This book of lecture notes contains theoretical background material required for computer generation of random fields, which is of interest in various fields of applied mathematics.The necessary probabilistic background suitable for applied work in engineering as well as signal and image processing is also covered.The book is a valuable guide for higher level engineering students.

Uncertainty is an inherent feature of both properties of physical systems and the inputs to these systems that needs to be quantified for cost effective and reliable designs. The states of these systems satisfy equations with random entries, referred to as stochastic equations, so that they are random functions of time and/or space. The solution of stochastic equations poses notable technical difficulties that are frequently circumvented by heuristic assumptions at the expense of accuracy and rigor. The main objective of Stochastic Systems is to promoting the development of accurate and efficient methods for solving stochastic equations and to foster interactions between engineers, scientists, and mathematicians. To achieve these objectives Stochastic Systems presents: A clear and brief review of essential concepts on probability theory, random functions, stochastic calculus, Monte Carlo simulation, and functional analysis Probabilistic models for random variables and functions needed to formulate stochastic equations describing realistic problems in engineering and applied sciences Practical methods for quantifying the uncertain parameters in the definition of stochastic equations, solving approximately these equations, and assessing the accuracy of approximate solutions Stochastic Systems provides key information for researchers, graduate students, and engineers who are interested in the formulation and solution of stochastic problems encountered in a broad range of disciplines. Numerous examples are used to clarify and illustrate theoretical concepts and methods for solving stochastic equations. The extensive bibliography and index at the end of the book constitute an ideal resource for both theoreticians and practitioners.

An important treatment of the geometric properties of sets generated by random fields, including a comprehensive treatment of the mathematical basics of random fields in general. It is a standard reference for all researchers with an interest in random fields, whether they be theoreticians or come from applied areas.

This book presents contributions on the following topics: discretization methods in the velocity and space, analysis of the conservation properties, asymptotic convergence to the continuous equation when the number of velocities tends to infinity, and application of discrete models. It consists of ten chapters. Each chapter is written by applied mathematicians who have been active in the field, and whose scientific contributions are well recognized by the scientific community.

This is a collection of four lectures on some mathematical aspects related to the nonlinear Boltzmann equation. The following topics are dealt with: derivation of kinetic equations, qualitative analysis of the initial value problem, singular perturbation analysis towards the hydrodynamic limit and computational methods towards the solution of problems in fluid dynamics.

This book is based on the idea that Boltzmann-like modelling methods can be developed to design, with special attention to applied sciences, kinetic-type models which are called generalized kinetic models. In particular, these models appear in evolution equations for the statistical distribution over the physical state of each individual of a large population. The evolution is determined both by interactions among individuals and by external actions.Considering that generalized kinetic models can play an important role in dealing with several interesting systems in applied sciences, the book provides a unified presentation of this topic with direct reference to modelling, mathematical statement of problems, qualitative and computational analysis, and applications. Models reported and proposed in the book refer to several fields of natural, applied and technological sciences. In particular, the following classes of models are discussed: population dynamics and socio-economic behaviours, models of aggregation and fragmentation phenomena, models of biology and immunology, traffic flow models, models of mixtures and particles undergoing classic and dissipative interactions.

This book deals with analytic problems related to some developments and generalizations of the Boltzmann equation toward the modeling and qualitative analysis of large systems that are of interest in applied sciences. These generalizations are documented in the various surveys edited by Bellomo and Pulvirenti with reference to models of granular media, traffic flow, mathematical biology, communication networks, and coagulation models.The above literature motivates applied mathematicians to study the Cauchy problem and to develop an asymptotic analysis for models regarded as developments of the Boltzmann equation. This book aims to initiate the research plan by the analyzing afore mentioned analysis problems.The first generalization dealt with refers to the averaged Boltzmann equation, which is obtained by suitable averaging of the distribution function of the field particles into the action domain of the test particle. This model is further developed to describe equations with dissipative collisions and a class of models that are of interest in mathematical biology. In this latter case the state of the particles is defined not only by a mechanical variable but also by a biological microscopic state.The book is essentially devoted to analytic aspects and deals with the analysis of the Cauchy problem and with the development of an asymptotic theory to obtain the macroscopic description from the mesoscopic one.