarely empirical.
+ Parameter uncertainty has compounding effects on statistical metrics.
+ Dimension reduction (principal components) fails.
+ Inequality estimators (GINI or quantile contributions) are not additive and produce wrong results.
+ Many "biases" found in psychology become entirely rational under more sophisticated probability distributions
+ Most of the failures of financial economics, econometrics, and behavioral economics can be attributed to using the wrong distributions.
This book, the first volume of the Technical Incerto, weaves a narrative around published journal articles.
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Suggested by
Fil Menczer
February 4, 2020 4:17 PM
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The book A First Course in Network Science by CNetS faculty members Filippo Menczer and Santo Fortunato and CNetS PhD graduate Clayton A. Davis was recently published by Cambridge University Press. This textbook introduces the basics of network science for a wide range of job sectors from management to marketing, from biology to engineering, and from neuroscience to the social sciences. Extensive tutorials, datasets, and homework problems provide plenty of hands-on practice. The book has been endorsed as “Rigorous” (Alessandro Vespignani), “comprehensive… indispensable” (Olaf Sporns), “with remarkable clarity and insight” (Brian Uzzi), “accessible” (Albert-László Barabási), “amazing… extraordinary” (Alex Arenas), and “sophisticated yet introductory… an excellent introduction that is also eminently practical” (Stephen Borgatti). It was ranked by Amazon #1 among new releases in mathematical physics.
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Complexity Digest
March 12, 2021 4:24 PM
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People often feel that they can intuitively recognize whether something is alive, but nature is filled with entities that flout easy categorization as life or non-life — and the challenge may intensify as other planets and moons open up to exploration. In this excerpt from his new book, Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive, published today, the science writer Carl Zimmer discusses scientists’ frustrated efforts to develop a universal definition of life. Read the full article at: www.quantamagazine.org
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Complexity Digest
February 5, 2021 1:34 PM
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Scooped by
Complexity Digest
February 3, 2021 3:09 PM
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This is the first comprehensive overview of the 'science of science,' an emerging interdisciplinary field that relies on big data to unveil the reproducible patterns that govern individual scientific careers and the workings of science. It explores the roots of scientific impact, the role of productivity and creativity, when and what kind of collaborations are effective, the impact of failure and success in a scientific career, and what metrics can tell us about the fundamental workings of science. The book relies on data to draw actionable insights, which can be applied by individuals to further their career or decision makers to enhance the role of science in society. With anecdotes and detailed, easy-to-follow explanations of the research, this book is accessible to all scientists and graduate students, policymakers, and administrators with an interest in the wider scientific enterprise. Get it at: www.amazon.com
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Complexity Digest
October 25, 2020 1:01 PM
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How Humans Judge Machines is a peer-reviewed book comparing people’s reactions to human and machine actions. Through dozens of experiments, it brings us closer to understanding when people judge humans and machines differently, and why.
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Complexity Digest
October 21, 2020 3:30 PM
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In Rise of the Self-Replicators we delve into the deep history of thought about machines, AI and robots that can reproduce and evolve. Although these might seem like very modern concepts, we show that people were thinking about them as far back as the mid-1600s and that the discussion gathered pace in the 1800s following the British Industrial Revolution and the publication of Darwin's On The Origin of Species. Behind all of the work we discuss lie two central questions: - Is it possible to design robots and other machines that can reproduce and evolve just like biological organisms do?
- And, if so, what are the implications: for the machines, for ourselves, for our environment, and for the future of life on Earth and elsewhere?
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Scooped by
Complexity Digest
August 18, 2020 4:02 PM
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With the recent developments in computing technologies and the thriving research scene in Complexity Science, economists and other social scientists have become aware of a more flexible and promising alternative for modelling socioeconomic systems; one that, in contrast with neoclassical economics, advocates for the realism of the assumptions, the importance of context and culture, the heterogeneity of agents (individuals or organisations), and the bounded rationality of individuals who behave and learn in multifaceted ways in uncertain environments. The book synthesises an extensive body of work in the field of social complexity and constructs a unifying framework that allows developing concrete applications to important socioeconomic problems. This one-of-a-kind textbook provides a comprehensive panorama for advanced undergraduates and graduate students who want to become familiar with a wide range of issues related to social complexity. It is also a pioneering text that can support professors who wish to learn techniques and produce research in this novel field.
