This book provides a much needed short, reliable and stimulating guide to the mass media in present day society. Incisive, surprising and stimulating it will become an essential text in thinking and writing about the mass media.

Social scientists often dismiss the media as untrustworthy and irresponsible and the media frequently regard social scientists as incapable of giving a straight answer. The contributors to this volume complain of having been misrepresented, misquoted and edited out of all recognition. That this clash of cultures should occur is not surprising given the different priorities and perspectives of the social sciences and the media. This work examines these issues from the viewpoint of the media and social scientists who have had extensive media contact. The academics contributing to this book have conducted research on a diverse range of topics including: education, stress, football hooliganism, intelligence, risk factors for illness, drug use, performance appraisal in universities, politics, sex, religion, pornography, female sexuality, terrorism, youth culture and media studies. There are also chapters from well-known media practitioners, from radio, the television and newspapers. Based on the contributions, the editors offer practical suggestions for social scientists to help them work more effectively with the media and thereby reach a wider audience.

"Information Theory and Statistical Learning" presents theoretical and practical results about information theoretic methods used in the context of statistical learning.

The book will present a comprehensive overview of the large range of different methods that have been developed in a multitude of contexts. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field. The book is intended for an interdisciplinary readership working in machine learning, applied statistics, artificial intelligence, biostatistics, computational biology, bioinformatics, web mining or related disciplines.

Advance Praise for "Information Theory and Statistical Learning"

"A new epoch has arrived for information sciences to integrate various disciplines such as information theory, machine learning, statistical inference, data mining, model selection etc. I am enthusiastic about recommending the present book to researchers and students, because it summarizes most of these new emerging subjects and methods, which are otherwise scattered in many places." Shun-ichi Amari, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Professor-Emeritus at the University of Tokyo

The book discusses subjective ratings of quality and preference of unknown voices and dialog partners - their likability, for example. Human natural and artificial voices are studied in passive listening and interactive scenarios. In this book, the background, state of research, and contributions to the assessment and prediction of talker quality that is constituted in voice perception and in dialog are presented. Starting from theories and empirical findings from human interaction, major results and approaches are transferred to the domain of human-computer interaction (HCI). The main objective of this book is to contribute to the evaluation of spoken interaction in humans and between humans and computers, and in particular to the quality subsequently attributed to the speaking system or person based on the listening and interactive experience. Provides a comprehensive overview of research in evaluation of speakers and dialog partners; Presents recent results on the relevance of a first passive and interactive impression; Includes human and HCI evaluation results from a communicative perspective.

"Sampled-data Models for Linear and Nonlinear Systems" provides a fresh new look at a subject with which many researchers may think themselves familiar. Rather than emphasising the differences between sampled-data and continuous-time systems, the authors proceed from the premise that, with modern sampling rates being as high as they are, it is becoming more appropriate to emphasise connections and similarities. The text is driven by three motives:

.the ubiquity of computers in modern control and signal-processing equipment means that sampling of systems that really evolve continuously is unavoidable;

.although superficially straightforward, sampling can easily produce erroneous results when not treated properly; and

. the need for a thorough understanding of many aspects of sampling among researchers and engineers dealing with applications to which they are central.

The authors tackle many misconceptions which, although appearing reasonable at first sight, are in fact either partially or completely erroneous. They also deal with linear and nonlinear, deterministic and stochastic cases. The impact of the ideas presented on several standard problems in signals and systems is illustrated using a number of applications.

Academic researchers and graduate students in systems, control and signal processing will find the ideas presented in "Sampled-data Models for Linear and Nonlinear Systems" to be a useful manual for dealing with sampled-data systems, clearing away mistaken ideas and bringing the subject thoroughly up to date. Researchers in statistics and economics will also derive benefit from the reworking of ideas relating a model derived from data sampling to an original continuous system.

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This book provides a much needed short, reliable and stimulating guide to the mass media in present day society. Incisive, surprising and stimulating it will become an essential text in thinking and writing about the mass media.

Niklas Luhmann ranks as one of the most important sociologists and social theorists of the twentieth century. Through his many books he developed a highly original form of systems theory that has been hugely influential in a wide variety of disciplines.

