Fractional processes are widely found in science, technology and engineering systems. In Fractional Processes and Fractional-order Signal Processing, some complex random signals, characterized by the presence of a heavy-tailed distribution or non-negligible dependence between distant observations (local and long memory), are introduced and examined from the 'fractional' perspective using simulation, fractional-order modeling and filtering and realization of fractional-order systems. These fractional-order signal processing (FOSP) techniques are based on fractional calculus, the fractional Fourier transform and fractional lower-order moments. Fractional Processes and Fractional-order Signal Processing: presents fractional processes of fixed, variable and distributed order studied as the output of fractional-order differential systems; introduces FOSP techniques and the fractional signals and fractional systems point of view; details real-world-application examples of FOSP techniques to demonstrate their utility; and provides important background material on Mittag-Leffler functions, the use of numerical inverse Laplace transform algorithms and supporting MATLAB (R) codes together with a helpful survey of relevant webpages. Readers will be able to use the techniques presented to re-examine their signals and signal-processing methods. This text offers an extended toolbox for complex signals from diverse fields in science and engineering. It will give academic researchers and practitioners a novel insight into the complex random signals characterized by fractional properties, and some powerful tools to analyze those signals.

Semidefinite programming has been described as linear programming for the year 2000. It is an exciting new branch of mathematical programming, due to important applications in control theory, combinatorial optimization and other fields. Moreover, the successful interior point algorithms for linear programming can be extended to semidefinite programming.
In this monograph the basic theory of interior point algorithms is explained. This includes the latest results on the properties of the central path as well as the analysis of the most important classes of algorithms. Several "classic" applications of semidefinite programming are also described in detail. These include the Lov sz theta function and the MAX-CUT approximation algorithm by Goemans and Williamson.
Audience: Researchers or graduate students in optimization or related fields, who wish to learn more about the theory and applications of semidefinite programming.

Among the wide variety of nonlinear mechanical systems, it appears possible to distinguish a representative class which may be characterized by the presence of threshold nonlinear positional forces. Such systems demonstrate a sudden change in the behavior of elastic and dissipative forces. This monograph addresses the systematic representation of the new methods of analysis developed by the authors recently as applied to such systems. Specific features of dynamic processes of these systems are studied. Special attention is given to an analysis of different resonant phenomena taking unusual and diverse forms. These methods are applied to the analysis of mechanical systems designed for the generation and transformation of intensive processing of an impulsive nature. These are machines for rock fragmentation, impact processing, special types of shock testing machines and many other types of machinery.

As any human activity needs goals, mathematical research needs problems -David Hilbert Mechanics is the paradise of mathematical sciences -Leonardo da Vinci Mechanics and mathematics have been complementary partners since Newton's time and the history of science shows much evidence of the ben eficial influence of these disciplines on each other. Driven by increasingly elaborate modern technological applications the symbiotic relationship between mathematics and mechanics is continually growing. However, the increasingly large number of specialist journals has generated a du ality gap between the two partners, and this gap is growing wider. Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics (AMMA) is intended to bridge the gap by providing multi-disciplinary publications which fall into the two following complementary categories: 1. An annual book dedicated to the latest developments in mechanics and mathematics; 2. Monographs, advanced textbooks, handbooks, edited vol umes and selected conference proceedings. The AMMA annual book publishes invited and contributed compre hensive reviews, research and survey articles within the broad area of modern mechanics and applied mathematics. Mechanics is understood here in the most general sense of the word, and is taken to embrace relevant physical and biological phenomena involving electromagnetic, thermal and quantum effects and biomechanics, as well as general dy namical systems. Especially encouraged are articles on mathematical and computational models and methods based on mechanics and their interactions with other fields. All contributions will be reviewed so as to guarantee the highest possible scientific standards."

