Donald J. Brown – författare

Amphibians and reptiles represent an essential and interesting component of Wisconsin’s wildlife. Eighteen species of amphibian and thirty-six species of reptile occupy landscapes across the state. They live in aquatic habitats that range from small streams to large lakes, and from open prairies to mature forests on land. These species are vital members of the biological communities in which they occur, acting as important predators, prey, and competitors, while also providing a wide variety of additional ecological functions. However, many amphibians and reptiles have experienced drastic population declines and even local extinctions in Wisconsin due to habitat loss and degradation, overharvesting, the introduction of invasive species, pollution, and other factors. This comprehensive volume, by an expert team of editors and contributors, consolidates the current state of scientific knowledge, aims to expand public knowledge and appreciation of Wisconsin’s natural legacy, and brings out the herpetologist in all of us.  This long-awaited, state-of-the-field synthesis also includes hundreds of color photographs and illustrations, state-level and North American range maps, dichotomous keys, and research and conservation anecdotes that will entertain and inform even the most dedicated nature lover. Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin is set to become a lasting resource and armchair companion for anyone in the Midwest interested in the state’s natural history and amphibian and reptile fauna.

What's New:Distills detailed expert entries from Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin into easily accessible snippets, with a focus on identification, behavior, and common habitat associations"Did You Know?" sidebars throughout spotlight fun factsSummarizes measurements reported in the larger volume, providing a mean or range and separating by sexUpdates the county-level maps to include subsequent county records that were published in Herpetological Review through June 2024Updates taxonomy based on recent changesUpdates keys to address species name changes and modifies the key to Wisconsin's amphibian eggsField Guide to Wisconsin Reptiles and Amphibians is the perfect resource for anyone interested in the Upper Midwest's distinctive herpetological fauna. Cataloging the thirty-six species of reptiles and eighteen species of amphibians that are found within the state, this accessible field guide includes well over one hundred color photographs and illustrations, state-level and North American range maps, and dichotomous keys and summarizes essential information to expand public awareness and appreciation of Wisconsin's natural legacy.Based on the comprehensive, state-of-the-field encyclopedic volume published in 2022, Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin, this companion text focuses on identification and basic ecological information. Each entry provides a description of adult and preadult individuals, while also reviewing their typical habitats and behaviors. The "Did You Know?" sidebars highlight fun and interesting facts about each species. Designed as an easy-to-use, quick field resource for biologists and hobbyists, this travel-sized guide will be a lasting resource for anyone eager to identify and learn about these ecologically important species.

This book is an exploration of the ubiquity of ambiguity in decision-making under uncertainty. It presents various essays on behavioral economics and behavioral finance that draw on the theory of Black Swans (Taleb 2010), which argues for a distinction between unprecedented events in our past and unpredictable events in our future. The defining property of Black Swan random events is that they are unpredictable, i.e., highly unlikely random events. In this text, Mandelbrot’s (1972) operational definition of risky random unpredictable events is extended to Black Swan assets – assets for which the cumulative probability distribution or conditional probability distribution of random future asset returns is a power distribution. Ambiguous assets are assets for which the uncertainties of future returns are not risks. Consequently, there are two disjoint classes of Black Swan assets: Risky Black Swan assets and Ambiguous Black Swan assets, a new class of ambiguous assets withunpredictable random future outcomes.The text is divided into two parts, the first of which focuses on affective moods, introduces affective utility functions and discusses the ambiguity of Black Swans. The second part, which shifts the spotlight to affective equilibrium in asset markets, features chapters on affective portfolio analysis and Walrasian and Gorman Polar Form Equilibrium Inequalities. In order to gain the most from the book, readers should have completed the standard introductory graduate courses on microeconomics, behavioral finance, and convex optimization. The book is intended for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and post docs specializing in economic theory, experimental economics, finance, mathematics, computer science or data analysis.

This book is an exploration of the ubiquity of ambiguity in decision-making under uncertainty. It presents various essays on behavioral economics and behavioral finance that draw on the theory of Black Swans (Taleb 2010), which argues for a distinction between unprecedented events in our past and unpredictable events in our future. The defining property of Black Swan random events is that they are unpredictable, i.e., highly unlikely random events. In this text, Mandelbrot’s (1972) operational definition of risky random unpredictable events is extended to Black Swan assets – assets for which the cumulative probability distribution or conditional probability distribution of random future asset returns is a power distribution. Ambiguous assets are assets for which the uncertainties of future returns are not risks. Consequently, there are two disjoint classes of Black Swan assets: Risky Black Swan assets and Ambiguous Black Swan assets, a new class of ambiguous assets withunpredictable random future outcomes.

The text is divided into two parts, the first of which focuses on affective moods, introduces affective utility functions and discusses the ambiguity of Black Swans. The second part, which shifts the spotlight to affective equilibrium in asset markets, features chapters on affective portfolio analysis and Walrasian and Gorman Polar Form Equilibrium Inequalities. In order to gain the most from the book, readers should have completed the standard introductory graduate courses on microeconomics, behavioral finance, and convex optimization. The book is intended for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and post docs specializing in economic theory, experimental economics, finance, mathematics, computer science or data analysis.

This open access book provides a “state of the science” for biological and ecological knowledge of red spruce (Picea rubens) ecosystems and highlights three decades of successful partnerships to restore them in the central and southern Appalachians. Efforts to restore red spruce have dramatically increased in recent decades and restoration practitioners need a single resource that synthesizes our understanding of these ecosystems and current restoration goals and practices. Over 40 authors from the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI) and Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI) contributed to provide in-depth syntheses of topics relevant to red spruce restoration in the Appalachians. The resulting book serves as a one-stop shop for new restoration practitioners and as a valuable resource for seasoned practitioners and research scientists.

This monograph is a systematic exposition of the authors' research on general equi­ librium models with an infinite number of commodities. It is intended to serve both as a graduate text on aspects of general equilibrium theory and as an introduction, for economists and mathematicians working in mathematical economics, to current research in a frontier area of general equilibrium theory. To this end, we have pro­ vided two introductory chapters on the basic economic model and the mathematical framework. The exercises at the end of each section complement the main exposition. Chapter one is a concise but substantiative discussion of the questions of exis­ tence and optimality of competitive equilibria in the Walrasian general equilibrium model of an economy with a finite number of households, firms and commodities. Our extension of this model to economies with an infinite number of commodities constitutes the core material of this book and begins in chapter three. Readers fa­ miliar with the Walrasian general equilibrium model as exposited in [13], [23J or [52J may treat chapter one as a handy reference for the main economic concepts and notions that are used throughout the book.

This monograph is a systematic exposition of the authors'' research on general equi­ librium models with an infinite number of commodities. It is intended to serve both as a graduate text on aspects of general equilibrium theory and as an introduction, for economists and mathematicians working in mathematical economics, to current research in a frontier area of general equilibrium theory. To this end, we have pro­ vided two introductory chapters on the basic economic model and the mathematical framework. The exercises at the end of each section complement the main exposition. Chapter one is a concise but substantiative discussion of the questions of exis­ tence and optimality of competitive equilibria in the Walrasian general equilibrium model of an economy with a finite number of households, firms and commodities. Our extension of this model to economies with an infinite number of commodities constitutes the core material of this book and begins in chapter three. Readers fa­ miliar with the Walrasian general equilibrium model as exposited in [13], [23J or [52J may treat chapter one as a handy reference for the main economic concepts and notions that are used throughout the book.

This monograph is a systematic exposition of the authors'' research on general equi­ librium models with an infinite number of commodities. It is intended to serve both as a graduate text on aspects of general equilibrium theory and as an introduction, for economists and mathematicians working in mathematical economics, to current research in a frontier area of general equilibrium theory. To this end, we have pro­ vided two introductory chapters on the basic economic model and the mathematical framework. The exercises at the end of each section complement the main exposition. Chapter one is a concise but substantiative discussion of the questions of exis­ tence and optimality of competitive equilibria in the Walrasian general equilibrium model of an economy with a finite number of households, firms and commodities. Our extension of this model to economies with an infinite number of commodities constitutes the core material of this book and begins in chapter three. Readers fa­ miliar with the Walrasian general equilibrium model as exposited in (13], [23] or [52] may treat chapter one as a handy reference for the main economic concepts and notions that are used throughout the book.