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Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution (Fascinating Life Sciences)
by Christoph GrüterStingless bees (Meliponini) are the largest and most diverse group of social bees, yet their largely tropical distribution means that they are less studied than their relatives, the bumble bees and honey bees. Stingless bees produce honey and collect pollen from tens of thousands of tropical plant species and, in the process, provide critical pollination services in the tropics. Like many other insects, they are struggling with new human-made challenges like habitat destruction, climate change and new diseases. This book provides an overview of stingless bee biology, with chapters on the evolutionary history, nesting biology, colony organisation and division of labour of stingless bees. In addition, it explores their defence strategies, foraging ecology, and varied communication methods. Accordingly, the book offers an accessible introduction and reference guide for students, researchers and laypeople interested in the biology of bees.
Stingless Bees of Mexico
by José Javier Quezada-EuánThe stingless bees are the most diverse group of highly social bees and are key species in our planet’s tropical and subtropical regions, where they thrive. In Mexico, the management of stingless bees dates back centuries, and they were an essential part of the culture and cosmogony of native peoples like the Maya. In recent decades a vast amount of information has been gathered on stingless bees worldwide. This book summarizes various aspects of the biology and management of stingless bees, with special emphasis on the Mexican species and the traditions behind their cultivation. Much of the information presented here was produced by the author and the team of researchers at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in the course of three decades of working with these insects. Given the breadth of its coverage, the book offers an equally valuable reference guide for academics, students and beekeepers alike.
Stinkbugs: Biorational Control Based on Communication Processes
by Andrej Cokl Miguel BorgesThis book presents an overview of the Pentatomidae species, covering their biology, phylogeny and reproductive behavior, main plants used in their diet and their nutritional exigencies, predatory stinkbugs, interactions between herbivores-plants and natural enemies, use of pheromone for monitoring phytophagous populations, and chemical and vibrational communication signals. It also presents possible technologies to be applied in field crops for pest management that could be developed as the basis of the interplay of stink bug communication signals.
Stinkiest!: 20 Smelly Animals (Extreme Animals)
by Steve JenkinsCaldecott Honor winner Steve Jenkins is back with more Extreme Animals, perfect for young readers looking for accessible nonfiction chock full of incredible art. Stinkiest! will focus on the smelliest members of the animal kingdom. Through illustrations, infographics, facts, and figures, readers will see how big each animal is compared to humans, where it lives on the globe, and just how putrid it can be! With his signature art style, Steve Jenkins' Extreme Animals reader series explores nature's truly superlative animals. These readers are fact-packed and span the globe, detailing the astounding abilities of every shape, size, and species. Each installment focuses on amazing and unusual animals, making these nonfiction readers accessible, informative, and fascinating. <P><P><i>Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.</i>
The Stinky Giant (Step into Reading)
by Ellen Weiss Mel FriedmanPepper and Jake love herding sheep in the little valley where they live. But there's a problem-- a big problem. Urk, a giant who lives on a nearby mountain, is big and stinky and doesn't care that dumping dirty laundry water in the nearby stream causes a flood down below every single week. So Pepper and Jake hike to Urk's mountaintop lair to confront him. But there's no reasoning with a giant, especially one who gives cryptic puzzles to solve. If the kids can solve it, Urk will move away. If not, Pepper and Jake (and their sheep) will be the featured ingredients in Urk's next bowl of smelly soup!
The Stinky Sneakers Mystery (The Cul-De-Sac Kids #7)
by Beverly LewisJason Birchall's been bragging all week about his science fair project--alfalfa sprouts growing in a carpet square! But on the morning of the fair, Jason's super sprouts are missing. What can he do? And why does Eric Hagel look so sneaky? Will Jason's super-smelly plan to get back at Eric cause a stink in the cul-de-sac?
