Interactive particle systems is a branch of probability theory with close connections to mathematical physics and mathematical biology. This book takes three of the most important models in the area, and traces advances in our understanding of them since 1985. It explains and develops many of the most useful techniques in the field.

Stochastic Models in Biology describes the usefulness of the theory of stochastic process in studying biological phenomena. The book describes analysis of biological systems and experiments though probabilistic models rather than deterministic methods. The text reviews the mathematical analyses for modeling different biological systems such as the random processes continuous in time and discrete in state space. The book also discusses population growth and extinction through Malthus' law and the work of MacArthur and Wilson. The text then explains the dynamics of a population of interacting species. The book also addresses population genetics under systematic evolutionary pressures known as deterministic equations and genetic changes in a finite population known as stochastic equations. The text then turns to stochastic modeling of biological systems at the molecular level, particularly the kinetics of biochemical reactions. The book also presents various useful equations such as the differential equation for generating functions for birth and death processes. The text can prove valuable for biochemists, cellular biologists, and researchers in the medical and chemical field who are tasked to perform data analysis.

Three coherent parts form the material covered in this text, portions of which have not been widely covered in traditional textbooks. In this coverage the reader is quickly introduced to several different topics enriched with 175 exercises which focus on real-world problems. Exercises range from the classics of probability theory to more exotic research-oriented problems based on numerical simulations. Intended for graduate students in mathematics and applied sciences, the text provides the tools and training needed to write and use programs for research purposes. The first part of the text begins with a brief review of measure theory and revisits the main concepts of probability theory, from random variables to the standard limit theorems. The second part covers traditional material on stochastic processes, including martingales, discrete-time Markov chains, Poisson processes, and continuous-time Markov chains. The theory developed is illustrated by a variety of examples surrounding applications such as the gambler’s ruin chain, branching processes, symmetric random walks, and queueing systems. The third, more research-oriented part of the text, discusses special stochastic processes of interest in physics, biology, and sociology. Additional emphasis is placed on minimal models that have been used historically to develop new mathematical techniques in the field of stochastic processes: the logistic growth process, the Wright –Fisher model, Kingman’s coalescent, percolation models, the contact process, and the voter model. Further treatment of the material explains how these special processes are connected to each other from a modeling perspective as well as their simulation capabilities in C and MatlabTM.

Stochastic Modelling of Social Processes provides information pertinent to the development in the field of stochastic modeling and its applications in the social sciences. This book demonstrates that stochastic models can fulfill the goals of explanation and prediction. Organized into nine chapters, this book begins with an overview of stochastic models that fulfill normative, predictive, and structural–analytic roles with the aid of the theory of probability. This text then examines the study of labor market structures using analysis of job and career mobility, which is one of the approaches taken by sociologists in research on the labor market. Other chapters consider the characteristic trends and patterns from data on divorces. This book discusses as well the two approaches of stochastic modeling of social processes, namely competing risk models and semi-Markov processes. The final chapter deals with the practical application of regression models of survival data. This book is a valuable resource for social scientists and statisticians.

At what point in the development of a new field should a book be written about it? This question is seldom easy to answer. In the case of interacting particle systems, important progress continues to be made at a substantial pace. A number of problems which are nearly as old as the subject itself remain open, and new problem areas continue to arise and develop. Thus one might argue that the time is not yet ripe for a book on this subject. On the other hand, this field is now about fifteen years old. Many important of several basic models is problems have been solved and the analysis almost complete. The papers written on this subject number in the hundreds. It has become increasingly difficult for newcomers to master the proliferating literature, and for workers in allied areas to make effective use of it. Thus I have concluded that this is an appropriate time to pause and take stock of the progress made to date. It is my hope that this book will not only provide a useful account of much of this progress, but that it will also help stimulate the future vigorous development of this field.

Complex stochastic systems comprises a vast area of research, from modelling specific applications to model fitting, estimation procedures, and computing issues. The exponential growth in computing power over the last two decades has revolutionized statistical analysis and led to rapid developments and great progress in this emerging field. In Complex Stochastic Systems, leading researchers address various statistical aspects of the field, illustrated by some very concrete applications. A Primer on Markov Chain Monte Carlo by Peter J. Green provides a wide-ranging mixture of the mathematical and statistical ideas, enriched with concrete examples and more than 100 references. Causal Inference from Graphical Models by Steffen L. Lauritzen explores causal concepts in connection with modelling complex stochastic systems, with focus on the effect of interventions in a given system. State Space and Hidden Markov Models by Hans R. Künschshows the variety of applications of this concept to time series in engineering, biology, finance, and geophysics. Monte Carlo Methods on Genetic Structures by Elizabeth A. Thompson investigates special complex systems and gives a concise introduction to the relevant biological methodology. Renormalization of Interacting Diffusions by Frank den Hollander presents recent results on the large space-time behavior of infinite systems of interacting diffusions. Stein's Method for Epidemic Processes by Gesine Reinert investigates the mean field behavior of a general stochastic epidemic with explicit bounds. Individually, these articles provide authoritative, tutorial-style exposition and recent results from various subjects related to complex stochastic systems. Collectively, they link these separate areas of study to form the first comprehensive overview of this rapidly developing field.

This book deals with one of the fundamental problems of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics: the explanation of large-scale dynamics (evolution differential equations) from models of a very large number of interacting particles. This book addresses both researchers and students. Much of the material presented has never been published in book-form before.