The Local Information Dynamics of Distributed Computation in Complex Systems

The Local Information Dynamics of Distributed Computation in Complex Systems

Author: Joseph T. Lizier

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-11-06

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 3642329527

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The nature of distributed computation in complex systems has often been described in terms of memory, communication and processing. This thesis presents a complete information-theoretic framework to quantify these operations on information (i.e. information storage, transfer and modification), and in particular their dynamics in space and time. The framework is applied to cellular automata, and delivers important insights into the fundamental nature of distributed computation and the dynamics of complex systems (e.g. that gliders are dominant information transfer agents). Applications to several important network models, including random Boolean networks, suggest that the capability for information storage and coherent transfer are maximised near the critical regime in certain order-chaos phase transitions. Further applications to study and design information structure in the contexts of computational neuroscience and guided self-organisation underline the practical utility of the techniques presented here.


Criticality in Neural Systems

Criticality in Neural Systems

Author: Dietmar Plenz

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-04-14

Total Pages: 734

ISBN-13: 3527651020

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Neurowissenschaftler suchen nach Antworten auf die Fragen, wie wir lernen und Information speichern, welche Prozesse im Gehirn verantwortlich sind und in welchem Zeitrahmen diese ablaufen. Die Konzepte, die aus der Physik kommen und weiterentwickelt werden, können in Medizin und Soziologie, aber auch in Robotik und Bildanalyse Anwendung finden. Zentrales Thema dieses Buches sind die sogenannten kritischen Phänomene im Gehirn. Diese werden mithilfe mathematischer und physikalischer Modelle beschrieben, mit denen man auch Erdbeben, Waldbrände oder die Ausbreitung von Epidemien modellieren kann. Neuere Erkenntnisse haben ergeben, dass diese selbstgeordneten Instabilitäten auch im Nervensystem auftreten. Dieses Referenzwerk stellt theoretische und experimentelle Befunde internationaler Gehirnforschung vor zeichnet die Perspektiven dieses neuen Forschungsfeldes auf.


Computational Science and Its Applications - ICCSA 2004

Computational Science and Its Applications - ICCSA 2004

Author: Antonio Laganà

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2004-05-07

Total Pages: 1066

ISBN-13: 3540220607

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The natural mission of Computational Science is to tackle all sorts of human problems and to work out intelligent automata aimed at alleviating the b- den of working out suitable tools for solving complex problems. For this reason ComputationalScience,thoughoriginatingfromtheneedtosolvethemostch- lenging problems in science and engineering (computational science is the key player in the ?ght to gain fundamental advances in astronomy, biology, che- stry, environmental science, physics and several other scienti?c and engineering disciplines) is increasingly turning its attention to all ?elds of human activity. In all activities, in fact, intensive computation, information handling, kn- ledge synthesis, the use of ad-hoc devices, etc. increasingly need to be exploited and coordinated regardless of the location of both the users and the (various and heterogeneous) computing platforms. As a result the key to understanding the explosive growth of this discipline lies in two adjectives that more and more appropriately refer to Computational Science and its applications: interoperable and ubiquitous. Numerous examples of ubiquitous and interoperable tools and applicationsaregiveninthepresentfourLNCSvolumescontainingthecontri- tions delivered at the 2004 International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications (ICCSA 2004) held in Assisi, Italy, May 14–17, 2004.


Complexity and Criticality

Complexity and Criticality

Author: Kim Christensen

Publisher: Imperial College Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 186094504X