Stitching the West Back Together: Conservation of Working Landscapes (Summits: Environmental Science, Law, and Policy)
by Susan Charnley Thomas E. Sheridan Gary P. NabhanNews headlines would often have us believe that conservationists are inevitably locked in conflict with the people who live and work on the lands they seek to protect. Not so. Across the western expanses of the United States, conservationists, ranchers, and forest workers are bucking preconceptions to establish common ground. As they join together to protect the wide open spaces, diverse habitats, and working landscapes upon which people, plants, and animals depend, a new vision of management is emerging in which the conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and sustainable resource use are seen not as antithetical, but as compatible, even symbiotic goals. Featuring contributions from an impressive array of scientists, conservationists, scholars, ranchers, and foresters, Stitching the West Back Together explores that expanded, inclusive vision of environmentalism as it delves into the history and evolution of Western land use policy and of the working landscapes themselves. Chapters include detailed case studies of efforts to promote both environmental and economic sustainability, with lessons learned; descriptions of emerging institutional frameworks for conserving Western working landscapes; and implications for best practices and policies crucial to the future of the West’s working forests and rangelands. As economic and demographic forces threaten these lands with fragmentation and destruction, this book encourages a hopeful balance between production and conservation on the large, interconnected landscapes required for maintaining cultural and biological diversity over the longterm.
STM Investigation of Molecular Architectures of Porphyrinoids on a Ag(111) Surface
by Florian BuchnerThe self-assembly of large organic molecules has become a vividly explored and interdisciplinary field in science. One major goal is the tailored fabrication of highly ordered, molecular networks, which are stabilized on a metal surface. Metalloporphyrins receive particular attention, because their distinct intrinsic functionalities make them promising candidates for applications in chemical sensors, solar cells, and for tailored catalytic processes. Based on scanning tunneling microscopy investigations, several novel and fundamental contributions are presented, which has led to a new level of understanding. Highlights are the results with respect to intramolecular conformation and supramolecular ordering, electronic interactions with the substrate, surface confined synthesis such as in-situ metallation reactions, and ligand effects.The number of publications this work has led to emphasises its quality and significance.
Stochastic Analysis in Production Process and Ecology Under Uncertainty
by Bogusław BiedaThe monograph addresses a problem of stochastic analysis based on the uncertainty assessment by simulation and application of this method in ecology and steel industry under uncertainty. The first chapter defines the Monte Carlo (MC) method and random variables in stochastic models. Chapter two deals with the contamination transport in porous media. Stochastic approach for Municipal Solid Waste transit time contaminants modeling using MC simulation has been worked out. The third chapter describes the risk analysis of the waste to energy facility proposal for Konin city, including the financial aspects. Environmental impact assessment of the ArcelorMittal Steel Power Plant, in Kraków - in the chapter four - is given. Thus, four scenarios of the energy mix production processes were studied. Chapter five contains examples of using ecological Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - a relatively new method of environmental impact assessment - which help in preparing pro-ecological strategy, and which can lead to reducing the amount of wastes produced in the ArcelorMittal Steel Plant production processes. Moreover, real input and output data of selected processes under uncertainty, mainly used in the LCA technique, have been examined. The last chapter of this monograph contains final summary. The log-normal probability distribution, widely used in risk analysis and environmental management, in order to develop a stochastic analysis of the LCA, as well as uniform distribution for stochastic approach of pollution transport in porous media has been proposed. The distributions employed in this monograph are assembled from site-specific data, data existing in the most current literature, and professional judgment.
Stochastic Analysis Of Scaling Time Series: From Turbulence Theory to Applications
by François G. Schmitt Yongxiang HuangMulti-scale systems, involving complex interacting processes that occur over a range of temporal and spatial scales, are present in a broad range of disciplines. Several methodologies exist to retrieve this multi-scale information from a given time series; however, each method has its own limitations. This book presents the mathematical theory behind the stochastic analysis of scaling time series, including a general historical introduction to the problem of intermittency in turbulence, as well as how to implement this analysis for a range of different applications. Covering a variety of statistical methods, such as Fourier analysis and wavelet transforms, it provides readers with a thorough understanding of the techniques and when to apply them. New techniques to analyse stochastic processes, including empirical mode decomposition, are also explored. Case studies, in turbulence and ocean sciences, are used to demonstrate how these statistical methods can be applied in practice, for students and researchers.
