@article {Valverde2020, title = {Boolean Networks and Their Applications in Science and Engineering}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2020}, year = {2020}, pages = {3}, type = {10.1155/2020/6183798}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6183798}, author = {Valverde, Jose C. and Mortveit, Henning S. and Gershenson, Carlos and Shi, Yongtang} } @article {10.7717/peerj.8533, title = {Ecosystem antifragility: beyond integrity and resilience}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, pages = {e8533}, abstract = {We review the concept of ecosystem resilience in its relation to ecosystem integrity from an information theory approach. We summarize the literature on the subject identifying three main narratives: ecosystem properties that enable them to be more resilient; ecosystem response to perturbations; and complexity. We also include original ideas with theoretical and quantitative developments with application examples. The main contribution is a new way to rethink resilience, that is mathematically formal and easy to evaluate heuristically in real-world applications: ecosystem antifragility. An ecosystem is antifragile if it benefits from environmental variability. Antifragility therefore goes beyond robustness or resilience because while resilient/robust systems are merely perturbation-resistant, antifragile structures not only withstand stress but also benefit from it.}, keywords = {Antifragility, Complexity, Ecosystem integrity, Resilience}, issn = {2167-8359}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.8533}, url = {https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8533}, author = {Equihua, Miguel and Espinosa Aldama, Mariana and Gershenson, Carlos and L{\'o}pez-Corona, Oliver and Mungu{\'\i}a, Mariana and P{\'e}rez-Maqueo, Octavio and Ram{\'\i}rez-Carrillo, Elvia} } @article {Mityagin2020, title = {Forecasting of Population Narcotization under the Implementation of a Drug Use Reduction Policy}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2020}, number = {9135024}, year = {2020}, pages = {1{\textendash}14}, abstract = {In this paper, we present an approach to drug addiction simulation and forecasting in the medium and long terms in cities having a high population density and a high rate of social communication. Drug addiction forecasting is one of the basic components of the antidrug policy, giving informational and analytic support both at the regional and at the governmental level. However, views on the drug consumption problem vary in different regions, and as a consequence, several approaches to antidrug policy implementation exist. Thereby, notwithstanding the fact that the phenomenology of the population narcotization process is similar in the different regions, approaches to the modeling of drug addiction may also substantially differ for different kinds of antidrug policies. This paper presents a survey of the available antidrug policies and the corresponding approaches to the simulation of population narcotization. This article considers the approach to the construction of the regression model of anesthesia on the main components formed on the basis of indicators of social and economic development. The substantiation of the chosen method is given, which is associated with a significant correlation of indicators, which characterizes the presence of a small number of superfactors. This allows us to form a conclusion about the general level of development of the region as the main factor determining the drug addiction. A new model is proposed for one of the most widespread antidrug policies, namely, the drug use reduction policy. The model helps determine the significant factors of population narcotization and allows to estimate its damage. The model is tested successfully using St. Petersburg data.}, doi = {10.1155/2020/9135024}, author = {Mityagin, Sergey and Gershenson, Carlos and Boukhanovsky, Alexander} } @article {10.3389/frobt.2020.00041, title = {Guiding the Self-Organization of Cyber-Physical Systems}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, volume = {7}, year = {2020}, pages = {41}, abstract = {Self-organization offers a promising approach for designing adaptive systems. Given the inherent complexity of most cyber-physical systems, adaptivity is desired, as predictability is limited. Here I summarize different concepts and approaches that can facilitate self-organization in cyber-physical systems, and thus be exploited for design. Then I mention real-world examples of systems where self-organization has managed to provide solutions that outperform classical approaches, in particular related to urban mobility. Finally, I identify when a centralized, distributed, or self-organizing control is more appropriate.}, issn = {2296-9144}, doi = {10.3389/frobt.2020.00041}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frobt.2020.00041}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos} } @proceedings {185, title = {On two information-theoretic measures of random fuzzy networks}, volume = {32}, year = {2020}, month = {2020/07/27}, pages = {623{\textendash}625}, doi = {10.1162/isal_a_00342}, url = {https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/isal_a_00342}, author = {Zapata, Octavio and Kim, Hyobin and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {Hernandez2019, title = {Anger while driving in Mexico City}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, volume = {14}, number = {9}, year = {2019}, month = {09}, pages = {1-20}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, abstract = {This study aims to analyze the level of anger developed by drivers in Mexico City and also understand the behavior that those drivers use to express that anger, using four different survey methods. The first focuses on personal information, the second Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX), the third refers to a shorten version of Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the fourth being the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI). These have previously been applied and validated in several different countries. The questionnaires were filled out online by 626 drivers. Using the data collected through the online platform, it was possible to identify the kind of reactions volunteers displayed while driving. Also, it was possible to identify that people in Mexico City developed anger depending on their driving area. Our analyses shows that in the Adaptive/Constructive Expression subscale, males and females show a significant difference in their mean score, with women express their anger in a more constructive way than males.}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0223048}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223048}, author = {Hern{\'a}ndez-Hern{\'a}ndez, Ana Mar{\'\i}a and Siqueiros-Garc{\'\i}a, Jes{\'u}s M. and Robles-Belmont, Eduardo and Gershenson, Carlos} } @unpublished {CxExplicada2019, title = {Complejidad Explicada}, year = {2019}, note = {Traducci{\'o}n de {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Complexity Explained{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}}, url = {https://complexityexplained.github.io}, author = {Valerie C. Valerio Holgu{\'\i}n and Carlos Gershenson and Jos{\'e} Luis Herrera and Johann H. Mart{\'\i}nez and Manuel Rueda Santos and Oliver L{\'o}pez Corona and Guillermo de Anda J{\'a}uregui and Gerardo I{\~n}iguez and Alfredo J. Morales Guzm{\'a}n and Jos{\'e} R. Nicol{\'a}s Carlock} } @unpublished {ComplexityExplained, title = {Complexity Explained: A Grassroot Collaborative Initiative to Create a Set of Essential Concepts of Complex Systems.}, year = {2019}, note = {https://complexityexplained.github.io}, abstract = {Complexity science, also called complex systems science, studies how a large collection of components {\textendash} locally interacting with each other at small scales {\textendash} can spontaneously self-organize to exhibit non-trivial global structures and behaviors at larger scales, often without external intervention, central authorities or leaders. The properties of the collection may not be understood or predicted from the full knowledge of its constituents alone. Such a collection is called a complex system and it requires new mathematical frameworks and scientific methodologies for its investigation.}, doi = {10.17605/OSF.IO/TQGNW}, url = {https://complexityexplained.github.io}, author = {Manlio De Domenico and Chico Camargo and Carlos Gershenson and Daniel Goldsmith and Sabine Jeschonnek and Lorren Kay and Stefano Nichele and Jos{\'e} Nicol{\'a}s and Thomas Schmickl and Massimo Stella and Josh Brandoff and {\'A}ngel Jos{\'e} Mart{\'\i}nez Salinas and Hiroki Sayama} } @article {Escobar2019, title = {Effects of Antimodularity and Multiscale Influence in Random Boolean Networks}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2019}, year = {2019}, pages = {14}, type = {10.1155/2019/8209146}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8209146}, author = {Escobar, Luis A. and Kim, Hyobin and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007517, title = {Efficient sentinel surveillance strategies for preventing epidemics on networks}, journal = {PLOS Computational Biology}, volume = {15}, number = {11}, year = {2019}, month = {11}, pages = {1-19}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, abstract = {Author summary In a network of individuals susceptible to some infectious disease, what are the best locations to monitor in order to detect the infection before most damage can be done? In this paper we address this question by considering various heuristic strategies for sentinel placement that can potentially be implemented in real-world situations without requiring excessive amounts of computation, or even having perfect data about the structure of the network. We find that strategies that attempt to distribute sentinels over different regions of the network perform best in highly modular or spatially embedded networks, whereas the strategy of targeting the most well connected individuals works best when there is a considerable amount of contact heterogeneity between individuals. Our results may be used as a guideline to help decide when certain strategies should, or should not, be implemented.}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007517}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007517}, author = {Colman, Ewan and Holme, Petter and Sayama, Hiroki and Gershenson, Carlos} } @proceedings {211, title = {El S{\'\i}ndrome de los Datos Ricos e Informaci{\'o}n Pobre en Deportes de Competici{\'o}n: Perspectiva desde las Ciencias Computacionales y Ciencia de Datos}, year = {2019}, address = {Pachuca, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {La gran capacidad existente de capturar datos, conlleva la subsecuente responsabilidad de producir informaci{\'o}n confiable, verificable y auditable para la toma de decisiones. En el futbol, la existencia de compa{\~n}{\'\i}as y plataformas con capacidad de medir un sinn{\'u}mero de variables de desempe{\~n}o, ha generado una explosi{\'o}n de datos de dif{\'\i}cil interpretaci{\'o}n. En este sentido, las dificultades relativas al an{\'a}lisis y visualizaci{\'o}n de estos datos, ha derivado en el {\textquotedblleft}S{\'\i}ndrome de los datos ricos e informaci{\'o}n pobre{\textquotedblright}. En este contexto, esta pl{\'a}tica se centra en evaluar las lecciones aprendidas y las perspectivas futuras en el manejo de datos en el futbol, desde una perspectiva computacional y de ciencia de datos. Nuestro enfoque metodol{\'o}gico, parte de la evaluaci{\'o}n de los formatos en que se produce los datos y los tipos de reportes generados para distintos tipos de usuarios. Planteamos una forma adecuada de manejar e interpretar m{\'u}ltiples variables con soporte en t{\'e}cnicas de aprendizaje autom{\'a}tico, con t{\'e}cnicas de ordenaci{\'o}n y clasificaci{\'o}n para discriminar los factores y variables que tienen mayor contribuci{\'o}n en el juego. Finalmente, brindamos informaci{\'o}n sobre perspectivas novedosas para el modelado de los eventos espacio-temporales, que tienen lugar en los partidos, como la aplicaci{\'o}n desde la ciencia de redes, redes de latencia y modelos de gravitaci{\'o}n para el modelado. Nuestra perspectiva computacional y de ciencia de datos brinda la posibilidad de mejores visualizaciones, con el prop{\'o}sito de simplificar el gran n{\'u}mero de dimensiones y categor{\'\i}as que se inspeccionan en el futbol. De esta forma, nos enfocamos en las interacciones relevantes del juego, que dar{\'\i}an soporte a una mejor toma de decisiones por parte de distintos tipos de usuarios, como jugadores, entrenadores y directivos.}, author = {Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and Mart{\'\i}n Zumaya and Carlos Gershenson} } @unpublished {SAT2019, title = {Evasi{\'o}n en IVA: An{\'a}lisis de redes}, year = {2019}, note = {Estudio contratado por el SAT}, url = {http://omawww.sat.gob.mx/gobmxtransparencia/Paginas/documentos/estudio_opiniones/Evasion_en_IVA_Analisis_de_Redes.pdf}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Gerardo I{\~n}iguez and Carlos Pineda and Rita Guerrero and Eduardo Islas and Omar Pineda and Mart{\'\i}n Zumaya} } @article {Kim2019, title = {A Multilayer Structure Facilitates the Production of Antifragile Systems in Boolean Network Models}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2019}, year = {2019}, pages = {11}, type = {10.1155/2019/2783217}, abstract = {Antifragility is a property from which systems are able to resist stress and furthermore benefit from it. Even though antifragile dynamics is found in various real-world complex systems where multiple subsystems interact with each other, the attribute has not been quantitatively explored yet in those complex systems which can be regarded as multilayer networks. Here we study how the multilayer structure affects the antifragility of the whole system. By comparing single-layer and multilayer Boolean networks based on our recently proposed antifragility measure, we found that the multilayer structure facilitated the production of antifragile systems. Our measure and findings will be useful for various applications such as exploring properties of biological systems with multilayer structures and creating more antifragile engineered systems.}, doi = {10.1155/2019/2783217}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2783217}, author = {Kim, Hyobin and Pineda, Omar K. and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {Pineda2019, title = {A Novel Antifragility Measure Based on Satisfaction and Its Application to Random and Biological Boolean Networks}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2019}, year = {2019}, pages = {10}, type = {10.1155/2019/3728621}, abstract = {Antifragility is a property that enhances the capability of a system in response to external perturbations. Although the concept has been applied in many areas, a practical measure of antifragility has not been developed yet. Here we propose a simply calculable measure of antifragility, based on the change of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}satisfaction{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} before and after adding perturbations, and apply it to random Boolean networks (RBNs). Using the measure, we found that ordered RBNs are the most antifragile. Also, we demonstrated that seven biological systems are antifragile. Our measure and results can be used in various applications of Boolean networks (BNs) including creating antifragile engineering systems, identifying the genetic mechanism of antifragile biological systems, and developing new treatment strategies for various diseases.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3728621}, author = {Pineda, Omar K. and Kim, Hyobin and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {Cocho2019, title = {Rank-frequency distribution of natural languages: A difference of probabilities approach}, journal = {Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications}, volume = {532}, year = {2019}, pages = {121795}, abstract = {In this paper we investigate the time variation of the rank k of words for six Indo-European languages using the Google Books N-gram Dataset. Based on numerical evidence, we regard k as a random variable whose dynamics may be described by a Fokker{\textendash}Planck equation which we solve analytically. For low ranks the distinct languages behave differently, maybe due to the syntax rules, whereas for k>50 the law of large numbers predominates. We analyze the frequency distribution of words using the data and their adjustment in terms of time-dependent probability density distributions. We find small differences between the data and the fits due to conflicting dynamic mechanisms, but the data show a consistent behavior with our general approach. For the lower ranks the behavior of the data changes among languages presumably, again, due to distinct dynamic mechanisms. We discuss a possible origin of these differences and assess the novel features and limitations of our work.}, keywords = {Fokker{\textendash}Planck equation, Languages, Master equation, Rank dynamics}, issn = {0378-4371}, doi = {10.1016/j.physa.2019.121795}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2019.121795}, author = {Germinal Cocho and Rosal{\'\i}o F. Rodr{\'\i}guez and Sergio S{\'a}nchez and Jorge Flores and Carlos Pineda and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gonzalez2019, title = {A robustness approach to the distributed management of traffic intersections}, journal = {Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Nowadays, the development of autonomous vehicles has emerged as an approach to considerably improve the traffic management in urban zones. Thanks to automation in vehicles as well as in other sectors, the probability of errors, typically due to repetitive tasks, has been drastically reduced. Therefore, technological aids in current driving systems are aimed to avoid or reduce human errors like imprudences or distractions. According to this, it is possible to tackle complex scenarios such as the automation of the vehicles traffic at intersections, as this is one of the points with the highest probability of accidents. In this sense, the coordination of autonomous vehicles at intersections is a trending topic. In the last few years, several approaches have been proposed using centralized solutions. However, centralized systems for traffic coordination have a limited fault-tolerance. This paper proposes a distributed coordination management system for intersections of autonomous vehicles through the employment of some well-defined rules to be followed by vehicles. To validate our proposal, we have developed different experiments in order to compare our proposal with other centralized approaches. Furthermore, we have incorporated the management of communication faults during the execution in our proposal. This improvement has also been tested in front of centralized or semi-centralized solutions. The introduction of failures in the communication process demonstrates the sensitivity of the system to possible disturbances, providing a satisfactory coordination of vehicles during the intersection. As final result, our proposal is kept with a suitable flow of autonomous vehicles still with a high communication fails rate.