This book is based on the papers presented at the International Conference 'Quality Improvement through Statistical Methods' in Cochin, India during December 28-31, 1996. The Conference was hosted by the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, India; and sponsored by the Institute for Improvement in Quality and Productivity (IIQP) at the University of Waterloo, Canada, the Statistics in Industry Committee of the International Statistical Institute (lSI) and by the Indian Statistical Institute. There has been an increased interest in Quality Improvement (QI) activities in many organizations during the last several years since the airing of the NBC television program, "If Japan can ... why can't we?" Implementation of QI meth ods requires statistical thinking and the utilization of statistical tools, thus there has been a renewed interest in statistical methods applicable to industry and technology. This revitalized enthusiasm has created worldwide discussions on Industrial Statistics Research and QI ideas at several international conferences in recent years. The purpose of this conference was to provide a forum for presenting and ex changing ideas in Statistical Methods and for enhancing the transference of such technologies to quality improvement efforts in various sectors. It also provided an opportunity for interaction between industrial practitioners and academia. It was intended that the exchange of experiences and ideas would foster new international collaborations in research and other technology transfers."

This book is the fourth in a multidisciplinary series which brings together leading researchers in the STEAM-H disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Mathematics and Health) to present their perspective on advances in their own specific fields, and to generate a genuinely interdisciplinary collaboration that transcends parochial subject-matter boundaries. All contributions are carefully edited, peer-reviewed, reasonably self-contained, and pedagogically crafted for a multidisciplinary readership. Contributions are drawn from a variety of fields including mathematics, statistics, game theory and behavioral sciences, biomathematics and physical chemistry, computer science and human-centered computing. This volume is dedicated to Professor Christiane Rousseau, whose work inspires the STEAM-H series, in recognition of her passion for the mathematical sciences and her on-going initiative, the Mathematics of Planet Earth paradigm of interdisciplinarity. The volume's primary goal is to enhance interdisciplinary understanding between these areas of research by showing how new advances in a particular field can be relevant to open problems in another and how many disciplines contribute to a better understanding of relevant issues at the interface of mathematics and the sciences. The main emphasis is on important methods, research directions and applications of analysis within and beyond each field. As such, the volume aims to foster student interest and participation in the STEAM-H domain, as well as promote interdisciplinary research collaborations. The volume is valuable as a reference of choice and a source of inspiration for a broad spectrum of scientists, mathematicians, research students and postdoctoral fellows.

Changes and additions are sprinkled throughout. Among the significant new features are: * Markov-chain simulation (Sections 1. 3, 2. 6, 3. 6, 4. 3, 5. 4. 5, and 5. 5); * gradient estimation (Sections 1. 6, 2. 5, and 4. 9); * better handling of asynchronous observations (Sections 3. 3 and 3. 6); * radically updated treatment of indirect estimation (Section 3. 3); * new section on standardized time series (Section 3. 8); * better way to generate random integers (Section 6. 7. 1) and fractions (Appendix L, program UNIFL); * thirty-seven new problems plus improvements of old problems. Helpful comments by Peter Glynn, Barry Nelson, Lee Schruben, and Pierre Trudeau stimulated several changes. Our new random integer routine extends ideas of Aarni Perko. Our new random fraction routine implements Pierre L'Ecuyer's recommended composite generator and provides seeds to produce disjoint streams. We thank Springer-Verlag and its late editor, Walter Kaufmann-Bilhler, for inviting us to update the book for its second edition. Working with them has been a pleasure. Denise St-Michel again contributed invaluable text-editing assistance. Preface to the First Edition Simulation means driving a model of a system with suitable inputs and observing the corresponding outputs. It is widely applied in engineering, in business, and in the physical and social sciences.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a very important clinical imaging tool. It combines different fields of physics and engineering in a uniquely complex way. MRI is also surprisingly versatile, 'pulse sequences' can be designed to yield many different types of contrast. This versatility is unique to MRI. This short book gives both an in depth account of the methods used for the operation and construction of modern MRI systems and also the principles of sequence design and many examples of applications. An important additional feature of this book is the detailed discussion of the mathematical principles used in building optimal MRI systems and for sequence design. The mathematical discussion is very suitable for undergraduates attending medical physics courses. It is also more complete than usually found in alternative books for physical scientists or more clinically orientated works.