Stochastic Averaging and Stochastic Extremum Seeking
by Shu-Jun Liu Miroslav KrsticStochastic Averaging and Extremum Seeking treats methods inspired by attempts to understand the seemingly non-mathematical question of bacterial chemotaxis and their application in other environments. The text presents significant generalizations on existing stochastic averaging theory developed from scratch and necessitated by the need to avoid violation of previous theoretical assumptions by algorithms which are otherwise effective in treating these systems. Coverage is given to four main topics. Stochastic averaging theorems are developed for the analysis of continuous-time nonlinear systems with random forcing, removing prior restrictions on nonlinearity growth and on the finiteness of the time interval. The new stochastic averaging theorems are usable not only as approximation tools but also for providing stability guarantees. Stochastic extremum-seeking algorithms are introduced for optimization of systems without available models. Both gradient- and Newton-based algorithms are presented, offering the user the choice between the simplicity of implementation (gradient) and the ability to achieve a known, arbitrary convergence rate (Newton). The design of algorithms for non-cooperative/adversarial games is described. The analysis of their convergence to Nash equilibria is provided. The algorithms are illustrated on models of economic competition and on problems of the deployment of teams of robotic vehicles. Bacterial locomotion, such as chemotaxis in E. coli, is explored with the aim of identifying two simple feedback laws for climbing nutrient gradients. Stochastic extremum seeking is shown to be a biologically-plausible interpretation for chemotaxis. For the same chemotaxis-inspired stochastic feedback laws, the book also provides a detailed analysis of convergence for models of nonholonomic robotic vehicles operating in GPS-denied environments. The book contains block diagrams and several simulation examples, including examples arising from bacterial locomotion, multi-agent robotic systems, and economic market models. Stochastic Averaging and Extremum Seeking will be informative for control engineers from backgrounds in electrical, mechanical, chemical and aerospace engineering and to applied mathematicians. Economics researchers, biologists, biophysicists and roboticists will find the applications examples instructive.
Stochastic Biomathematical Models
by Mostafa Bachar Susanne Ditlevsen Jerry J. BatzelStochastic biomathematical models are becoming increasingly important as new light is shed on the role of noise in living systems. In certain biological systems, stochastic effects may even enhance a signal, thus providing a biological motivation for the noise observed in living systems. Recent advances in stochastic analysis and increasing computing power facilitate the analysis of more biophysically realistic models, and this book provides researchers in computational neuroscience and stochastic systems with an overview of recent developments. Key concepts are developed in chapters written by experts in their respective fields. Topics include: one-dimensional homogeneous diffusions and their boundary behavior, large deviation theory and its application in stochastic neurobiological models, a review of mathematical methods for stochastic neuronal integrate-and-fire models, stochastic partial differential equation models in neurobiology, and stochastic modeling of spreading cortical depression.
Stochastic Chemical Kinetics
by Péter Érdi Gábor LenteThis volume reviews the theory and simulation methods of stochastic kinetics by integrating historical and recent perspectives, presents applications, mostly in the context of systems biology and also in combustion theory. In recent years, due to the development in experimental techniques, such as optical imaging, single cell analysis, and fluorescence spectroscopy, biochemical kinetic data inside single living cells have increasingly been available. The emergence of systems biology brought renaissance in the application of stochastic kinetic methods.
Stochastic Communities: A Mathematical Theory of Biodiversity
by A. DewdneyStochastic Communities presents a theory of biodiversity by analyzing the distribution of abundances among species in the context of a community. The basis of this theory is a distribution called the "J distribution." This distribution is a pure hyperbola and mathematically implied by the "stochastic species hypothesis" assigning equal probabilities of birth and death within the population of each species over varying periods of time. The J distribution in natural communities has strong empirical support resulting from a meta-study and strong theoretical support from a theorem that is mathematically implied by the stochastic species hypothesis.
Stochastic Control in Discrete and Continuous Time
by Atle SeierstadThis book provides a comprehensive introduction to stochastic control problems in discrete and continuous time. The material is presented logically, beginning with the discrete-time case using few mathematical tools before proceeding to the stochastic continuous-time models requiring more advanced mathematics. Topics covered include stochastic maximum principles for discrete time, continuous time, and for problems with terminal conditions. A nonstandard treatment of piecewise deterministic problems, related to some control problems, is also presented. Numerous illustrative examples and exercises are included to enhance the understanding of the reader. By interlinking many fields in stochastic control, the material gives the student the opportunity to see the connections between different fields and the underlying ideas that unify them. This text will be of benefit to students in economics, engineering, applied mathematics and related fields. Prerequisites include a course in calculus and elementary probability theory.
Stochastic Cooling of Particle Beams
by Dieter MöhlThis lecture note describes the main analytical approaches to stochastic cooling. The first is the time domain picture, in which the beam is rapidly sampled and a statistical analysis is used to describe the cooling behaviour. The second is the frequency domain picture, which is particularly useful since the observations made on the beam are mainly in this domain. This second picture is developed in detail to assess key components of modern cooling theory like mixing and signal shielding and to illustrate some of the diagnostic methods. Finally the use of a distribution function and the Fokker-Plank equation, which offer the most complete description of the beam during the cooling, are discussed.
