Dynamics Of Hierarchical Systems

The main aim of these lectures is to tri gger the interest of the restless under graduate student of physical, mathematical, engineering, or biological sciences in the new and exciting multidisciplinary area of the evolution of "large-scale" dynamical systems. This text grew out of a synthesis of rather heterogeneous mate rial that I presented on various occasions and in different contexts. For example, from lectures given since 1972 to first- and final-year undergraduate and first year graduate students at the School of Engineering of the University of Patras and from informal seminars offered to an international group of graduate and post doctoral students and faculty members at the University of Stuttgart in the aca demic year 1982-1983. Those who search for rigor or even formality in this book are bound to be rather disappointed. My intention is to start from "scratch" if possible, keeping the rea soning heuristic and tied as closely as possible to physical intuition; I assume as prerequisites just basic knowledge of (classical) physics (at the level of the Berkeley series or the Feynman lectures), calculus, and some elements of probabil ity theory. This does not mean that I intended to write an easy book, but rather to eliminate any difficulty for an eager reader who, in spite of incomplete for malistic training, would like to become acquainted with the physical ideas and con cepts underlying the evolution and dynamics of complex systems.

Evolving Hierarchical Systems

Drawing on the writings of diverse authors, including Jean Baker Miller, Bell Hooks, Mary Daly, Frantz Fanon, Paulo Freire and Ignacio Martin-Baro, as well as on women's experiences, this book aims to develop a 'liberation psychology'; which would aid in transforming the damaging psychological patterns associated with oppression and taking action to bring about social change. The book makes systematic links between social conditions and psychological patterns, and identifies processes such as building strengths, cultivating creativity, and developing solidarity.

Everybody is current in a world surrounded by computer. Computers determine our professional activity and penetrate increasingly deeper into our everyday life. Therein we also need increasingly refined c- puter technology. Sometimes we think that the next generation of c- puter will satisfy all our dreams, giving us hope that most of our urgent problems will be solved very soon. However, the future comes and il- sions dissipate. This phenomenon occurs and vanishes sporadically, and, possibly, is a fundamental law of our life. Experience shows that indeed ‘systematically remaining’ problems are mainly of a complex tech- logical nature (the creation of new generation of especially perfect - croschemes, elements of memory, etc. ). But let us note that amongst these problems there are always ones solved by our purely intellectual efforts alone. Progress in this direction does not require the invention of any ‘superchip’ or other similar elements. It is important to note that the results obtained in this way very often turn out to be more significant than the ‘fruits’ of relevant technological progress. The hierarchical asymptotic analytical–numerical methods can be - garded as results of such ‘purely intellectual efforts’. Their application allows us to simplify essentially computer calculational procedures and, consequently, to reduce the calculational time required. It is obvious that this circumstance is very attractive to any computer user.

Hierarchy is a form of organisation of complex systems that rely on or produce a strong differentiation in capacity (power and size) between the parts of the system. It is frequently observed within the natural living world as well as in social institutions. According to the authors, hierarchy results from random processes, follows an intentional design, or is the result of the organisation which ensures an optimal circulation of energy for information. This book reviews ancient and modern representations and explanations of hierarchies, and compares their relevance in a variety of fields, such as language, societies, cities, and living species. It throws light on concepts and models such as scaling laws, fractals and self-organisation that are fundamental in the dynamics and morphology of complex systems. At a time when networks are celebrated for their efficiency, flexibility and better social acceptance, much can be learned about the persistent universality and adaptability of hierarchies, and from the analogies and differences between biological and social organisation and processes. This book addresses a wide audience of biologists and social scientists, as well as managers and executives in a variety of institutions.

A guide to data collection, modeling and inference strategies for biological survey data using Bayesian and classical statistical methods. This book describes a general and flexible framework for modeling and inference in ecological systems based on hierarchical models, with a strict focus on the use of probability models and parametric inference. Hierarchical models represent a paradigm shift in the application of statistics to ecological inference problems because they combine explicit models of ecological system structure or dynamics with models of how ecological systems are observed. The principles of hierarchical modeling are developed and applied to problems in population, metapopulation, community, and metacommunity systems. The book provides the first synthetic treatment of many recent methodological advances in ecological modeling and unifies disparate methods and procedures. The authors apply principles of hierarchical modeling to ecological problems, including * occurrence or occupancy models for estimating species distribution * abundance models based on many sampling protocols, including distance sampling * capture-recapture models with individual effects * spatial capture-recapture models based on camera trapping and related methods * population and metapopulation dynamic models * models of biodiversity, community structure and dynamics Wide variety of examples involving many taxa (birds, amphibians, mammals, insects, plants) Development of classical, likelihood-based procedures for inference, as well as Bayesian methods of analysis Detailed explanations describing the implementation of hierarchical models using freely available software such as R and WinBUGS Computing support in technical appendices in an online companion web site

This book systematically interprets and documents new, unifying principles and basic laws describing the most relevant aspects of hierarchy. To do so, it discusses recent experiments and models that are simple and realistic enough to reproduce the observations, and develops concepts for a better understanding of the complexity of systems consisting of many organisms. The book covers systems ranging from flocks of birds to groups of people. Although it focuses on hierarchical collective behavior in general, two aspects pop up in the majority of cases: collective motion and dynamically changing, partially directed networks (and the natural relation between the two). In addition, it offers a brief description of the most relevant definitions and concepts involved in the context of hierarchies, presenting both a review of the current literature and a number of new experimental and computational results in more detail. It is a valuable resource for students and scholars pursuing research on the structure of interactions within the collectives of animals and humans.

Hierarchic Electrodynamics and Free Electron Lasers: Concepts, Calculations, and Practical Applications presents intriguing new fundamental concepts in the phenomenon of hierarchical electrodynamics as a new direction in physics. Concentrating on the key theory of hierarchic oscillations and waves, this book focuses on the numerous applications of nonlinear theory in different types of high-current Free Electron Lasers (FEL), including their primary function in the calculation methods used to analyze various multi-resonant, multi-frequency nonlinear FEL models. This is considered the first book to: Completely and systematically describe the foundation of hierarchical electrodynamics as a new direction of physics Fully represent the physics of high-current FEL—and associated models—from the hierarchic oscillation wave perspective Cover the multi-harmonic nonlinear theory of new types of electronic devices, such as plasma-beam and two-stream FEL Formulate and substantiate the concept of cluster femtosecond FEL Analyze practical prospects for a new generation of a global "Star Wars" strategic defense systems These subjects involve a wide range of disciplines. Using numerous real-world examples to illustrate information and concepts, the book offers a mathematical foundation to explore FEL applications as well as analyze hierarchic plasma-like electrodynamic systems and femto-second clusters of electromagnetic energy. Assembling fragmented concepts from existing literature, the author re-examines classic approaches in order to develop new insights and achieve scientific breakthroughs.