This book is dedicated to Professor Selim G. Akl to honour his groundbreaking research achievements in computer science over four decades. The book is an intellectually stimulating excursion into emergent computing paradigms, architectures and implementations. World top experts in computer science, engineering and mathematics overview exciting and intriguing topics of musical rhythms generation algorithms, analyse the computational power of random walks, dispelling a myth of computational universality, computability and complexity at the microscopic level of synchronous computation, descriptional complexity of error detection, quantum cryptography, context-free parallel communicating grammar systems, fault tolerance of hypercubes, finite automata theory of bulk-synchronous parallel computing, dealing with silent data corruptions in high-performance computing, parallel sorting on graphics processing units, mining for functional dependencies in relational databases, cellular automata optimisation of wireless sensors networks, connectivity preserving network transformers, constrained resource networks, vague computing, parallel evolutionary optimisation, emergent behaviour in multi-agent systems, vehicular clouds, epigenetic drug discovery, dimensionality reduction for intrusion detection systems, physical maze solvers, computer chess, parallel algorithms to string alignment, detection of community structure. The book is a unique combination of vibrant essays which inspires scientists and engineers to exploit natural phenomena in designs of computing architectures of the future.

This book demonstrates the theoretical value and practical significance of systems science and its logic of thinking by presenting a rigorously developed foundation-a tool for intuitive reasoning, which is supported by both theory and empirical evidence, as well as practical applications in business decision making. Following a foundation of general systems theory, the book presents an applied method to intuitively learn system-sciences fundamentals. The third and final part examines applications of the yoyo model and the theoretical results developed earlier within the context of problems facing business decision makers by organically combining methods of traditional science, the first dimension of science, with those of systems science, the second dimension, as argued by George Klir in the 1990s. This text would benefit graduate students, researchers, or practitioners in the areas of mathematics, systems science or engineering, economics, and business decision science.

In this monograph the author presents explicit conditions for the exponential, absolute and input-to-state stabilities including solution estimates of certain types of functional differential equations. The main methodology used is based on a combination of recent norm estimates for matrix-valued functions, comprising the generalized Bohl-Perron principle, together with its integral version and the positivity of fundamental solutions. A significant part of the book is especially devoted to the solution of the generalized Aizerman problem.

The present book includes a set of selected papers from the tenth "International Conference on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics" (ICINCO 2013), held in Reykjavik, Iceland, from 29 to 31 July 2013. The conference was organized in four simultaneous tracks: "Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization", "Robotics and Automation", "Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modeling and Control" and "Industrial Engineering, Production and Management". The book is based on the same structure. ICINCO 2013 received 255 paper submissions from 50 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee only 30% were published and presented orally. A further refinement was made after the conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality, so that this book includes the extended and revised versions of the very best papers of ICINCO 2013.

Dynamical Systems: Discontinuous, Stochasticity and Time-Delay provides an overview of the most recent developments in nonlinear dynamics, vibration and control. This book focuses on the most recent advances in all three areas, with particular emphasis on recent analytical, numerical and experimental research and its results. Real dynamical system problems, such as the behavior of suspension systems of railways, nonlinear vibration and applied control in coal manufacturing, along with the multifractal spectrum of LAN traffic, are discussed at length, giving the reader a sense of real-world instances where these theories are applied. Dynamical Systems: Discontinuous, Stochasticity and Time-Delay also contains material on time-delay systems as they relate to linear switching, dynamics of complex networks, and machine tools with multiple boundaries. It is the ideal book for engineers and academic researchers working in areas like mechanical and control engineering, as well as applied mathematics.

This book presents the results of the seminar Wind Energy and the Impact of Turbulence on the Conversion Process which was supported from three societies, namely the EUROMech, EAWE and ERCOFATC and took place in Oldenburg, Germany in spring 2012.

The seminar was one of the first scientific meetings devoted to the common topic of wind energy and basic turbulence. The established community of researchers working on the challenging puzzle of turbulence for decades met the quite young community of researchers, who face the upcoming challenges in the fast growing field of wind energy applications.