}, isbn = {1868-5145}, doi = {10.1007/s12652-019-01424-w}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-019-01424-w}, author = {Gonz{\'a}lez, Cesar L. and Zapotecatl, Jorge L. and Gershenson, Carlos and Alberola, Juan M. and Julian, Vicente} } @proceedings {212, title = {Sistemas con Din{\'a}mica Acoplada y Redes de Defensa y Ataque: Representaci{\'o}n de las Interacciones en Juegos de Competici{\'o}n}, year = {2019}, address = {Pachuca, M{\'e}xico}, author = {Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and V{\'\i}ctor Rivera and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Siqueiros-Garcia2018, title = {ALife and Society: Editorial Introduction to the Artificial Life Conference 2016 Special Issue}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {24}, year = {2018}, pages = {1{\textendash}4}, publisher = {MIT Press}, isbn = {1064-5462}, doi = {10.1162/ARTL_e_00256}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1162/ARTL_e_00256}, author = {Siqueiros-Garc{\'\i}a, Jes{\'u}s M. and Froese, Tom and Gershenson, Carlos and Aguilar, Wendy and Sayama, Hiroki and Izquierdo, Eduardo} } @conference {184, title = {Coupled Dynamical Systems and Defense-Attack Networks: Representation of Soccer Players Interactions}, booktitle = {Conference on Complex Systems}, year = {2018}, address = {Thessaloniki, Greece}, author = {Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and V{\'\i}ctor Rivera and Yesid Madrid and Guillermo Restrepo and Wilmer Leal and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Pina-Garcia2018, title = {From neuroscience to computer science: a topical approach on Twitter}, journal = {Journal of Computational Social Science}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, year = {2018}, pages = {187{\textendash}208}, abstract = {Twitter is perhaps the most influential microblogging service, with 271 million regular users producing approximately 500 million tweets per day. Previous studies of tweets discussing scientific topics are limited to local surveys or may not be representative geographically. This indicates a need to harvest and analyse tweets with the aim of understanding the level of dissemination of science related topics worldwide. In this study, we use Twitter as case of study and explore the hypothesis of science popularization via the social stream. We present and discuss tweets related to popular science around the world using eleven keywords. We analyze a sample of 306,163 tweets posted by 91,557 users with the aim of identifying tweets and those categories formed around temporally similar topics. We systematically examined the data to track and analyze the online activity around users tweeting about popular science. In addition, we identify locations of high Twitter activity that occur in several places around the world. We also examine which sources (mobile devices, apps, and other social networks) are used to share popular science related links. Furthermore, this study provides insights into the geographic density of popular science tweets worldwide. We show that emergent topics related to popular science are important because they could help to explore how science becomes of public interest. The study also offers some important insights for studying the type of scientific content that users are more likely to tweet.}, isbn = {2432-2725}, doi = {10.1007/s42001-017-0002-9}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-017-0002-9}, author = {Pi{\~n}a-Garc{\'\i}a, C. A. and Siqueiros-Garc{\'\i}a, J. Mario and Robles-Belmont, E. and Carre{\'o}n, Gustavo and Gershenson, Carlos and L{\'o}pez, Julio Amador D{\'\i}az} } @unpublished {Gershenson2018, title = {Information in Science and Buddhist Philosophy: Towards a Non-Materialistic Worldview}, year = {2018}, note = {Preprints 2018120042}, month = {November}, abstract = {Information theory has been developed for seventy years with technological applications that have transformed our societies. The increasing ability to store, transmit, and process information is having a revolutionary impact in most disciplines. The goal of this work is to compare the formal approach to information with Buddhist philosophy. Considering both approaches as compatible and complementary, I argue that information theory can improve our understanding of Buddhist philosophy and vice versa. The resulting synthesis leads to a worldview based on information that overcomes limitations of the currently dominating physics-based worldview.}, doi = {10.20944/preprints201812.0042.v1}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {183, title = {Modeling Systems with Coupled Dynamics (SCDs): A Multi-Agent, Networks, and Game Theory-based Approach}, booktitle = {Conference on Complex Systems}, year = {2018}, address = {Thessaloniki, Greece}, author = {Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and Osman Ortega and Yesid Madrid and Guillermo Restrepo and Wilmer Leal and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Karbovskii2016, title = {Multimodel agent-based simulation environment for mass-gatherings and pedestrian dynamics}, journal = {Future Generation Computer Systems}, volume = {79}, number = {1}, year = {2018}, month = {February}, pages = {155{\textendash}165}, abstract = {Abstract The increasing interest in complex phenomena, especially in crowd and pedestrian dynamics, has conditioned the demand not only for more sophisticated autonomous models but also for mechanisms that would bring these models together. This paper presents a multimodel agent-based simulation technique based on the incorporation of multiple modules. Two key principles are presented to guide this integration: a common abstract space where entities of different models interact, and commonly controlled agents{\textendash}-abstract actors operating in the common space, which can be handled by different agent-based models. In order to test the proposed methodology, we run a set of simulations of cinema building evacuation using the general-purpose {PULSE} simulation environment. In this paper we utilize crowd pressure as a metric to estimate the capacity of different emergent conditions to traumatically affect pedestrians in the crowd. The proposed approach is evaluated through a series of experiments simulating the emergency evacuation from a cinema building to the city streets, where building and street levels are reproduced in heterogeneous models. This approach paves the way for modeling realistic city-wide evacuations.}, issn = {0167-739X}, doi = {10.1016/j.future.2016.10.002}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2016.10.002}, author = {Vladislav Karbovskii and Daniil Voloshin and Andrey Karsakov and Alexey Bezgodov and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {10.3389/fphy.2018.00045, title = {Rank Dynamics of Word Usage at Multiple Scales}, journal = {Frontiers in Physics}, volume = {6}, year = {2018}, pages = {45}, abstract = {The recent dramatic increase in online data availability has allowed researchers to explore human culture with unprecedented detail, such as the growth and diversification of language. In particular, it provides statistical tools to explore whether word use is similar across languages, and if so, whether these generic features appear at different scales of language structure. Here we use the Google Books $N$-grams dataset to analyze the temporal evolution of word usage in several languages. We apply measures proposed recently to study rank dynamics, such as the diversity of $N$-grams in a given rank, the probability that an $N$-gram changes rank between successive time intervals, the rank entropy, and the rank complexity. Using different methods, results show that there are generic properties for different languages at different scales, such as a core of words necessary to minimally understand a language. We also propose a null model to explore the relevance of linguistic structure across multiple scales, concluding that $N$-gram statistics cannot be reduced to word statistics. We expect our results to be useful in improving text prediction algorithms, as well as in shedding light on the large-scale features of language use, beyond linguistic and cultural differences across human populations.}, issn = {2296-424X}, doi = {10.3389/fphy.2018.00045}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphy.2018.00045}, author = {Morales, Jos{\'e} A. and Colman, Ewan and S{\'a}nchez, Sergio and S{\'a}nchez-Puig, Fernanda and Pineda, Carlos and I{\~n}iguez, Gerardo and Cocho, Germinal and Flores, Jorge and Gershenson, Carlos} } @inbook {GershensonALife2018, title = {Self-Organization and Artificial Life: A Review}, booktitle = {The 2018 Conference on Artificial Life: A Hybrid of the European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL) and the International Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems (ALIFE)}, year = {2018}, pages = {510{\textendash}517}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, abstract = {Self-organization has been an important concept within a number of disciplines, which Artificial Life (ALife) also has heavily utilized since its inception. The term and its implications, however, are often confusing or misinterpreted. In this work, we provide a mini-review of self-organization and its relationship with ALife, aiming at initiating discussions on this important topic with the interested audience. We first articulate some fundamental aspects of self-organization, outline its usage, and review its applications to ALife within its soft, hard, and wet domains. We also provide perspectives for further research.}, doi = {10.1162/isal_a_00094}, url = {https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/isal_a_00094}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos and Trianni, Vito and Werfel, Justin and Sayama, Hiroki}, editor = {Takashi Ikegami and Nathaniel Virgo and Olaf Witkowski and Mizuki Oka and Reiji Suzuki and Hiroyuki Iizuka} } @article {Sanchez2018, title = {Trajectory Stability in the Traveling Salesman Problem}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2018}, year = {2018}, pages = {2826082}, type = {10.1155/2018/2826082}, abstract = {Two generalizations of the traveling salesman problem in which sites change their position in time are presented. The way the rank of different trajectory lengths changes in time is studied using the rank diversity. We analyze the statistical properties of rank distributions and rank dynamics and give evidence that the shortest and longest trajectories are more predictable and robust to change, that is, more stable.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2826082}, author = {S{\'a}nchez, Sergio and Cocho, Germinal and Flores, Jorge and Gershenson, Carlos and I{\~n}iguez, Gerardo and Pineda, Carlos} } @book {ICCS2018, title = {Unifying Themes in Complex Systems IX: Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Complex Systems}, series = {Springer Proceedings in Complexity}, year = {2018}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Cambridge, MA, USA}, url = {https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-96661-8}, editor = {Alfredo J. Morales and Carlos Gershenson and Dan Braha and Ali A. Minai and Yaneer Bar-Yam} } @article {165, title = {Complexity of lakes in a latitudinal gradient}, journal = {Ecological Complexity}, volume = {31}, year = {2017}, month = {9}, pages = {1{\textendash}20}, abstract = {Measuring complexity is fast becoming a key instrument to compare different ecosystems at various scales in ecology. To date there has been little agreement on how to properly describe complexity in terms of ecology. In this regard, this manuscript assesses the significance of using a set of proposed measures based on information theory. These measures are as follows: emergence, self-organization, complexity, homeostasis and autopoiesis. A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used in the data analysis with the aim to apply these proposed measures. This study systematically reviews the data previously collected and generated by a model carried out on four aquatic ecosystems located between the Arctic region and the tropical zone. Thus, this research discusses the case of exploring a high level of self-organization in terms of movement, distribution, and quality of water between the northern temperate zone and the tropics. Moreover, it was assessed the significance of the presence of a complex variable (pH) in the middle of the latitudinal transect. Similarly, this study explores the relationship between self-organization and limiting nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and silicates). Furthermore, the importance of how a biomass subsystem is affected by seasonal variations is highlighted in this manuscript. This case study seeks to examine the changing nature of how seasonality affects the complexity dynamics of photosynthetic taxa (lakes located in northern temperate zone) at high latitudes, and it also investigates how a high level of self-organization at the tropical zone can lead to increase the amount of planktonic and benthic fish which determines the dynamics of complexity. This research also compares the emerging role of how a biomass subsystem has a highest temporal dynamics compared to he limiting nutrients{\textquoteright} subsystem. In the same way, the results associated to autopoiesis reflect a moderate degree of autonomy of photosynthetic biomass. It is also discussed the case of how complexity values change in the middle of the latitudinal gradient for all components. Finally, a comparison with Tsallis information was carried out in order to determine that these proposed measures are more suitable due to they are independent of any other parameter. Thus, this approach considers some elements closely related to information theory which determine and better describe ecological dynamics.}, keywords = {Autopoiesis, Biocomplexity, Emergence, Homeostasis, Information theory, Self-organization}, isbn = {1476-945X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecocom.2017.02.002}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecocom.2017.02.002}, author = {Fern{\'a}ndez, Nelson and Aguilar, Jos{\'e} and Pi{\~n}a-Garc{\'\i}a, C. A. and Gershenson, Carlos} } @book {164, title = {Conference on Complex Systems 2017 Abstract Booklet}, year = {2017}, address = {Cancun, Mexico}, url = {http://ccs17.unam.mx/booklet.pdf}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Jose Luis Mateos} } @article {Zapotecatl2017, title = {Deliberative Self-Organizing Traffic Lights with Elementary Cellular Automata}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {2017}, year = {2017}, pages = {7691370}, abstract = {Self-organizing traffic lights have shown considerable improvements compared to traditional methods in computer simulations. Self-organizing methods, however, use sophisticated sensors, increasing their cost and limiting their deployment. We propose a novel approach using simple sensors to achieve self-organizing traffic light coordination. The proposed approach involves placing a computer and a presence sensor at the beginning of each block; each such sensor detects a single vehicle. Each computer builds a virtual environment simulating vehicle movement to predict arrivals and departures at the downstream intersection. At each intersection, a computer receives information across a data network from the computers of the neighboring blocks and runs a self-organizing method to control traffic lights. Our simulations showed a superior performance for our approach compared with a traditional method (a green wave) and a similar performance (close to optimal) compared with a self-organizing method using sophisticated sensors but at a lower cost. Moreover, the developed sensing approach exhibited greater robustness against sensor failures.}, doi = {10.1155/2017/7691370}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7691370/7691370}, author = {Zapotecatl, Jorge L. and Rosenblueth, David A. and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {10.1371/journal.pone.0190100, title = {Improving public transportation systems with self-organization: A headway-based model and regulation of passenger alighting and boarding}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, volume = {12}, number = {12}, year = {2017}, month = {12}, pages = {1-20}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, abstract = {The equal headway instability{\textemdash}the fact that a configuration with regular time intervals between vehicles tends to be volatile{\textemdash}is a common regulation problem in public transportation systems. An unsatisfactory regulation results in low efficiency and possible collapses of the service. Computational simulations have shown that self-organizing methods can regulate the headway adaptively beyond the theoretical optimum. In this work, we develop a computer simulation for metro systems fed with real data from the Mexico City Metro to test the current regulatory method with a novel self-organizing approach. The current model considers overall system{\textquoteright}s data such as minimum and maximum waiting times at stations, while the self-organizing method regulates the headway in a decentralized manner using local information such as the passenger{\textquoteright}s inflow and the positions of neighboring trains. The simulation shows that the self-organizing method improves the performance over the current one as it adapts to environmental changes at the timescale they occur. The correlation between the simulation of the current model and empirical observations carried out in the Mexico City Metro provides a base to calculate the expected performance of the self-organizing method in case it is implemented in the real system. We also performed a pilot study at the Balderas station to regulate the alighting and boarding of passengers through guide signs on platforms. The analysis of empirical data shows a delay reduction of the waiting time of trains at stations. Finally, we provide recommendations to improve public transportation systems.}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0190100}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190100}, author = {Carre{\'o}n, Gustavo and Gershenson, Carlos and Pineda, Luis A.} } @article {Kolokoltsev2017, title = {Improving {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}tail{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} computations in a BOINC-based Desktop Grid}, journal = {Open Engineering}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, year = {2017}, month = {December}, pages = {371-378}, doi = {doi:10.1515/eng-2017-0044}, author = {Kolokoltsev, Yevgeniy and Evgeny Ivashko and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {10.3389/frobt.2017.00010, title = {A Package for Measuring Emergence, Self-organization, and Complexity Based on Shannon Entropy}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, volume = {4}, year = {2017}, pages = {10}, abstract = {We present Matlab/Octave functions to calculate measures of emergence, self-organization, and complexity of discrete and continuous data. The measures are based on Shannon{\textquoteright}s information and differential entropy, respectively. Examples from different datasets and probability distributions are used to illustrate the usage of the code.}, issn = {2296-9144}, doi = {10.3389/frobt.2017.00010}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frobt.2017.00010}, author = {Santamar{\'\i}a-Bonfil, Guillermo and Gershenson, Carlos and Fern{\'a}ndez, Nelson} } @unpublished {goel2017self, title = {Self-Organization in Traffic Lights: Evolution of Signal Control with Advances in Sensors and Communications}, year = {2017}, note = {arXiv:1708.07188}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.07188}, author = {Goel, Sanjay and Bush, Stephen F and Gershenson, Carlos} } @unpublished {AdaptiveCities, title = {Adaptive Cities: A Cybernetic Perspective on Urban Systems}, year = {2016}, note = {arXiv preprint 1609.02000}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1609.02000}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Paolo Santi and Carlo Ratti} } @inbook {Madrid2016, title = {Complexity and Structural Properties in Scale-free Networks}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Artificial Life Conference 2016}, year = {2016}, pages = {730{\textendash}731}, abstract = {We apply formal information measures of emergence, self-organization and complexity to scale-free random networks, to explore their association with structural indicators of network topology. Results show that the cumulative number of nodes and edges coincides with an increment of the self-organization and relative complexity, and a loss of the emergence and complexity. Our approach shows a complementary way of studying networks in terms of information.