Synergetics of Measurement, Prediction and Control

1. Introduction.- 1.1 Goal.- 1.2 Relation to Other Scientific Fields.- 1.3 Plan of the Monograph.- 2. A Quantitative Description of Nature.- 2.1 Synergetics of Natural Phenomena.- 2.2 A Description of Nature.- 2.3 Fundamentals of Quantitative Description.- 2.4 Fundamentals of Physical Laws.- 2.5 The Random Character of Physical Variables.- 2.6 Expression of Natural Laws by Differential Equations.- 2.7 Methods of Empirical Modeling.- 2.8 Introduction to Modeling by Neural Networks.- 3. Transducers.- 3.1 The Role of Sensors and Actuators.- 3.2 Sensors and Actuators of Biological Systems.- 3.3 Operational Characteristics of Transducers.- 3.4 Fabricated Transducers.- 3.5 Transducers in Intelligent Measurement Systems.- 3.6 Future Directions in Transducer Evolution.- 4. Probability Densities.- 4.1 Estimation of Probability Density.- 5. Information.- 5.1 Some Basic Ideas.- 5.2 Entropy of Information.- 5.3 Properties of Information Entropy.- 5.4 Relative Information.- 5.5 Information Measure of Distance Between Distributions.- 6. Maximum Entropy Principles.- 6.1 Gibbs Maximum Entropy Principle.- 6.2 The Absolute Maximum Entropy Principle.- 6.3 Quantization of Continuous Probability Distributions.- 7. Adaptive Modeling of Natural Laws.- 7.1 Probabilistic Modeler of Natural Laws.- 7.2 Optimization of Adaptive Modeler Performance.- 7.3 Stochastic Approach to Adaptation Laws.- 7.4 Stochastic Adaptation of a Vector Quantizer.- 7.5 Perturbation Method of Adaptation.- 7.6 Evolution of an Optimal Modeler and Perturbation Method.- 7.7 Parametric Versus Non-Parametric Modeling.- 8. Self-Organization and Formal Neurons.- 8.1 Optimal Storage of Empirical Information in Discrete Systems.- 8.2 Adaptive Vector Quantization and Topological Mappings.- 8.3 Self-Organization Based on the Absolute Maximum-Entropy Principle.- 8.4 Derivation of a Generalized Self-Organization Rule.- 8.5 Numerical Examples of Self-Organized Adaptation.- 8.6 Formal Neurons and the Self-Organization Process.- 9.