Zhao, X.-Q., Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John'#s, NF, Canada

Dynamical Systems in Population Biology

2003 Approx. 295 p. Hardcover
0-387-00308-8

The conjoining of nonlinear dynamics and biology has brought about significant advances in both areas, with nonlinear dynamics providing a tool for understanding biological phenomena and biology stimulating developments in the theory of dynamical systems. This research monograph provides an introduction to the theory of nonautonomous semiflows with applications to population dynamics. It develops dynamical system approaches to various evolutionary equations such as difference, ordinary, functional, and partial differential equations, and pays more attention to periodic and almost periodic phenomena. The presentation includes persistence theory, monotone dynamics, periodic and almost periodic semiflows, traveling waves, and global analysis of typical models in population biology. Research mathematicians working with nonlinear dynamics, particularly those interested in applications to biology, will find this book useful. It may also be used as a textbook or as supplementary reading for a graduate special topics course on the theory and applications of dynamical systems.

Dr. Xiao-Qiang Zhao is a professor in applied mathematics at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. His main research interests involve applied dynamical systems, nonlinear differential equations, and mathematical biology. He is the author of more than 40 papers and his research has played an important role in the development of the theory of periodic and almost periodic semiflows and their applications.

Contents: * Introduction * Discrete Dynamical Systems * Monotone Dynamics * Nonautonomous Semiflows * A Discrete-time Chemostat Model * N-species Competition in a Periodic Chemostat * Almost Periodic Competitive Systems * Competitor-Competitor-Mutualist Systems * A Periodically Pulsed Bioreactor Model * A Nonlocal and Delayed Predator-Prey Model * Traveling Waves in Bistable Nonlinearities * Bibliography * Index

Series: CMS Books in Mathematics.

Knabner, P., Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Angerman, L., Universitat Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Clausthal, Germany

Numerical Methods for Elliptic and Parabolic Partial Differential Equations

2003 Approx. 440 p. 67 illus. Hardcover
0-387-95449-X

This book covers numerical methods for partial differential equations: discretization methods such as finite difference, finite volume and finite element methods; solution methods for linear and nonlinear systems of equations and grid generation.

The book takes account of both the theory and implementation, providing simultaneously both a rigorous and an inductive presentation of the technical details. It contains modern topics such as adaptive methods, multilevel methods and methods for convection-dominated problems. Detailed illustrations and extensive exercises are included.

It will provide mathematics students with an introduction to the theory and methods, guiding them in their selection of methods and helping them to understand and pursue finite element programming. For engineering and physics students it will provide a general framework for formulation and analysis of methods providing a broader perspective to specific applications.

Contents: For Example: Modelling Processes in Porous Media with Differential Equations * For the Beginning: The Finite Difference Method for the Poisson Equation * The Finite Element Method for the Poisson Equation * The Finite Element Method for Linear Elliptic Boundary Value Problems of Second Order * Grid Generation and A Posteriori Error Estimation * Iterative Methods for Systems of Linear Equations * The Finite Volume Method * Discretization Methods for Parabolic Initial Boundary Value Problems * Iterative Methods for Nonlinear Equations * Discretization Methods for Convection Dominated Problems * Appendices

Series: Texts in Applied Mathematics. Vol.. 44

Robert, P., INRIA, Le Chesnay, France

Stochastic Networks and Queues

1st ed. 2003 XIX, 398 p. Hardcover
3-540-00657-5

Queues and stochastic networks are analyzed in this book with purely probabilistic methods. The purpose of these lectures is to show that general results from Markov processes, martingales or ergodic theory can be used directly to study the corresponding stochastic processes. Recent developments have shown that, instead of having ad-hoc methods, a better understanding of fundamental results on stochastic processes is crucial to study the complex behavior of stochastic networks.

In this book, various aspects of these stochastic models are investigated in depth in an elementary way: Existence of equilibrium, characterization of stationary regimes, transient behaviors (rare events, hitting times) and critical regimes, etc. A simple presentation of stationary point processes and Palm measures is given. Scaling methods and functional limit theorems are a major theme of this book. In particular, a complete chapter is devoted to fluid limits of Markov processes.

Series: Applications of Mathematics. Vol.. 52

Shao, J., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

Mathematical Statistics, 2nd ed.

2003 Approx. 600 p. 7 illus. Hardcover
0-387-95382-5

This graduate textbook covers topics in statistical theory essential for graduate students preparing to undertake a Ph.D. in statistics. The first chapter provides a brief overview of concepts and results in measure-theoretic probability theory. The second chapter introduces some fundamental concepts in statistical decision theory and inference. Chapters 3-7 contain detailed studies on some important topics: unbiased estimation, parametric estimation, nonparametric estimation, hypothesis testing, and confidence sets. A large number of exercises in each chapter provide not only practice problems for students, but also many additional results. In addition to the classical results that are typically covered in a textbook of a similar level, this book introduces some topics in modern statistical theory that have been developed in recent years, such as Markov chain Monte Carlo, quasi-likelihoods, empirical likelihoods, statistical functionals, generalized estimation equations, the jackknife, and the bootstrap.

Contents: Probability Theory * Fundamentals of Statistics * Unbiased Estimation * Estimation in Parametric Models * Estimation in Nonparametric Models * Hypothesis Tests * Confidence Sets

Series: Springer Texts in Statistics.
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Kesten, H., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA (Ed.)

Probability on Discrete Structures

2003 Approx. 335 p. Hardcover
3-540-00845-4

Most probability problems involve random variables indexed by space and/or time. These problems almost always have a version in which space and/or time are taken to be discrete. This volume deals with areas in which the discrete version is more natural than the continuous one, perhaps even the only one than can be formulated without complicated constructions and machinery.
The 5 papers of this volume discuss problems in which there has been significant progress in the last few years; they are motivated by, or have been developed in parallel with, statistical physics. They include questions about asymptotic shape for stochastic growth models and for random clusters; existence, location and properties of phase transitions; speed of convergence to equilibrium in Markov chains, and in particular for Markov chains based on models with a phase transition; cut-off phenomena for random walks.
The articles can be read independently of each other. Their unifying theme is that of models built on discrete spaces or graphs. Such models are often easy to formulate. Correspondingly, the book requires comparatively little previous knowledge of the machinery of probability.

Contents:

D. Aldous, J.M. Steele: The Objective Method: Probabilistic Combinatorial Optimization and Local Weak Convergence.- G. Grimmett: The Random-Cluster Model.- C.G. Howard: Models of First-Passage Percolation.- F. Martinelli: Relaxation Times of Markov Chains in Statistical Mechanics and Combinatorial Structures.- L. Saloff-Coste: Random Walks on Finite Groups.- Index.

Series: Encyclopaedia of Mathematical Sciences. Vol.. 110