Simplifying Complex Dynamic Networks: A Model of Protease Imbalance and COPD Dynamic Dose-Response

The risk models in previous chapters have emphasized causal processes described by directed acyclic graphs (Bayesian network models) and by multistage carcinogenic processes in which exposure hastens the net transition rates and increases the net proliferation rates of affected cells. More is required to predict the probable consequences of interventions in feedback-control systems, where changing the levels of controllable inputs can affect not only the specific subprocesses targeted by the interventions, but also the equilibrium levels of other variables throughout the entire interconnected system.