Global optimization concerns the computation and characterization of global optima of nonlinear functions. Such problems are widespread in the mathematical modelling of real systems in a very wide range of applications and the last 30 years have seen the development of many new theoretical, algorithmic and computational contributions which have helped to solve globally multiextreme problems in important practical applications. Most of the existing books on optimization focus on the problem of computing locally optimal solutions. Introduction to Global Optimization, however, is a comprehensive textbook on constrained global optimization that covers the fundamentals of the subject, presenting much new material, including algorithms, applications and complexity results for quadratic programming, concave minimization, DC and Lipschitz problems, and nonlinear network flow. Each chapter contains illustrative examples and ends with carefully selected exercises, designed to help students grasp the material and enhance their knowledge of the methods involved. Audience: Students of mathematical programming, and all scientists, from whatever discipline, who need global optimization methods in such diverse areas as economic modelling, fixed charges, finance, networks and transportation, databases, chip design, image processing, nuclear and mechanical design, chemical engineering design and control, molecular biology, and environmental engineering.

This graduate textbook presents the basics of representation theory for finite groups from the point of view of semisimple algebras and modules over them. The presentation interweaves insights from specific examples with development of general and powerful tools based on the notion of semisimplicity. The elegant ideas of commutant duality are introduced, along with an introduction to representations of unitary groups. The text progresses systematically and the presentation is friendly and inviting. Central concepts are revisited and explored from multiple viewpoints. Exercises at the end of the chapter help reinforce the material. Representing Finite Groups: A Semisimple Introduction would serve as a textbook for graduate and some advanced undergraduate courses in mathematics. Prerequisites include acquaintance with elementary group theory and some familiarity with rings and modules. A final chapter presents a self-contained account of notions and results in algebra that are used. Researchers in mathematics and mathematical physics will also find this book useful. A separate solutions manual is available for instructors.

Although the problem of nonlinear controller design is as old as that of linear controller design, the systematic design methods framed in response are more sparse. Given the range and complexity of nonlinear systems, effective new methods of control design are therefore of significant importance. Dynamic Surface Control of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems provides a theoretically rigorous and practical introduction to nonlinear control design. The convex optimization approach applied to good effect in linear systems is extended to the nonlinear case using the new dynamic surface control (DSC) algorithm developed by the authors. A variety of problems - DSC design, output feedback, input saturation and fault-tolerant control among them - are considered. The inclusion of applications material demonstrates the real significance of the DSC algorithm, which is robust and easy to use, for nonlinear systems with uncertainty in automotive and robotics. Written for the researcher and graduate student of nonlinear control theory, this book will provide the applied mathematician and engineer alike with a set of powerful tools for nonlinear control design. It will also be of interest to practitioners working with a mechatronic systems in aerospace, manufacturing and automotive and robotics, milieux.

The volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern theoretical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciates consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as possible way, with the working details of a specific technique.

The first comprehensive account of the theory of mass transportation problems and its applications. In Volume I, the authors systematically develop the theory with emphasis on the Monge-Kantorovich mass transportation and the Kantorovich-Rubinstein mass transshipment problems. They then discuss a variety of different approaches towards solving these problems and exploit the rich interrelations to several mathematical sciences - from functional analysis to probability theory and mathematical economics. The second volume is devoted to applications of the above problems to topics in applied probability, theory of moments and distributions with given marginals, queuing theory, risk theory of probability metrics and its applications to various fields, among them general limit theorems for Gaussian and non-Gaussian limiting laws, stochastic differential equations and algorithms, and rounding problems. Useful to graduates and researchers in theoretical and applied probability, operations research, computer science, and mathematical economics, the prerequisites for this book are graduate level probability theory and real and functional analysis.

