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Virtual research collaborations (VRCs) have become an important method of conducting scientific activity; however, they are often regarded and treated as traditional scientific collaborations. Their success is measured by scholarly productivity and adherence to budget by funding agencies, participating scientists, and scholars. VRCs operate in complex environments interacting with other complex systems. A holistic (or organicist) approach is needed to make sense of this complexity. For that purpose, this study proposes using a new perspective, namely, the complex adaptive systems theory that can provide a better understanding of a VRC's potential creativity, adaptability, resilience, and probable success. The key concepts of complex systems (diversity, interaction, interdependency, feedback, emergence, and adaptation) utilized in organization studies are used to discuss the behaviors of VRCs, illustrated with real-life examples.

In Taipei, more than 70% of buildings are older than 30 years. 1 The rate of illegal additions to existing buildings (wei zhang jian zhu) in Taipei is over ten percent.2 Excluding legal issues, illegal construction can potentially lead to significant safety issues. As a response, the Taiwan government is undergoing demolitions on illegal additions throughout the city. In recent years, the number of demolished building additions has surpassed the number of that being constructed. Despite this radical effort, Taipei city is finding that illegal additions continue to be a mainstream practice.3 Illegal additions and the issue of renovating old buildings highlight the vitality and dynamism of the Taipei, but also shows its risks. Illegal additions reduce the resiliency of the city, as a whole, to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, and building hazards. While the building code requires structural reinforcement, fire escapes, and resistant materials, illegal additions will typically not comply; Instead, the intentions of the additions are focused on increasing space through the use of inexpensive and temporary materials. This thesis seeks to revisit the role of illegal additions in order to satisfy government regulations while providing new freedoms and opportunities for building inhabitants and the city's aesthetic identity. Specifically, it investigates how an "adaptive joint framework" can leverage current code regulations in order to provide resilient structural reinforcement and safety, allow new spaces to emerge within the seams of the urban fabric, and create new freedoms that were previously challenging under current policies. Making use of the government's intention to promote urban renewal opportunities, improve the beauty of urbanscape and enhance disaster resilience could be implemented simultaneously, which presents a design opportunity. However, from my perspective, typical urban renewal goes the result of "Creative Cities" or "Design Cities" that radically reduce the creativity of the city because of the design consistency through the entire city. If we look back to the feature of the old building and illegal addition together in Taipei. People are adding into the building's total area and utility without comprehensive planning or through structural and safety considerations. Illegal additions to old buildings exacerbates the public health and safety concerns. The largest number of buildings in Taipei are four stories high double sided apartments, and three stories shop houses be connected by the continuous arcade.4 All illegal additions can be sorted into three categories: (1) penthouse additions; (2) window extensions; and (3) arcade occupancy. These additions are typically tacked onto the building's facade and roof as needed. For example, a rooftop area can be turned into a semi-outdoor clothesline area or a new residential unit, the window extension could be turn into a small farm and the arcade on the first floor be occupied by a semi-outdoor restaurant. In this study can see a house being inflated by illegal additions throughout the time. On the other hand, the illegal addition occupied the back side of the building. Deconstruct the entire block as pure massing will find the small fire lane all be occupied by illegal additions. The fire lane only appears with the old building which was following the old building code. The space for fire lane usually be remained from one to six meters wide. Fire lane space provides an opportunity for the "adaptive joint framework", which not only addresses space needs of building inhabitants, but has potential for urban renewal and structural improvement. Here is a regulatory loophole. Current ground condition arcades are built by private entities but inhabit public domain -- As long as the physical built structure does not inhibit the pedestrian right of way and provides a "fire exit" per city code, it is legally allowed to be constructed; Private expenditure in this case is afforded permission under the guise of 'supporting' the public domain. As such, the construction of a so-called "illegal addition" can in fact be made legal through a re-framing of its regulatory public and private status. This provides the opportunity for this project to intervene.

This article describes the adaptive participatory approach that was adopted to develop an ecosystem services framework for planning and natural resource management in South East Queensland (SEQ) Australia. SEQ is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, placing strong development pressures on ecosystems and the environment. The SEQ Ecosystem Services Project addresses the need to protect and enhance ecosystems in the region, contributing to the general well-being of the population. The key aim of the Project has been to develop an ecosystem services framework (the SEQ Ecosystem Services Framework or simply the Framework) and incorporate it in policy and planning relevant to the SEQ region. The Framework developed is now officially recognized by the Queensland and local governments in policy and planning documents and in State of the Region reporting. The Framework is based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), with modifications that make it more suitable for application at the regional scale and for the particular conditions of SEQ. The Project has been coordinated by a non-government organization in collaboration with government, universities, other non-government organizations, business and industry. This article describes the important features of the approach, such as the direct participation of experts and/or stakeholders (more than 160 in all); the use of relatively simple systems models based on subjective expert judgements about causal connections among key variables; transparency of results; maps to support spatial planning; and the ability to revise the baseline information as the outcomes of management and planning decisions take place.

Objective: This article presents a systematic framework characterizing adaptive systems. Background: Adaptive systems are those that can appropriately modify their behavior to fit the current context. This concept is appealing because it offers the possibility of creating computer assistants that behave like good human assistants who can provide what is needed without being asked. However, the majority of adaptive systems have been experimental rather than practical because of the technical challenges in accurately perceiving and interpreting users' current cognitive state; integrating cognitive state, environment, and task information; and using it to predict users' current needs. The authors anticipate that recent developments in neurological and physiological sensors to identify users' cognitive state will increase interest in adaptive systems research and practice over the next few years. Method: To inform future efforts in adaptive sys-tems, this work provides an organizing framework for characterizing adaptive systems, identifying consider-ations and implications, and suggesting future research issues. Results: A two-part framework is presented that (a) categorizes ways in which adaptive systems can modify their behavior and (b) characterizes trigger mechanisms through which adaptive systems can sense the current situation and decide how to adapt. Conclusion: The framework provided in this article provides a tool for organizing and informing past, present, and future research and development efforts in adaptive systems.