This book presents 29 invited articles written by participants of the International Workshop on Operator Theory and its Applications held in Chemnitz in 2017. The contributions include both expository essays and original research papers illustrating the diversity and beauty of insights gained by applying operator theory to concrete problems. The topics range from control theory, frame theory, Toeplitz and singular integral operators, Schroedinger, Dirac, and Kortweg-de Vries operators, Fourier integral operator zeta-functions, C*-algebras and Hilbert C*-modules to questions from harmonic analysis, Monte Carlo integration, Fibonacci Hamiltonians, and many more. The book offers researchers in operator theory open problems from applications that might stimulate their work and shows those from various applied fields, such as physics, engineering, or numerical mathematics how to use the potential of operator theory to tackle interesting practical problems.

The latest advances in technology development have been particularly useful to actor-network theory as a structure for much of its research. With a socio-technical approach to the understanding of information systems and applications, the actor-network theory aims to bring support for social influence on technological innovations. Social and Professional Applications of Actor-Network Theory for Technology Development presents a platform for the approaches and implementations on the actor-network theory and its relationship with technology development. This book provides researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the usefulness of the social and technical connection.

This book provides a comprehensive review of complex networks from three different domains, presents novel methods for analyzing them, and highlights applications with accompanying case studies. Special emphasis is placed on three specific kinds of complex networks of high technological and scientific importance: software networks extracted from the source code of computer programs, ontology networks describing semantic web ontologies, and co-authorship networks reflecting collaboration in science. The book is primarily intended for researchers, teachers and students interested in complex networks and network data analysis. However, it will also be valuable for researchers dealing with software engineering, ontology engineering and scientometrics, as it demonstrates how complex network analysis can be used to address important research issues in these three disciplines.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Chaos, Complexity and Leadership (ICCLS). Written by interdisciplinary researchers and students from the fields of mathematics, physics, education, economics, political science, statistics, the management sciences and social sciences, the peer-reviewed contributions explore chaotic and complex systems, as well as chaos and complexity theory in the context of their applicability to management and leadership. The book discusses current topics, such as complexity leadership in the healthcare fields and tourism industry, conflict management and organization intelligence, and presents practical applications of theoretical concepts, making it a valuable resource for managers and leaders.

Quantum Computation and Quantum Information (QIP) deals with the identification and use of quantum resources for information processing. This includes three main branches of investigation: quantum algorithm design, quantum simulation and
quantum communication, including quantum cryptography. Along the past few years, QIP has become one of the most active area of
research in both, theoretical and experimental physics, attracting students and researchers fascinated, not only by the potential
practical applications of quantum computers, but also by the possibility of studying fundamental physics at the deepest level of quantum phenomena.
NMR Quantum Computation and Quantum Information Processing describes the fundamentals of NMR QIP, and the main developments which can lead to a large-scale quantum processor.
The text starts with a general chapter on
the interesting topic of the physics of computation. The very first ideas which sparkled the development of QIP came from basic considerations of the physical processes underlying computational actions. In Chapter 2 it is made an introduction to NMR, including the hardware and other experimental aspects of the technique. In
Chapter 3 we revise the fundamentals of Quantum Computation and Quantum Information. The chapter is very much based on the extraordinary book of Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac L. Chuang, with
an upgrade containing some of the latest developments, such as QIP in phase space, and telecloning. Chapter 4 describes how NMR
generates quantum logic gates from radiofrequency pulses, upon which quantum protocols are built. It also describes the important technique of Quantum State Tomography for both, quadrupole and spin
1/2 nuclei. Chapter 5 describes some of the main experiments of quantum algorithm implementation by NMR, quantum simulation and QIP in phase space. The important issue of entanglement in NMR QIP
experiments is discussed in Chapter 6. This has been a particularly exciting topic in the literature. The chapter contains a discussion
on the theoretical aspects of NMR entanglement, as well as some of the main experiments where this phenomenon is reported. Finally, Chapter 7 is an attempt to address the future of NMR QIP, based in
very recent developments in nanofabrication and single-spin detection experiments. Each chapter is followed by a number of problems and solutions.
* Presents a large number of problems with solutions, ideal for students
* Brings together topics in different areas: NMR, nanotechnology, quantum computation
* Extensive references