}, author = {Yesid Madrid and Carlos Gershenson and Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez} } @article {Pina-Garcia2016, title = {Exploring Dynamic Environments Using Stochastic Search Strategies}, journal = {Research in Computing Science}, volume = {121}, year = {2016}, pages = {43{\textendash}57}, url = {http://rcs.cic.ipn.mx/2016_121/Exploring\%20Dynamic\%20Environments\%20Using\%20Stochastic\%20Search\%20Strategies.pdf}, author = {C. A. Pi{\~n}a-Garc{\'\i}a and Dongbing Gu and Carlos Gershenson and J. Mario Siqueiros-Garc{\'\i}a and E. Robles-Belmont} } @article {Morales2016, title = {Generic temporal features of performance rankings in sports and games}, journal = {EPJ Data Science}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, year = {2016}, pages = {33}, abstract = {Many complex phenomena, from trait selection in biological systems to hierarchy formation in social and economic entities, show signs of competition and heterogeneous performance in the temporal evolution of their components, which may eventually lead to stratified structures such as the worldwide wealth distribution. However, it is still unclear whether the road to hierarchical complexity is determined by the particularities of each phenomena, or if there are generic mechanisms of stratification common to many systems. Human sports and games, with their (varied but simple) rules of competition and measures of performance, serve as an ideal test-bed to look for universal features of hierarchy formation. With this goal in mind, we analyse here the behaviour of performance rankings over time of players and teams for several sports and games, and find statistical regularities in the dynamics of ranks. Specifically the rank diversity, a measure of the number of elements occupying a given rank over a length of time, has the same functional form in sports and games as in languages, another system where competition is determined by the use or disuse of grammatical structures. We use a Gaussian random walk model to reproduce the rank diversity of the studied sports and games. We also discuss the relation between rank diversity and the cumulative rank distribution. Our results support the notion that hierarchical phenomena may be driven by the same underlying mechanisms of rank formation, regardless of the nature of their components. Moreover, such regularities can in principle be used to predict lifetimes of rank occupancy, thus increasing our ability to forecast stratification in the presence of competition.}, issn = {2193-1127}, doi = {10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0096-y}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0096-y}, author = {Morales, Jos{\'e} A. and S{\'a}nchez, Sergio and Flores, Jorge and Pineda, Carlos and Gershenson, Carlos and Cocho, Germinal and Zizumbo, Jer{\'o}nimo and Rodr{\'\i}guez, Rosal{\'\i}o F. and I{\~n}iguez, Gerardo} } @inbook {Gershenson2016, title = {Improving Urban Mobility by Understanding Its Complexity}, booktitle = {The Pursuit of Legible Policy: Encouraging Agency and Participation in the Complex Systems of the Contemporary Megalopolis}, year = {2016}, pages = {149{\textendash}151}, publisher = {{Bur{\'o}{\textendash}Bur{\'o}}, organization = {{Bur{\'o}{\textendash}Bur{\'o}}, address = {Mexico City, Mexico}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {ALifeXVIntro, title = {Introduction}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Artificial Life Conference 2016}, year = {2016}, pages = {3{\textendash}9}, author = {Tom Froese and J. Mario Siqueiros and Wendy Aguilar and Eduardo J. Izquierdo and Hiroki Sayama and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {CxContinuous2016, title = {Measuring the Complexity of Continuous Distributions}, journal = {Entropy}, volume = {18}, number = {3}, year = {2016}, pages = {72}, abstract = {We extend previously proposed measures of complexity, emergence, and self-organization to continuous distributions using differential entropy. Given that the measures were based on Shannon{\textquoteright}s information, the novel continuous complexity measures describe how a system{\textquoteright}s predictability changes in terms of the probability distribution parameters. This allows us to calculate the complexity of phenomena for which distributions are known. We find that a broad range of common parameters found in Gaussian and scale-free distributions present high complexity values. We also explore the relationship between our measure of complexity and information adaptation.}, issn = {1099-4300}, doi = {10.3390/e18030072}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/18/3/72}, author = {Santamar{\'\i}a-Bonfil, Guillermo and Fern{\'a}ndez, Nelson and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {Karbovskii2016, title = {Multimodel agent-based simulation environment for mass-gatherings and pedestrian dynamics}, journal = {Future Generation Computer Systems}, year = {2016}, pages = {-}, abstract = {Abstract The increasing interest in complex phenomena, especially in crowd and pedestrian dynamics, has conditioned the demand not only for more sophisticated autonomous models but also for mechanisms that would bring these models together. This paper presents a multimodel agent-based simulation technique based on the incorporation of multiple modules. Two key principles are presented to guide this integration: a common abstract space where entities of different models interact, and commonly controlled agents{\textendash}-abstract actors operating in the common space, which can be handled by different agent-based models. In order to test the proposed methodology, we run a set of simulations of cinema building evacuation using the general-purpose \{PULSE\} simulation environment. In this paper we utilize crowd pressure as a metric to estimate the capacity of different emergent conditions to traumatically affect pedestrians in the crowd. The proposed approach is evaluated through a series of experiments simulating the emergency evacuation from a cinema building to the city streets, where building and street levels are reproduced in heterogeneous models. This approach paves the way for modeling realistic city-wide evacuations.}, keywords = {Urgent computing}, issn = {0167-739X}, doi = {10.1016/j.future.2016.10.002}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2016.10.002}, author = {Vladislav Karbovskii and Daniil Voloshin and Andrey Karsakov and Alexey Bezgodov and Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {Zapotecatl2016, title = {Performance Metrics of Collective Coordinated Motion in Flocks}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Artificial Life Conference 2016}, year = {2016}, pages = {322{\textendash}329}, author = {Jorge L. Zapotecatl and Ang{\'e}lica Mu{\~n}oz-Mel{\'e}ndez and Carlos Gershenson} } @book {ALifeXV, title = {Proceedings of the Artificial Life Conference 2016}, series = {Complex Adaptive Systems}, year = {2016}, month = {July}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, address = {Cambridge, MA, USA}, abstract = {The ALife conferences are the major meeting of the artificial life research community since 1987. For its 15th edition in 2016, it was held in Latin America for the first time, in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico, from July 4 -8. The special them of the conference: How can the synthetic study of living systems contribute to societies: scientifically, technically, and culturally? The goal of the conference theme is to better understand societies with the purpose of using this understanding for a more efficient management and development of social systems.}, isbn = {9780262339360}, url = {https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/proceedings-artificial-life-conference-2016}, editor = {Carlos Gershenson and Tom Froese and Jesus M. Siqueiros and Wendy Aguilar and Eduardo J. Izquierdo and Hiroki Sayama} } @inbook {Viragh2016, title = {Self-organized UAV Traffic in Realistic Environments}, booktitle = {Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2016 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on}, year = {2016}, pages = {1645{\textendash}1652}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Daejeon, South Korea}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2016.7759265}, author = {Csaba Vir{\'a}gh and M{\'a}t{\'e} Nagy and Carlos Gershenson and G{\'a}bor V{\'a}s{\'a}rhelyi} } @article {Pina2016, title = {Towards a Standard Sampling Methodology on Online Social Networks: Collecting Global Trends on Twitter}, journal = {Applied Network Science}, volume = {1}, year = {2016}, pages = {3}, doi = {10.1007/s41109-016-0004-1}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41109-016-0004-1}, author = {C. A. Pi{\~n}a-Garc{\'\i}a and Carlos Gershenson and J. Mario Siqueiros-Garc{\'\i}a} } @article {Cortes2016, title = {Traffic Games: Modeling Freeway Traffic with Game Theory}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, volume = {11}, number = {11}, year = {2016}, month = {11}, pages = {1-34}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, abstract = {We apply game theory to a vehicular traffic model to study the effect of driver strategies on traffic flow. The resulting model inherits the realistic dynamics achieved by a two-lane traffic model and aims to incorporate phenomena caused by driver-driver interactions. To achieve this goal, a game-theoretic description of driver interaction was developed. This game-theoretic formalization allows one to model different lane-changing behaviors and to keep track of mobility performance. We simulate the evolution of cooperation, traffic flow, and mobility performance for different modeled behaviors. The analysis of these results indicates a mobility optimization process achieved by drivers{\textquoteright} interactions.}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0165381}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371\%2Fjournal.pone.0165381}, author = {Cort{\'e}s-Berrueco, Luis E. and Gershenson, Carlos and Stephens, Christopher R.} } @article {158, title = {Wind speed forecasting for wind farms: A method based on support vector regression}, journal = {Renewable Energy}, volume = {85}, year = {2016}, month = {1}, pages = {790{\textendash}809}, abstract = {In this paper, a hybrid methodology based on Support Vector Regression for wind speed forecasting is proposed. Using the autoregressive model called Time Delay Coordinates, feature selection is performed by the Phase Space Reconstruction procedure. Then, a Support Vector Regression model is trained using univariate wind speed time series. Parameters of Support Vector Regression are tuned by a genetic algorithm. The proposed method is compared against the persistence model, and autoregressive models (AR, ARMA, and ARIMA) tuned by Akaike{\textquoteright}s Information Criterion and Ordinary Least Squares method. The stationary transformation of time series is also evaluated for the proposed method. Using historical wind speed data from the Mexican Wind Energy Technology Center (CERTE) located at La Ventosa, Oaxaca, M{\'e}xico, the accuracy of the proposed forecasting method is evaluated for a whole range of short termforecasting horizons (from 1 to 24 h ahead). Results show that, forecasts made with our method are more accurate for medium (5{\textendash}23 h ahead) short term WSF and WPF than those made with persistence and autoregressive models.}, keywords = {Genetic algorithms, Non-linear analysis, Phase space reconstruction, Support vector regression, Wind speed forecasting}, isbn = {0960-1481}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2015.07.004}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148115301014}, author = {Santamar{\'\i}a-Bonfil, G. and Reyes-Ballesteros, A. and Gershenson, C.} } @article {160, title = {Complejidad, Tecnolog{\'\i}a y Sociedad}, journal = {Investigaci{\'o}n y Ciencia}, volume = {460}, year = {2015}, month = {Enero}, pages = {48-54}, url = {http://www.investigacionyciencia.es/revistas/investigacion-y-ciencia/numeros/2015/1/complejidad-tecnologa-y-sociedad-12732}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {Gershenson2015CxMed, title = {Complejidad y medicina: perspectivas para el siglo XXI}, booktitle = {Desaf{\'\i}os para la Salud P{\'u}blica}, series = {Hacia d{\'o}nde va la Ciencia en M{\'e}xico}, year = {2015}, pages = {101{\textendash}111}, publisher = {CONACYT, AMC, CCC}, organization = {CONACYT, AMC, CCC}, url = {http://www.ccciencias.mx/libroshdvcm/14.pdf}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Mario C{\'e}sar Salinas Carmona} } @article {154, title = {Complexity measurement of natural and artificial languages}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {20}, year = {2015}, month = {July/August}, pages = {25{\textendash}48}, abstract = {We compared entropy for texts written in natural languages (English, Spanish) and artificial languages (computer software) based on a simple expression for the entropy as a function of message length and specific word diversity. Code text written in artificial languages showed higher entropy than text of similar length expressed in natural languages. Spanish texts exhibit more symbolic diversity than English ones. Results showed that algorithms based on complexity measures differentiate artificial from natural languages, and that text analysis based on complexity measures allows the unveiling of important aspects of their nature. We propose specific expressions to examine entropy related aspects of tests and estimate the values of entropy, emergence, self-organization, and complexity based on specific diversity and message length.}, doi = {10.1002/cplx.21529}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1311.5427}, author = {Gerardo Febres and Klaus Jaffe and Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {Gershenson:2011, title = {Enfrentando a la Complejidad: Predecir vs. Adaptar}, booktitle = {Compl{\`e}xica: cervell, societat i llengua des de la transdisciplinarietat}, year = {2015}, pages = {25{\textendash}38}, publisher = {Universitat de Barcelona}, organization = {Universitat de Barcelona}, chapter = {1}, address = {Barcelona}, abstract = {Una de las presuposiciones de la ciencia desde los tiempos de Galileo, Newton y Laplace ha sido la previsibilidad del mundo. Esta idea ha influido en los modelos cient{{\'\i}ficos y tecnol{\'o}gicos. Sin embargo, en las {\'u}ltimas d{\'e}cadas, el caos y la complejidad han mostrado que no todos los fen{\'o}menos son previsibles, a{\'u}n siendo {\'e}stos deterministas. Si el espacio de un problema es previsible, podemos en teor{{\'\i}a encontrar una soluci{\'o}n por optimizaci{\'o}n. No obstante, si el espacio de un problema no es previsible, o cambia m{\'a}s r{\'a}pido de lo que podemos optimizarlo, la optimizaci{\'o}n probablemente nos dar{\'a} una soluci{\'o}n obsoleta. Esto sucede con frecuencia cuando la soluci{\'o}n inmediata afecta el espacio del problema mismo. Una alternativa se encuentra en la adaptaci{\'o}n. Si dotamos a un sistema de {\'e}sta propiedad, {\'e}ste mismo podr{\'a} encontrar nuevas soluciones para situaciones no previstas.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0905.4908}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {152, title = {Hacia un sistema de salud autoorganizante y emergente}, booktitle = {Estado del Arte de la Medicina 2013-2014: Las ciencias de la complejidad y la innovaci{\'o}n m{\'e}dica: Aplicaciones}, year = {2015}, pages = {245{\textendash}254}, publisher = {Academia Nacional de Medicina}, organization = {Academia Nacional de Medicina}, address = {Mexico}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Enrique Ruelas Barajas and Ricardo Mansilla Corona} } @article {155, title = {Harnessing the Complexity of Education with Information Technology}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {20}, year = {2015}, month = {May/June}, pages = {13{\textendash}16}, abstract = {Education at all levels is facing several challenges in most countries, such as low quality, high costs, lack of educators, and unsatisfied student demand. Traditional approaches are becoming unable to deliver the required education. Several causes for this inefficiency can be identified. I argue that beyond specific causes, the lack of effective education is related to complexity. However, information technology is helping us overcome this complexity.}, doi = {10.1002/cplx.21536}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1402.2827}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {151, title = {Measuring the complexity of adaptive peer-to-peer systems}, journal = {Peer-to-Peer Networking and Applications}, year = {2015}, pages = {1-16}, abstract = {To improve the efficiency of peer-to-peer (P2P) systems while adapting to changing environmental conditions, static peer-to-peer protocols can be replaced by adaptive plans. The resulting systems are inherently complex, which makes their development and characterization a challenge for traditional methods. Here we propose the design and analysis of adaptive P2P systems using measures of complexity, emergence, self-organization, and homeostasis based on information theory. These measures allow the evaluation of adaptive P2P systems and thus can be used to guide their design. We evaluate the proposal with a P2P computing system provided with adaptation mechanisms. We show the evolution of the system with static and also changing workload, using different fitness functions. When the adaptive plan forces the system to converge to a predefined performance level, the nodes may result in highly unstable configurations, which correspond to a high variance in time of the measured complexity. Conversely, if the adaptive plan is less {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}aggressive{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}, the system may be more stable, but the optimal performance may not be achieved.}, keywords = {Adaptive peer-to-peer system, Complexity, Evolution, Information theory}, isbn = {1936-6442}, doi = {10.1007/s12083-015-0385-4}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12083-015-0385-4}, author = {Amoretti, Michele and Gershenson, Carlos} } @inbook {156, title = {Modelling Complexity for Policy: Opportunities and Challenges}, booktitle = {Handobook on Complexity and Public Policy}, year = {2015}, pages = {205-220}, publisher = {Edward Elgar}, organization = {Edward Elgar}, chapter = {13}, author = {Bruce Edmonds and Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Robert Geyer and Paul Cairney} } @article {10.1371/journal.pone.0121898, title = {Rank Diversity of Languages: Generic Behavior in Computational Linguistics}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, number = {4}, year = {2015}, month = {04}, pages = {e0121898}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, abstract = {

Statistical studies of languages have focused on the rank-frequency distribution of words. Instead, we introduce here a measure of how word ranks change in time and call this distribution rank diversity. We calculate this diversity for books published in six European languages since 1800, and find that it follows a universal lognormal distribution. Based on the mean and standard deviation associated with the lognormal distribution, we define three different word regimes of languages: {\textquotedblleft}heads{\textquotedblright} consist of words which almost do not change their rank in time, {\textquotedblleft}bodies{\textquotedblright} are words of general use, while {\textquotedblleft}tails{\textquotedblright} are comprised by context-specific words and vary their rank considerably in time. The heads and bodies reflect the size of language cores identified by linguists for basic communication. We propose a Gaussian random walk model which reproduces the rank variation of words in time and thus the diversity. Rank diversity of words can be understood as the result of random variations in rank, where the size of the variation depends on the rank itself. We find that the core size is similar for all languages studied.

