Dissipative structures rhythms

Goldbeter, A. (2007) Biological rhythms as temporal dissipative structures. Adv. Chem. Phys., 135, 253-295. 

There are two types of macroscopic structures equilibrium and dissipative ones. A perfect crystal, for example, represents an equilibrium structure, which is stable and does not exchange matter and energy with the environment. On the other hand, dissipative structures maintain their state by exchanging energy and matter constantly with environment. This continuous interaction enables the system to establish an ordered structure with lower entropy than that of equilibrium structure. For some time, it is believed that thermodynamics precludes the appearance of dissipative structures, such as spontaneous rhythms. However, thermodynamics can describe the possible state of a structure through the study of instabilities in nonequilibrium stationary states. 

Rhythms as limit cycles and temporal dissipative structures... 

Differentiation of Dictyostelium, 163-5 effect of cAMP pulses on, 304,305 Diffusion of Ca" 399,401 of IP3,399,405 Dissipative structures, 5,491 rhythms as temporal, 4-7 spatial and spatiotemporal, 82,491 Domain in parameter space of chaos, 131,245,267,282,509,510 of complex oscillatory phenomena, 507, 512... 

---