  We give an abridged account of a continued string of studies in condensed
matter physics and in complex systems that span five decades. We provide links
to access abstracts and full texts of a selected list of publications. The
studies were carried out within a framework of methods and models, some
developed in situ, of stochastic processes, statistical mechanics and nonlinear
dynamics. The topics, techniques and outcomes reflect evolving interests of the
community but also show a particular character that privileges the use of
analogies or unusual viewpoints that unite the studies in distinctive ways. The
studies have been grouped into thirty sets and these, in turn, placed into
three collections according to the main underlying approach: stochastic
processes, density functional theory, and nonlinear dynamics. We discuss the
body of knowledge created by these research lines in relation to theoretical
foundations and spread of subjects. We indicate unsuspected connections
underlying different aspects of these investigations and also point out both
natural and unanticipated perspectives for future developments. Finally, we
refer to our most important and recent contribution: An answer with a firm
basis to the long standing question about the limit of validity of ordinary
statistical mechanics and the pertinence of Tsallis statistics.