}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0121898}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371\%2Fjournal.pone.0121898}, author = {Cocho, Germinal and Flores, Jorge and Gershenson, Carlos and Pineda, Carlos and S{\'a}nchez, Sergio} } @article {159, title = {Requisite Variety, Autopoiesis, and Self-organization}, journal = {Kybernetes}, volume = {44}, year = {2015}, pages = {866{\textendash}873}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {157, title = {Urban Transfer Entropy across Scales}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, year = {2015}, month = {07}, pages = {e0133780}, abstract = {

The morphology of urban agglomeration is studied here in the context of information exchange between different spatio-temporal scales. Urban migration to and from cities is characterised as non-random and following non-random pathways. Cities are multidimensional non-linear phenomena, so understanding the relationships and connectivity between scales is important in determining how the interplay of local/regional urban policies may affect the distribution of urban settlements. In order to quantify these relationships, we follow an information theoretic approach using the concept of Transfer Entropy. Our analysis is based on a stochastic urban fractal model, which mimics urban growing settlements and migration waves. The results indicate how different policies could affect urban morphology in terms of the information generated across geographical scales.

}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0133780}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371\%2Fjournal.pone.0133780}, author = {Murcio, Roberto and Morphet, Robin and Gershenson, Carlos and Batty, Michael} } @article {161, title = {When slower is faster}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {21}, year = {2015}, pages = {9{\textendash}15}, abstract = {The slower is faster (SIF) effect occurs when a system performs worse as its components try to do better. Thus, a moderate individual efficiency actually leads to a better systemic performance. The SIF effect takes place in a variety of phenomena. We review studies and examples of the SIF effect in pedestrian dynamics, vehicle traffic, traffic light control, logistics, public transport, social dynamics, ecological systems, and adaptation. Drawing on these examples, we generalize common features of the SIF effect and suggest possible future lines of research. {\copyright} 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 9{\textendash}15, 2015}, keywords = {cascading effects, collective motion, Evolution, phase transitions}, issn = {1099-0526}, doi = {10.1002/cplx.21736}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.06796}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos and Helbing, Dirk} } @article {Froese2014Teotihuacan, title = {Can Government Be Self-Organized? A Mathematical Model of the Collective Social Organization of Ancient {Teotihuacan}, Central {Mexico}}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {9}, number = {10}, year = {2014}, month = {10}, pages = {e109966}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, abstract = {

Teotihuacan was the first urban civilization of Mesoamerica and one of the largest of the ancient world. Following a tradition in archaeology to equate social complexity with centralized hierarchy, it is widely believed that the city{\textquoteright}s origin and growth was controlled by a lineage of powerful individuals. However, much data is indicative of a government of co-rulers, and artistic traditions expressed an egalitarian ideology. Yet this alternative keeps being marginalized because the problems of collective action make it difficult to conceive how such a coalition could have functioned in principle. We therefore devised a mathematical model of the city{\textquoteright}s hypothetical network of representatives as a formal proof of concept that widespread cooperation was realizable in a fully distributed manner. In the model, decisions become self-organized into globally optimal configurations even though local representatives behave and modify their relations in a rational and selfish manner. This self-optimization crucially depends on occasional communal interruptions of normal activity, and it is impeded when sections of the network are too independent. We relate these insights to theories about community-wide rituals at Teotihuacan and the city{\textquoteright}s eventual disintegration.

}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0109966}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371\%2Fjournal.pone.0109966}, author = {Froese, Tom and Gershenson, Carlos and Manzanilla, Linda R.} } @inbook {LugoGershensonComplex2012, title = {Decoding Road Networks into Ancient Routes: The Case of the Aztec Empire in Mexico}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Complex Sciences: Theory and Applications {(COMPLEX 2012)}}, series = {LNICST}, volume = {126}, year = {2014}, pages = {228{\textendash}233}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin, Germany}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-03473-7_20}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03473-7_20}, author = {Igor Lugo and Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Kristin Glass} } @inbook {153, title = {Dolor, placebos y complejidad}, booktitle = {Actualidades en el manejo del dolor y cuidados paliativos}, year = {2014}, publisher = {Editorial Alfil}, organization = {Editorial Alfil}, chapter = {36}, address = {Mexico}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Javier Rosado}, editor = {Bistre-Coh{\'e}n, Sara} } @article {Gershenson2014Info-computatio, title = {Info-computationalism or Materialism? Neither and Both}, journal = {Constructivist Foundations}, volume = {9}, number = {2}, year = {2014}, pages = {241{\textendash}242}, abstract = {The limitations of materialism for studying cognition have motivated alternative epistemologies based on information and computation. I argue that these alternatives are also inherently limited and that these limits can only be overcome by considering materialism, info-computationalism, and cognition at the same time.}, url = {http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/9/2/241.gershenson}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {Fernandez2013Information-Mea, title = {Information Measures of Complexity, Emergence, Self-organization, Homeostasis, and Autopoiesis}, booktitle = {Guided Self-Organization: Inception}, year = {2014}, note = {In Press}, pages = {19-51}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {

This chapter reviews measures of emergence, self-organization, complexity, homeostasis, and autopoiesis based on information theory. These measures are derived from proposed axioms and tested in two case studies: random Boolean networks and an Arctic lake ecosystem. Emergence is defined as the information produced by a system or process. Self-organization is defined as the opposite of emergence, while complexity is defined as the balance between emergence and self-organization. Homeostasis reflects the stability of a system. Autopoiesis is defined as the ratio between the complexity of a system and the complexity of its environment. The proposed measures can be applied at different scales, which can be studied with multi-scale profiles.

}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1304.1842}, author = {Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and Carlos Maldonado and Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Mikhail Prokopenko} } @inbook {Fernandez_Gershenson_2014, title = {Measuring Complexity in an Aquatic Ecosystem}, booktitle = {Advances in Computational Biology}, series = {Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing}, volume = {232}, year = {2014}, pages = {83-89}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {We apply formal measures of emergence, self-organization, homeostasis, autopoiesis and complexity to an aquatic ecosystem; in particular to the physiochemical component of an Arctic lake. These measures are based on information theory. Variables with an homogeneous distribution have higher values of emergence, while variables with a more heterogeneous distribution have a higher self-organization. Variables with a high complexity reflect a balance between change (emergence) and regularity/order (self-organization). In addition, homeostasis values coincide with the variation of the winter and summer seasons. Autopoiesis values show a higher degree of independence of biological components over their environment. Our approach shows how the ecological dynamics can be described in terms of information.}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-01568-2_12}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.5413}, author = {Fern{\'a}ndez, Nelson and Gershenson, Carlos}, editor = {Castillo, Luis F. and Cristancho, Marco and Isaza, Gustavo and Pinz{\'o}n, Andr{\'e}s and Corchado Rodr{\'\i}guez, Juan Manuel} } @article {Zubillaga2014Measuring-the-C, title = {Measuring the Complexity of Self-organizing Traffic Lights}, journal = {Entropy}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, year = {2014}, pages = {2384{\textendash}2407}, abstract = {We apply measures of complexity, emergence, and self-organization to an urban traffic model for comparing a traditional traffic-light coordination method with a self-organizing method in two scenarios: cyclic boundaries and non-orientable boundaries. We show that the measures are useful to identify and characterize different dynamical phases. It becomes clear that different operation regimes are required for different traffic demands. Thus, not only is traffic a non-stationary problem, requiring controllers to adapt constantly; controllers must also change drastically the complexity of their behavior depending on the demand. Based on our measures and extending Ashby{\textquoteright}s law of requisite variety, we can say that the self-organizing method achieves an adaptability level comparable to that of a living system.}, doi = {10.3390/e16052384}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/e16052384}, author = {Dar{\'\i}o Zubillaga and Geovany Cruz and Luis Daniel Aguilar and Jorge Zapot{\'e}catl and Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and Jos{\'e} Aguilar and David A. Rosenblueth and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {140, title = {The Past, Present, and Future of Artificial Life}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, volume = {1}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

For millennia people have wondered what makes the living different from the non-living. Beginning in the mid-1980s, artificial life has studied living systems using a synthetic approach: build life in order to understand it better, be it by means of software, hardware, or wetware. This review provides a summary of the advances that led to the development of artificial life, its current research topics, and open problems and opportunities. We classify artificial life research into fourteen themes: origins of life, autonomy, self-organization, adaptation (including evolution, development, and learning), ecology, artificial societies, behavior, computational biology, artificial chemistries, information, living technology, art, and philosophy. Being interdisciplinary, artificial life seems to be losing its boundaries and merging with other fields.

}, issn = {2296-9144}, doi = {10.3389/frobt.2014.00008}, url = {http://www.frontiersin.org/computational_intelligence/10.3389/frobt.2014.00008/abstract}, author = {Aguilar, Wendy and Santamar{\'\i}a Bonfil, Guillermo and Froese, Tom and Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {Gershenson2013The-Past-Presen, title = {The Past, Present and Future of Cybernetics and Systems Research}, journal = {systema: connecting matter, life, culture and technology}, volume = {1}, number = {3}, year = {2014}, pages = {4{\textendash}13}, abstract = {Cybernetics and Systems Research (CSR) were developed in the mid-twentieth century, offering the possibility of describing and comparing different phenomena using the same language. The concepts which originated in CSR have spread to practically all disciplines, many now used within the scientific study of complex systems. CSR has the potential to contribute to the solution of relevant problems, but the path towards this goal is not straightforward. This paper summarizes the ideas presented by the authors during a round table in 2012 on the past, present and future of CSR.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1308.6317}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Peter Csermely and Peter Erdi and Helena Knyazeva and Alexander Laszlo} } @inbook {CortesIWSOS2013, title = {Self-organization Promotes the Evolution of Cooperation with Cultural Propagation}, booktitle = {Self-Organizing Systems}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {8221}, year = {2014}, pages = {145-150}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, abstract = {In this paper three computational models for the study of the evolution of cooperation under cultural propagation are studied: Kin Selection, Direct Reciprocity and Indirect Reciprocity. Two analyzes are reported, one comparing their behavior between them and a second one identifying the impact that different parameters have in the model dynamics. The results of these analyzes illustrate how game transitions may occur depending of some parameters within the models and also explain how agents adapt to these transitions by individually choosing their attachment to a cooperative attitude. These parameters regulate how cooperation can self-organize under different circumstances. The emergence of the evolution of cooperation as a result of the agent{\textquoteright}s adapting processes is also discussed.}, isbn = {978-3-642-54139-1}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-54140-7_13}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54140-7_13}, author = {Cort{\'e}s-Berrueco, LuisEnrique and Gershenson, Carlos and Stephens, ChristopherR.}, editor = {Elmenreich, Wilfried and Dressler, Falko and Loreto, Vittorio} } @article {Gershenson2013hablarCx, title = {?{\textquoteleft}{C{\'o}mo} hablar de complejidad?}, journal = {{Llengua, Societat i Comunicaci{\'o}}, volume = {11}, year = {2013}, pages = {14{\textendash}19}, abstract = {Resum En els {\'u}ltims anys s{\textquoteright}ha sentit parlar cada cop m{\'e}s de complexitat. Tot i aix{\`o}, com que hi ha una diversitat creixent de discursos sobre aquest tema, en lloc de generar coneixement, estem generant confusi{\'o}. En aquest article s{\textquoteright}ofereix una perspectiva per parlar clarament sobre complexitat des d{\textquoteright}un punt de vista epistemol{\`o}gic. Paraules clau: complexitat, epistemologia, context, emerg{\`e}ncia Resumen En a{\~n}os recientes hemos escuchado hablar m{\'a}s y m{\'a}s sobre complejidad. Pero pareciera que al haber una diversidad creciente de discursos sobre el tema, en lugar de generar conocimiento estamos generando confusi{\'o}n. En este art{{\'\i}culo se ofrece una perspectiva para hablar claramente sobre la complejidad desde un punto de vista epistemol{\'o}gico.
Palabras clave: complejidad, epistemolog{{\'\i}a, contexto, emergencia

Abstract In recent years, we have heard more and more about complexity. However, it seems that given the increasing discourse divergence on this topic, instead of generating knowledge we are generating confusion. This paper offers a perspective to speak clearly about complexity from an epistemological point of view.
Keywords: complexity, epistemology, context, emergence}, url = {http://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/LSC/article/view/5682}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {Gershenson2013Complexity, title = {Complexity}, booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences}, year = {2013}, month = {April}, publisher = {SAGE}, organization = {SAGE}, abstract = {The term complexity derives etymologically from the Latin plexus, which means interwoven. Intuitively, this implies that something complex is composed by elements that are difficult to separate. This difficulty arises from the relevant interactions that take place between components. This lack of separability is at odds with the classical scientific method - which has been used since the times of Galileo, Newton, Descartes, and Laplace - and has also influenced philosophy and engineering. In recent decades, the scientific study of complexity and complex systems has proposed a paradigm shift in science and philosophy, proposing novel methods that take into account relevant interactions.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1109.0214}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Byron Kaldis} } @inbook {Gershenson2013Facing-Complexi, title = {Facing Complexity: Prediction vs. Adaptation}, booktitle = {Complexity Perspectives on Language, Communication and Society}, year = {2013}, pages = {3-14}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, abstract = {One of the presuppositions of science since the times of Galileo, Newton, Laplace, and Descartes has been the predictability of the world. This idea has strongly influenced scientific and technological models. However, in recent decades, chaos and complexity have shown that not every phenomenon is predictable, even if it is deterministic. If a problem space is predictable, in theory we can find a solution via optimization. Nevertheless, if a problem space is not predictable, or it changes too fast, very probably optimization will offer obsolete solutions. This occurs often when the immediate solution affects the problem itself. An alternative is found in adaptation. An adaptive system will be able to find by itself new solutions for unforeseen situations.}, isbn = {978-3-642-32816-9}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-32817-6}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.3843}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Massip, A. and A. Bastardas} } @article {Gershenson:2011e, title = {The Implications of Interactions for Science and Philosophy}, journal = {Foundations of Science}, volume = {Early View}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Reductionism has dominated science and philosophy for centuries. Complexity has recently shown that interactions{\textendash}-which reductionism neglects{\textendash}-are relevant for understanding phenomena. When interactions are considered, reductionism becomes limited in several aspects. In this paper, I argue that interactions imply non-reductionism, non-materialism, non-predictability, non-Platonism, and non-nihilism. As alternatives to each of these, holism, informism, adaptation, contextuality, and meaningfulness are put forward, respectively. A worldview that includes interactions not only describes better our world, but can help to solve many open scientific, philosophical, and social problems caused by implications of reductionism.}, doi = {10.1007/s10699-012-9305-8}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.2827}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson:2013, title = {Living in Living Cities}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {In Press}, year = {2013}, abstract = {

This paper presents and overview of current and potential applications of living technology to urban problems. Living technology can be described as technology that exhibits the core features of living systems. These features can be useful to solve dynamic problems. In particular, urban problems concerning mobility, logistics, telecommunications, governance, safety, sustainability, and society and culture are presented, while solutions involving living technology are reviewed. A methodology for developing living technology is mentioned, while self-organizing traffic lights are used as a case study of the benefits of urban living technology. Finally, the usefulness of describing cities as living systems is discussed.

