This book presents high-quality original contributions on positive systems, including topics such as: monotone dynamical systems in mathematical biology and game theory; mathematical developments for networked systems in biology, chemistry and the social sciences; linear and nonlinear positive operators; dynamical analysis, observation and control of positive distributed parameter systems; stochastic realization theory; biological systems with positive variables and positive controls; iterated function systems; nonnegative dynamic processes; and dimensioning problems for collaborative systems. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the POSTA 2016, the 5th International Symposium on Positive Systems, which was held in Rome, Italy, in September 2016. This conference series represents a targeted response to the growing need for research that reports on and critically discusses a wide range of topics concerning the theory and applications of positive systems.

The proceedings of the First Multidisciplinary International Symposium on Positive Systems Theory and Applications (POSTA 2003) held in Rome, Italy, August 28-30, 2003.  Positive Systems are systems in which the relevant variables assume nonnegative values. These systems are quite common in applications where variables represent positive quantities such as populations, goods, money, time, data packets flowing in a network, densities of chemical species, probabilities, etc. The aim of the symposium was to join together researchers working in the different areas related to positive systems such as telecommunications, economy, biomedicine, chemistry and physics in order to provide a multidisciplinary forum where they have the opportunity to exchange ideas and compare results in a unifying framework.