This book presents the Proceedings of the 54th Winter School of Theoretical Physics on Simplicity of Complexity in Economic and Social Systems, held in Ladek Zdroj, Poland, from 18 to 24 February 2018. The purpose of the book is to introduce the new interdisciplinary research that links statistical physics, and particular attention is given to link physics of complex systems, with financial analysis and sociology. The main tools used in these areas are numerical simulation of agents behavior and the interpretation of results with the help of complexity methods, therefore a background in statistical physics and in physics of phase transition is necessary to take the first steps towards these research fields called econophysics and sociophysics. In this perspective, the book is intended to graduated students and young researchers who want to begin the study of this established new area, which connects physicists, economists, sociologists and IT professionals, to better understand complexity phenomena existing not only in physics but also in complex systems being seemingly far from traditional view at physics.

This book aims to bring together researchers and practitioners working across domains and research disciplines to measure, model, and visualize complex networks. It collects the works presented at the 9th International Conference on Complex Networks (CompleNet) in Boston, MA, March, 2018. With roots in physical, information and social science, the study of complex networks provides a formal set of mathematical methods, computational tools and theories to describe, prescribe and predict dynamics and behaviors of complex systems. Despite their diversity, whether the systems are made up of physical, technological, informational, or social networks, they share many common organizing principles and thus can be studied with similar approaches. This book provides a view of the state-of-the-art in this dynamic field and covers topics such as group decision-making, brain and cellular connectivity, network controllability and resiliency, online activism, recommendation systems, and cyber security.

This book provides novel approach to the diagnosis of complex technical systems that are widely used in various kinds of transportation, energy, metallurgy, metalworking, fuels, mining, chemical, paper industries, etc. Effective diagnostic systems are necessary for the early detection of errors in mechatronic systems, for the organization of maintenance and for the assessment of the performed service quality. Unfortunately, the practical use of AI in the diagnosis of mechatronic systems is still quite limited and the inability to build effective mechatronic systems leads to significant economic losses and dangers. The main aim of this book is to contribute to knowledge within the topic of diagnostics of mechatronic systems by the analysis of the elements reliability characteristics, using methods, models and algorithms for diagnostics and by studying examples of model diagnostic systems using AI methods based on neural networks, fuzzy inference systems and genetic algorithms.

This book presents a selection of cutting-edge methods that allow readers to obtain novel models for nonlinear solid mechanics. Today, engineers need more accurate techniques for modeling solid body mechanics, chiefly due to innovative methods like additive manufacturing-for example, 3D printing-but also due to miniaturization. This book focuses on the formulation of continuum and discrete models for complex materials and systems, and especially the design of metamaterials. It gathers outstanding papers from the international conference IcONSOM 2019

Recent developments in model-predictive control promise remarkable opportunities for designing multi-input, multi-output control systems and improving the control of single-input, single-output systems. This volume provides a definitive survey of the latest model-predictive control methods available to engineers and scientists today. The initial set of chapters present various methods for managing uncertainty in systems, including stochastic model-predictive control. With the advent of affordable and fast computation, control engineers now need to think about using "computationally intensive controls," so the second part of this book addresses the solution of optimization problems in "real" time for model-predictive control. The theory and applications of control theory often influence each other, so the last section of Handbook of Model Predictive Control rounds out the book with representative applications to automobiles, healthcare, robotics, and finance. The chapters in this volume will be useful to working engineers, scientists, and mathematicians, as well as students and faculty interested in the progression of control theory. Future developments in MPC will no doubt build from concepts demonstrated in this book and anyone with an interest in MPC will find fruitful information and suggestions for additional reading.

This monograph presents new theories and methods for fixed-time cooperative control of multi-agent systems. Fundamental concepts of fixed-time stability and stabilization are introduced with insightful understanding. This book presents solutions for several problems of fixed-time cooperative control using systematic design methods. The book compares fixed-time cooperative control with asymptotic cooperative control, demonstrating how the former can achieve better closed-loop performance and disturbance rejection properties. It also discusses the differences from finite-time control, and shows how fixed-time cooperative control can produce the faster rate of convergence and provide an explicit estimate of the settling time independent of initial conditions. This monograph presents multiple applications of fixed-time control schemes, including to distributed optimization of multi-agent systems, making it useful to students, researchers and engineers alike.