}, keywords = {cities, Self-organization, traffic, transport}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.3659}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Farnsworth2013Living-is-Infor, title = {Living is Information Processing: From Molecules to Global Systems}, journal = {Acta Biotheoretica}, volume = {61}, number = {2}, year = {2013}, month = {June}, pages = {203-222}, abstract = {We extend the concept that life is an informational phenomenon, at every level of organisation, from molecules to the global ecological system. According to this thesis: (a) living is information processing, in which memory is maintained by both molecular states and ecological states as well as the more obvious nucleic acid coding; (b) this information processing has one overall function{\textendash}-to perpetuate itself; and (c) the processing method is filtration (cognition) of, and synthesis of, information at lower levels to appear at higher levels in complex systems (emergence). We show how information patterns, are united by the creation of mutual context, generating persistent consequences, to result in {\textquoteleft}functional information{\textquoteright}. This constructive process forms arbitrarily large complexes of information, the combined effects of which include the functions of life. Molecules and simple organisms have already been measured in terms of functional information content; we show how quantification may be extended to each level of organisation up to the ecological. In terms of a computer analogy, life is both the data and the program and its biochemical structure is the way the information is embodied. This idea supports the seamless integration of life at all scales with the physical universe. The innovation reported here is essentially to integrate these ideas, basing information on the {\textquoteleft}general definition{\textquoteright} of information, rather than simply the statistics of information, thereby explaining how functional information operates throughout life.}, doi = {10.1007/s10441-013-9179-3}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.5908}, author = {Farnsworth, Keith D. and Nelson, John and Gershenson, Carlos} } @unpublished {Amoretti:2012, title = {Measuring the Complexity of Ultra-Large-Scale Evolutionary Systems}, year = {2013}, note = {Submitted to Computer Networks}, abstract = {Ultra-large scale (ULS) systems are becoming pervasive. They are inherently complex, which makes their design and control a challenge for traditional methods. Here we propose the design and analysis of ULS systems using measures of complexity, emergence, self-organization, and homeostasis based on information theory. We evaluate the proposal with a ULS computing system provided with genetic adaptation mechanisms. We show the evolution of the system with stable and also changing workload, using different fitness functions. When the adaptive plan forces the system to converge to a predefined performance level, the nodes may result in highly unstable configurations, that correspond to a high variance in time of the measured complexity. Conversely, if the adaptive plan is less "aggressive", the system may be more stable, but the optimal performance may not be achieved.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.6656}, author = {Michele Amoretti and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson2013Previniendo-enf, title = {Previniendo enfermedades cr{\'o}nico-degenerativas con vacunas sociales}, journal = {Cirug{\'{\i}a y Cirujanos}, volume = {81}, number = {2}, year = {2013}, pages = {83-84}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/cdswlx5}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Thomas Wisdom} } @article {GershensonRosenblueth:2010, title = {Adaptive self-organization vs. static optimization: A qualitative comparison in traffic light coordination}, journal = {Kybernetes}, volume = {41}, number = {3}, year = {2012}, pages = {386-403}, abstract = {Using a recently proposed model of city traffic based on elementary cellular automata, we compare qualitatively two methods for coordinating traffic lights: a \emph{green-wave} method that tries to optimize phases according to expected flows and a \emph{self-organizing} method that adapts to the current traffic conditions. The \emph{self-organizing} method delivers considerable improvements over the \emph{green-wave} method. Seven dynamical regimes and six phase transitions are identified and analyzed for the \emph{self-organizing} method. For low densities, the \emph{self-organizing} method promotes the formation and coordination of platoons that flow freely in four directions, i.e.\ with a maximum velocity and no stops. For medium densities, the method allows a constant usage of the intersections, exploiting their maximum flux capacity. For high densities, the method prevents gridlocks and promotes the formation and coordination of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}free-spaces" that flow in the opposite direction of traffic.}, doi = {10.1108/03684921211229479}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03684921211229479}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and David A. Rosenblueth} } @article {GershensonFernandez:2012, title = {Complexity and Information: Measuring Emergence, Self-organization, and Homeostasis at Multiple Scales}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {18}, number = {2}, year = {2012}, pages = {29-44}, abstract = {Concepts used in the scientific study of complex systems have become so widespread that their use and abuse has led to ambiguity and confusion in their meaning. In this paper we use information theory to provide abstract and concise measures of complexity, emergence, self-organization, and homeostasis. The purpose is to clarify the meaning of these concepts with the aid of the proposed formal measures. In a simplified version of the measures (focusing on the information produced by a system), emergence becomes the opposite of self-organization, while complexity represents their balance. Homeostasis can be seen as a measure of the stability of the system. We use computational experiments on random Boolean networks and elementary cellular automata to illustrate our measures at multiple scales.}, doi = {10.1002/cplx.21424}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cplx.21424}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez} } @article {Gershenson:2010, title = {Guiding the Self-organization of Random Boolean Networks}, journal = {Theory in Biosciences}, volume = {131}, number = {3}, year = {2012}, month = {September}, pages = {181-191}, abstract = {Random Boolean networks (RBNs) are models of genetic regulatory networks. It is useful to describe RBNs as self-organizing systems to study how changes in the nodes and connections affect the global network dynamics. This article reviews eight different methods for guiding the self-organization of RBNs. In particular, the article is focussed on guiding RBNs towards the critical dynamical regime, which is near the phase transition between the ordered and dynamical phases. The properties and advantages of the critical regime for life, computation, adaptability, evolvability, and robustness are reviewed. The guidance methods of RBNs can be used for engineering systems with the features of the critical regime, as well as for studying how natural selection evolved living systems, which are also critical.}, doi = {10.1007/s12064-011-0144-x}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1005.5733}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {Edmonds:2012, title = {Learning, Social Intelligence and the {Turing} Test - why an {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}out-of-the-box" {Turing} Machine will not pass the {Turing} Test.}, booktitle = {How the world computes : Turing Centenary Conference and 8th Conference on Computability in Europe, CiE 2012, Cambridge, UK, June 18-23, 2012. Proceedings}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {7318/2012}, year = {2012}, pages = {182{\textendash}192}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, abstract = {The Turing Test (TT) checks for human intelligence, rather than any putative general intelligence. It involves repeated interaction requiring learning in the form of adaption to the human conversation partner. It is a macro-level post-hoc test in contrast to the definition of a Turing Machine (TM), which is a prior micro-level definition. This raises the question of whether learning is just another computational process, i.e. can be implemented as a TM. Here we argue that learning or adaption is fundamentally different from computation, though it does involve processes that can be seen as computations. To illustrate this difference we compare (a) designing a TM and (b) learning a TM, defining them for the purpose of the argument. We show that there is a well-defined sequence of problems which are not effectively designable but are learnable, in the form of the bounded halting problem. Some characteristics of human intelligence are reviewed including it{\textquoteright}s: interactive nature, learning abilities, imitative tendencies, linguistic ability and context-dependency. A story that explains some of these is the Social Intelligence Hypothesis. If this is broadly correct, this points to the necessity of a considerable period of acculturation (social learning in context) if an artificial intelligence is to pass the TT. Whilst it is always possible to {\textquoteright}compile{\textquoteright} the results of learning into a TM, this would not be a designed TM and would not be able to continually adapt (pass future TTs). We conclude three things, namely that: a purely "designed" TM will never pass the TT; that there is no such thing as a general intelligence since it necessary involves learning; and that learning/adaption and computation should be clearly distinguished.}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-30870-3_18}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.3376}, author = {Bruce Edmonds and Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {S. Barry Cooper and Anuj Dawar and Benedikt L{\"o}we} } @article {Zenil:2012, title = {Life as Thermodynamic Evidence of Algorithmic Structure in Natural Environments}, journal = {Entropy}, volume = {14}, number = {11}, year = {2012}, pages = {2173{\textendash}2191}, abstract = {In evolutionary biology, attention to the relationship between stochastic organisms and their stochastic environments has leaned towards the adaptability and learning capabilities of the organisms rather than toward the properties of the environment. This article is devoted to the algorithmic aspects of the environment and its interaction with living organisms. We ask whether one may use the fact of the existence of life to establish how far nature is removed from algorithmic randomness. The paper uses a novel approach to behavioral evolutionary questions, using tools drawn from information theory, algorithmic complexity and the thermodynamics of computation to support an intuitive assumption about the near optimal structure of a physical environment that would prove conducive to the evolution and survival of organisms, and sketches the potential of these tools, at present alien to biology, that could be used in the future to address different and deeper questions. We contribute to the discussion of the algorithmic structure of natural environments and provide statistical and computational arguments for the intuitive claim that living systems would not be able to survive in completely unpredictable environments, even if adaptable and equipped with storage and learning capabilities by natural selection (brain memory or DNA).}, issn = {1099-4300}, doi = {10.3390/e14112173}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/14/11/2173}, author = {Zenil, Hector and Gershenson, Carlos and Marshall, James A. R. and Rosenblueth, David A.} } @article {De-La-Guardia:2012, title = {Self-organizing systems on chip}, journal = {Intel Technology Journal}, volume = {16}, number = {2}, year = {2012}, pages = {182{\textendash}201}, abstract = {Self-organization in the context of computing systems refers to a technological approach to deal with the increasing complexity associated with the deployment, maintenance, and evolution of such systems. The terms self-organizing and autonomous are often used interchangeably in relation to systems that use organic principles (self-configuration, self-healing, and so on) in their design and operation. In the specific case of system on chip (SoC) design, organic principles are clearly in the solution path for some of the most important challenges in areas like logic organization, data movement, circuits, and software[47]. In this article, we start by providing a definition of the concept of self-organization as it applies to SoCs, explaining what it means and how it may be applied. We then provide a survey of the various recent papers, journal articles, and books on the subject and close by pointing out possible future directions, challenges and opportunities for self-organizing SoCs.}, url = {http://noggin.intel.com/technology-journal/2012/162/exploring-control-and-autonomic-computing}, author = {Rafael {De La Guardia} and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {GershensonRosenblueth:2011, title = {Self-organizing traffic lights at multiple-street intersections}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, year = {2012}, pages = {23-39}, abstract = {The elementary cellular automaton following rule 184 can mimic particles flowing in one direction at a constant speed. This automaton can therefore model highway traffic. In a recent paper, we have incorporated intersections regulated by traffic lights to this model using exclusively elementary cellular automata. In such a paper, however, we only explored a rectangular grid. We now extend our model to more complex scenarios employing an hexagonal grid. This extension shows first that our model can readily incorporate multiple-way intersections and hence simulate complex scenarios. In addition, the current extension allows us to study and evaluate the behavior of two different kinds of traffic light controller for a grid of six-way streets allowing for either two or three street intersections: a traffic light that tries to adapt to the amount of traffic (which results in self-organizing traffic lights) and a system of synchronized traffic lights with coordinated rigid periods (sometimes called the {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}green wave{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} method). We observe a tradeoff between system capacity and topological complexity. The green wave method is unable to cope with the complexity of a higher-capacity scenario, while the self-organizing method is scalable, adapting to the complexity of a scenario and exploiting its maximum capacity. Additionally, in this paper we propose a benchmark, independent of methods and models, to measure the performance of a traffic light controller comparing it against a theoretical optimum.}, doi = {10.1002/cplx.20395}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cplx.20395}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and David A. Rosenblueth} } @inbook {Gershenson:2011b, title = {Self-organizing urban transportation systems}, booktitle = {Complexity Theories of Cities Have Come of Age: An Overview with Implications to Urban Planning and Design}, year = {2012}, pages = {269-279}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, abstract = {Urban transportation is a complex phenomenon. Since many agents are constantly interacting in parallel, it is difficult to predict the future state of a transportation system. Because of this, optimization techniques tend to give obsolete solutions, as the problem changes before it can be optimized. An alternative lies in seeking adaptive solutions. This adaptation can be achieved with self-organization. In a self-organizing transportation system, the elements of the system follow local rules to achieve a global solution. Like this, when the problem changes the system can adapt by itself to the new configuration. In this chapter, I will review recent, current, and future work on self-organizing transportation systems. Self-organizing traffic lights have proven to improve traffic flow considerably over traditional methods. In public transportation systems, simple rules are being explored to prevent the "equal headway instability" phenomenon. The methods we have used can be also applied to other urban transportation systems and their generality is discussed.}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-24544-2_15}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0912.1588}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Juval Portugali and Han Meyer and Egbert Stolk and Ekim Tan} } @conference {Fernandez:2012, title = {Sistemas Din{\'a}micos como Redes Computacionales de Agentes para la evaluaci{\'o}n de sus Propiedades Emergentes.}, booktitle = {II Simposio Cient{\'{\i}fico y Tecnol{\'o}gico en Computaci{\'o}n SCTC 2012}, year = {2012}, address = {Universidad Central de Venezuela}, author = {Nelson Fern{\'a}ndez and Jos{\'e} Aguilar and Carlos Gershenson and Oswaldo Ter{\'a}n} } @inbook {Gershenson:2007, title = {The World as Evolving Information}, booktitle = {Unifying Themes in Complex Systems}, volume = {VII}, year = {2012}, pages = {100-115}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, abstract = {This paper discusses the benefits of describing the world as information, especially in the study of the evolution of life and cognition. Traditional studies encounter problems because it is difficult to describe life and cognition in terms of matter and energy, since their laws are valid only at the physical scale. However, if matter and energy, as well as life and cognition, are described in terms of information, evolution can be described consistently as information becoming more complex. The paper presents five tentative laws of information, valid at multiple scales, which are generalizations of Darwinian, cybernetic, thermodynamic, and complexity principles. These are further used to discuss the notions of life and cognition and their evolution.}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-18003-3_10}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0704.0304}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Minai, Ali and Braha, Dan and Yaneer {Bar-Yam}} } @article {GershensonProkopenko:2011, title = {Complex Networks}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, year = {2011}, month = {Fall}, pages = {259{\textendash}261}, publisher = {MIT Press}, abstract = {Introduction to the Special Issue on Complex Networks, Artificial Life journal.}, doi = {10.1162/artl_e_00037}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1104.5538}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Mikhail Prokopenko} } @inbook {Gershenson:2011, title = {Enfrentando a la Complejidad: Predecir vs. Adaptar}, booktitle = {Complejidad y Lenguaje}, year = {2011}, note = {In Press}, abstract = {Una de las presuposiciones de la ciencia desde los tiempos de Galileo, Newton y Laplace ha sido la previsibilidad del mundo. Esta idea ha influido en los modelos cient{\'{\i}ficos y tecnol{\'o}gicos. Sin embargo, en las {\'u}ltimas d{\'e}cadas, el caos y la complejidad han mostrado que no todos los fen{\'o}menos son previsibles, a{\'u}n siendo {\'e}stos deterministas. Si el espacio de un problema es previsible, podemos en teor{\'{\i}a encontrar una soluci{\'o}n por optimizaci{\'o}n. No obstante, si el espacio de un problema no es previsible, o cambia m{\'a}s r{\'a}pido de lo que podemos optimizarlo, la optimizaci{\'o}n probablemente nos dar{\'a} una soluci{\'o}n obsoleta. Esto sucede con frecuencia cuando la soluci{\'o}n inmediata afecta el espacio del problema mismo. Una alternativa se encuentra en la adaptaci{\'o}n. Si dotamos a un sistema de {\'e}sta propiedad, {\'e}ste mismo podr{\'a} encontrar nuevas soluciones para situaciones no previstas.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0905.4908}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Martorell, X. and Massip, A.} } @article {Gershenson:2011c, title = {Epidemiolog{\'{\i}a y las Redes Sociales}, journal = {Cirug{\'{\i}a y Cirujanos}, volume = {79}, number = {3}, year = {2011}, pages = {199-200}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/7nmt3p9}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {RosenbluethGershenson:2010, title = {A model of city traffic based on elementary cellular automata}, journal = {Complex Systems}, volume = {19}, number = {4}, year = {2011}, pages = {305-322}, abstract = {There have been several highway traffic models proposed based on cellular automata. The simplest one is elementary cellular automaton rule 184. We extend this model to city traffic with cellular automata coupled at intersections using only rules 184, 252, and 136.}, url = {http://www.complex-systems.com/pdf/19-4-1.pdf}, author = {David A. Rosenblueth and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {BalpoGershenson:2011, title = {Modular Random {Boolean} Networks}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, year = {2011}, pages = {331{\textendash}351}, publisher = {MIT Press}, abstract = {Random Boolean networks (RBNs) have been a popular model of genetic regulatory networks for more than four decades. However, most RBN studies have been made with random topologies, while real regulatory networks have been found to be modular. In this work, we extend classical RBNs to define modular RBNs. Statistical experiments and analytical results show that modularity has a strong effect on the properties of RBNs. In particular, modular RBNs have more attractors and are closer to criticality when chaotic dynamics would be expected, compared to classical RBNs.