The second and revised edition of Network Economics: A Variational Inequality Approach provides an updated treatment of network economics through the inclusion of new theoretical results and new applications, as well as problems for self-study purposes and/or for use in the classroom. This volume remains true to the first edition in that it provides a unified treatment of finite-dimensional variational inequalities, algorithms, and applications. Physical networks are pervasive in today's society in the form of transportation networks, telecommunication networks, energy networks, and financial networks, whereas mathematical networks provide a mechanism for studying a plethora of economic equilibrium problems through a common graphic structure. Network Economics establishes the connections among economic equilibrium problems through their network structure and demonstrates how the structure can then be used to address policy interventions, as well as to construct efficient numerical schemes for the computation of equilibria. The network framework provides not only a mechanism for the graphic representation of economic problems and a means for visualizing their similarities and differences, but, in addition, a novel theoretical approach. Problems treated include: congested transportation systems, oligopolistic market equilibrium problems, problems of human migration, and general financial and economic equilibrium problems. New applications covered in this second edition include environmental networks and knowledge networks.

In recent years topology has firmly established itself as an important part of the physicist's mathematical arsenal. Topology has profound relevance to quantum field theory-for example, topological nontrivial solutions of the classical equa tions of motion (solitons and instantons) allow the physicist to leave the frame work of perturbation theory. The significance of topology has increased even further with the development of string theory, which uses very sharp topologi cal methods-both in the study of strings, and in the pursuit of the transition to four-dimensional field theories by means of spontaneous compactification. Im portant applications of topology also occur in other areas of physics: the study of defects in condensed media, of singularities in the excitation spectrum of crystals, of the quantum Hall effect, and so on. Nowadays, a working knowledge of the basic concepts of topology is essential to quantum field theorists; there is no doubt that tomorrow this will also be true for specialists in many other areas of theoretical physics. The amount of topological information used in the physics literature is very large. Most common is homotopy theory. But other subjects also play an important role: homology theory, fibration theory (and characteristic classes in particular), and also branches of mathematics that are not directly a part of topology, but which use topological methods in an essential way: for example, the theory of indices of elliptic operators and the theory of complex manifolds."

This invaluable resource presents the state of the art in discrete location theory. Among the topics covered are: locations with spatial interactions such as the quadratic assignment problem and competitive locations and games; duality and decomposition methods for facility location problems; the uncapacitated facility location problem; the "p"-median problem; location of mobile units in a stochastic environment; covering problems; and the "p"-center problem. Leading experts in the field of discrete location theory contributed to each chapter. In addition, there are numerous exercises, references, notes and further discussions which serve as aids for understanding theoretical and algorithmic concepts.

As the demand for data reliability increases, coding for error control becomes increasingly important in data transmission systems and has become an integral part of almost all data communication system designs. In recent years, various trellis-based soft-decoding algorithms for linear block codes have been devised. New ideas developed in the study of trellis structure of block codes can be used for improving decoding and analyzing the trellis complexity of convolutional codes. These recent developments provide practicing communication engineers with more choices when designing error control systems. Trellises and Trellis-based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes combines trellises and trellis-based decoding algorithms for linear codes together in a simple and unified form. The approach is to explain the material in an easily understood manner with minimal mathematical rigor. Trellises and Trellis-based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes is intended for practicing communication engineers who want to have a fast grasp and understanding of the subject. Only material considered essential and useful for practical applications is included. This book can also be used as a text for advanced courses on the subject.

The book is devoted to the perturbation analysis of matrix equations. The importance of perturbation analysis is that it gives a way to estimate the influence of measurement and/or parametric errors in mathematical models together with the rounding errors done in the computational process. The perturbation bounds may further be incorporated in accuracy estimates for the solution computed in finite arithmetic. This is necessary for the development of reliable computational methods, algorithms and software from the viewpoint of modern numerical analysis.

In this book a general perturbation theory for matrix algebraic equations is presented. Local and non-local perturbation bounds are derived for general types of matrix equations as well as for the most important equations arising in linear algebra and control theory. A large number of examples, tables and figures is included in order to illustrate the perturbation techniques and bounds.