After reviewing the main concepts, premises and implications of complexity theory, the book frames this vision within the history of economic thought. Then, it articulates a meta-theory in which interdependent agents are embedded in a social context and whose collective and decentralised behaviour generates socio-economic phenomena. Such a framework builds on theories from evolutionary, institutional and behavioural economics, as well as analytical sociology. The book then reviews different computational tools for modelling complex adaptive systems, such as cellular automata, networks, and agent-based models. It elaborates on their analytical advantages in comparison to equation-based models, and how they can be calibrated/estimated and validated with empirical data. Finally, the book advocates for the practical use of these computational tools and makes a case for policy applications and the study of causal mechanisms.
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Complexity Digest
August 6, 2020 4:42 PM
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Taylor, Tim, Dorin, Alan Is it possible to design robots and other machines that can reproduce and evolve? And, if so, what are the implications: for the machines, for ourselves, for our environment, and for the future of life on Earth and elsewhere?
In this book the authors provide a chronological survey and comprehensive archive of the early history of thought about machine self-reproduction and evolution. They discuss contributions from philosophy, science fiction, science and engineering, and uncover many examples that have never been discussed in the Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Life literature before now. In the final chapter they provide a synthesis of the concepts discussed, offer their views on the field’s future directions, and call for a broad community discussion about the significant implications of intelligent evolving machines.
The book will be of interest to general readers, and a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and historians engaged with ideas in artificial intelligence, artificial life, robotics, and evolutionary computing.
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Complexity Digest
June 19, 2020 2:10 PM
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The Idea of the Brain: A History. Matthew Cobb. Profile (2020) The Idea of the Brain puts our current predicament in context and synthesizes much that needs attention. It is a very good book. It could have done more in a time when science is coming to terms with the limitations of the straight, white, wealthy, Western, non-disabled, male perspective. But I hope it provokes contemplation about why certain metaphors linger, where they come from, how they persist, and in what ways they burden us with the invisible assumptions of past cultures.
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Complexity Digest
June 14, 2020 9:31 AM
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Edited by Alex Pentland, Alexander Lipton, and Thomas Hardjono
With each major crisis, be it war, pandemic, or major new technology, there has been a need to reinvent the relationships between individuals, businesses, and governments. Today's pandemic, joined with the tsunami of data, crypto and AI technologies, is such a crisis. Consequently the critical question for today is: what sort institutions should we be creating both to help us past this crisis and to make us less vulnerable to the next crisis? This book lays out a vision of what we should build, covering not only how to reforge our societies' social contract but also how institutions, systems, infrastructure, and law should change in support of this new order. We invite your comments and suggestions on both the ideas and the presentation, preferably by June 1, 2020 when we will move to make the book more widely available.
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Suggested by
Ana Teixeira de Melo
June 2, 2020 3:12 PM
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In the face of growing challenges, we need modes of thinking that allow us to not only grasp complexity but also perform it. In this book, the author approaches complexity from the standpoint of a relational worldview. The author recasts complex thinking as a mode of coupling between an observer and the world. Further, she explores the process and outcome of that coupling, namely, meaningful information that may have transformative effects and impact the management of change in the ‘real world’. The author presents a new framework for operationalising complex thinking in a set of dimensions and properties through which it may be enacted. This framework may inform the development and coordination of new tools and strategies to support the practice and evaluation of complex thinking across a variety of domains. Intended for a wide interdisciplinary audience of academics, practitioners and policymakers alike, the book is an invitation to pursue inter- and transdisciplinary dialogues and collaborations.
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Complexity Digest
May 18, 2020 2:43 PM
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A clear, concise introduction to the quickly growing field of complexity science that explains its conceptual and mathematical foundations
What is a complex system? Although “complexity science” is used to understand phenomena as diverse as the behavior of honeybees, the economic markets, the human brain, and the climate, there is no agreement about its foundations. In this introduction for students, academics, and general readers, philosopher of science James Ladyman and physicist Karoline Wiesner develop an account of complexity that brings the different concepts and mathematical measures applied to complex systems into a single framework. They introduce the different features of complex systems, discuss different conceptions of complexity, and develop their own account. They explain why complexity science is so important in today’s world.
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Complexity Digest
February 18, 2020 3:58 PM
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This book aims to contribute to the overall, integrated understanding of the processes of language contact and their evolution, be they the result of political or economic (dis)integrations or migrations or for technological reasons. Via an interdisciplinary, holistic approach, it also aims to support the theoretical grounding of a unified, common sociolinguistic paradigm, based on an ecological and complexity perspective. This approach built on the fact that linguistic structures do not live in isolation from their social functions and must be situated in relation to the sub-and supra-systems that determine their existence if we are to understand their fortunes. It is a useful contribution to understanding and promoting the processes of linguistic revitalization in the world, combining at the same time the maintenance and development of diversity while ensuring the intercommunication of human species.
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