Complex systems, collaborative research

The financial support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for the Collaborative Research Center Design and Management of Complex Technical Processes and Systems by Means of Computational Intelligence Methods (Sonderforschungsbere-ich 531) at the Universitat Dortmund, Project CIO, is gratefully acknowledged. 

On behalf of all members of the Collaborative Research Centre 481 on Complex Macromolecular and Hybrid Systems in Internal and External Fields, we wish to thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial and administrative support, the voluntary reviewers of the proposals for their invaluable judgment and advice, the Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts, and the University of Bayreuth for their ongoing support to continuously develop and strengthen the interdisciplinary research focus on Macromolecular and Colloid Research at the University of Bayreuth. Undoubtedly, all of these measures helped to advance the impact and international visibility. 

The solution of these problems lies in sharing models and data, allowing collaborative processing for validation and estimation with this information. As illustrated below, a lack of such collaborative makes it difficult, if not impossible, to combine raw, unprocessed information from distinct research groups, and consequently, the implications on distributed efforts to model complex systems are serious. 

In view of the complexity of heterogeneous systems, none of the above techniques will be able to supply, by itself, a complete atomic-level description of surface phenomena. A multi-technique approach has been perceived by many as most appropriate for fundamental studies in electrochemical surface science (30-2). Since none of the existing electrochemical laboratories are adequately equipped to perform a comprehensive experimental study, collaborative efforts between research groups of different expertise are burgeoning. Easier access to national or central facilities are also being contemplated for experiments which cannot be performed elsewhere. The judicious combination of the available methods in conjunction with the appropriate electrochemical measurements are permitting studies of electrocatalyst surface phenomena unparalleled in molecular detail. 

Ray Kapral came to Toronto from the United States in 1969. His research interests center on theories of rate processes both in systems close to equilibrium, where the goal is the development of a microscopic theory of condensed phase reaction rates,89 and in systems far from chemical equilibrium, where descriptions of the complex spatial and temporal reactive dynamics that these systems exhibit have been developed.90 He and his collaborators have carried out research on the dynamics of phase transitions and critical phenomena, the dynamics of colloidal suspensions, the kinetic theory of chemical reactions in liquids, nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of liquids and mode coupling theory, mechanisms for the onset of chaos in nonlinear dynamical systems, the stochastic theory of chemical rate processes, studies of pattern formation in chemically reacting systems, and the development of molecular dynamics simulation methods for activated chemical rate processes. His recent research activities center on the theory of quantum and classical rate processes in the condensed phase91 and in clusters, and studies of chemical waves and patterns in reacting systems at both the macroscopic and mesoscopic levels. 

The planning and preparation of either a new product or investigational product application requires a multidisciplinary approach. Most companies developing new products utilize formal project management systems to facilitate the collaboration between the technical disciplines, which may include personnel from research and development, manufacturing, formulation development, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, and other disciplines, as required. In addition to planning for the required elements, most FDA review divisions have specific preferences on how data should be analyzed and presented. When complex applications are planned, such as INDs, IDEs, PMAs, NDAs or BLAs it is critical for communications with the... 

From a more conceptual point of view, it is the introduction of higher-dimensional defects that allows the transition to a soft materials science , characterized by an enhanced information content even in systems in which the atomic bonds are not covalent. The future will be witness to increased research and applications in the field of metastable materials characterized by increased local complexity, with the possibility of further systematic collaboration with semiconductor physics and biology. 

Closer collaboration with indnstry, e.g., for testing existing theories for polymers with novel strnctnres, for commercial polymers for which so far the structure is not revealed to academic researchers, and for many other applications of practical interest. Many indnstrial systems are much more complex than the systems studied in academia. Closer collaboration in the future between academia and the polymer and paint/adhesives indns-tries may farther help the advancements in the area of polymer thermodynamics in the coming years. 

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