This book introduces fundamental concepts of cyber resilience, drawing expertise from academia, industry, and government. Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from or easily adjust to shocks and stresses. Unlike the concept of security - which is often and incorrectly conflated with resilience -- resilience refers to the system's ability to recover or regenerate its performance after an unexpected impact produces a degradation in its performance. A clear understanding of distinction between security, risk and resilience is important for developing appropriate management of cyber threats. The book presents insightful discussion of the most current technical issues in cyber resilience, along with relevant methods and procedures. Practical aspects of current cyber resilience practices and techniques are described as they are now, and as they are likely to remain in the near term. The bulk of the material is presented in the book in a way that is easily accessible to non-specialists. Logical, consistent, and continuous discourse covering all key topics relevant to the field will be of use as teaching material as well as source of emerging scholarship in the field. A typical chapter provides introductory, tutorial-like material, detailed examples, in-depth elaboration of a selected technical approach, and a concise summary of key ideas.

In these ground-breaking essays, Heinz von Foerster discusses some of the fundamental principles that govern how we know the world and how we process the information from which we derive that knowledge. The author was one of the founders of the science of cybernetics.

The Haifa 2000 Workshop on "Inherently Parallel Algorithms for Feasibility and Optimization and their Applications" brought together top scientists in this area. The objective of the Workshop was to discuss, analyze and compare the latest developments in this fast growing field of applied mathematics and to identify topics of research which are of special interest for industrial applications and for further theoretical study.

Inherently parallel algorithms, that is, computational methods which are, by their mathematical nature, parallel, have been studied in various contexts for more than fifty years. However, it was only during the last decade that they have mostly proved their practical usefulness because new generations of computers made their implementation possible in order to solve complex feasibility and optimization problems involving huge amounts of data via parallel processing. These led to an accumulation of computational experience and theoretical information and opened new and challenging questions concerning the behavior of inherently parallel algorithms for feasibility and optimization, their convergence in new environments and in circumstances in which they were not considered before their stability and reliability. Several research groups all over the world focused on these questions and it was the general feeling among scientists involved in this effort that the time has come to survey the latest progress and convey a perspective for further development and concerted scientific investigations. Thus, the editors of this volume, with the support of the Israeli Academy for Sciences and Humanities, took the initiative of organizing a Workshop intended to bring together the leading scientists in the field. The current volume is the Proceedings of the Workshop representing the discussions, debates and communications that took place. Having all that information collected in a single book will provide mathematicians and engineers interested in the theoretical and practical aspects of the inherently parallel algorithms for feasibility and optimization with a tool for determining when, where and which algorithms in this class are fit for solving specific problems, how reliable they are, how they behave and how efficient they were in previous applications. Such a tool will allow software creators to choose ways of better implementing these methods by learning from existing experience.

This book contains the proceedings of the Seventh National Conference of the Italian Systems Society. The title, Systemics of Incompleteness and Quasi-Systems, aims to underline the need for Systemics and Systems Science to deal with the concepts of incompleteness and quasiness. Classical models of Systemics are intended to represent comprehensive aspects of phenomena and processes. They consider the phenomena in their temporal and spatial completeness. In these cases, possible incompleteness in the modelling is assumed to have a provisional or practical nature, which is still under study, and because there is no theoretical reason why the modelling cannot be complete. In principle, this is a matter of non-complex phenomena, to be considered using the concepts of the First Systemics. When dealing with emergence, there are phenomena which must be modelled by systems having multiple models, depending on the aspects being taken into consideration. Here, incompleteness in the modelling is intrinsic, theoretically relating changes in properties, structures, and status of system. Rather than consider the same system parametrically changing over time, we consider sequences of systems coherently. We consider contexts and processes for which modelling is incomplete, being related to only some properties, as well as those for which such modelling is theoretically incomplete-as in the case of processes of emergence and for approaches considered by the Second Systemics. In this regard, we consider here the generic concept of quasi explicating such incompleteness. The concept of quasi is used in various disciplines including quasi-crystals, quasi-particles, quasi-electric fields, and quasi-periodicity. In general, the concept of quasiness for systems concerns their continuous structural changes which are always meta-stable, waiting for events to collapse over other configurations and possible forms of stability; whose equivalence depends on the type of phenomenon under study. Interest in the concept of quasiness is not related to its meaning of rough approximation, but because it indicates an incompleteness which is structurally sufficient to accommodate processes of emergence and sustain coherence or generate new, equivalent or non-equivalent, levels. The conference was devoted to identifying, discussing and understanding possible interrelationships of theoretical disciplinary improvements, recognised as having prospective fundamental roles for a new Quasi-Systemics. The latter should be able to deal with problems related to complexity in more general and realistic ways, when a system is not always a system and not always the same system. In this context, the inter-disciplinarity should consist, for instance, of a constructionist, incomplete, non-ideological, multiple, contradiction-tolerant, Systemics, always in progress, and in its turn, emergent.