From the fluid mechanical point of view, wind turbines are large machines operating in the fully turbulent atmospheric boundary layer. In particular they are facing small-scale turbulent inflow conditions. It is one of the central puzzles in basic turbulence research to achieve a fundamental understanding of the peculiarities of small-scale turbulence. This book helps to better understand the resulting aerodynamics around the wind turbine s blades and the forces transmitted into the machinery in this context of puzzling inflow conditions. This is a big challenge due to the multi-scale properties of the incoming wind field ranging from local flow conditions on the profile up to the interaction of wake flows in wind farms."

At the dawn of the information age, a proper understanding of information and how it relates to matter and energy is of utmost importance for the survival of civilisation. Yet, attempts to reconcile information concepts underlying science and technology with those en vogue in social science, humanities, and arts are rather rare. This book offers a new approach, departing from fragmented information concepts.Many academics refrain from undergoing unifications, as most undertakings are reductionistic. This book contends that it is the noble task of an as-yet-to-be-developed science of information to go one step in the direction of a unified theory of information without falling back into neither reduction nor anthropomorphisation.To be able to succeed in an ambitious task like this, the book advocates the application of complex systems theory and its philosophical underpinnings. Information needs to be interpreted in terms of self-organisation to do justice to the richness of its manifestations. The way the book does so will provide the reader with a deep insight into a basic feature of our world.The following are discussed in the volume: A Science of Information; A New Way of Thinking; Praxio-Onto-Epistemology; Evolutionary Systems Design; Evolutionary Systems Ontology; Evolutionary Systems Methodology; Capurro's Information Concept Trilemma; A Multi-Stage Model of Evolutionary Types of Information: Pattern Formation, Code-Making, and Constituting Sense; A Triple-C Model of Systemic Functions of Information: Cognising, Communicating, and Co-Operating; Nine Categories of Information Capabilities: Reflectivity (physical), Psyche (biotic), Consciousness (human); Connectivity (physical), Signalability (biotic), Languageability (human); Cohesiveness (physical), Coherency (biotic), Communitarity (human); Nine Categories of Information: Response (physical), Flexible Response (biotic), Reflexion (human); Correspondences (physical), Signals (biotic), Symbolic Acts (human); Assemblage (physical), Assignment (biotic), Association (human); A Unified Theory of Information for, about, and by means of the Information Society.

1. Lossless Coding.- 2.Universal Coding on Finite Alphabets.- 3.Universal Coding on Infinite Alphabets.- 4.Model Order Estimation.- Notation.- Index.

"Understanding Complex Urban Systems" takes as its point of departure the insight that the challenges of global urbanization and the complexity of urban systems cannot be understood let alone managed by sectoral and disciplinary approaches alone. But while there has recently been significant progress in broadening and refining the methodologies for the quantitative modeling of complex urban systems, in deepening the theoretical understanding of cities as complex systems, or in illuminating the implications for urban planning, there is still a lack of well-founded conceptual thinking on the methodological foundations and the strategies of modeling urban complexity across the disciplines.

Bringing together experts from the fields of urban and spatial planning, ecology, urban geography, real estate analysis, organizational cybernetics, stochastic optimization, and literary studies, as well as specialists in various systems approaches and in transdisciplinary methodologies of urban analysis, the volume seeks to advance the discussion on multidisciplinary approaches to urban modeling. While engaging with the state of the art in their respective fields, the contributions are specifically written for both experts from a broad range of disciplines as well as for urban practitioners who feel the need for new approaches given the uncertainty of current developments.

This book highlights technology trends and challenges that trace the evolution of antenna design, starting from 3rd generation phones and moving towards the latest release of LTE-A. The authors explore how the simple monopole and whip antenna from the GSM years have evolved towards what we have today, an antenna design that is compact, multi-band in nature and caters to multiple elements on the same patch to provide high throughput connectivity. The scope of the book targets a broad range of subjects, including the microstrip antenna, PIFA antenna, and the monopole antenna to be used for different applications over three different mobile generations. Beyond that, the authors take a step into the future and look at antenna requirements for 5G communications, which already has the 5G drive in place with prominent scenarios and use-cases emerging. They examine these, and put in place the challenges that lie ahead for antenna design, particularly in mm-Wave design. The book provides a reference for practicing engineers and under/post graduate students working in this field.

