Joseph P. Zbilut, PhD, DNSc, ANP-C
Professor, Department of Adult Health Nursing
Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology,
Rush College of Medicine
Associate, Department of Health and Human Values
Dr. Zbilut's focus is physiologic research related to nonlinear dynamics. Working with colleagues in physiology, biophysics, and medicine, he has performed considerable research into the identification of rhythms and patterns in a variety of systems. Recognition of such "patterns" in complex systems provides unique challenges. Among the difficulties include:
A recurrence plot of a heart rate.
In collaboration with Dr. Charles Webber of Loyola University Chicago, Dr. Zbilut has developed a technique of recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) which overcomes many of these difficulties. At the same time, he has developed a model of chaos ("nondeterministic") which is unique in its emphasis on the importance of "noise" and its effects on deterministic processes as seen in physics, biology, psychology and sociology, and has implications for cognitive theory, natural neural nets, as well as organizational behavior.
Preliminary research done by Dr. Zbilut and his colleagues suggests that this model naturally identifies "critical" points liable for manipulation and control (and quite naturally) subject to pathology. Clearly, such a model may be useful for nursing, medicine and related disciplines.
A place to start for more information on nonlinear dynamics is http://www-chaos.umd.edu/
Related Publications include:
Trulla, L.L., A. Giuliani, J.P. Zbilut, and C.L. Webber., Jr. (1996) Recurrence quantification analysis of the logistic equation with transients. Physics Letters, A 223: 255-260
Zbilut JP, Zak M, Meyers RE (in press). A Terminal Model of the Heartbeat. Biological Cybernetics.
Zbilut JP, Hubler A, Webber Jr. CL (1996). Physiological singularities modeled by nondeterministic equations of motion and the effect of noise. In Milonas, M (Ed) Fluctuations and Order: The New Synthesis. New York: Springer Verlag. pp 397-417.
Giuliani A, Lo Giudice P, Mancini AM, Quatrini G, Pacifici L, Webber CL, Jr., Zak M, Zbilut JP (1996). A Markovian formalization of heart rate dynamics evinces a quantum-like hypothesis. Biological Cybernetics 74: 181-187.
Zbilut JP, Zak M, Webber Jr. CL (1995). Nondeterministic chaos in physiological systems. Chaos, Solutions, and Fractals 5:1509-1516.
Zbilut JP, Staffileno B (1994). Commentary on "Chaos and Some Nursing Considerations. Nursing Science Quarterly 7: 150-152.
Zbilut JP, Zak M, Webber, Jr. CL (1994). Nondeterministic chaos approach to neural intelligence. Intelligent Engineering Systems Through Artificial Neural Networks, Vol. 4. New York:ASME Press, pp 819-824.
Webber Jr. CL, Zbilut JP. (1994). Dynamical assessment of physiological sysems and states using recurrence plot strategies. Journal of Applied Physiology. 76:965-973.
Keegan AP, Zbilut JP, Merritt SL, Mercer PJ (1993). Use of recurrence plots in the analysis of pupil diameter dynamics in narcoleptics. SPIE Proceedings: Chaos in Biology and Medicine, Vol 2036, pp 206-213.
Zbilut JP, Webber Jr. C (1992). Embeddings and delays as derived from quantification of recurrence plots. Physics Letters A, 171, 199-203.
Rubenstein DS, Zbilut JP, Webber Jr. CL and Lipsius SL (1993). Phase-dependent properties of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum oscillator in cat right atrium: a mechanism contributing to dysrhythmias induced by Ca2+ overload. Experimental Physiology, 78:79-93.
Zbilut JP, Koebbe M, Loeb H, Mayer-Kress G (1990). Use of recurrence plots for the analysis of heart beat intervals. Proceedings IEEE Computers in Cardiology (1990), pp. 263-266.
Zbilut JP (1991). Power laws, transients, attractors and entropy: possible implications for cardiovascular dynamics. In H. Haken and H-P Koepchen (Eds), Rhythms in Physiological Systems. Berlin:Springer, pp 139-152.
Webber Jr. CL, Zbilut JP (1990). The applicability of methods from nonlinear dynamics in assessing physiological states of the respiratory system.. Proceedings of the IEEE-EMBS, 12, pp 1863-1864.
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