IIASA RepositoryLinear Metabolism-Repair SystemsJ.CastiauthorMetabolism-repair systems represent a formal mathematical framework for representing characteristic properties of living systems such as repair, replication, adaptation and so forth. In this paper, the concrete realization of such structures is developed in the case when the system “metabolism” is linear. Explicit results are given to show when system repair operations can counteract environmental and metabolic fluctuations. Additional results pertaining to the replication operation and the possibility for ‘Lamarckian” inheritance are also given, together with a formal demonstration of the increase in complexity as we proceed from the processes of metabolism to repair to replication. The paper concludes with a discussion of several application areas, together with a consideration of several conceptual and mathematical questions requiring attention for further development of this non-Newtonian systems paradigm1988Article

For work being deposited by its own author: In self-archiving this collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata, I grant IIASA Repository the right to store them and to make them permanently available publicly for free on-line. I declare that this material is my own intellectual property and I understand that IIASA Repository does not assume any responsibility if there is any breach of copyright in distributing these files or metadata. (All authors are urged to prominently assert their copyright on the title page of their work.)

For work being deposited by someone other than its author: I hereby declare that the collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata that I am archiving at IIASA Repository) is in the public domain. If this is not the case, I accept full responsibility for any breach of copyright that distributing these files or metadata may entail.

Clicking on the deposit button indicates your agreement to these terms.