In "Introduction to Systems Theory," Luhmann explains the key ideas of general and sociological systems theory and supplies a wealth of examples to illustrate his approach. The book offers a wide range of concepts and theorems that can be applied to politics and the economy, religion and science, art and education, organization and the family. Moreover, Luhmann's ideas address important contemporary issues in such diverse fields as cognitive science, ecology, and the study of social movements.

This book provides all the necessary resources for readers to work through the foundations of systems theory - no other work by Luhmann is as clear and accessible as this. There is also much here that will be of great interest to more advanced scholars and practitioners in sociology and the social sciences.

Probability theory has been extraordinarily successful at describing a variety of phenomena, from the behaviour of gases to the transmission of messages, and is, besides, a powerful tool with applications throughout mathematics. At its heart are a number of concepts familiar in one guise or another to many: Gauss' bell-shaped curve, the law of averages, and so on, concepts that crop up in so many settings they are in some sense universal. This universality is predicted by probability theory to a remarkable degree. This book explains that theory and investigates its ramifications. Assuming a good working knowledge of basic analysis, real and complex, the author maps out a route from basic probability, via random walks, Brownian motion, the law of large numbers and the central limit theorem, to aspects of ergodic theorems, equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, communication over a noisy channel, and random matrices. Numerous examples and exercises enrich the text.

This monograph details basic concepts and tools fundamental for the analysis and synthesis of linear systems subject to actuator saturation and developments in recent research. The authors use a state-space approach and focus on stability analysis and the synthesis of stabilizing control laws in both local and global contexts. Different methods of modeling the saturation and behavior of the nonlinear closed-loop system are given special attention. Various kinds of Lyapunov functions are considered to present different stability conditions. Results arising from uncertain systems and treating performance in the presence of saturation are given. The text proposes methods and algorithms, based on the use of linear programming and linear matrix inequalities, for computing estimates of the basin of attraction and for designing control systems accounting for the control bounds and the possibility of saturation. They can be easily implemented with mathematical software packages.

The Second Law, a cornerstone of thermodynamics, governs the average direction of dissipative, non-equilibrium processes. But it says nothing about their actual rates or the probability of fluctuations about the average. This interdisciplinary book, written and peer-reviewed by international experts, presents recent advances in the search for new non-equilibrium principles beyond the Second Law, and their applications to a wide range of systems across physics, chemistry and biology. Beyond The Second Law brings together traditionally isolated areas of non-equilibrium research and highlights potentially fruitful connections between them, with entropy production playing the unifying role. Key theoretical concepts include the Maximum Entropy Production principle, the Fluctuation Theorem, and the Maximum Entropy method of statistical inference. Applications of these principles are illustrated in such diverse fields as climatology, cosmology, crystal growth morphology, Earth system science, environmental physics, evolutionary biology and technology, fluid turbulence, microbial biogeochemistry, plasma physics, and radiative transport, using a wide variety of analytical and experimental techniques. Beyond The Second Law will appeal to students and researchers wishing to gain an understanding of entropy production and its central place in the science of non-equilibrium systems - both in detail and in terms of the bigger picture.

This book introduces an interesting and alternative way to design absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) for quantum wave equations, basically the nonlinear Schroedinger equation. The focus of this book is the application of the phase space filter approach to derive accurate radiation conditions for Schroedinger equations. Researchers who are interested in partial differential equations and mathematical physics might find this book appealing.

Symbolic dynamics is a mature yet rapidly developing area of dynamical systems. It has established strong connections with many areas, including linear algebra, graph theory, probability, group theory, and the theory of computation, as well as data storage, statistical mechanics, and $C^*$-algebras. This Second Edition maintains the introductory character of the original 1995 edition as a general textbook on symbolic dynamics and its applications to coding. It is written at an elementary level and aimed at students, well-established researchers, and experts in mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science. Topics are carefully developed and motivated with many illustrative examples. There are more than 500 exercises to test the reader's understanding. In addition to a chapter in the First Edition on advanced topics and a comprehensive bibliography, the Second Edition includes a detailed Addendum, with companion bibliography, describing major developments and new research directions since publication of the First Edition.