}, doi = {10.1162/artl_a_00042}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1101.1893}, author = {Rodrigo {Poblanno-Balp} and Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {GershensonHeylighen2004, title = {Protocol Requirements for Self-Organizing Artifacts: Towards an Ambient Intelligence}, booktitle = {Unifying Themes in Complex Systems}, volume = {V}, year = {2011}, note = {Also VUB AI-Lab Memo 04-04}, pages = {136-143}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, abstract = {We discuss which properties common-use artifacts should have to collaborate without human intervention. We conceive how devices, such as mobile phones, PDAs, and home appliances, could be seamlessly integrated to provide an "ambient intelligence" that responds to the users desires without requiring explicit programming or commands. While the hardware and software technology to build such systems already exists, yet there is no protocol to direct and give meaning to their interactions. We propose the first steps in the development of such a protocol, which would need to be adaptive, extensible, and open to the community, while promoting self-organization. We argue that devices, interacting through "game-like" moves, can learn to agree about how to communicate, with whom to cooperate, and how to delegate and coordinate specialized tasks. Like this, they may evolve distributed cognition or collective intelligence able to tackle any complex of tasks.}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-17635-7_17}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0404004}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Francis Heylighen}, editor = {Minai, Ali and Braha, Dan and Yaneer {Bar-Yam}} } @article {doi:10.1162/artl_a_00026, title = {Reviving the Living: Meaning Making in Living Systems. Yair Neuman. (2008, Elsevier, Studies in Multidisciplinarity, Vol. 6). $197 (hardbound), 320 pages.}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {17}, number = {2}, year = {2011}, pages = {145-146}, doi = {10.1162/artl_a_00026}, url = {http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/artl_a_00026}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {Gershenson:2011a, title = {Self-organization leads to supraoptimal performance in public transportation systems}, journal = {{PLoS ONE}}, volume = {6}, number = {6}, year = {2011}, pages = {e21469}, abstract = {The performance of public transportation systems affects a large part of the population. Current theory assumes that passengers are served optimally when vehicles arrive at stations with regular intervals. In this paper, it is shown that self-organization can improve the performance of public transportation systems beyond the theoretical optimum by responding adaptively to local conditions. This is possible because of a {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}slower-is-faster{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} effect, where passengers wait more time at stations but total travel times are reduced. The proposed self-organizing method uses {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}antipheromones{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} to regulate headways, which are inspired by the stigmergy (communication via environment) of some ant colonies.}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0021469}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021469}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @book {IWSOS2011, title = {Self-Organizing Systems 5th International Workshop, IWSOS 2011, Karlsruhe, Germany, February 23-24, 2011, Proceedings. Springer LNCS 6557}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {6557}, year = {2011}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Self-Organizing Systems, IWSOS 2011, held in Karlsruhe, Germany, in February 2011. The 9 revised full papers presented together with 1 invited paper were carefully selected from 25 initial submissions. It was the 5th workshop in a series of multidisciplinary events dedicated to self-organization in networked systems with main focus on communication and computer networks. The papers address theoretical aspects of self-organization as well as applications in communication and computer networks and robot networks.}, isbn = {978-3-642-19166-4}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-19167-1}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19167-1}, editor = {Christian Bettstetter and Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson:2010a, title = {The Sigma Profile: A Formal Tool to Study Organization and its Evolution at Multiple Scales}, journal = {Complexity}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, year = {2011}, pages = {37-44}, abstract = {The σ profile is presented as a tool to analyze the organization of systems at different scales, and how this organization changes in time. Describing structures at different scales as goal-oriented agents, one can define σ ∈ [0,1] (satisfaction) as the degree to which the goals of each agent at each scale have been met. σ reflects the organization degree at that scale. The σ profile of a system shows the satisfaction at different scales, with the possibility to study their dependencies and evolution. It can also be used to extend game theoretic models. The description of a general tendency on the evolution of complexity and cooperation naturally follows from the σ profile. Experiments on a virtual ecosystem are used as illustration.}, doi = {10.1002/cplx.20350}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0809.0504}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson:2011d, title = {What does artificial life tell us about death?}, journal = {International Journal of Artificial Life Research}, volume = {2}, number = {3}, year = {2011}, pages = {1-5}, abstract = {Short philosophical essay}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0906.2824}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson:2010b, title = {Computing Networks: A General Framework to Contrast Neural and Swarm Cognitions}, journal = {Paladyn, Journal of Behavioral Robotics}, volume = {1}, number = {2}, year = {2010}, pages = {147-153}, abstract = {This paper presents the Computing Networks (CNs) framework. CNs are used to generalize neural and swarm architectures. Artificial neural networks, ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization, and realistic biological models are used as examples of instantiations of CNs. The description of these architectures as CNs allows their comparison. Their differences and similarities allow the identification of properties that enable neural and swarm architectures to perform complex computations and exhibit complex cognitive abilities. In this context, the most relevant characteristics of CNs are the existence multiple dynamical and functional scales. The relationship between multiple dynamical and functional scales with adaptation, cognition (of brains and swarms) and computation is discussed.}, doi = {10.2478/s13230-010-0015-z}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s13230-010-0015-z}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {doi:10.1162/artl_r_00004, title = {Mechanical Love. Phie Ambo. (2009, Icarus Films.) $390, 52 min.}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {16}, number = {3}, year = {2010}, pages = {269-270}, doi = {10.1162/artl_r_00004}, url = {http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/artl_r_00004}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos and Meza, Iv{\'a}n V. and Avil{\'e}s, H{\'e}ctor and Pineda, Luis A.} } @inbook {BalpoGershenson:2010, title = {Modular Random {Boolean} Networks}, booktitle = {{Artificial Life XII} Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems}, year = {2010}, pages = {303-304}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, address = {Odense, Denmark}, url = {http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/0262290758chap56.pdf}, author = {Rodrigo {Poblanno-Balp} and Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Harold Fellermann and Mark D{\"o}rr and Martin M. Hanczyc and Lone Ladegaard Laursen and Sarah Maurer and Daniel Merkle and Pierre-Alain Monnard and Kasper St${\o}$y and Steen Rasmussen} } @unpublished {GershensonRosenblueth2009, title = {Modeling self-organizing traffic lights with elementary cellular automata}, year = {2009}, note = {Submitted}, abstract = {There have been several highway traffic models proposed based on cellular automata. The simplest one is elementary cellular automaton rule 184. We extend this model to city traffic with cellular automata coupled at intersections using only rules 184, 252, and 136. The simplicity of the model offers a clear understanding of the main properties of city traffic and its phase transitions. We use the proposed model to compare two methods for coordinating traffic lights: a green-wave method that tries to optimize phases according to expected flows and a self-organizing method that adapts to the current traffic conditions. The self-organizing method delivers considerable improvements over the green-wave method. For low densities, the self-organizing method promotes the formation and coordination of platoons that flow freely in four directions, i.e. with a maximum velocity and no stops. For medium densities, the method allows a constant usage of the intersections, exploiting their maximum flux capacity. For high densities, the method prevents gridlocks and promotes the formation and coordination of "free-spaces" that flow in the opposite direction of traffic.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0907.1925}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and David A. Rosenblueth} } @article {doi:10.1162/artl.2009.Gershenson.B6, title = {Reinventing the Sacred: A New View of Science, Reason, and Religion. Stuart A. Kauffman. (2008, Basic Books.) $27.}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, year = {2009}, pages = {485-487}, doi = {10.1162/artl.2009.Gershenson.B6}, url = {http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/artl.2009.Gershenson.B6}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {GershensonPineda2009, title = {Why does public transport not arrive on time? The pervasiveness of equal headway instability}, journal = {{PLoS ONE}}, volume = {4}, number = {10}, year = {2009}, pages = {e7292}, abstract = {Background The equal headway instability phenomenon is pervasive in public transport systems. This instability is characterized by an aggregation of vehicles that causes inefficient service. While equal headway instability is common, it has not been studied independently of a particular scenario. However, the phenomenon is apparent in many transport systems and can be modeled and rectified in abstraction. Methodology We present a multi-agent simulation where a default method with no restrictions always leads to unstable headways. We discuss two methods that attempt to achieve equal headways, called minimum and maximum. Since one parameter of the methods depends on the passenger density, adaptive versions{\textendash}-where the relevant parameter is adjusted automatically{\textendash}-are also put forward. Our results show that the adaptive maximum method improves significantly over the default method. The model and simulation give insights of the interplay between transport design and passenger behavior. Finally, we provide technological and social suggestions for engineers and passengers to help achieve equal headways and thus reduce delays. Conclusions The equal headway instability phenomenon can be avoided with the suggested technological and social measures.}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0007292}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007292}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Luis A. Pineda} } @book {Cx5Q, title = {Complexity: 5 Questions}, year = {2008}, publisher = {Automatic Peess / VIP}, organization = {Automatic Peess / VIP}, isbn = {8792130135}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/ovg3jn}, editor = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {GershensonLenaerts2008, title = {Evolution of Complexity}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, year = {2008}, note = {Special Issue on the Evolution of Complexity}, month = {Summer}, pages = {1{\textendash}3}, doi = {10.1162/artl.2008.14.3.14300}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/artl.2008.14.3.14300}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Tom Lenaerts} } @article {doi:10.1162/artl.2008.14.2.239, title = {Self-Organization and Emergence in Life Sciences. Bernard Feltz, Marc Crommelinck, and Philippe Goujon (Eds.). (2006, Synthese Library Vol. 331, Springer.) Hardcover, {\texteuro}139, $179, 360 pages}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, year = {2008}, pages = {239-240}, doi = {10.1162/artl.2008.14.2.239}, url = {http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/artl.2008.14.2.239}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos} } @article {GershensonSOBs, title = {Towards Self-organizing Bureaucracies}, journal = {International Journal of Public Information Systems}, volume = {2008}, number = {1}, year = {2008}, pages = {1{\textendash}24}, abstract = {The goal of this paper is to contribute to eGovernment efforts, encouraging the use of self-organization as a method to improve the efficiency and adaptability of bureaucracies and similar social systems. Bureaucracies are described as networks of agents, where the main design principle is to reduce local "friction" to increase local and global "satisfaction". Following this principle, solutions are proposed for improving communication within bureaucracies, sensing public satisfaction, dynamic modification of hierarchies, and contextualization of procedures. Each of these reduces friction between agents (internal or external), increasing the efficiency of bureaucracies. Current technologies can be applied for this end. "Random agent networks" (RANs), novel computational models, are introduced to illustrate the benefits of self-organizing bureaucracies. Simulations show that only few changes are required to reach near-optimal performance, potentially adapting quickly and effectively to shifts in demand.}, url = {http://www.ijpis.net/issues/no1_2008/no1_2008_p1.htm}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @inbook {HeylighenEtAl2007, title = {Complexity and Philosophy}, booktitle = {Complexity, Science and Society}, year = {2007}, pages = {117-134}, publisher = {Radcliffe Publishing}, organization = {Radcliffe Publishing}, address = {Oxford}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/cs.CC/0604072}, author = {Francis Heylighen and Paul Cilliers and Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Jan Bogg and Robert Geyer} } @mastersthesis {GershensonPhD, title = {Design and Control of Self-organizing Systems}, year = {2007}, month = {May}, school = {Vrije Universiteit Brussel}, type = {phd}, address = {Brussels, Belgium}, abstract = {Complex systems are usually difficult to design and control. There are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there is no general approach to build complex systems. In this thesis I propose a methodology to aid engineers in the design and control of complex systems. This is based on the description of systems as self-organizing. Starting from the agent metaphor, the methodology proposes a conceptual framework and a series of steps to follow to find proper mechanisms that will promote elements to find solutions by actively interacting among themselves. The main premise of the methodology claims that reducing the {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}friction{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} of interactions between elements of a system will result in a higher {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}satisfaction{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} of the system, i.e. better performance. A general introduction to complex thinking is given, since designing self-organizing systems requires a non-classical thought, while practical notions of complexity and self-organization are put forward. To illustrate the methodology, I present three case studies. Self-organizing traffic light controllers are proposed and studied with multi-agent simulations, outperforming traditional methods. Methods for improving communication within self-organizing bureaucracies are advanced, introducing a simple computational model to illustrate the benefits of self-organization. In the last case study, requirements for self-organizing artifacts in an ambient intelligence scenario are discussed. Philosophical implications of the conceptual framework are also put forward.}, url = {http://cogprints.org/5442/}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @book {GershensonDCSOS, title = {Design and Control of Self-organizing Systems}, year = {2007}, note = {http://tinyurl.com/DCSOS2007}, publisher = {CopIt Arxives}, organization = {CopIt Arxives}, address = {Mexico}, abstract = {Complex systems are usually difficult to design and control. There are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there is no general approach to build complex systems. In this book I pro- pose a methodology to aid engineers in the design and control of com- plex systems. This is based on the description of systems as self- organizing. Starting from the agent metaphor, the methodology pro- poses a conceptual framework and a series of steps to follow to find proper mechanisms that will promote elements to find solutions by ac- tively interacting among themselves. The main premise of the method- ology claims that reducing the "friction" of interactions between el- ements of a system will result in a higher "satisfaction" of the system, i.e. better performance. A general introduction to complex thinking is given, since designing self-organizing systems requires a non-classical thought, while prac- tical notions of complexity and self-organization are put forward. To illustrate the methodology, I present three case studies. Self-organizing traffic light controllers are proposed and studied with multi-agent simulations, outperforming traditional methods. Methods for im- proving communication within self-organizing bureaucracies are ad- vanced, introducing a simple computational model to illustrate the benefits of self-organization. In the last case study, requirements for self-organizing artifacts in an ambient intelligence scenario are dis- cussed. Philosophical implications of the conceptual framework are also put forward.}, keywords = {Complexity Theory, Physics, Self-organization}, isbn = {978-0-9831172-3-0}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/DCSOS2007}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {doi:10.1162/artl.2007.13.1.91, title = {Live Evolving: Molecules, Mind, and Meaning. Christian De Duve. (2003, Oxford University Press.) Hardback, {\textsterling}25, $39. 358 pages}, journal = {Artificial Life}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, pages = {91-92}, doi = {10.1162/artl.2007.13.1.91}, url = {http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/artl.2007.13.1.91}, author = {Gershenson, Carlos} } @book {GershensonEtAl-PnC, title = {Philosophy and Complexity}, series = {Worldviews, Science and Us}, year = {2007}, publisher = {World Scientific}, organization = {World Scientific}, address = {Singapore}, abstract = {Scientific, technological, and cultural changes have always had an impact upon philosophy. They can force a change in the way we perceive the world, reveal new kinds of phenomena to be understood, and provide new ways of understanding phenomena. Complexity science, immersed in a culture of information, is having a diverse but particularly significant impact upon philosophy. Previous ideas do not necessarily sit comfortably with the new paradigm, resulting in new ideas or new interpretations of old ideas. In this unprecedented interdisciplinary volume, researchers from different backgrounds join efforts to update thinking upon philosophical questions with developments in the scientific study of complex systems. The contributions focus on a wide range of topics, but share the common goal of increasing our understanding and improving our descriptions of our complex world. This revolutionary debate includes contributions from leading experts, as well as young researchers proposing fresh ideas.}, url = {http://www.worldscibooks.com/chaos/6372.html}, editor = {Carlos Gershenson and Diederik Aerts and Bruce Edmonds} } @inbook {CoolsEtAl2007, title = {Self-organizing traffic lights: A realistic simulation}, booktitle = {Self-Organization: Applied Multi-Agent Systems}, year = {2007}, pages = {41{\textendash}49}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, chapter = {3}, abstract = {We have previously shown in an abstract simulation (Gershenson, 2005) that self-organizing traffic lights can improve greatly traffic flow for any density. In this paper, we extend these results to a realistic setting, implementing self-organizing traffic lights in an advanced traffic simulator using real data from a Brussels avenue. On average, for different traffic densities, travel waiting times are reduced by 50\% compared to the current green wave method.