This document proposes a project to develop a computational model and simulation environment to model the interaction of scales in complex systems. The model would use a chemical reaction network approach to represent agents and their interactions across scales. It would simulate the non-linear evolution of a system from one stable state to another. As a case study, it aims to simulate the emergence of institutions from interactions between individuals in a social system, and how interactions between institutions then influence dynamics at both the individual and overall social scales. The results would provide new insights into feedback loops between scales and the self-organization of boundaries in complex adaptive systems.

1. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Interaction of scales in a complex system:
simulation modelling approach
Viktoras Veitas,
Marta Lenartowicz
Project proposal for/at WWCS2015
January 25, 2015
Brussels
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 1 / 17

2. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Complex systems and scales
Conjecture #1: complex systems are not being
designed - they self-organize [7];
Conjecture #2: complex systems are (self-)organized
in scales [8];
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 2 / 17

3. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Illustration of scales
[8]
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 3 / 17

4. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Examples of scalable systems
Ecological niches, social systems, biological
organisms, brain,
System S-1 S S+1
Ecological niche Individual Species Ecological niche
Social system Person Institution Society
Biological organism Cells Organs Body
Brain Neurons Regions Brain
language and cognition (?)...
... living systems
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 4 / 17

5. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Interactions among and across scales
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 5 / 17

6. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Interactions among and across scales
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 6 / 17

7. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Evolution of complex systems
Conjuncture # 3: complex systems are nonlinear and
meta-stable therefore the focus on asymptotic
behavior does not help to understand them (better);
We want to focus on the process which guides the
system from one metastable state to another;
I.e. their non-linear evolution and development;
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 7 / 17

8. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Simulation modeling of scalable systems
Existing evolutionary models / theories:
niche construction[6];
exaptation[5];
punctuated equilibrium;
generic cognitive development[4, 8];
...
A goal: combine the existing theoretical approaches
using simulation modeling approach for developing a
generic computational model for simulating the
development of a scalable system
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 8 / 17

9. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
The project
1 Generative computational model;
2 Simulation environment;
3 Simulation of a chosen system.
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 9 / 17

10. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Generative computational model
The basis is the chemical reaction network theory and
chemical organization theory[2, 3]
Each elementary agent in a system is represented as a
reaction of the form a + 2 ∗ b → 2c;
Agents can receive or send information (’molecules’ from
vocabulary V = {a, b, c}) from or to other agents;
There is an underlying topological space so that agents
can self-organize in semi-stable sub-networks of
interactions within reaction network[1];
Agents create / reinforce links with agents / ’reactions’
which consume their products or supply the required
’molecules’;
A sub-network of reactions = system of reactions = more
complex reaction = a super-agent;
Super-agents react among themselves in the same
(recursive) manner;
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 10 / 17

11. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Simulation environment
1 Distributed message-passing interface;
Implemented on a JVM based Actor framework
(GPars / Akka / Clojure?);
2 Topological space
Links between actors implemented as local memory
of actors;
3 Event logging
Every event of the simulation produces a special
message with the timestamp, type,sourceagent, ...;
4 Analysis engine
Live analysis of the streaming data (e.g. Ganglia,
Nagios, etc.);
Catching streaming data for reconstruction of the
dynamic graph (on a graph database, e.g. Titan,
Neo4J, Datomic...);
Off-line analysis from snapshots of the graph (graph
traversal languages, e.g. Datalog, Gremlin, Cypher..)
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 11 / 17

12. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Simulation of a social system
Individuals are modelled as systems of ’chemical
reactions’;
Institutions are emergent systems of reactions;
Interactions between institutions influence dynamics
of interactions between individuals and overall
dynamics of the society.
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 12 / 17

13. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
What’s new
self-organization of fuzzy topological boundaries;
feedback loop between scales of a complex system;
computing system / big data analysis techniques;
....
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 13 / 17

14. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Bibliography I
Peter Dittrich and Wolfgang Banzhaf. “A
Topological Structure Based on Hashing -
Emergence of a ”Spatial” Organisation”. In: Fourth
European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL97.
1997, pp. 28–31.
Pietro Speroni di Fenizio. “Chemical Organization
Theory”. English. PhD thesis. Germany: University
of Jena, 2001. url:
http://home.pietrosperoni.it/index.php/
research/ac/phd/.
Francis Heylighen. Chemical Organization Theory: a
formalism for evolutionary cybernetics. July 2012.
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 14 / 17

15. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Bibliography II
Robert Kegan. The evolving self: problem and
process in human development. English. Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1982. isbn:
0674272307 9780674272309 0674272315
9780674272316.
J. Mouret and S. Doncieux. “Evolving modular
neural-networks through exaptation”. In: IEEE
Congress on Evolutionary Computation, 2009. CEC
’09. 2009, pp. 1570–1577. doi:
10.1109/CEC.2009.4983129.
F. John Odling-Smee, Kevin N. Laland, and
Marcus W. Feldman. Niche Construction: The
Neglected Process in Evolution (MPB-37). en.
Princeton University Press, Feb. 2013. isbn:
1400847265.
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 15 / 17

16. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
Bibliography III
Maya Paczuski and Per Bak. “Self-organization of
complex systems”. In: arXiv preprint
cond-mat/9906077 (1999).
David Weinbaum R. and Viktoras Veitas. “Synthetic
Cognitive Developoment: where intelligence comes
from”. English. 00000. ArXiv, Dec. 2014. url:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1411.0159.
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 16 / 17

17. Scale interaction
Viktoras, Marta
Complex systems and
scales
Scales
Scalable systems
Scale interactions
Evolution of complex
systems
Simulation modeling
The project proposal
Computational model
Simulation environment
Simulation of a social
system
What’s new
References
?
?
Viktoras, Marta (WWCS2015) Scale interaction January 25, 2015 17 / 17