Research Frontier in Chaos Theory and Complex Networks.

In recent years, as natural and social sciences are rapidly evolving, classical chaos theoryand modern complex networks studies are gradually interacting each other with a great joineddevelopment [...].

East-West paths to unconventional computing.

Unconventional computing is about breaking boundaries in thinking, acting and computing. Typical topics of this non-typical field include, but are not limited to physics of computation, non-classical logics, new complexity measures, novel hardware, mechanical, chemical and quantum computing. Unconventional computing encourages a new style of thinking while practical applications are obtained from uncovering and exploiting principles and mechanisms of information processing in and functional properties of, physical, chemical and living systems; in particular, efficient algorithms are developed, (almost) optimal architectures are designed and working prototypes of future computing devices are manufactured. This article includes idiosyncratic accounts of 'unconventional computing' scientists reflecting on their personal experiences, what attracted them to the field, their inspirations and discoveries.

On plant roots logical gates.

Theoretical constructs of logical gates implemented with plant roots are morphological computing asynchronous devices. Values of Boolean variables are represented by plant roots. A presence of a plant root at a given site symbolises the logical True, an absence the logical False. Logical functions are calculated via interaction between roots. Two types of two-inputs-two-outputs gates are proposed: a gate 〈x, y〉→〈xy, x+y〉 where root apexes are guided by gravity and a gate 〈x,y〉→〈x¯y,x〉 where root apexes are guided by humidity. We propose a design of binary half-adder based on the gates.