Noise Induced Transitions And Resonant Effects In Nonlinear Systems

The study of phase transitions is among the most fascinating fields in physics. Originally limited to transition phenomena in equilibrium systems, this field has outgrown its classical confines during the last two decades. The behavior of far from equilibrium systems has received more and more attention and has been an extremely active and productive subject of research for physicists, chemists and biologists. Their studies have brought about a more unified vision of the laws which govern self-organization processes of physico-chemical and biological sys tems. A major achievement has been the extension of the notion of phase transi tion to instabilities which occur only in open nonlinear systems. The notion of phase transition has been proven fruitful in apphcation to nonequilibrium ins- bihties known for about eight decades, like certain hydrodynamic instabilities, as well as in the case of the more recently discovered instabilities in quantum optical systems such as the laser, in chemical systems such as the Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction and in biological systems. Even outside the realm of natural sciences, this notion is now used in economics and sociology. In this monograph we show that the notion of phase transition can be extend ed even further. It apphes also to a new class of transition phenomena which occur only in nonequilibrium systems subjected to a randomly fluctuating en vironment.

Stephen Hawking says that the 21st century will be the century of complexity and indeed now systems biology or medicine means dealing with complexity. Both the genome and physiome have emerged in studying complex physiological systems. Computational and mathematical modeling has been regarded as an efficient tool to boost the understanding about living systems in normal or pathophysiological states. Covering applied methodology, basic case studies and complex applications, this volume provides researchers with an overview of modeling and computational studies of physiology (i.e. quantitative physiology), which is becoming an increasingly important branch of systems biology. This book aims to build multi-scale models to investigate functions in living systems and explain how biomolecules, cells, organs, organ systems and organisms carry out the chemical or physical functions. Some of the models addressed are related to gene expression, calcium signalling, neural activity, blood dynamics and bone mechanics. Combining theory and practice, with extensive use of MATLAB, this book is designed to establish a paradigm for quantitative physiology by integrating biology, mathematics, physics and informatics etc. To benefit from this book, the readers are expected to have a background in general physiology and mathematics

Stochastic Differential Equations have become increasingly important in modelling complex systems in physics, chemistry, biology, climatology and other fields. This book examines and provides systems for practitioners to use, and provides a number of case studies to show how they can work in practice.

This first of three volumes from the inaugural NODYCON, held at the University of Rome, in February of 2019, presents papers devoted to Nonlinear Dynamics of Structures, Systems and Devices. The collection features both well-established streams of research as well as novel areas and emerging fields of investigation. Topics in Volume I include multi-scale dynamics: coexistence of multiple time/space scales, large system dynamics; dynamics of structures/industrial machines/equipment/facilities (e.g., cable transportation systems, suspension bridges, cranes, vehicles); nonlinear interactions: parametric vibrations with single/multi-frequency excitations, multiple external and autoparametric resonances in multi-dof systems; nonlinear system identification: parametric/nonparametric identification, data-driven identification; experimental dynamics: benchmark experiments, experimental methods, instrumentation techniques, measurements in harsh environments, experimental validation of nonlinear models; wave propagation, solitons, kinks, breathers; solution methods for pdes: Lie groups, Hirota’s method, perturbation methods, etc; nonlinear waves in media (granular materials, porous materials, materials with memory); composite structures: multi-layer, functionally graded, thermal loading; fluid/structure interaction; nonsmooth and retarded dynamics: systems with impacts, free play, stick-slip, friction hysteresis; nonlinear systems with time and/or space delays; stability of delay differential equations, differential-algebraic equations; space/time reduced-order modeling: enhanced discretization methods, center manifold reduction, nonlinear normal modes, normal forms; fractional-order systems; computational techniques: efficient algorithms, use of symbolic manipulators, integration of symbolic manipulation and numerical methods, use of parallel processors; and multibody dynamics: rigid and flexible multibody system dynamics, impact and contact mechanics, tire modeling, railroad vehicle dynamics, computational multibody dynamics.

Proceedings of SPIE present the original research papers presented at SPIE conferences and other high-quality conferences in the broad-ranging fields of optics and photonics. These books provide prompt access to the latest innovations in research and technology in their respective fields. Proceedings of SPIE are among the most cited references in patent literature.

The theory of stochastic processes originally grew out of efforts to describe Brownian motion quantitatively. Today it provides a huge arsenal of methods suitable for analyzing the influence of noise on a wide range of systems. The credit for acquiring all the deep insights and powerful methods is due ma- ly to a handful of physicists and mathematicians: Einstein, Smoluchowski, Langevin, Wiener, Stratonovich, etc. Hence it is no surprise that until - cently the bulk of basic and applied stochastic research was devoted to purely mathematical and physical questions. However, in the last decade we have witnessed an enormous growth of results achieved in other sciences - especially chemistry and biology - based on applying methods of stochastic processes. One reason for this stochastics boom may be that the realization that noise plays a constructive rather than the expected deteriorating role has spread to communities beyond physics. Besides their aesthetic appeal these noise-induced, noise-supported or noise-enhanced effects sometimes offer an explanation for so far open pr- lems (information transmission in the nervous system and information p- cessing in the brain, processes at the cell level, enzymatic reactions, etc.). They may also pave the way to novel technological applications (noise-- hanced reaction rates, noise-induced transport and separation on the na- scale, etc.). Key words to be mentioned in this context are stochastic r- onance, Brownian motors or ratchets, and noise-supported phenomena in excitable systems.

Intended for graduates and researchers in physics, chemistry, biology, and applied mathematics, this book provides an up-to-date introduction to current research in fluctuations in spatially extended systems. It covers the theory of stochastic partial differential equations and gives an overview of the effects of external noise on dynamical systems with spatial degrees of freedom. Starting with a general introduction to noise-induced phenomena in dynamical systems, the text moves on to an extensive discussion of analytical and numerical tools needed to gain information from stochastic partial differential equations. It then turns to particular problems described by stochastic PDEs, covering a wide part of the rich phenomenology of spatially extended systems, such as nonequilibrium phase transitions, domain growth, pattern formation, and front propagation. The only prerequisite is a minimal background knowledge of the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations.