Contents - Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme
Contents - Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme
Contents - Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme
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modeling(HansBraun,DmitryPostnov),andbiomedicaltimeseriesanalysis(GermanGomez-Herrero,<br />
ErnestoPereda). Amongthespecictopicscovered,someofthetalksdealtwiththeapplicationof<br />
complex-network approaches to characterize and understand the structural basis of brain dynamics<br />
andtheresultingfunctionalconnectivityproles(M.Chavez,C.Stam,M.Valencia,A.Diaz-Guilera,<br />
V.Eguiluz,A.Arenas,S.Boccaletti). Anothergroupoftalksemphasizedcriticalityandpercolation<br />
ascrucialcharacteristicsofbrainactivity(M.Breakspear, W.Shew, J.Soriano). Theexistenceof<br />
synchronization-basedcorrelatesofneurologicaldiseasewasdiscussedbyW.Singer, F.Maestu, O.<br />
Rosso, A.J.Pons, andF.Amor. Thecomputationalcapabilitiesofthebrainwereanalyzedfrom<br />
dierentperspectivesinthetalksofA.Villa,G.Pipa,F.Sommer,K.Obermeyer,J.Cabessa,andR.<br />
Vicente.Therelevanceofoscillatoryactivityintimeand/orspaceforthecorrectoperationofthebrain<br />
wasdiscussedbyG.Laurent,T.Siapas,E.Niebur,M.Sanchez-Vives,andK.Takahashi. Theoretical<br />
studiesofdierentaspectsofsynchronizationinneuronalmodelswerereportedbyL.Schimansky-Geier,<br />
H.Braun, A.Pikovsky,D.Postnov,andE.Ullner. ThetalksbyG.Gomez-HerreroandE.Pereda<br />
providedanoverviewoftechniquesthatallowustodeterminecorrelationandcausalityinthefunctional<br />
activity of the brain. The importance of neuroimaging in monitoring the brain at the appropriate<br />
temporalandspatialscaleswasdiscussedbyR.Goebel. Thepotentialofanesthesiaasabrainstate<br />
adequateforthestudyofglobalbrainactivitywasdescribedbyB.Scheller,whileI.Fischerproposed<br />
acrossfertilizationstudybetweenlaserdynamicsandneuronsthatwouldallowustounderstandnew<br />
mechanismsleadingtoparticularsynchronizationmechanisms. Averystimulatingcollectionofposters<br />
wasalsopresentedintheconference,anddiscussedduringthreededicatedsessionsintheconference<br />
program. Awidevarietyoftopicsfollowingthemainthemesdescribedinthepreviousparagraphwere<br />
presentedintheposters. Additionally,aroundtablediscussionwasdevotedtoexchangeopinionson<br />
thefactorsthatmostlikelydeterminethecollectiveactivityofahealthybrain,theroleoftheoretical<br />
modelinginlinkingthesefactorswithexperimentaldata,andtheimportanceofnonlinearityandnoise<br />
inbrainactivity. Insummary,theworkshopBSYNC09providedasettinginwhichexperimentalistsand<br />
theoreticians,andresearchersattheneuronalandmacroscopicscalesofthebrain,exchangedideas,<br />
comparedviewsandsharedgoalsonwhatmechanismsunderliethenormalcoordinatedfunctionof<br />
thebrain. Informalfeedbackfromparticipantsshowedthattheywereverysatisedwiththemeeting,<br />
andwereinterestedinrepeatingtheexperienceagain. Clearlythe mpipksisanexcellentsettingfor<br />
theexchangeofinterdisciplinaryideas,andweareverythankfulforthesupportreceivedfromtheinstitute.<br />
TCS-Program:150yearsafterDarwin:Frommolecularevolutiontolanguage,Workshop<br />
Scientificcoordinators:J.A.Cuesta,S.C.Manrubia,A.J.McKane<br />
Thetheoryofevolutionhaspermeatedourlivesinmanydifferentways. Beyondbiology,manyother<br />
disciplines use not only the metaphors of evolution and adaptation, but also formal mechanisms<br />
analogoustothoseproposedbyCharlesDarwinahundredandfiftyyearsago. Thepublicationof“On<br />
theoriginofspecies”wascommemoratedin2009,togetherwiththeanniversaryofDarwin´sin1809.<br />
TheseriesTrendsinComplexSystemsprovidedanidealscenariotobringtogetherresearchersfromthe<br />
varietyofdisciplineswhichnowusetheevolutionaryparadigm. Themaingoaloftheworkshopwasto<br />
reviewprogressanddifferentviewpoints,tolearnfromeachother,andtoinitiatenewtransdisciplinary<br />
collaborations. Duringthefivedaysoftheworkshoptherewereinterestingpresentationsfrommany<br />
attheforefrontofinternationalresearch. Theworkshophadaconceptualtime-linethatspannedfrom<br />
theoriginoflife—andthingsthatDarwinwouldhavelikedtoknow—aspresentedbyJuliPeretóin<br />
theopeningtalk,tolinguisticevolutionandtheoriginsoflanguage,anissuediscussedbyLucSteelsin<br />
theclosingtalkoftheconference. Inbetween,sessionsontheemergenceofbiologicalcomplexityand<br />
howevolutionandadaptationcanbemathematicallyformulated,ontheroleofgamesandcooperation,<br />
andonevolutionaryeconomics,tookplace. Therewereespeciallynoteworthycontributionsdiscussing<br />
thepatternsthatunderlieadaptiveradiation(SergeyGavrilets),therelevanceofselectioningenealogy<br />
(Bernard Derrida), and the intricacies of biological cheating and its feedback mechanisms (Peter<br />
Hammerstein).Movingtotheinterplaybetweenevolutionandhumansocieties,challengingissuessuch<br />
asinformationtransmissionamonghumans(BruceEdmonds),theco-evolutionofgenesandculture<br />
(HerbertGintis),themotorsoflinguisticchange(WilliamCroft)andexcitingproposalsontheglobal<br />
worldeconomyandclimatechangebasedonouruseofenergy(GeraldSilverberg)wereelaboratedon.<br />
Itwasespeciallywelcometoseeyoungresearcherspresentclearandcompellingsummariesofwork<br />
intheirarea. InthiscontextwewouldmentiontheinvitedtalkbyArneTraulsen,aswellasmany<br />
contributedtalks,suchastheonebyRichardBlythe.Theconferenceprovidedaninspiringenvironment<br />
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