}, doi = {10.1007/978-1-84628-982-8_3}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0610040}, author = {Seung Bae Cools and Carlos Gershenson and Bart {D{\textquoteright}Hooghe}}, editor = {Mikhail Prokopenko} } @conference {RodriguezEtAl2007, title = {Smartocracy: Social Networks for Collective Decision Making}, booktitle = {Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science (HICSS)}, year = {2007}, publisher = {IEEE Computer Society}, organization = {IEEE Computer Society}, abstract = {Smartocracy is a social software system for collec- tive decision making. The system is composed of a social network that links individuals to those they trust to make good decisions and a decision network that links individuals to their voted-on solutions. Such networks allow a variety of algorithms to convert the link choices made by individual participants into specific decision outcomes. Simply interpreting the linkages differently (e.g. ignoring trust links, or using them to weight an individual{\textquoteright}s vote) provides a variety of outcomes fit for different decision making scenarios. This paper will discuss the Smartocracy network data structures, the suite of collective decision making algorithms currently supported, and the results of two collective decisions regarding the design of the system.}, doi = {10.1109/HICSS.2007.484}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/ybojp8}, author = {Rodriguez, Marko A. and Steinbock, Daniel J. and Watkins, Jennifer H. and Gershenson, Carlos and Bollen, Johan and Grey, Victor and deGraf, Brad} } @inbook {Gershenson2007-SOS, title = {Towards a General Methodology for Designing Self-Organizing Systems}, booktitle = {Complexity, Science and Society}, year = {2007}, publisher = {Radcliffe Publishing}, organization = {Radcliffe Publishing}, address = {Oxford}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Jan Bogg and Robert Geyer} } @conference {GershensonLenaerts2006, title = {Evolution of Complexity: Introduction to the Workshop}, booktitle = {{ALife X} Workshop Proceedings}, year = {2006}, pages = {71{\textendash}72}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0604069}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Tom Lenaerts} } @booklet {Gershenson2006, title = {A General Methodology for Designing Self-Organizing Systems}, number = {2005-05}, year = {2006}, publisher = {ECCO}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0505009}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {GershensonEtAl2006, title = {The Role of Redundancy in the Robustness of Random {Boolean} Networks}, booktitle = {{Artificial Life X}, Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems.}, year = {2006}, pages = {35{\textendash}42}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, abstract = {Evolution depends on the possibility of successfully exploring fitness landscapes via mutation and recombination. With these search procedures, exploration is difficult in "rugged" fitness landscapes, where small mutations can drastically change functionalities in an organism. Random Boolean networks (RBNs), being general models, can be used to explore theories of how evolution can take place in rugged landscapes; or even change the landscapes. In this paper, we study the effect that redundant nodes have on the robustness of RBNs. Using computer simulations, we have found that the addition of redundant nodes to RBNs increases their robustness. We conjecture that redundancy is a way of "smoothening" fitness landscapes. Therefore, redundancy can facilitate evolutionary searches. However, too much redundancy could reduce the rate of adaptation of an evolutionary process. Our results also provide supporting evidence in favour of Kauffman{\textquoteright}s conjecture (Kauffman, 2000, p.195).}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0511018}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Stuart A. Kauffman and Ilya Shmulevich}, editor = {Rocha, L. M. and L. S. Yaeger and M. A. Bedau and D. Floreano and R. L. Goldstone and A. Vespignani} } @inbook {GershensonHeylighen2005, title = {How Can We Think the Complex?}, booktitle = {Managing Organizational Complexity: Philosophy, Theory and Application}, year = {2005}, pages = {47{\textendash}61}, publisher = {Information Age Publishing}, organization = {Information Age Publishing}, chapter = {3}, abstract = {This chapter does not deal with specific tools and techniques for managing complex systems, but proposes some basic concepts that help us to think and speak about complexity. We review classical thinking and its intrinsic drawbacks when dealing with complexity. We then show how complexity forces us to build models with indeterminacy and unpredictability. However, we can still deal with the problems created in this way by being adaptive, and profiting from a complex system{\textquoteright}s capability for selforganization, and the distributed intelligence this may produce.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0402023}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Francis Heylighen}, editor = {Kurt Richardson} } @article {Gershenson2005, title = {Self-Organizing Traffic Lights}, journal = {Complex Systems}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, year = {2005}, pages = {29{\textendash}53}, abstract = {Steering traffic in cities is a very complex task, since improving efficiency involves the coordination of many actors. Traditional approaches attempt to optimize traffic lights for a particular density and configuration of traffic. The disadvantage of this lies in the fact that traffic densities and configurations change constantly. Traffic seems to be an adaptation problem rather than an optimization problem. We propose a simple and feasible alternative, in which traffic lights self-organize to improve traffic flow. We use a multi-agent simulation to study three self-organizing methods, which are able to outperform traditional rigid and adaptive methods. Using simple rules and no direct communication, traffic lights are able to self-organize and adapt to changing traffic conditions, reducing waiting times, number of stopped cars, and increasing average speeds.}, url = {http://www.complex-systems.com/pdf/16-1-2.pdf}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson2004, title = {Cognitive Paradigms: Which One is the Best?}, journal = {Cognitive Systems Research}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, year = {2004}, month = {June}, pages = {135{\textendash}156}, abstract = {I discuss the suitability of different paradigms for studying cognition. I use a virtual laboratory that implements five different representative models for controlling animats: a rule-based system, a behaviour-based system, a concept-based system, a neural network, and a Braitenberg architecture. Through different experiments, I compare the performance of the models and conclude that there is no "best" model, since different models are better for different things in different contexts. Using the results as an empirical philosophical aid, I note that there is no "best" approach for studying cognition, since different paradigms have all advantages and disadvantages, since they study different aspects of cognition from different contexts. This has implications for current debates on "proper" approaches for cognition: all approaches are a bit proper, but none will be "proper enough". I draw remarks on the notion of cognition abstracting from all the approaches used to study it, and propose a simple classification for different types of cognition.}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2003.10.002}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson2004c, title = {Introduction to Random {Boolean} Networks}, booktitle = {Workshop and Tutorial Proceedings, Ninth International Conference on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems {(ALife} {IX)}}, year = {2004}, pages = {160{\textendash}173}, address = {Boston, MA}, abstract = {The goal of this tutorial is to promote interest in the study of random Boolean networks (RBNs). These can be very interesting models, since one does not have to assume any functionality or particular connectivity of the networks to study their generic properties. Like this, RBNs have been used for exploring the configurations where life could emerge. The fact that RBNs are a generalization of cellular automata makes their research a very important topic. The tutorial, intended for a broad audience, presents the state of the art in RBNs, spanning over several lines of research carried out by different groups. We focus on research done within artificial life, as we cannot exhaust the abundant research done over the decades related to RBNs.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0408006}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {M. Bedau and P. Husbands and T. Hutton and S. Kumar and H. Suzuki} } @unpublished {Gershenson2004a, title = {Phase Transitions in Random {Boolean} Networks with Different Updating Schemes}, year = {2004}, note = {Unpublished}, abstract = {In this paper we study the phase transitions of different types of Random Boolean networks. These differ in their updating scheme: synchronous, semi-synchronous, or asynchronous, and deterministic or non-deterministic. It has been shown that the statistical properties of Random Boolean networks change considerable according to the updating scheme. We study with computer simulations sensitivity to initial conditions as a measure of order/chaos. We find that independently of their updating scheme, all network types have very similar phase transitions, namely when the average number of connections of nodes is between one and three. This critical value depends more on the size of the network than on the updating scheme.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0311008}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson2004b, title = {Updating Schemes in Random {Boolean} Networks: Do They Really Matter?}, booktitle = {Artificial Life {IX} Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems}, year = {2004}, pages = {238{\textendash}243}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, abstract = {In this paper we try to end the debate concerning the suitability of different updating schemes in random Boolean networks (RBNs). We quantify for the first time loose attractors in asyncrhonous RBNs, which allows us to analyze the complexity reduction related to different updating schemes. We also report that all updating schemes yield very similar critical stability values, meaning that the "edge of chaos" does not depend much on the updating scheme. After discussion, we conclude that synchonous RBNs are justifiable theoretical models of biological networks.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0402006}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {J. Pollack and M. Bedau and P. Husbands and T. Ikegami and R. A. Watson} } @conference {Gershenson2003IJCAI, title = {Comparing Different Cognitive Paradigms with a Virtual Laboratory}, booktitle = {{IJCAI}-03: Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence}, year = {2003}, pages = {1635{\textendash}1636}, publisher = {Morgan Kaufmann}, organization = {Morgan Kaufmann}, abstract = {A public virtual laboratory is presented, where animats are controlled by mechanisms from different cognitive paradigms. A brief description of the characteristics of the laboratory and the uses it has had is given. Mainly, it has been used to contrast philosophical ideas related with the notion of cognition, and to elucidate debates on "proper" paradigms in AI and cognitive science.}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {GershensonEtAl2003a, title = {Contextual Random {Boolean} Networks}, booktitle = {Advances in Artificial Life, 7th European Conference, {ECAL} 2003 {LNAI} 2801}, year = {2003}, pages = {615{\textendash}624}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, abstract = {We propose the use of Deterministic Generalized Asynchronous Random Boolean Networks (Gershenson, 2002) as models of contextual deterministic discrete dynamical systems. We show that changes in the context have drastic effects on the global properties of the same networks, namely the average number of attractors and the average percentage of states in attractors. We introduce the situation where we lack knowledge on the context as a more realistic model for contextual dynamical systems. We notice that this makes the network non-deterministic in a specific way, namely introducing a non-Kolmogorovian quantum-like structure for the modelling of the network (Aerts 1986). In this case, for example, a state of the network has the potentiality (probability) of collapsing into different attractors, depending on the specific form of lack of knowledge on the context.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0303021}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Jan Broekaert and Diederik Aerts}, editor = {Banzhaf, W and T. Christaller and P. Dittrich and J. T. Kim and J. Ziegler} } @article {HeylighenGershenson2003, title = {The Meaning of Self-Organization in Computing}, journal = {IEEE Intelligent Systems}, year = {2003}, month = {July/August}, pages = {72{\textendash}75}, url = {http://pcp.vub.ac.be/Papers/IEEE.Self-organization.pdf}, author = {Francis Heylighen and Carlos Gershenson} } @unpublished {Gershenson2003u, title = {Self-organizing Traffic Control: First Results}, year = {2003}, note = {Unpublished}, abstract = {We developed a virtual laboratory for traffic control where agents use different strategies in order to self-organize on the road. We present our first results where we compare the performance and behaviour promoted by environmental constrains and five different simple strategies: three inspired in flocking behaviour, one selfish, and one inspired in the minority game. Experiments are presented for comparing the strategies. Different issues are discussed, such as the important role of environmental constrains and the emergence of traffic lanes.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0309039}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {GershensonHeylighen2003a, title = {When Can We Call a System Self-Organizing?}, booktitle = {Advances in Artificial Life, 7th European Conference, {ECAL} 2003 {LNAI} 2801}, year = {2003}, pages = {606{\textendash}614}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Berlin}, abstract = {We do not attempt to provide yet another definition of self-organizing systems, nor review previous definitions. We explore the conditions necessary to describe self-organizing systems, inspired on decades of their study, in order to understand them better. These involve the dynamics of the system, and the purpose, boundaries, and description level chosen by an observer. We show how, changing the level or {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}graining{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} of description, the same system can be self-organizing or not. We also discuss common problems we face when studying self-organizing systems. We analyse when building, designing, and controlling artificial self-organizing systems is useful. We state that self-organization is a way of observing systems, not a class of systems.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0303020}, author = {Carlos Gershenson and Francis Heylighen}, editor = {Banzhaf, W and T. Christaller and P. Dittrich and J. T. Kim and J. Ziegler} } @unpublished {Gershenson2002uc, title = {Adaptive Development of Koncepts in Virtual Animats: Insights Into the Development of Knowledge}, year = {2002}, note = {Adaptive Systems Essay, COGS, University of Sussex}, abstract = {As a part of our effort for studying the evolution and development of cognition, we present results derived from synthetic experimentations in a virtual laboratory where animats develop koncepts adaptively and ground their meaning through action. We introduce the term "koncept" to avoid confusions and ambiguity derived from the wide use of the word "concept". We present the models which our animats use for abstracting koncepts from perceptions, plastically adapt koncepts, and associate koncepts with actions. On a more philosophical vein, we suggest that knowledge is a property of a cognitive system, not an element, and therefore observer-dependent.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs/0211027}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson2002c, title = {Behaviour-Based Knowledge Systems: An Epigenetic Path from Behaviour to Knowledge}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics}, volume = {94}, year = {2002}, pages = {35{\textendash}41}, publisher = {Lund University Cognitive Studies}, organization = {Lund University Cognitive Studies}, address = {Edinburgh, Scotland}, abstract = {In this paper we expose the theoretical background underlying our current research. This consists in the development of behaviour-based knowledge systems, for closing the gaps between behaviour-based and knowledge-based systems, and also between the understandings of the phenomena they model. We expose the requirements and stages for developing behaviour-based knowledge systems and discuss their limits. We believe that these are necessary conditions for the development of higher order cognitive capacities, in artificial and natural cognitive systems.}, url = {http://www.lucs.lu.se/ftp/pub/LUCS\%5FStudies/LUCS94/Gershenson.pdf}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Christopher G. Prince and Yiannis Demiris and Yuval Marom and Hideki Kozima and Christian Balkenius} } @conference {Gershenson2002e, title = {Classification of Random {Boolean} Networks}, booktitle = {Artificial Life {VIII}: Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Artificial Life}, year = {2002}, pages = {1{\textendash}8}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, address = {Cambridge, MA, USA}, abstract = {We provide the first classification of different types of Random Boolean Networks (RBNs). We study the differences of RBNs depending on the degree of synchronicity and determinism of their updating scheme. For doing so, we first define three new types of RBNs. We note some similarities and differences between different types of RBNs with the aid of a public software laboratory we developed. Particularly, we find that the point attractors are independent of the updating scheme, and that RBNs are more different depending on their determinism or non-determinism rather than depending on their synchronicity or asynchronicity. We also show a way of mapping non-synchronous deterministic RBNs into synchronous RBNs. Our results are important for justifying the use of specific types of RBNs for modelling natural phenomena.}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0208001}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Standish, R. K. and M. A. Bedau and H. A. Abbass} } @mastersthesis {Gershenson2002d, title = {A Comparison of Different Cognitive Paradigms Using Simple Animats in a Virtual Laboratory, with Implications to the Notion of Cognition}, year = {2002}, school = {School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex}, type = {masters}, abstract = {In this thesis I present a virtual laboratory which implements five different models for controlling animats: a rule-based system, a behaviour-based system, a concept-based system, a neural network, and a Braitenberg architecture. Through different experiments, I compare the performance of the models and conclude that there is no {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}best{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} model, since different models are better for different things in different contexts. The models I chose, although quite simple, represent different approaches for studying cognition. Using the results as an empirical philosophical aid, I note that there is no {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}best{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} approach for studying cognition, since different approaches have all advantages and disadvantages, because they study different aspects of cognition from different contexts. This has implications for current debates on {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}proper{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} approaches for cognition: all approaches are a bit proper, but none will be {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}proper enough{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}. I draw remarks on the notion of cognition abstracting from all the approaches used to study it, and propose a simple classification for different types of cognition.}, url = {http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/easy/Publications/Online/MSc2002/cg26.pdf}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson2002a, title = {Complex Philosophy}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 1st Biennial Seminar on Philosophical, Methodological $\And$ Epistemological Implications of Complexity Theory}, year = {2002}, address = {La Habana, Cuba}, abstract = {We present several philosophical ideas emerging from the studies of complex systems. We make a brief introduction to the basic concepts of complex systems, for then defining "abstraction levels". These are useful for representing regularities in nature. We define absolute being (observer independent, infinite) and relative being (observer dependent, finite), and notice the differences between them. We draw issues on relative causality and absolute causality among abstraction levels. We also make reflections on determinism. We reject the search for any absolute truth (because of their infinity), and promote the idea that all comprehensible truths are relative, since they were created in finite contexts. This leads us to suggest to search the less-incompleteness of ideas and contexts instead of their truths.