Stochastic Dynamics and Energetics of Biomolecular Systems
by Artem RyabovThis thesis both broadens and deepens our understanding of the Brownian world. It addresses new problems in diffusion theory that have recently attracted considerable attention, both from the side of nanotechnology and from the viewpoint of pure academic research. The author focusses on the difussion of interacting particles in restricted geometries and under externally controlled forces. These geometries serve, for example, to model ion transport through narrow channels in cell membranes or a Brownian particle diffusing in an optical trap, now a paradigm for both theory and experiment. The work is exceptional in obtaining explicit analytically formulated answers to such realistic, experimentally relevant questions. At the same time, with its detailed exposition of the problems and a complete set of references, it presents a clear and broadly accessible introduction to the domain. Many of the problem settings and the corresponding exact asymptotic laws are completely new in diffusion theory.
Stochastic Dynamics of Crystal Defects
by Thomas D SwinburneThis thesis is concerned with establishing a rigorous, modern theory of the stochastic and dissipative forces on crystal defects, which remain poorly understood despite their importance in any temperature dependent micro-structural process such as the ductile to brittle transition or irradiation damage. The author first uses novel molecular dynamics simulations to parameterise an efficient, stochastic and discrete dislocation model that allows access to experimental time and length scales. Simulated trajectories are in excellent agreement with experiment. The author also applies modern methods of multiscale analysis to extract novel bounds on the transport properties of these many body systems. Despite their successes in coarse graining, existing theories are found unable to explain stochastic defect dynamics. To resolve this, the author defines crystal defects through projection operators, without any recourse to elasticity. By rigorous dimensional reduction, explicit analytical forms are derived for the stochastic forces acting on crystal defects, allowing new quantitative insight into the role of thermal fluctuations in crystal plasticity.
Stochastic Dynamics of Power Systems (Power Systems)
by Ping JuThis book discusses stochastic dynamics of power systems and the related analytical methodology. It summarizes and categorizes the stochastic elements of power systems and develops a framework for research on stochastic dynamics of power systems. It also establishes a research model for stochastic dynamics of power systems and theoretically proves stochastic stability in power systems. Further, in addition to demonstrating the stochastic oscillation mechanism in power systems, it also proposes methods for quantitative analysis and stochastic optimum control in the field of stochastic dynamic security in power systems. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, scholars and engineers in the field of electrics.
Stochastic Foundations in Movement Ecology
by Vicenç Méndez Daniel Campos Frederic BartumeusThis book presents the fundamental theory for non-standard diffusion problems in movement ecology. Lévy processes and anomalous diffusion have shown to be both powerful and useful tools for qualitatively and quantitatively describing a wide variety of spatial population ecological phenomena and dynamics, such as invasion fronts and search strategies. Adopting a self-contained, textbook-style approach, the authors provide the elements of statistical physics and stochastic processes on which the modeling of movement ecology is based and systematically introduce the physical characterization of ecological processes at the microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic levels. The explicit definition of these levels and their interrelations is particularly suitable to coping with the broad spectrum of space and time scales involved in bio-ecological problems. Including numerous exercises (with solutions), this text is aimed at graduate students and newcomers in this field at the interface of theoretical ecology, mathematical biology and physics.
Stochastic Linear-Quadratic Optimal Control Theory: Differential Games and Mean-Field Problems (SpringerBriefs in Mathematics)
by Jingrui Sun Jiongmin YongThis book gathers the most essential results, including recent ones, on linear-quadratic optimal control problems, which represent an important aspect of stochastic control. It presents results for two-player differential games and mean-field optimal control problems in the context of finite and infinite horizon problems, and discusses a number of new and interesting issues. Further, the book identifies, for the first time, the interconnections between the existence of open-loop and closed-loop Nash equilibria, solvability of the optimality system, and solvability of the associated Riccati equation, and also explores the open-loop solvability of mean-filed linear-quadratic optimal control problems. Although the content is largely self-contained, readers should have a basic grasp of linear algebra, functional analysis and stochastic ordinary differential equations. The book is mainly intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students majoring in applied mathematics who are interested in stochastic control theory. However, it will also appeal to researchers in other related areas, such as engineering, management, finance/economics and the social sciences.
