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Stingless Bee Nest Cerumen and Propolis, Volume 1
by Patricia Vit Milena Popova Vassya Bankova David W RoubikMeliponini, the stingless bees of the tropics, process and store honey, pollen and plant resins to maintain their colonies. The chemical components of their nests are bioactive and believed to be therapeutic for a long list of maladies. However, only recently are tests and analyses being done with molecular and modern laboratory techniques, such as high throughput EDX, HPIC, HPLC, GC, NMR, PCR, and ultrastructural SEM; coupled with diverse detectors such as DAD, RI, MS, SCD.This two-volume book is about the cerumen –plant resins mixed with stingless bee wax– and propolis, which fortify the colony in ways that are beginning to be understood. It includes reviews and new research on diverse topics involving the chemistry and bioactivity of plant resins, cerumen, propolis, besides bee and microbe behavior and ecology. These analytic studies are presented along with stingless bee biodiversity, palynology, cultural knowledge, bee foraging behavior, resin flower evolution, ecology, and evolution of nest microbe mutualisms, social immunity, human health, the decisive role of microbiology investigation in moving forward, natural history of stingless bee colonies and nests, marketing, and bibliometrics for plant resin use by bees, propolis, and the Starmerella yeast.
Stingless Bee Nest Cerumen and Propolis, Volume 2
by Patricia Vit Milena Popova Vassya Bankova David W RoubikMeliponini, the stingless bees of the tropics, process and store honey, pollen and plant resins to maintain their colonies. The chemical components of their nests are bioactive and believed to be therapeutic for a long list of maladies. However, only recently are tests and analyses being done with molecular and modern laboratory techniques, such as high throughput EDX, HPIC, HPLC, GC, NMR, PCR, and ultrastructural SEM; coupled with diverse detectors such as DAD, RI, MS, SCD.This two-volume book is about the cerumen –plant resins mixed with stingless bee wax– and propolis, which fortify the colony in ways that are beginning to be understood. It includes reviews and new research on diverse topics involving the chemistry and bioactivity of plant resins, cerumen, propolis, besides bee and microbe behavior and ecology. These analytic studies are presented along with stingless bee biodiversity, palynology, cultural knowledge, bee foraging behavior, resin flower evolution, ecology, and evolution of nest microbe mutualisms, social immunity, human health, the decisive role of microbiology investigation in moving forward, natural history of stingless bee colonies and nests, marketing, and bibliometrics for plant resin use by bees, propolis, and the Starmerella yeast.
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.
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.
Stink Bugs of Economic Importance in America North of Mexico
by Robert McPherson J. E. McPhersonMany scientists have reported an extensive amount of information on the biology, life history, and damage potential of stink bugs. However, this information is scattered among numerous journals, periodicals, and other publications. Stink Bugs of Economic Importance in America North of Mexico brings together applied and nonapplied literature on the biology, life history, and damage potential of stink bugs in one complete and concise format. Written by two top-notch researchers, the book includes section by section discussions of various economic stink bug species, damage to individual crops and separate tables of host plants organized by common name, scientific name, and family name. With numerous unique line drawings and over 700 references to stink bug publications, it includes keys for identification of stink bug species and strategies for the control of destructive species.
Stink Bugs: Recent Advances and Case Studies from Brazil, Europe, and USA (Entomology in Focus #9)
by Antônio Ricardo Panizzi Adeney Freitas BuenoThis book offers a wealth of essential information about stink bugs, including taxonomic updates of pest species, their geographic distribution, biology and behavior, and the latest research on sustainable management strategies. The book features contributions from globally renowned specialists who have expertise in specific topics related to stink bug research.In addition to discussing the potential of biological control methods, the book explores innovative approaches such as RNAi, CRISPR techniques, and the use of resistant plants to manage stink bug populations. The book also examines the potential use of botanical insecticides as a more sustainable alternative to chemical control methods.Overall, this book is a valuable resource for researchers, entomologists, and other professionals who are interested in stink bug research and sustainable pest management. Its well-organized and comprehensive approach makes it an essential addition to any entomologist's library.
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>
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.
Stoat in the Dock: Ecology and Management of Invasive Mustelids in New Zealand (Fascinating Life Sciences)
by Carolyn M. KingThis book surveys the ecology of stoats resident in New Zealand since the 1880s, when they were deliberately imported from UK as potential agents of biological control against rabbits. Our current understanding of them and of their impacts on the communities of native animals and birds with which they now live has developed over decades of research. Past knowledge is essential to inform future decisions on when, where and how to minimize damage from stoats in the future. New Zealand is one of the most significant known examples of the drastic impacts of invasive predators on endemic species and communities, but its story is largely unfamiliar to international audiences. This is a detailed, academically rigorous and fully documented account of how introduced mustelids have made themselves at home in New Zealand, written by a specialist stoat biologist as a single coherent story. Each chapter includes a section explaining the context in which the most important details of the biology of stoats (and, to a lesser extent, ferrets) have been documented, what techniques worked and what did not, and why. The book is written primarily for the well-informed general public, plus a cross-disciplinary audience of academics, senior undergraduates and postgraduates interested in the history of interactions between predators and native wildlife, and professionals working on invasive species in New Zealand and elsewhere. It will be of special interest to conservationists, birdwatchers and naturalists.
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 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 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 Gábor Lente Péter ÉrdiThis 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 Differential Equations for Chemical Transformations in White Noise Probability Space: Wick Products and Computations
by Don KulasiriThis book highlights the applications of stochastic differential equations in white noise probability space to chemical reactions that occur in biology. These reactions operate in fluctuating environments and are often coupled with each other. The theory of stochastic differential equations based on white noise analysis provides a physically meaningful modelling framework. The Wick product-based calculus for stochastic variables is similar to regular calculus; therefore, there is no need for Ito calculus. Numerical examples are provided with novel ways to solve the equations. While the theory of white noise analysis is well developed by mathematicians over the past decades, applications in biophysics do not exist. This book provides a bridge between this kind of mathematics and biophysics.
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 for Systems Biology (Chapman & Hall/CRC Mathematical Biology Series)
by Christian Mazza Michel BenaimThis is one of the first books to provide a systematic study of the many stochastic models used in systems biology. The book shows how the mathematical models are used as technical tools for simulating biological processes and how the models lead to conceptual insights on the functioning of the cellular processing system. Examples cover the phage lambda genetic switch, eukaryotic gene expression, noise propagation in gene networks, and more. Most of the text should be accessible to scientists with basic knowledge in calculus and probability 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.