This book reports on the latest advances and applications of chaotic systems. It consists of 25 contributed chapters by experts who are specialized in the various topics addressed in this book. The chapters cover a broad range of topics of chaotic systems such as chaos, hyperchaos, jerk systems, hyperjerk systems, conservative and dissipative systems, circulant chaotic systems, multi-scroll chaotic systems, finance chaotic system, highly chaotic systems, chaos control, chaos synchronization, circuit realization and applications of chaos theory in secure communications, mobile robot, memristors, cellular neural networks, etc. Special importance was given to chapters offering practical solutions, modeling and novel control methods for the recent research problems in chaos theory. This book will serve as a reference book for graduate students and researchers with a basic knowledge of chaos theory and control systems. The resulting design procedures on the chaotic systems are emphasized using MATLAB software.

Unifying Themes in Complex Systems is a well-established series of carefully edited conference proceedings that serve to document and archive the progress made regarding cross-fertilization in this field. The International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS) creates a unique atmosphere for scientists from all fields, engineers, physicians, executives, and a host of other professionals, allowing them to explore common themes and applications of complex systems science. With this new volume, Unifying Themes in Complex Systems continues to establish common ground between the wide-ranging domains of complex systems science.

This book targets the critical issue of decision making in uncertain conditions and situations. The aim is to increase readers' understanding of complexity and of socio-economic interactions through the application of systems thinking perspectives. Among the various areas and topics addressed are complexity and sustainable management, markets as complex adaptive systems, the impacts of psychological and emotional factors upon value co-creation exchanges, and ICT enablers of service network performance and service exchange fulfillment. Thanks to the chosen perspectives, all of which are based on different systems research streams, the book will support more consistent and robust decisions, leading to sustainable, wise, and viable systems dynamics. It will aid managers, practitioners, and consultants in their decision-making processes and will also be of interest for academics and scholars in management, systems, computer science, engineering, and marketing.

Hermann Haken (born 1927) is one of the "fathers" of the quantum-mechanical laser theory, formulated between 1962 and 1966, in strong competition with American researchers. Later on, he created Synergetics, the science of cooperation in multicomponent systems. The book concentrates on the development of his scientific work during the first thirty-five years of his career. In 1970 he and his doctoral student Robert Graham were able to show that the laser is an example of a nonlinear system far from thermal equilibrium that shows a phase-transition like behavior. Subsequently, this insight opened the way for the formulation of Synergetics. Synergetics is able to explain, how very large systems show the phenomenon of self-organization that can be mathematically described by only very few order parameters. The results of Haken's research were published in two seminal books Synergetics (1977) and Advanced Synergetics (1983). After the year 1985 Haken concentrated his research on the macroscopic foundation of Synergetics. This led him towards the application of synergetic principles in medicine, cognitive research and, finally, in psychology. A comprehensive bibliography of Hermann Haken's publications (nearly 600 numbers) is included in the book.

This book describes a set of novel statistical algorithms designed to infer functional connectivity of large-scale neural assemblies. The algorithms are developed with the aim of maximizing computational accuracy and efficiency, while faithfully reconstructing both the inhibitory and excitatory functional links. The book reports on statistical methods to compute the most significant functional connectivity graph, and shows how to use graph theory to extract the topological features of the computed network. A particular feature is that the methods used and extended at the purpose of this work are reported in a fairly completed, yet concise manner, together with the necessary mathematical fundamentals and explanations to understand their application. Furthermore, all these methods have been embedded in the user-friendly open source software named SpiCoDyn, which is also introduced here. All in all, this book provides researchers and graduate students in bioengineering, neurophysiology and computer science, with a set of simplified and reduced models for studying functional connectivity in in silico biological neuronal networks, thus overcoming the complexity of brain circuits.

