Stochastic numerical methods play an important role in large scale computations in the applied sciences. The first goal of this book is to give a mathematical description of classical direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) procedures for rarefied gases, using the theory of Markov processes as a unifying framework. The second goal is a systematic treatment of an extension of DSMC, called stochastic weighted particle method. This method includes several new features, which are introduced for the purpose of variance reduction (rare event simulation). Rigorous convergence results as well as detailed numerical studies are presented.

Stochastic Numerical Methods introduces at Master level the numerical methods that use probability or stochastic concepts to analyze random processes. The book aims at being rather general and is addressed at students of natural sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, etc.) and Engineering, but also social sciences (Economy, Sociology, etc.) where some of the techniques have been used recently to numerically simulate different agent-based models. Examples included in the book range from phase-transitions and critical phenomena, including details of data analysis (extraction of critical exponents, finite-size effects, etc.), to population dynamics, interfacial growth, chemical reactions, etc. Program listings are integrated in the discussion of numerical algorithms to facilitate their understanding. From the contents: Review of Probability Concepts Monte Carlo Integration Generation of Uniform and Non-uniform Random Numbers: Non-correlated Values Dynamical Methods Applications to Statistical Mechanics Introduction to Stochastic Processes Numerical Simulation of Ordinary and Partial Stochastic Differential Equations Introduction to Master Equations Numerical Simulations of Master Equations Hybrid Monte Carlo Generation of n-Dimensional Correlated Gaussian Variables Collective Algorithms for Spin Systems Histogram Extrapolation Multicanonical Simulations

This book explores recent advances in uncertainty quantification for hyperbolic, kinetic, and related problems. The contributions address a range of different aspects, including: polynomial chaos expansions, perturbation methods, multi-level Monte Carlo methods, importance sampling, and moment methods. The interest in these topics is rapidly growing, as their applications have now expanded to many areas in engineering, physics, biology and the social sciences. Accordingly, the book provides the scientific community with a topical overview of the latest research efforts.

Bringing together the world's leading researchers and practitioners of computational mechanics, these new volumes meet and build on the eight key challenges for research and development in computational mechanics.Researchers have recently identified eight critical research tasks facing the field of computational mechanics. These tasks have come about because it appears possible to reach a new level of mathematical modelling and numerical solution that will lead to a much deeper understanding of nature and to great improvements in engineering design.The eight tasks are: - The automatic solution of mathematical models - Effective numerical schemes for fluid flows - The development of an effective mesh-free numerical solution method - The development of numerical procedures for multiphysics problems - The development of numerical procedures for multiscale problems - The modelling of uncertainties - The analysis of complete life cycles of systems - Education - teaching sound engineering and scientific judgement Readers of Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics 2003 will be able to apply the combined experience of many of the world's leading researchers to their own research needs. Those in academic environments will gain a better insight into the needs and constraints of the industries they are involved with; those in industry will gain a competitive advantage by gaining insight into the cutting edge research being carried out by colleagues in academia. Features - Bridges the gap between academic researchers and practitioners in industry - Outlines the eight main challenges facing Research and Design in Computational mechanics and offers new insights into the shifting the research agenda - Provides a vision of how strong, basic and exciting education at university can be harmonized with life-long learning to obtain maximum value from the new powerful tools of analysis

The contents of this brief Lecture Note are devoted to modeling, simulations, and applications with the aim of proposing a unified multiscale approach accounting for the physics and the psychology of people in crowds. The modeling approach is based on the mathematical theory of active particles, with the goal of contributing to safety problems of interest for the well-being of our society, for instance, by supporting crisis management in critical situations such as sudden evacuation dynamics induced through complex venues by incidents.

This two-volume-set (LNCS 8384 and 8385) constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Conference of Parallel Processing and Applied Mathematics, PPAM 2013, held in Warsaw, Poland, in September 2013. The 143 revised full papers presented in both volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers cover important fields of parallel/distributed/cloud computing and applied mathematics, such as numerical algorithms and parallel scientific computing; parallel non-numerical algorithms; tools and environments for parallel/distributed/cloud computing; applications of parallel computing; applied mathematics, evolutionary computing and metaheuristics.

This monograph aims to lay the groundwork for the design of a unified mathematical approach to the modeling and analysis of large, complex systems composed of interacting living things. Drawing on twenty years of research in various scientific fields, it explores how mathematical kinetic theory and evolutionary game theory can be used to understand the complex interplay between mathematical sciences and the dynamics of living systems. The authors hope this will contribute to the development of new tools and strategies, if not a new mathematical theory. The first chapter discusses the main features of living systems and outlines a strategy for their modeling. The following chapters then explore some of the methods needed to potentially achieve this in practice. Chapter Two provides a brief introduction to the mathematical kinetic theory of classical particles, with special emphasis on the Boltzmann equation; the Enskog equation, mean field models, and Monte Carlo methods are also briefly covered. Chapter Three uses concepts from evolutionary game theory to derive mathematical structures that are able to capture the complexity features of interactions within living systems. The book then shifts to exploring the relevant applications of these methods that can potentially be used to derive specific, usable models. The modeling of social systems in various contexts is the subject of Chapter Five, and an overview of modeling crowd dynamics is given in Chapter Six, demonstrating how this approach can be used to model the dynamics of multicellular systems. The final chapter considers some additional applications before presenting an overview of open problems. The authors then offer their own speculations on the conceptual paths that may lead to a mathematical theory of living systems hoping to motivate future research activity in the field. A truly unique contribution to the existing literature, A Quest Toward a Mathematical Theory of Living Systems is an important book that will no doubt have a significant influence on the future directions of the field. It will be of interest to mathematical biologists, systems biologists, biophysicists, and other researchers working on understanding the complexities of living systems.