Presenting a study of geometric action functionals (i.e., non-negative functionals on the space of unparameterized oriented rectifiable curves), this monograph focuses on the subclass of those functionals whose local action is a degenerate type of Finsler metric that may vanish in certain directions, allowing for curves with positive Euclidean length but with zero action. For such functionals, criteria are developed under which there exists a minimum action curve leading from one given set to another. Then the properties of this curve are studied, and the non-existence of minimizers is...

In recent decades, science has experienced a revolutionary shift. The development and extensive application of computer modelling and simulation has transformed the knowledge‐making practices of scientific fields as diverse as astro‐physics, genetics, robotics and demography. This epistemic transformation has brought with it a simultaneous heightening of political relevance and a renewal of international policy agendas, raising crucial questions about the nature and application of simulation knowledges throughout public policy.

Through a diverse range of case studies,...