The document is presented in two parts: Part 1: The current state of theoretical physics makes it urgently desirable to develop a theory which is initially non-metrical for the discussion of problems that arise on the very large and on the very small scale, and from which metrical physics can be deduced as a special case. Part 2: It is shown that the idea of control is inherently capable of providing a calculus into which basic physical concepts can be incorporated which has the required initially non-metrical properties. The physical ideas that replace the cartesian assumption are derived from the properties of a self-organizing mechanism, and this application of the principles of self-organizing mechanisms suggests others in more general fields.

Self-organized criticality, the spontaneous development of systems to a critical state, is the first general theory of complex systems with a firm mathematical basis. This theory describes how many seemingly desperate aspects of the world, from stock market crashes to mass extinctions, avalanches to solar flares, all share a set of simple, easily described properties. "...a'must read'...Bak writes with such ease and lucidity, and his ideas are so intriguing...essential reading for those interested in complex systems...it will reward a sufficiently skeptical reader." -NATURE "...presents the theory (self-organized criticality) in a form easily absorbed by the non-mathematically inclined reader." -BOSTON BOOK REVIEW "I picture Bak as a kind of scientific musketeer; flamboyant, touchy, full of swagger and ready to join every fray... His book is written with panache. The style is brisk, the content stimulating. I recommend it as a bracing experience." -NEW SCIENTIST

The synchronized flashing of fireflies at night. The spiraling patterns of an aggregating slime mold. The anastomosing network of army-ant trails. The coordinated movements of a school of fish. Researchers are finding in such patterns--phenomena that have fascinated naturalists for centuries--a fertile new approach to understanding biological systems: the study of self-organization. This book, a primer on self-organization in biological systems for students and other enthusiasts, introduces readers to the basic concepts and tools for studying self-organization and then examines numerous examples of self-organization in the natural world. Self-organization refers to diverse pattern formation processes in the physical and biological world, from sand grains assembling into rippled dunes to cells combining to create highly structured tissues to individual insects working to create sophisticated societies. What these diverse systems hold in common is the proximate means by which they acquire order and structure. In self-organizing systems, pattern at the global level emerges solely from interactions among lower-level components. Remarkably, even very complex structures result from the iteration of surprisingly simple behaviors performed by individuals relying on only local information. This striking conclusion suggests important lines of inquiry: To what degree is environmental rather than individual complexity responsible for group complexity? To what extent have widely differing organisms adopted similar, convergent strategies of pattern formation? How, specifically, has natural selection determined the rules governing interactions within biological systems? Broad in scope, thorough yet accessible, this book is a self-contained introduction to self-organization and complexity in biology--a field of study at the forefront of life sciences research.

Financial Planning DIY Guide is the only Australian all-in-one handbook to getting the most from your money. Written by expert financial planner Sam Henderson, this comprehensive guide will help you build and manage your assets no matter what your stage of life, and show you how to create your own one-page financial plan and put it into practice. Inside you'll learn how to: reduce your tax, boost your savings and maximize your income structure your investment portfolio (including investing in shares and property) and manage risk make the most of your superannuation plan your income for retirement protect your wealth through estate planning. It's never too soon (or too late) to plan your financial future and this book will show you how!

To date, most network research contains one or more of five major problems. First, it tends to be atheoretical, ignoring the various social theories that contain network implications. Second, it explores single levels of analysis rather than the multiple levels out of which most networks are comprised. Third, network analysis has employed very little the insights from contemporary complex systems analysis and computer simulations. Foruth, it typically uses descriptive rather than inferential statistics, thus robbing it of the ability to make claims about the larger universe of networks. Finally, almost all the research is static and cross-sectional rather than dynamic. Theories of Communication Networks presents solutions to all five problems. The authors develop a multitheoretical model that relates different social science theories with different network properties. This model is multilevel, providing a network decomposition that applies the various social theories to all network levels: individuals, dyads, triples, groups, and the entire network. The book then establishes a model from the perspective of complex adaptive systems and demonstrates how to use Blanche, an agent-based network computer simulation environment, to generate and test network theories and hypotheses. It presents recent developments in network statistical analysis, the p* family, which provides a basis for valid multilevel statistical inferences regarding networks. Finally, it shows how to relate communication networks to other networks, thus providing the basis in conjunction with computer simulations to study the emergence of dynamic organizational networks.

This richly illustrated third edition provides a thorough training in practical mathematical biology and shows how exciting mathematical challenges can arise from a genuinely interdisciplinary involvement with the biosciences. It has been extensively updated and extended to cover much of the growth of mathematical biology. From the reviews: ""This book, a classical text in mathematical biology, cleverly combines mathematical tools with subject area sciences."--SHORT BOOK REVIEWS

Open ended Terms: Mechanical models. The current state of theoretical physics makes it urgently desirable to develop a theory which is initially non-metrical for the discussion of problems that arise on the very large and on the very small scale, and from which metrical physics can be deduced as a special case. It is shown that the idea of control is inherently capable of providing a calculus into which basic physical concepts can be incorporated which has the required initially non-metrical properties. The physical ideas that replace the cartesian assumption are derived from the properties of a selforganizing mechanism, and this application of the principles of self-organizing mechanisms suggests others in more general fields. (Author).