Scaling in nature: from DNA through heartbeats to weather

S. Havlin, S.V. Buldyrev, A. Bunde, A.L. Goldberger, P.Ch. Ivanov, C.-K. Peng and H.E. Stanley

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 1999, vol. 273, issue 1, 46-69

Abstract: The purpose of this talk is to describe some recent progress in applying scaling concepts to various systems in nature. We review several systems characterized by scaling laws such as DNA sequences, heartbeat rates and weather variations. We discuss the finding that the exponent α quantifying the scaling in DNA in smaller for coding than for noncoding sequences. We also discuss the application of fractal scaling analysis to the dynamics of heartbeat regulation, and report the recent finding that the scaling exponent α is smaller during sleep periods compared to wake periods. We also discuss the recent findings that suggest a universal scaling exponent characterizing the weather fluctuations.

Keywords: DNA; Heartbeat; Weather; Time series; Scaling; Fractals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1999
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:273:y:1999:i:1:p:46-69

DOI: 10.1016/S0378-4371(99)00340-4

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