This volume contains the extended version of selected talks given at the international research workshop "Coping with Complexity: Model Reduction and Data Analysis," Ambleside, UK, August 31 - September 4, 2009. The book is deliberately broad in scope and aims at promoting new ideas and methodological perspectives. The topics of the chapters range from theoretical analysis of complex and multiscale mathematical models to applications in e.g., fluid dynamics and chemical kinetics.

This book introduces the reader to Serres' unique manner of 'doing philosophy' that can be traced throughout his entire oeuvre: namely as a novel manner of bearing witness. It explores how Serres takes note of a range of epistemologically unsettling situations, which he understands as arising from the short-circuit of a proprietary notion of capital with a praxis of science that commits itself to a form of reasoning which privileges the most direct path (simple method) in order to expend minimal efforts while pursuing maximal efficiency. In Serres' universal economy, value is considered as a function of rarity, not as a stock of resources. This book demonstrates how Michel Serres has developed an architectonics that is coefficient with nature. Mathematic and Information in the Philosophy of Michel Serres acquaints the reader with Serres' monist manner of addressing the universality and the power of knowledge - that is at once also the anonymous and empty faculty of incandescent, inventive thought. The chapters of the book demarcate, problematize and contextualize some of the epistemologically unsettling situations Serres addresses, whilst also examining the particular manner in which he responds to and converses with these situations.

The purpose of this book is to acquaint the reader with the developments in bilinear systems theory and its applications. Bilinear systems can be used to represent a wide range of physical, chemical, biological, and social systems, as well as manufacturing processes, which cannot be effectively modeled under the assumption of linearity. This book provides a unified approach for the identification and control of nonlinear complex objects that can be transformed into bilinear systems, with a focus on the control of open physical processes functioning in a non-equilibrium mode. The material is intended for graduate students, researchers, and specialists engaged in the fields of quantum and molecular computing, control of physical processes, biophysics, superconducting magnetism, physical information science, mathematics, and engineering.

This book contains advances on the theory and applications of time-delay systems with particular focus on interconnected systems. The methods for stability analysis and control design are based on time-domain and frequency-domain approaches, for continuous-time and sampled-data systems, linear and nonlinear systems. This volume is a valuable source of reference for control practitioners, graduate students, and scientists researching practical as well as theoretical solutions to a variety of control problems inevitably influenced by the presence of time delays. The contents are organized in three parts: Interconnected Systems analysis, Modeling and and Analysis for Delay systems, and Stabilization and Control Strategies for Delay Systems. This volume presents a selection of 19 contributions presented in the 4th DelSys Workshop which took place in Gif-sur-Yvette, France November 25-27, 2015.

Vilfredo Pareto was one of the great systems theorists of the twentieth century, embracing economics, psychology, sociology and politics. In this important work, Michael McLure takes as his subject of study the rapport between Pareto's economic and sociological theory, and consequently, illuminates the role of economics in public policy development.

Kirk (emeritus, electrical engineering, San Jos State U.) introduces optimal control theory, which has as its objective the maximization of the return from, or the minimization of the cost of, the operation of physical, social, and economic processes. He concentrates on dynamic programming, Pontry

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 10th International Conference on Complex Networks (CompleNet) in Taragona, Spain, March, 2019. 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 text will appeal to students and researchers in the field.

Introduction to Theory of Control in Organizations explains how methodologies from systems analysis and control theory, including game and graph theory, can be applied to improve organizational management. The theory presented extends the traditional approach to management science by introducing the optimization and game-theoretical tools required to account for the special nature of human beings being viewed as control objects. The book introduces a version of mechanism design that has been customized to solve the problems that today's managers must contend with. All mathematical models and mechanisms studied are motivated by the most common problems encountered by managers in firms and non-profit organizations. Requiring no prior knowledge of game theory or mechanism design, the book includes a systematic introduction to the underlying methodology of modern theory of control in organizations. The authors use formal methods to construct robust and efficient decision-making procedures which support all aspects and stages of management activity over all decision horizons-from operational to strategic management. The mathematical and methodological backgrounds of the organizational mechanisms discussed are not limited to game theory but also include systems analysis, control theory, operations research, and discrete mathematics. The book includes a set of exercises in each chapter-from simple to advanced-that provide the reader with the understanding required to integrate advanced methods of optimization, game theory, and mechanism design into daily managerial practice.

