4 research outputs found
Using network analysis to study globalization, regionalization, and multi-polarity—Introduction to special section
n this introduction to the special section on globalization, regionalization, and multi-polarity, we review network analysis applications to the study of globalization as a complex and multi-dimensional phenomenon and we explore the frontiers of our knowledge about the network properties of global systems. We focus on the global economic (trade and investment), political, and migration systems
Engines of Order
Over the last decades, and in particular since the widespread adoption of the Internet, encounters with algorithmic procedures for ‘information retrieval’ – the activity of getting some piece of information out of a col-lection or repository of some kind – have become everyday experiences for most people in large parts of the world
Whole Brain Network Dynamics of Epileptic Seizures at Single Cell Resolution
Epileptic seizures are characterised by abnormal brain dynamics at multiple
scales, engaging single neurons, neuronal ensembles and coarse brain regions.
Key to understanding the cause of such emergent population dynamics, is
capturing the collective behaviour of neuronal activity at multiple brain
scales. In this thesis I make use of the larval zebrafish to capture single
cell neuronal activity across the whole brain during epileptic seizures.
Firstly, I make use of statistical physics methods to quantify the collective
behaviour of single neuron dynamics during epileptic seizures. Here, I
demonstrate a population mechanism through which single neuron dynamics
organise into seizures: brain dynamics deviate from a phase transition.
Secondly, I make use of single neuron network models to identify the synaptic
mechanisms that actually cause this shift to occur. Here, I show that the
density of neuronal connections in the network is key for driving generalised
seizure dynamics. Interestingly, such changes also disrupt network response
properties and flexible dynamics in brain networks, thus linking microscale
neuronal changes with emergent brain dysfunction during seizures. Thirdly, I
make use of non-linear causal inference methods to study the nature of the
underlying neuronal interactions that enable seizures to occur. Here I show
that seizures are driven by high synchrony but also by highly non-linear
interactions between neurons. Interestingly, these non-linear signatures are
filtered out at the macroscale, and therefore may represent a neuronal
signature that could be used for microscale interventional strategies. This
thesis demonstrates the utility of studying multi-scale dynamics in the larval
zebrafish, to link neuronal activity at the microscale with emergent properties
during seizures
A complex systems approach to education in Switzerland
The insights gained from the study of complex systems in biological, social, and engineered systems enables us not only to observe and understand, but also to actively design systems which will be capable of successfully coping with complex and dynamically changing situations. The methods and mindset required for this approach have been applied to educational systems with their diverse levels of scale and complexity. Based on the general case made by Yaneer Bar-Yam, this paper applies the complex systems approach to the educational system in Switzerland. It confirms that the complex systems approach is valid. Indeed, many recommendations made for the general case have already been implemented in the Swiss education system. To address existing problems and difficulties, further steps are recommended. This paper contributes to the further establishment complex systems approach by shedding light on an area which concerns us all, which is a frequent topic of discussion and dispute among politicians and the public, where billions of dollars have been spent without achieving the desired results, and where it is difficult to directly derive consequences from actions taken. The analysis of the education system's different levels, their complexity and scale will clarify how such a dynamic system should be approached, and how it can be guided towards the desired performance