Key features:

The first book in this field
Can be used by a variety of specialists
Material is self-contained
Results can be used in the development of reliable computational algorithms
A large number of examples and graphical illustrations are given
Written by prominent specialists in the field
"

The study of quantum disorder has generated considerable research activity in mathematics and physics over past 40 years. While single-particle models have been extensively studied at a rigorous mathematical level, little was known about systems of several interacting particles, let alone systems with positive spatial particle density. Creating a consistent theory of disorder in multi-particle quantum systems is an important and challenging problem that largely remains open. Multi-scale Analysis for Random Quantum Systems with Interaction presents the progress that had been recently achieved in this area. The main focus of the book is on a rigorous derivation of the multi-particle localization in a strong random external potential field. To make the presentation accessible to a wider audience, the authors restrict attention to a relatively simple tight-binding Anderson model on a cubic lattice Zd. This book includes the following cutting-edge features: an introduction to the state-of-the-art single-particle localization theory an extensive discussion of relevant technical aspects of the localization theory a thorough comparison of the multi-particle model with its single-particle counterpart a self-contained rigorous derivation of both spectral and dynamical localization in the multi-particle tight-binding Anderson model. Required mathematical background for the book includes a knowledge of functional calculus, spectral theory (essentially reduced to the case of finite matrices) and basic probability theory. This is an excellent text for a year-long graduate course or seminar in mathematical physics. It also can serve as a standard reference for specialists.

In studying General Equilibrium Theory the student must master first the theory and then apply it to solve problems. At the graduate level there is no book devoted exclusively to teaching problem solving. This book teaches for the first time the basic methods of proof and problem solving in General Equilibrium Theory. The problems cover the entire spectrum of difficulty; some are routine, some require a good grasp of the material involved, and some are exceptionally challenging. The book presents complete solutions to two hundred problems. In searching for the basic required techniques, the student will find a wealth of new material incorporated into the solutions. The student is challenged to produce solutions which are different from the ones presented in the book.

This book explains modern and interesting physics in heavy-fermion (HF) compounds to graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics. It presents a theory of heavy-fermion (HF) compounds such as HF metals, quantum spin liquids, quasicrystals and two-dimensional Fermi systems. The basic low-temperature properties and the scaling behavior of the compounds are described within the framework of the theory of fermion condensation quantum phase transition (FCQPT). Upon reading the book, the reader finds that HF compounds with quite different microscopic nature exhibit the same non-Fermi liquid behavior, while the data collected on very different HF systems have a universal scaling behavior, and these compounds are unexpectedly uniform despite their diversity. For the reader's convenience, the analysis of compounds is carried out in the context of salient experimental results. The numerous calculations of the non-Fermi liquid behavior, thermodynamic, relaxation and transport properties, being in good agreement with experimental facts, offer the reader solid grounds to learn the theory's applications. Finally, the reader will learn that FCQPT develops unexpectedly simple, yet completely good description of HF compounds.

This book provides a vivid account of the early history of molecular simulation, a new frontier for our understanding of matter that was opened when the demands of theoretical physicists were met by the availability of the modern computers. Since their inception, electronic computers have enormously increased their performance, thus making possible the unprecedented technological revolution that characterizes our present times. This obvious technological advancement has brought with it a silent scientific revolution in the practice of theoretical physics. In particular, in the physics of matter it has opened up a direct route from the microscopic physical laws to observable phenomena. One can now study the time evolution of systems composed of millions of molecules, and simulate the behaviour of macroscopic materials and actually predict their properties. Molecular simulation has provided a new theoretical and conceptual tool that physicists could only dream of when the foundations of statistical mechanics were laid. Molecular simulation has undergone impressive development, both in the size of the scientific community involved and in the range and scope of its applications. It has become the ubiquitous workhorse for investigating the nature of complex condensed matter systems in physics, chemistry, materials and the life sciences. Yet these developments remain largely unknown outside the inner circles of practitioners, and they have so far never been described for a wider public. The main objective of this book is therefore to offer a reasonably comprehensive reconstruction of the early history of molecular simulation addressed to an audience of both scientists and interested non-scientists, describing the scientific and personal trajectories of the main protagonists and discussing the deep conceptual innovations that their work produced.