Table 1.

Summary of discrete-event feedback control rules used by biological and engineering systems.

system	algorithm	efficient?	fair?	compete?	latency?	timeout?	slow start?
biological
harvester ant foraging	MIMD	✓	✕	✓	✓	✓	✓
cell-size homeostasis	AIMD	✓	✓	✕	✕	?	✓
brain: novelty detection	AIMD	✓	✓	✕	✕	✕	✕
brain: homeostatic plasticity	MIMD	✓	✕	✓	✕	✕	✕
brain: STDP	Mixed	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✕
engineered
Internet flow control/TCP	AIMD	✓	✓	✕	✓	✓	✓
machine learning weights update	MIMD	✕	✕	✓	✕	✕	✕