Title Complexity in chemistry, biology, and ecology / edited by Danail Bonchev and Dennis H. Rouvray

Published New York : Springer, ©2005

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Description 1 online resource (xx, 344 pages) : illustrations Series Mathematical and computational chemistry Mathematical and computational chemistry. Contents Cover -- CONTENTS -- 1. ON THE COMPLEXITY OF FULLERENES AND NANOTUBES -- 1. Introduction -- 2. On the Complexity of the Complexity Concept -- 3. Complexity and Branching -- 4. Complexity of Smaller Molecules -- 5. Augmented Valence as a Complexity Index -- 6. Complexity of Smaller Fullerenes -- 7. Comparison of Local Atomic Environments -- 8. The Role of Symmetry -- 9. Concluding Remarks on the Complexity of Fullerenes -- 10. On the Complexity of Carbon Nanotubes -- 10.1. Introductory remarks -- 10.2. Helicity of nanotubes -- Acknowledgement -- References -- 2. COMPLEXITY AND SELF-ORGANIZATION IN BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION -- 1. Introduction: Complex Chemical Systems in Biological Development and Evolution -- 2. Dynamic, Multistability and Cell Differentiation -- 2.1. Cell states and dynamics -- 2.2. Epigenetic multistability: the Keller autoregulatory transcription factor network model -- 2.3. Dependence of differentiation on cell-cell interaction: the Kaneko-Yomo "isologous Ddiversification" model -- 3. Biochemical Oscillations and Segmentation -- 3.1. Oscillatory dynamic oscillations and somitogenesis -- 3.2. The Lewis model of the somitogenesis oscillator -- 4. Reaction-Diffusion Mechanisms and Embryonic Pattern Formation -- 4.1. Reaction-diffusion systems -- 4.2. Axis formation and left-right asymmetry -- 4.3. Meinhardt's models for axis formation and symmetry breaking -- 5. Evolution of Developmental Mechanisms -- 5.1. Segmentation in insects -- 5.2. Chemical dynamics and the evolution of insect segmentation -- 5.3. Evolution of developmental robustness -- 6. Conclusions -- References -- 3. THE CIRCLE THAT NEVER ENDS: CAN COMPLEXITY BE MADE SIMPLE? -- 1. Introduction: The Nature of the Problem and Why it Has No Clear Solution -- 1.1. The human mind and the external world -- 1.2. Science and the myth of objectivity -- 1.3. Context dependence and self reference -- 2. An Introduction to Relational Systems Theory -- 2.1. Relational block diagrams -- 2.2. Information as an interrogative. The answer to "why?" -- 2.3. Functional components and their central role in complex systems -- 2.4. The answer to "why is the whole more than the sum of its parts?" -- 2.5. Reductionism and relational systems theory compared -- 2.6. The functional component is not computable -- 2.7. An example: the [M, R] system and the organism/machine distinction -- 2.8. Relational models of mechanisms -- 2.9. Newtonian dynamics is not unique; there are alternatives that yield equivalent results -- 2.10. Topology, thermodynamics and relational modeling -- 2.11. The mathematics of science or is all mathematics scientific? -- 2.12. The parallels between vector calculus and topology -- 3. The Structure of Network Thermodynamics as Formalism -- 3.1. Network thermodynamic modeling is analogous to modeling electric circuits -- 3.2. The network thermodynamic model of a system -- 3.3. Characterizing the networks using an abstraction of the network elements -- 3.4. The nature of the analog models that constitute network thermodynamics Summary "This book, written by an international team of experts, introduces the reader to various aspects of complexity theory and its applications. It illustrates the latest trends in science to go beyond the mechanistic Newtonian view of the world by shifting the focus to self-organization, adaptation, and emergent phenomena. The authors discuss these properties of complex systems in biology, ecology and chemistry along with the structure and interconnectedness of the "layers" of complexity. The qualitative description is complemented by a discussion of methods for complexity quantification. Networks are covered in detail as a universal language of the complex world." "General readers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in life sciences, chemistry, and nanotechnology, will find this book to be of great interest."--Jacket Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and indexes Notes Print version record Subject Molecular structure -- Mathematical models Molecular evolution -- Mathematical models Cellular automata -- Mathematical models SCIENCE -- Chemistry -- General. Chimie. Science des matériaux. Cellular automata -- Mathematical models Molecular structure -- Mathematical models Form Electronic book Author Bonchev, Danail. Rouvray, D. H. ISBN 9780387258713 038725871X 0387232648 9780387232645 6610851840 9786610851843

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