Most physical systems lose or gain stability through bifurcation behavior. This book explains a series of experimentally found bifurcation phenomena by means of the methods of static bifurcation theory.

This book provides an interdisciplinary approach to complexity, combining ideas from areas like complex networks, cellular automata, multi-agent systems, self-organization and game theory. The first part of the book provides an extensive introduction to these areas, while the second explores a range of research scenarios. Lastly, the book presents CellNet, a software framework that offers a hands-on approach to the scenarios described throughout the book. In light of the introductory chapters, the research chapters, and the CellNet simulating framework, this book can be used to teach undergraduate and master's students in disciplines like artificial intelligence, computer science, applied mathematics, economics and engineering. Moreover, the book will be particularly interesting for Ph.D. and postdoctoral researchers seeking a general perspective on how to design and create their own models.

Providing an introduction to stochastic optimal control in infinite dimension, this book gives a complete account of the theory of second-order HJB equations in infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, focusing on its applicability to associated stochastic optimal control problems. It features a general introduction to optimal stochastic control, including basic results (e.g. the dynamic programming principle) with proofs, and provides examples of applications. A complete and up-to-date exposition of the existing theory of viscosity solutions and regular solutions of second-order HJB equations in Hilbert spaces is given, together with an extensive survey of other methods, with a full bibliography. In particular, Chapter 6, written by M. Fuhrman and G. Tessitore, surveys the theory of regular solutions of HJB equations arising in infinite-dimensional stochastic control, via BSDEs. The book is of interest to both pure and applied researchers working in the control theory of stochastic PDEs, and in PDEs in infinite dimension. Readers from other fields who want to learn the basic theory will also find it useful. The prerequisites are: standard functional analysis, the theory of semigroups of operators and its use in the study of PDEs, some knowledge of the dynamic programming approach to stochastic optimal control problems in finite dimension, and the basics of stochastic analysis and stochastic equations in infinite-dimensional spaces.

This book introduces readers to using the simple but effective Zhang-gradient (ZG) method to solve tracking-control problems concerning various nonlinear systems, while also highlighting the applications of the ZG method to tracking control for practical systems, e.g. an inverted-pendulum-on-a-cart (IPC) system and a two-wheeled mobile robot (showing its potential applications). In addition to detailed theoretical analyses of ZG controllers, the book presents a wealth of computer simulations to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the controllers discussed (as well as the method itself). More importantly, the superiority of ZG controllers in overcoming the division-by-zero (DBZ) problem is also illustrated. Given its scope and format, the book is well suited for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as academic and industrial researchers in the fields of neural dynamics/neural networks, nonlinear control, computer mathematics, time-varying problem solving, modeling and simulation, analog hardware, and robotics.

This book is a tribute to Julian Francis Miller's ideas and achievements in computer science, evolutionary algorithms and genetic programming, electronics, unconventional computing, artificial chemistry and theoretical biology. Leading international experts in computing inspired by nature offer their insights into the principles of information processing and optimisation in simulated and experimental living, physical and chemical substrates. Miller invented Cartesian Genetic Programming (CGP) in 1999, from a representation of electronic circuits he devised with Thomson a few years earlier. The book presents a number of CGP's wide applications, including multi-step ahead forecasting, solving artificial neural networks dogma, approximate computing, medical informatics, control engineering, evolvable hardware, and multi-objective evolutionary optimisations. The book addresses in depth the technique of 'Evolution in Materio', a term coined by Miller and Downing, using a range of examples of experimental prototypes of computing in disordered ensembles of graphene nanotubes, slime mould, plants, and reaction diffusion chemical systems. Advances in sub-symbolic artificial chemistries, artificial bio-inspired development, code evolution with genetic programming, and using Reed-Muller expansions in the synthesis of Boolean quantum circuits add a unique flavour to the content. The book is a pleasure to explore for readers from all walks of life, from undergraduate students to university professors, from mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers to chemists and biologists.