This volume is devoted to innovation with a special focus on its two sides, namely creation and destruction, and on its role in the evolution of capitalist economies. The first part of the book looks at innovation and its effects on economic performance, addressing issues of motives, behavioral rules under uncertainty, actor properties, and technology characteristics. The second part concentrates on potential consequences of innovative activities, in particular structural change, the "innovation-mediated" effect of skill-oriented policies on regional performance, the destructive effects of innovation activities, and the question whether novelty is always good. The role of innovation in the evolution of capitalism itself is discussed in the third part.

This book describes how the principle of self-sufficiency can be applied to a reconfigurable modular robotic organism. It shows the design considerations for a novel REPLICATOR robotic platform, both hardware and software, featuring the behavioral characteristics of social insect colonies. Following a comprehensive overview of some of the bio-inspired techniques already available, and of the state-of-the-art in re-configurable modular robotic systems, the book presents a novel power management system with fault-tolerant energy sharing, as well as its implementation in the REPLICATOR robotic modules. In addition, the book discusses, for the first time, the concept of "artificial energy homeostasis" in the context of a modular robotic organism, and shows its verification on a custom-designed simulation framework in different dynamic power distribution and fault tolerance scenarios. This book offers an ideal reference guide for both hardware engineers and software developers involved in the design and implementation of autonomous robotic systems.

This book focuses on systems engineering, systems thinking, and how that thinking can be learned in practice. It describes a novel analytical framework based on activity theory for understanding how systems thinking evolves and how it can be improved to support multidisciplinary teamwork in the context of system development and systems engineering. This method, developed using data collected over four years from three different small space systems engineering organizations, can be applied in a wide variety of work activities in the context of engineering design and beyond in order to monitor and analyze multidisciplinary interactions in working teams over time. In addition, the book presents a practical strategy called WAVES (Work Activity for a Evolution of Systems engineering and thinking), which fosters the practical learning of systems thinking with the aim of improving process development in different industries. The book offers an excellent resource for researchers and practitioners interested in systems thinking and in solutions to support its evolution. Beyond its contribution to a better understanding of systems engineering, systems thinking and how it can be learned in real-world contexts, it also introduce a suitable analysis framework that helps to bridge the gap between the latest social science research and engineering research.

The present work investigates global politics and political implications of social science and management with the aid of the latest complexity and chaos theories. Until now, deterministic chaos and nonlinear analysis have not been a focal point in this area of research. This book remedies this deficiency by utilizing these methods in the analysis of the subject matter. The authors provide the reader a detailed analysis on politics and its associated applications with the help of chaos theory, in a single edited volume.

Simulation of ODE/PDE Models with MATLAB(r), OCTAVE and SCILAB shows the reader how to exploit a fuller array of numerical methods for the analysis of complex scientific and engineering systems than is conventionally employed. The book is dedicated to numerical simulation of distributed parameter systems described by mixed systems of algebraic equations, ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and partial differential equations (PDEs). Special attention is paid to the numerical method of lines (MOL), a popular approach to the solution of time-dependent PDEs, which proceeds in two basic steps: spatial discretization and time integration.

Besides conventional finite-difference and element techniques, more advanced spatial-approximation methods are examined in some detail, including nonoscillatory schemes and adaptive-grid approaches. A MOL toolbox has been developed within MATLAB(r)/OCTAVE/SCILAB. In addition to a set of spatial approximations and time integrators, this toolbox includes a collection of application examples, in specific areas, which can serve as templates for developing new programs.

Simulation of ODE/PDE Models with MATLAB(r), OCTAVE and SCILAB provides a practical introduction to some advanced computational techniques for dynamic system simulation, supported by many worked examples in the text, and a collection of codes available for download from the book s page at www.springer.com. This text is suitable for self-study by practicing scientists and engineers and as a final-year undergraduate course or at the graduate level.

