) In a steady state, fDOB = 0 because all irreversible processes have attained a full balance and no concentration change occurs. In a non-steady state, fDOB  0. In addition, dCi /dt increases as an ORN deviates from a steady state, as evident from rate equations such as equations ( ) and (2). Thus, the fDOB can be illustrated as in Figure , where a non-steady or a steady state of an ORN is expressed as a discrete state for easier understanding. The fDOB can accordingly be interpreted as representing the degree of balance (DOB) of an ORN. Rate equations such as equations ( ) and ( ) also indicate that dCi/dt and, hence, fDOB spontaneously decrease with time on average. Therefore, a non-steady state with fDOB  0 necessarily returns to a steady state, as indicated by the thick arrows in Figure . Thus, the steady state thus reached is stable against fluctuation. Interestingly, the formation of a steady state of an ORN follows an extremum principle, independent of whether it is in the near-equilibrium linear region or not. Note also that Figure shows that a near-steady state has the same properties as a steady state. Now, it has been clearly shown that a non-equilibrium steady state of an ORN is firmly stabilized through a full balance between the involved irreversible processes and is kept stable against fluctuation. As an ORN in general incessantly changes with time without attaining such a full balance, this result can be interpreted as indicating that a non-equilibrium steady state is produced by dynamic self-organization, in the same way as an oscillating state of an ORN or analogs are regarded as produced by dynamic self- organization. In fact, individual reaction and diffusion processes in an ORN have no ability to control a whole ORN system but nevertheless a large spontaneous order such as a steady state and an oscillating state is produced in an ORN as a result of their individual behavior. Such a phenomenon is in general called dynamic self-organization. A difference between a steady state and an oscillating one only lies in whether a mode of reactions is steady or oscillating. Specifically, a steady state can be regarded as produced by the simplest self-organization while an oscillatory state can, by contrast, be regarded as produced by the second simplest self-organization. It should be noted here that dynamic self-organization in a steady state is peculiar to a network of irreversible processes such as an ORN. In fact, if the involved reaction and diffusion processes were not irreversible, they would have no property of spontaneously occurring in a particular direction and thus could not reach a steady state as an end point of irreversible processes.