Stochastic Linear-Quadratic Optimal Control Theory: Open-Loop and Closed-Loop Solutions (SpringerBriefs in Mathematics)
by Jingrui Sun Jiongmin YongThis book gathers the most essential results, including recent ones, on linear-quadratic optimal control problems, which represent an important aspect of stochastic control. It presents the results in the context of finite and infinite horizon problems, and discusses a number of new and interesting issues. Further, it precisely identifies, for the first time, the interconnections between three well-known, relevant issues – the existence of optimal controls, solvability of the optimality system, and solvability of the associated Riccati equation. Although the content is largely self-contained, readers should have a basic grasp of linear algebra, functional analysis and stochastic ordinary differential equations. The book is mainly intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students majoring in applied mathematics who are interested in stochastic control theory. However, it will also appeal to researchers in other related areas, such as engineering, management, finance/economics and the social sciences.
Stochastic Mechanics: The Unification of Quantum Mechanics with Brownian Motion (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
by Folkert KuipersStochastic mechanics is a theory that holds great promise in resolving the mathematical and interpretational issues encountered in the canonical and path integral formulations of quantum theories. It provides an equivalent formulation of quantum theories, but substantiates it with a mathematically rigorous stochastic interpretation by means of a stochastic quantization prescription.The book builds on recent developments in this theory, and shows that quantum mechanics can be unified with the theory of Brownian motion in a single mathematical framework. Moreover, it discusses the extension of the theory to curved spacetime using second order geometry, and the induced Itô deformations of the spacetime symmetries.The book is self-contained and provides an extensive review of stochastic mechanics of the single spinless particle. The book builds up the theory on a step by step basis. It starts, in chapter 2, with a review of the classical particle subjected to scalar and vector potentials. In chapter 3, the theory is extended to the study of a Brownian motion in any potential, by the introduction of a Gaussian noise. In chapter 4, the Gaussian noise is complexified. The result is a complex diffusion theory that contains both Brownian motion and quantum mechanics as a special limit. In chapters 5, the theory is extended to relativistic diffusion theories. In chapter 6, the theory is further generalized to the context of pseudo-Riemannian geometry. Finally, in chapter 7, some interpretational aspects of the stochastic theory are discussed in more detail. The appendices concisely review relevant notions from probability theory, stochastic processes, stochastic calculus, stochastic differential geometry and stochastic variational calculus.The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics and applied mathematics with an interest in the foundations of quantum theory and Brownian motion. The book can be used as reference material for courses on and further research in stochastic mechanics, stochastic quantization, diffusion theories on curved spacetimes and quantum gravity.
Stochastic Methods in Quantum Mechanics
by Stanley P. GudderPractical developments in such fields as optical coherence, communication engineering, and laser technology have developed from the applications of stochastic methods. This introductory survey offers a broad view of some of the most useful stochastic methods and techniques in quantum physics, functional analysis, probability theory, communications, and electrical engineering. Starting with a history of quantum mechanics, it examines both the quantum logic approach and the operational approach, with explorations of random fields and quantum field theory.The text assumes a basic knowledge of functional analysis; although some experience with probability theory and quantum mechanics is helpful, necessary ideas and results from these two disciplines are developed as needed. A selection of exercises follows each chapter, and proofs to most of the theorems are included. A comprehensive bibliography allows researchers and students to continue in the direction of their individual interests.
Stochastic Methods in Scientific Computing: From Foundations to Advanced Techniques (Chapman & Hall/CRC Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing Series)
by Massimo D'Elia Kurt Langfeld Biagio LuciniStochastic Methods in Scientific Computing: From Foundations to Advanced Techniques introduces the reader to advanced concepts in stochastic modelling, rooted in an intuitive yet rigorous presentation of the underlying mathematical concepts. A particular emphasis is placed on illuminating the underpinning Mathematics, and yet have the practical applications in mind. The reader will find valuable insights into topics ranging from Social Sciences and Particle Physics to modern-day Computer Science with Machine Learning and AI in focus. The book also covers recent specialised techniques for notorious issues in the field of stochastic simulations, providing a valuable reference for advanced readers with an active interest in the field.Features Self-contained, starting from the theoretical foundations and advancing to the most recent developments in the field Suitable as a reference for post-graduates and researchers or as supplementary reading for courses in numerical methods, scientific computing, and beyond Interdisciplinary, laying a solid ground for field-specific applications in finance, physics and biosciences on common theoretical foundations Replete with practical examples of applications to classic and current research problems in various fields.