Design Principles for the Immune System and Other Distributed Autonomous Systems (Santa Fe Institute Studies on the Sciences of Complexity) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195136993 ISBN 13: 9780195136999

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001

Synopsis

Design Principles for the Immune System and Other Distributed Autonomous Systems is the first book to examine the inner workings of such a variety of distributed autonomous systems--from insect colonies to high level computer programs to the immune system. It offers insight into the fascinating world of these systems that emerge from the interactions of seemingly autonomous components and brings us up-to-date on the state of research in these areas.
Using the immune system and certain aspects of its functions as a primary model, this book examines many of the most interesting and troubling questions posed by complex systems. How do systems choose the right set of agents to perform appropriate actions with appropriate intensities at appropriate times? How in the immune system, ant colonies and metabolic networks does the diffusion and binding of a large variety of chemicals to their receptors permit coordination of system action? What advantages drive the various systems to complexity, and by what mechanisms do the systems cope with the tendency toward unwieldiness and randomness of large complex systems?

About this title

About the Author

Irun R. Cohen, Professor of Immunology, Department of Immunology, both at Weizmann Institute.

Review

"Though the immune system is most thoroughly discussed, the contributors--biological, physical, and computer scientists from around the world--also consider metabolism and ant colonies as other examples of complex, distributed, autonomous systems, and suggest how research findings about biological systems can be applied to computer science."--SciTech Book News

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0195136993
• ISBN 13: 9780195136999
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 428
• Editor: Segel Lee A., Cohen Irun R.