}, url = {http://uk.arXiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0109001}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @unpublished {Gershenson2002ua, title = {Contextuality: A Philosophical Paradigm, with Applications to Philosophy of Cognitive Science}, year = {2002}, note = {POCS Essay, COGS, University of Sussex}, abstract = {We develop on the idea that everything is related, inside, and therefore determined by a context. This stance, which at first might seem obvious, has several important consequences. This paper first presents ideas on Contextuality, for then applying them to problems in philosophy of cognitive science. Because of space limitations, for the second part we will assume that the reader is familiar with the literature of philosophy of cognitive science, but if this is not the case, it would not be a limitation for understanding the main ideas of this paper. We do not argue that Contextuality is a panaceic answer for explaining everything, but we do argue that everything is inside a context. And because this is always, we sometimes ignore it, but we believe that many problems are dissolved with a contextual approach, noticing things we ignore because of their obviousity. We first give a notion of context. We present the idea that errors are just incongruencies inside a context. We also present previous ideas of absolute being, relative being, and lessincompleteness. We state that all logics, and also truth judgements, are contextdependent, and we develop a {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Context-dependant Logic{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}. We apply ideas of Contextuality to problems in semantics, the problem of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}where is the mind{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}, and the study of consciousness.}, url = {http://cogprints.org/2621/}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {DasEtAl2002, title = {Neural Net Model for Featured Word Extraction}, booktitle = {InterJournal of Complex Systems}, number = {539}, year = {2002}, abstract = {Search engines perform the task of retrieving information related to the user-supplied query words. This task has two parts; one is finding {\textquoteright}featured words{\textquoteright} which describe an article best and the other is finding a match among these words to user-defined search terms. There are two main independent approaches to achieve this task. The first one, using the concepts of semantics, has been implemented partially. For more details see another paper of Marko et al., 2002. The second approach is reported in this paper. It is a theoretical model based on using Neural Network (NN). Instead of using keywords or reading from the first few lines from papers/articles, the present model gives emphasis on extracting {\textquoteright}featured words{\textquoteright} from an article. Obviously we propose to exclude prepositions, articles and so on, that is , English words like "of, the, are, so, therefore, " etc. from such a list. A neural model is taken with its nodes pre-assigned energies. Whenever a match is found with featured words and user-defined search words, the node is fired and jumps to a higher energy. This firing continues until the model attains a steady energy level and total energy is now calculated. Clearly, higher match will generate higher energy; so on the basis of total energy, a ranking is done to the article indicating degree of relevance to the user{\textquoteright}s interest. Another important feature of the proposed model is incorporating a semantic module to refine the search words; like finding association among search words, etc. In this manner, information retrieval can be improved markedly.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.NE/0206001}, author = {Atin Das and M. Marko and A. Probst and M. A. Porter and C. Gershenson} } @article {Gershenson2002b, title = {Philosophical Ideas on the Simulation of Social Behaviour}, journal = {Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation}, volume = {5}, number = {3}, year = {2002}, abstract = {In this study we consider some of the philosophical issues that should be taken into account when simulating social behaviour. Even though the ideas presented here are philosophical, they should be of interest more to researchers simulating social behaviour than to philosophers, since we try to note some problems that researchers might not put much attention to. We give notions of what could be considered a social behaviour, and mention the problems that arise if we attempt to give a sharp definition of social behaviour in a broad context. We also briefly give useful concepts and ideas of complex systems and abstraction levels (Gershenson, 2002a), since any society can be seen as a complex system. We discuss the problems that arise while modelling social behaviour, mentioning the synthetic method as a useful approach for contrasting social theories, because of the complexities of the phenomena they model. In addition, we note the importance of the study of social behaviour for the understanding of cognition. We hope that the ideas presented here motivate the interest and debate of researchers simulating social behaviour in order to pay attention to the problems mentioned in this work, and attempt to provide more suitable solutions to them than the ones proposed here.}, url = {http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/5/3/8.html}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @article {MarkoEtAl2002, title = {Transforming the World Wide Web Into a Complexity-Based Semantic Network}, journal = {InterJournal of Complex Systems}, number = {588}, year = {2002}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.NI/0205080}, author = {Matus Marko and M. A. Porter and A. Probst and C. Gershenson and A. Das} } @unpublished {Gershenson2002ub, title = {Where is the problem of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Where is the mind?{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}?}, year = {2002}, note = {POCS Essay, COGS, University of Sussex}, abstract = {We propose that the discussions about {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}where the mind is{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} depend directly on the metaphysical preconception and definition of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}mind{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}. If we see the mind from one perspective (individualist), it will be only in the brain, and if we see it from another (active externalist), it will be embedded in the body and extended into the world. The {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}whereabouts{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} of the mind depends on our 1 of mind. Therefore, we should not ask if the mind is somewhere, but if it is somehow.}, url = {http://cogprints.org/2620/}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @unpublished {Gershenson2001a, title = {Artificial Societies of Intelligent Agents}, year = {2001}, note = {Unpublished BEng Thesis}, publisher = {Fundaci{\'o}n Arturo Rosenblueth}, abstract = {In this thesis we present our work, where we developed artificial societies of intelligent agents, in order to understand and simulate adaptive behaviour and social processes. We obtain this in three parallel ways: First, we present a behaviours production system capable of reproducing a high number of properties of adaptive behaviour and of exhibiting emergent lower cognition. Second, we introduce a simple model for social action, obtaining emergent complex social processes from simple interactions of imitation and induction of behaviours in agents. And third, we present our approximation to a behaviours virtual laboratory, integrating our behaviours production system and our social action model in animats. In our behaviours virtual laboratory, the user can perform a wide variety of experiments, allowing him or her to test the properties of our behaviours production system and our social action model, and also to understand adaptive and social behaviour. It can be accessed and downloaded through the Internet. Before presenting our proposals, we make an introduction to artificial intelligence and behaviour-based systems, and also we give notions of complex systems and artificial societies. In the last chapter of the thesis, we present experiments carried out in our behaviours virtual laboratory showing the main properties of our behaviours production system, of our social action model, and of our behaviours virtual laboratory itself. Finally, we discuss about the understanding of adaptive behaviour as a path for understanding cognition and its evolution.}, url = {http://cogprints.org/1477/}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson2001b, title = {Comments to Neutrosophy}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the First International Conference on Neutrosophy, Neutrosophic Logic, Set, Probability and Statistics}, year = {2001}, pages = {139{\textendash}146}, publisher = {Xiquan}, organization = {Xiquan}, address = {University of New Mexico, Gallup, NM}, abstract = {Any system based on axioms is incomplete because the axioms cannot be proven from the system, just believed. But one system can be less-incomplete than other. Neutrosophy is less-incomplete than many other systems because it contains them. But this does not mean that it is finished, and it can always be improved. The comments presented here are an attempt to make Neutrosophy even less-incomplete. I argue that less-incomplete ideas are more useful, since we cannot perceive truth or falsity or indeterminacy independently of a context, and are therefore relative. Absolute being and relative being are defined. Also the "silly theorem problem" is posed, and its partial solution described. The issues arising from the incompleteness of our contexts are presented. We also note the relativity and dependance of logic to a context. We propose "metacontextuality" as a paradigm for containing as many contexts as we can, in order to be less-incomplete and discuss some possible consequences.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/math.GM/0111237}, author = {Carlos Gershenson}, editor = {Florentin Smarandache} } @conference {GonzalezEtAl2001, title = {Integration of Computational Techniques for the Modelling of Signal Transduction}, booktitle = {Advances in Systems Science: Measurement, Circuits and Control}, year = {2001}, publisher = {WSES Press}, organization = {WSES Press}, abstract = {A cell can be seen as an adaptive autonomous agent or as a society of adaptive autonomous agents, where each can exhibit a particular behaviour depending on its cognitive capabilities. We present an intracellular signalling model obtained by integrating several computational techniques into an agent-based paradigm. Cellulat, the model, takes into account two essential aspects of the intracellular signalling networks: cognitive capacities and a spatial organization. Exemplifying the functionality of the system by modelling the EGFR signalling pathway, we discuss the methodology as well as the purposes of an intracellular signalling virtual laboratory, presently under development.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.MA/0211030}, author = {P. P. Gonz{\'a}lez and M. C{\'a}rdenas and C. Gershenson and J. Lagunez}, editor = {N.E. Mastorakis and L.A. Pecorelli-Peres} } @conference {GershensonEtAl2000a, title = {Action Selection Properties in a Software Simulated Agent}, booktitle = {{MICAI} 2000: Advances in Artificial Intelligence}, series = {Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence}, volume = {1793}, year = {2000}, pages = {634{\textendash}648}, publisher = {Springer, Verlag}, organization = {Springer, Verlag}, address = {Acapulco, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {This article analyses the properties of the Internal Behaviour network, an action selection mechanism previously proposed by the authors, with the aid of a simulation developed for such ends. A brief review of the Internal Behaviour network is followed by the explanation of the implementation of the simulation. Then, experiments are presented and discussed analysing the properties of the action selection in the proposed model.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.AI/0211039}, author = {C. Gershenson and P. P. Gonz{\'a}lez and J. Negrete}, editor = {{O. Cair{\'o} and L. E. S{\'u}car, F.J. Cant{\'u}} } @conference {GershensonGonzalez2000, title = {Dynamic Adjustment of the Motivation Degree in an Action Selection Mechanism}, booktitle = {Proceedings of {ISA} {\textquoteright}2000}, year = {2000}, address = {Wollongong, Australia.}, abstract = {This paper presents a model for dynamic adjustment of the motivation degree, using a reinforcement learning approach, in an action selection mechanism previously developed by the authors. The learning takes place in the modification of a parameter of the model of combination of internal and external stimuli. Experiments that show the claimed properties are presented, using a VR simulation developed for such purposes. The importance of adaptation by learning in action selection is also discussed.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.AI/0211038}, author = {C. Gershenson and P. P. Gonz{\'a}lez} } @conference {GonzalezEtAl2000a, title = {A Model for Combination of External and Internal Stimuli in the Action Selection of an Autonomous Agent}, booktitle = {{MICAI} 2000: Advances in Artificial Intelligence}, series = {Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence}, volume = {1793}, year = {2000}, pages = {621{\textendash}633}, publisher = {Springer, Verlag}, organization = {Springer, Verlag}, address = {Acapulco, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {This paper proposes a model for combination of external and internal stimuli for the action selection in an autonomous agent, based in an action selection mechanism previously proposed by the authors. This combination model includes additive and multiplicative elements, which allows to incorporate new properties, which enhance the action selection. A given parameter a, which is part of the proposed model, allows to regulate the degree of dependence of the observed external behaviour from the internal states of the entity.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.AI/0211040}, author = {P. P. Gonz{\'a}lez and J. Negrete and A. Barreiro and C. Gershenson.}, editor = {{O. Cair{\'o} and L. E. S{\'u}car, F.J. Cant{\'u}} } @conference {GonzalezEtAl2000b, title = {Modelling Intracellular Signalling Networks Using Behaviour-Based Systems and the Blackboard Architecture}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference: Mathematics and Computers in Biology and Chemistry {(MCBC} 2000)}, year = {2000}, address = {Montego Bay, Jamaica}, abstract = {This paper proposes to model the intracellular signalling networks using a fusion of behaviour-based systems and the blackboard architecture. In virtue of this fusion, the model developed by us, which has been named Cellulat, allows to take account two essential aspects of the intracellular signalling networks: (1) the cognitive capabilities of certain types of networks{\textquoteright} components and (2) the high level of spatial organization of these networks. A simple example of modelling of Ca2+ signalling pathways using Cellulat is presented here. An intracellular signalling virtual laboratory is being developed from Cellulat.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs.MA/0211029}, author = {P. P. Gonz{\'a}lez and C. Gershenson and M. C{\'a}rdenas and J. Lagunez} } @conference {GershensonEtAl2000b, title = {Thinking Adaptive: Towards a Behaviours Virtual Laboratory}, booktitle = {{SAB} 2000 Proceedings Supplement}, year = {2000}, publisher = {ISAB press}, organization = {ISAB press}, address = {Paris, France}, abstract = {In this paper we name some of the advantages of virtual laboratories; and propose that a Behaviours Virtual Laboratory should be useful for both biologists and AI researchers, offering a new perspective for understanding adaptive behaviour. We present our development of a Behaviours Virtual Laboratory, which at this stage is focused in action selection, and show some experiments to illustrate the properties of our proposal, which can be accessed via Internet.}, url = {http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cs/0211028}, author = {C. Gershenson and P. P. Gonz{\'a}lez and J. Negrete}, editor = {Jean-Arcady Meyer and Alain Berthoz and Dario Floreano and Herbert L. Roitblat and Stewart W. Wilson} } @conference {Gershenson1999, title = {Modelling Emotions with Multidimensional Logic}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society {(NAFIPS} {\textquoteright}99)}, year = {1999}, pages = {42{\textendash}46}, publisher = {IEEE Press}, organization = {IEEE Press}, address = {New York City, NY}, abstract = {One of the objectives of Artificial Intelligence has been the modelling of "human" characteristics, such as emotions, behaviour, conscience, etc. But in such characteristics we might find certain degree of contradiction. Previous work on modelling emotions and its problems are reviewed. A model for emotions is proposed using multidimensional logic, which handles the degree of contradiction that emotions might have. The model is oriented to simulate emotions in artificial societies. The proposed solution is also generalized for actions which might overcome contradiction (conflictive goals in agents, for example).}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/yek3ms}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson1998b, title = {Control de Tr{\'a}fico con Agentes: {CRASH}}, booktitle = {Memorias {XI} Congreso Nacional {ANIEI}}, year = {1998}, address = {Xalapa, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {El simulador CRASH (Car and Road Automated Simulation in Hyperways) usa programaci{\'o}n orientada a agentes para modelar el tr{\'a}fico de una ciudad sin necesidad de sem{\'a}foros, tratando de demorar los veh\'{\i}culos el menor tiempo posible (y sin que se impacten). Esto se hace por medio de agentes en cada autom{\'o}vil y en cada cruce, y un control central. Se hace una breve introducci{\'o}n al modelo de programaci{\'o}n orientada a agentes, para despu{\'e}s explicar el modelo del simulador. Se describen las clases usadas en la implementaci{\'o}n, sus propiedades y sus relaciones, mostrando el diagrama de las clases. Finalmente, se exponen las conclusiones que se llegaron con las simulaciones.}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/ybgwk8}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson1998a, title = {L{\'o}gica Multidimensional: Un Modelo de L{\'o}gica Paraconsistente}, booktitle = {Memorias {XI} Congreso Nacional {ANIEI}}, year = {1998}, pages = {132{\textendash}141}, address = {Xalapa, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {La l{\'o}gica multidimensional es un nuevo sistema de l{\'o}gica propuesto para modelar l{\'o}gica paraconsistente. Una breve definici{\'o}n de l{\'o}gica paraconsistente y ejemplos de cuando es usada son dados. Se definen los principios y propiedades de la l{\'o}gica multidimensional, tales como las variables l{\'o}gicas multidimensionales. Los operadores l{\'o}gicos Y, O, NO, SI... ENTONCES y SI Y S{\'O}LO SI son definidos y explicados para la l{\'o}gica multidimensional. Adem{\'a}s, se definen equivalencia, grado de contradicci{\'o}n, y la proyecci{\'o}n de la l{\'o}gica multidimensional en la difusa. Esto incluye un peque{\~n}o programa que}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/y9hb4e}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson1997b, title = {Aplicaciones de la Topolog{\'\i}a}, booktitle = {Memorias X Congreso Nacional {ANIEI}}, year = {1997}, address = {Monterrey, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {En el presente trabajo se abordan algunas aplicaciones de la Topolog\'{\i}a en la Computaci{\'o}n, como el Juego de la Vida. Se tratan de ampliar los conocimientos actuales sobre estas aplicaciones y sus representaciones gr{\'a}ficas. Se apoya la exposici{\'o}n con un simulador de tiempo c\'{\i}clico. Tambi{\'e}n se hace una propuesta para definir el Universo como un tiempo c\'{\i}clico.}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/ym5vbz}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} } @conference {Gershenson1997a, title = {El Juego de la Vida En 3D}, booktitle = {Memorias X Congreso Nacional {ANIEI}}, year = {1997}, address = {Monterrey, M{\'e}xico}, abstract = {Primero se introduce al lector con un poco de la historia del Juego de la Vida. Despu{\'e}s se explican sus consecuencias en dos dimensiones, y por {\'u}ltimo se discuten sus propiedades al llevar el Juego de la Vida a una tercera dimensi{\'o}n, y se muestran algunos ejemplos.}, url = {http://tinyurl.com/y9j5ac}, author = {Carlos Gershenson} }