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This book provides a challenging and stimulating introduction to the contemporary topics of complexity and criticality, and explores their common basis of scale invariance, a central unifying theme of the book.Criticality refers to the behaviour of extended systems at a phase transition where scale invariance prevails. The many constituent microscopic parts bring about macroscopic phenomena that cannot be understood by considering a single part alone. The phenomenology of phase transitions is introduced by considering percolation, a simple model with a purely geometrical phase transition, thus enabling the reader to become intuitively familiar with concepts such as scale invariance and renormalisation. The Ising model is then introduced, which captures a thermodynamic phase transition from a disordered to an ordered system as the temperature is lowered in zero external field. By emphasising analogies between percolation and the Ising model, the reader's intuition of phase transitions is developed so that the underlying theoretical formalism may be appreciated fully. These equilibrium systems undergo a phase transition only if an external agent finely tunes certain external parameters to particular values.Besides fractals and phase transitions, there are many examples in Nature of the emergence of such complex behaviour in slowly driven non-equilibrium systems: earthquakes in seismic systems, avalanches in granular media and rainfall in the atmosphere. A class of non-equilibrium systems, not constrained by having to tune external parameters to obtain critical behaviour, is addressed in the framework of simple models, revealing that the repeated application of simple rules may spontaneously give rise to emergent complex behaviour not encoded in the rules themselves. The common basis of complexity and criticality is identified and applied to a range of non-equilibrium systems. Finally, the reader is invited to speculate whether self-organisation in non-equilibrium systems might be a unifying concept for disparate fields such as statistical mechanics, geophysics and atmospheric physics.Visit http: //www.complexityandcriticality.com for animations for the models in the book (available for Windows and Linux), solutions to exercises, as well as a list with corrections.


The Computational Beauty of Nature

The Computational Beauty of Nature

Author: Gary William Flake

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2000-01-27

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 9780262561273

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Gary William Flake develops in depth the simple idea that recurrent rules can produce rich and complicated behaviors. In this book Gary William Flake develops in depth the simple idea that recurrent rules can produce rich and complicated behaviors. Distinguishing "agents" (e.g., molecules, cells, animals, and species) from their interactions (e.g., chemical reactions, immune system responses, sexual reproduction, and evolution), Flake argues that it is the computational properties of interactions that account for much of what we think of as "beautiful" and "interesting." From this basic thesis, Flake explores what he considers to be today's four most interesting computational topics: fractals, chaos, complex systems, and adaptation. Each of the book's parts can be read independently, enabling even the casual reader to understand and work with the basic equations and programs. Yet the parts are bound together by the theme of the computer as a laboratory and a metaphor for understanding the universe. The inspired reader will experiment further with the ideas presented to create fractal landscapes, chaotic systems, artificial life forms, genetic algorithms, and artificial neural networks.


Reviews of Nonlinear Dynamics and Complexity

Reviews of Nonlinear Dynamics and Complexity

Author: Heinz Georg Schuster

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2010-07-06

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9783527630974

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Written in a style that breaks the barriers between the disciplines, this monograph enables researchers from life science, physics, engineering, or chemistry to access the most recent results in a common language. The resulting review character of this project sets it apart from specialized journals, and allows each volume to respond quickly to new developments. This third volume contains new topics ranging from chaotic computing, via random dice tossing and stochastic limit-cycle oscillators, to a number theoretic example of self-organized criticality, wave localization in complex networks and anomalous diffusion. A first-class board of international scientists advises the editor, such that the carefully selected and invited contributions represent the latest and most relevant findings.


Distributed Computing and Networking

Distributed Computing and Networking

Author: Soma Chaudhuri

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2006-12-14

Total Pages: 625

ISBN-13: 3540681396

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This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Distributed Computing and Networking, ICDCN 2006, held in Guwahati, India in December 2006. Coverage in this volume includes ad hoc networks, distributed computing and algorithms, security, grid and P2P computing, performance evaluation, internetworking protocols and applications, optical networks and multimedia, sensor networks, and wireless networks.


Computational Complexity and Statistical Physics

Computational Complexity and Statistical Physics

Author: Allon Percus

Publisher: OUP USA

Published: 2006-02-23

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 9780195177381

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Computer science and physics have been closely linked since the birth of modern computing. In recent years, an interdisciplinary area has blossomed at the junction of these fields, connecting insights from statistical physics with basic computational challenges. Researchers have successfully applied techniques from the study of phase transitions to analyze NP-complete problems such as satisfiability and graph coloring. This is leading to a new understanding of the structure of these problems, and of how algorithms perform on them. Computational Complexity and Statistical Physics will serve as a standard reference and pedagogical aid to statistical physics methods in computer science, with a particular focus on phase transitions in combinatorial problems. Addressed to a broad range of readers, the book includes substantial background material along with current research by leading computer scientists, mathematicians, and physicists. It will prepare students and researchers from all of these fields to contribute to this exciting area.