This book concisely presents a broad range of models and theories on social systems. Because of the huge spectrum of topics involving social systems, various issues related to Mathematics, Statistics, Teaching, Social Science, and Economics are discussed. In an effort to introduce the subject to a wider audience, this volume, part of the series "Studies in Systems, Decision and Control", equally addresses the needs of mathematicians, statisticians, sociologists and philosophers. The studies examined here are divided into four parts. The first part, "Perusing the Minds Behind Scientific Discoveries", traces the winding path of Syamal K. Sen and Ravi P. Agarwal's scholarship throughout history, and most importantly, the thought processes that allowed each of them to master their subject. The second part covers "Theories in Social Systems" and the third discusses "Models in Social Systems", while the fourth and final part is dedicated to "Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences". Given its breadth of coverage, the book will offer inquisitive readers a valuable point of departure for exploring these rich, vast, and ever-expanding fields of knowledge.

Discrete-Time and Discrete-Space Dynamical Systems provides a systematic characterization of the similarities and differences of several types of discrete-time and discrete-space dynamical systems, including: Boolean control networks; nondeterministic finite-transition systems; finite automata; labelled Petri nets; and cellular automata. The book's perspective is primarily based on topological properties though it also employs semitensor-product and graph-theoretic methods where appropriate. It presents a series of fundamental results: invertibility, observability, detectability, reversiblity, etc., with applications to systems biology. Academic researchers with backgrounds in applied mathematics, engineering or computer science and practising engineers working with discrete-time and discrete-space systems will find this book a helpful source of new understanding for this increasingly important class of systems. The basic results to be found within are of fundamental importance for further study of related problems such as automated synthesis and safety control in cyber-physical systems using formal methods.

This book provides energy efficiency quantitative analysis and optimal methods for discrete manufacturing systems from the perspective of global optimization. In order to analyze and optimize energy efficiency for discrete manufacturing systems, it uses real-time access to energy consumption information and models of the energy consumption, and constructs an energy efficiency quantitative index system. Based on the rough set and analytic hierarchy process, it also proposes a principal component quantitative analysis and a combined energy efficiency quantitative analysis. In turn, the book addresses the design and development of quantitative analysis systems. To save energy consumption on the basis of energy efficiency analysis, it presents several optimal control strategies, including one for single-machine equipment, an integrated approach based on RWA-MOPSO, and one for production energy efficiency based on a teaching and learning optimal algorithm. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable guide for students, teachers, engineers and researchers in the field of discrete manufacturing systems.

This monograph provides a comprehensive analysis of the control of singularly perturbed time delay systems. Expanding on the author's previous work on controllability of linear systems with delays in the state and control variables, this volume's comprehensive coverage makes it a valuable addition to the field. Each chapter is self-contained, allowing readers to study them independently or in succession. After a brief introduction, the book systematically examines properties of different classes of singularly perturbed time delay systems, including linear time-dependent systems with multiple point-wise and distributed state delays. The author then considers more general singularly perturbed systems with state and control delays. Euclidean space controllability for all of these systems is also discussed, using numerous examples from real-life models throughout the text to illustrate the results presented. More technically complicated proofs are presented in separate subsections. The final chapter includes a section dedicated to non-linear time delay systems. This book is ideal for researchers, engineers, and graduate students in systems science and control theory. Other applied mathematicians and researchers working in biology and medicine will also find this volume to be a valuable resource.

This book features selected manuscripts presented at ICoNSoM 2019, exploring cutting-edge methods for developing novel models in nonlinear solid mechanics. Innovative methods like additive manufacturing-for example, 3D printing- and miniaturization mean that engineers need more accurate techniques for modeling solid body mechanics. The book focuses on the formulation of continuum and discrete models for complex materials and systems, particularly the design of metamaterials.