Foreword by James L. Massey.
Codes, Graphs, and Systems is an excellent reference for both academic researchers and professional engineers working in the fields of communications and signal processing. A collection of contributions from world-renowned experts in coding theory, information theory, and signal processing, the book provides a broad perspective on contemporary research in these areas. Survey articles are also included. Specific topics covered include convolutional codes and turbo codes; detection and equalization; modems; physics and information theory; lattices and geometry; and behaviors and codes on graphs.
Codes, Graphs, and Systems is a tribute to the leadership and profound influence of G. David Forney, Jr. The 35 contributors to the volume have assembled their work in his honor.

Due to inherent limitations in human sensing organs, most data collected for various purposes contain uncertainties. Even at the rare occasions when accurate data are available, the truthful predictions derived on the data tend to create chaotic consequences. So, to effectively process and make sense out of available data, we need methods to deal with uncertainty inherently existing inside the data. The intent of this monograph is to explore the fundamental theory, methods, and techniques of practical application of grey systems theory, initiated by Professor Deng Julong in 1982. This volume presents most of the recent advances of the theory accomplished by scholars from around the world. From studying this book, the reader will not only acquire an overall knowledge of this new theory but also be able to follow the most current research activities. All examples presented are based on practical applications of the theory when urgent real-life problems had to be addressed. Last but not the least, this book concludes with three appendices. The first one compares grey systems theory and interval analysis while revealing the fact that interval analysis is a part of grey mathematics. The second appendix presents an array of different approaches of studying uncertainties. And, the last appendix shows how uncertainties appear using general systems approach.

This is the first book to present a systematic review of applications of the Haar wavelet method for solving Calculus and Structural Mechanics problems. Haar wavelet-based solutions for a wide range of problems, such as various differential and integral equations, fractional equations, optimal control theory, buckling, bending and vibrations of elastic beams are considered. Numerical examples demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of the Haar method are provided for all solutions.

Administrators of academic professional and technical communication (PTSC) programs have long relied upon lore--stories of what works--to understand and communicate about the work of program administration. Stories are interesting, telling, engaging, and necessary. But a discipline focused primarily on stories, especially the ephemeral stories narrated at conferences and deliberated at department meetings, usually suffice primarily to solve immediate problems and address day-to-day concerns and activities. This edited collection captures some of those stories and layers them with theoretical perspectives and reflection, to enhance their usefulness to the PTSC program administration community at large. Like the ephemeral stories PTSC program administrators are accustomed to, the stories told in this volume are set within specific institutional contexts that reflect specific institutional challenges. They emphasize the intellectual traces--the debts the authors owe to those who have informed and transformed their administrative work. In so doing, this collection creates another conversation--albeit a robust, diverse, and theoretically informed one--around which program leaders might define or redefine their roles and re-envision their administrative work as the rich, complex, intellectual engagement that we find it to be. This volume asks authors to move beyond a notion of administration as an activity based solely in institutional details and processes. In so doing, they emphasize theory as they share their reflections on core administrative processes and significant moments in the histories of their associated programs, thereby affording opportunities for critical examination in conjunction with practical advice.

Administrators of academic professional and technical communication (PTSC) programs have long relied upon lore--stories of what works--to understand and communicate about the work of program administration. Stories are interesting, telling, engaging, and necessary. But a discipline focused primarily on stories, especially the ephemeral stories narrated at conferences and deliberated at department meetings, usually suffice primarily to solve immediate problems and address day-to-day concerns and activities. This edited collection captures some of those stories and layers them with theoretical perspectives and reflection, to enhance their usefulness to the PTSC program administration community at large. Like the ephemeral stories PTSC program administrators are accustomed to, the stories told in this volume are set within specific institutional contexts that reflect specific institutional challenges. They emphasize the intellectual traces--the debts the authors owe to those who have informed and transformed their administrative work. In so doing, this collection creates another conversation--albeit a robust, diverse, and theoretically informed one--around which program leaders might define or redefine their roles and re-envision their administrative work as the rich, complex, intellectual engagement that we find it to be. This volume asks authors to move beyond a notion of administration as an activity based solely in institutional details and processes. In so doing, they emphasize theory as they share their reflections on core administrative processes and significant moments in the histories of their associated programs, thereby affording opportunities for critical examination in conjunction with practical advice.