The subject of this volume is two-fold. First, it gathers typical polarization patterns occurring in nature. Second, it surveys the polarization-sensitive ani- mals, the physiological mechanisms and biological functions of polarization sensitivity as weIl as the polarization-guided behaviour in animals. The monograph is prepared for biologists, physicists and meteorologists, espe- cially for experts of atmospheric optics and animal vision, who wish to under- stand and reveal the message hidden in polarization patterns of the optical environment not directly accessible to the human visual...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Analytical and Stochastic Modelling Techniques and Applications, ASMTA 2014, held in Budapest, Hungary, in June/July 2014. The 18 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 27 submissions. The papers discuss the latest developments in analytical, numerical and simulation algorithms for stochastic systems, including Markov processes, queueing networks, stochastic Petri nets, process algebras, game theory, etc.

The topic of the book is phase type distributions that have been recognized as an important tool in the quantitative analysis of systems (such as communication networks, logistic networks, manufacturing plants, etc.).

The book provides up-to-date and comprehensive guide to phase type distributions. The complete theoretical background, including definitions and characteristics of phase type distributions, is provided in a way that is accessible to a wide range of readers. Throughout the book, theory is accompanied by detailed application examples that illustrate the practical usage...

Part III surveys some of the practical applications of polarization vision including polarization-based traps for biting insects, ground-based polarimetric cloud detectors and an historical examination of the navigational abilities of Viking seafarers using the sky polarization compass.