Csermely Weak Links

The Universal Key to the Stability of Networks and Complex Systems
1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-3-540-31157-7
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 392 Seiten

Reihe: The Frontiers Collection

How can our societies be stabilized in a crisis?  Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare? Why are fruitflies uniform? How do omnivorous eating habits aid our survival? What makes the Mona Lisa's smile beautiful? How do women keep our social structures intact? - Could there possibly be a single answer to all these questions? This book shows that the statement: 'weak links stabilize complex systems' provides the key to understanding each of these intriguing puzzles, and many more besides. The author, a recipient of several distinguished science communication prizes, explains weak or low probability interactions, and uses them as connecting threads in a vast variety of networks from proteins to ecosystems. This unique book and the ideas it develops will have a significant impact on diverse, seemingly unrelated fields of study.

Peter Csermely (50) is a professor at the Semmelweis University in Budapest. A former Fogarty Fellow at Harvard University, his main fields of study are molecular chaperones and networks. In 1996 Dr. Csermely launched a highly successful initiative providing research opportunities for more than 10,000 gifted high school students. He also established the Hungarian National Talent Support Council and the Network of Youth Excellence, www.nyex.info, promoting similar activities in 33 countries. He has published 11 books and more than 200 research papers. Dr. Csermely holds several distinguished appointments including membership of the Wise Persons' Council of the Hungarian President, vice-president of the Hungarian Biochemical Society and has been recipient of numerous international fellowships and awards, for example the 2003 Science Communication Award of the European Molecular Biology Organization and the 2004 Descartes Award of the European Union for Science Communication.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Csermely, Peter

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;7
2;Preface to the First Edition;10
3;Contents;21
4;1 A Principle is Born: The Granovetter Study;24
5;2 Why Do We Like Networks?;28
5.1;2.1 Small-Worldness;30
5.2;2.2 Scale-Freeness;36
5.3;2.3 Nestedness;56
5.4;2.4 Weak-Linkedness;73
6;3 Network Stability;76
6.1;3.1 Perturbations. Good and Bad Noise;76
6.2;3.2 Life as a Relaxation Phenomenon: Dissipate Locally, Connect Globally;85
6.3;3.3 Network Failures;97
6.4;3.4 Topological Phase Transitions of Networks;103
6.5;3.5 Nestedness and Stability: Sync;109
6.6;3.6 How Can We Stabilize Networks? Engineers or Tinkerers;120
7;4 Weak Links as Stabilizers of Complex Systems;124
7.1;4.1 An Emerging Synthesis: Weak Links Stabilize Complex Systems;124
7.2;4.2 Weak Links: A Starting De.nition;129
7.3;4.3 Stability: A Starting Definition;132
7.4;4.4 Complex Systems;134
7.5;4.5 Weak Links and System Degeneracy;136
8;5 Atoms, Molecules and Macromolecules;140
8.1;5.1 Protein Folding Problems;140
8.2;5.2 Energy Landscapes;144
8.3;5.3 Weak Bonds in Protein and RNA Folding;148
9;6 Weak Links and Cellular Stability;154
9.1;6.1 Cellular Networks;154
9.2;6.2 Stability of the Cellular Net;157
9.3;6.3 Stress, Diversity and Jumps in Evolution;168
9.4;6.4 Cancer, Disease and Aging;179
10;7 Weak Links and the Stability of Organisms;186
10.1;7.1 Immunological Networks;186
10.2;7.2 Transport Systems;191
10.3;7.3 Muscle Net;192
10.4;7.4 The Neuro-Glial Network;195
10.5;7.5 Psycho Net;199
11;8 Social Nets;209
11.1;8.1 Animal Communities;209
11.2;8.2 A Novel Explanation of the Menopause;212
11.3;8.3 Stability of Human Societies;214
11.4;8.4 Firms and Human Organisations;229
11.5;8.5 Dark Networks and Terror Nets;236
11.6;8.6 Pseudo-Grooming;237
12;9 Networks of Human Culture;246
12.1;9.1 The Language Net;246
12.2;9.2 Novels, Plays, and Films as Networks;251
12.3;9.3 Our Engineered Space;258
12.4;9.4 Software Nets;265
12.5;9.5 Engineers and Tinkerers: An Emerging Synthesis;267
13;10 The Global Web;270
13.1;10.1 The World Trade Web;270
13.2;10.2 Turning Points in History;274
13.3;10.3 Weak Links: A Part of Social Capital;285
14;11 The Ecoweb;291
14.1;11.1 Weak Links and the Stability of Ecosystems;291
14.2;11.2 Omnivory;295
14.3;11.3 The Weak Links of Gaia;298
15;12 Conclusions and Perspectives;304
15.1;12.1 The Unity of the Weakly-Linked World: A Summary;304
15.2;12.2 Revisiting the De.nitions: A Synthesis;310
15.3;12.3 Prospects and Extensions;333
15.4;12.4 Weak Links and Our Lives;337
16;A Useful Links;342
17;B Glossary;345
18;References;357
19;Index;406