This book presents research results of PowerWeb, TU Delft's consortium for interdisciplinary research on intelligent, integrated energy systems and their role in markets and institutions. In operation since 2012, it acts as a host and information platform for a growing number of projects, ranging from single PhD student projects up to large integrated and international research programs. The group acts in an inter-faculty fashion and brings together experts from electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, technology and policy management, control engineering, civil engineering, architecture, aerospace engineering, and industrial design. The interdisciplinary projects of PowerWeb are typically associated with either of three problem domains: Grid Technology, Intelligence and Society. PowerWeb is not limited to electricity: it bridges heat, gas, and other types of energy with markets, industrial processes, transport, and the built environment, serving as a singular entry point for industry to the University's knowledge. Via its Industry Advisory Board, a steady link to business owners, manufacturers, and energy system operators is provided.

This book is devoted to the modeling and understanding of complex urban systems. This second volume of Understanding Complex Urban Systems focuses on the challenges of the modeling tools, concerning, e.g., the quality and quantity of data and the selection of an appropriate modeling approach. It is meant to support urban decision-makers-including municipal politicians, spatial planners, and citizen groups-in choosing an appropriate modeling approach for their particular modeling requirements. The contributors to this volume are from different disciplines, but all share the same goal: optimizing the representation of complex urban systems. They present and discuss a variety of approaches for dealing with data-availability problems and finding appropriate modeling approaches-and not only in terms of computer modeling. The selection of articles featured in this volume reflect a broad variety of new and established modeling approaches such as: - An argument for using Big Data methods in conjunction with Agent-based Modeling; - The introduction of a participatory approach involving citizens, in order to utilize an Agent-based Modeling approach to simulate urban-growth scenarios; - A presentation of semantic modeling to enable a flexible application of modeling methods and a flexible exchange of data; - An article about a nested-systems approach to analyzing a city's interdependent subsystems (according to these subsystems' different velocities of change); - An article about methods that use Luhmann's system theory to characterize cities as systems that are composed of flows; - An article that demonstrates how the Sen-Nussbaum Capabilities Approach can be used in urban systems to measure household well-being shifts that occur in response to the resettlement of urban households; - A final article that illustrates how Adaptive Cycles of Complex Adaptive Systems, as well as innovation, can be applied to gain a better understanding of cities and to promote more resilient and more sustainable urban futures.

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.

Over the past 20 years, informal dispute resolution has played an increasingly important role in the way people handle their conflicts. Mediators are said to act as neutral third parties who empower disputants to negotiate their own mutually acceptable agreement. Shailor proposes a definition of empowerment in which communication is the primary social process, the ongoing symbolic interaction which not only reflects reality, but constitutes it. Using this definition, he analyzes the process of empowerment by examining the verbal and nonverbal interactions in three mediation cases, identifying the patterns of communication through which empowerment does or does not occur. Shailor concludes that mediators need to develop a more sophisticated understanding of their interactions with disputants, including an understanding of the ways that mediators can become enmeshed in the disputants' ongoing struggles.

This compact monograph is focused on disturbance attenuation in nonsmooth dynamic systems, developing an H approach in the nonsmooth setting. Similar to the standard nonlinear H approach, the proposed nonsmooth design guarantees both the internal asymptotic stability of a nominal closed-loop system and the dissipativity inequality, which states that the size of an error signal is uniformly bounded with respect to the worst-case size of an external disturbance signal. This guarantee is achieved by constructing an energy or storage function that satisfies the dissipativity inequality and is then utilized as a Lyapunov function to ensure the internal stability requirements. Advanced H Control is unique in the literature for its treatment of disturbance attenuation in nonsmooth systems. It synthesizes various tools, including Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs partial differential inequalities as well as Linear Matrix Inequalities. Along with the finite-dimensional treatment, the synthesis is extended to infinite-dimensional setting, involving time-delay and distributed parameter systems. To help illustrate this synthesis, the book focuses on electromechanical applications with nonsmooth phenomena caused by dry friction, backlash, and sampled-data measurements. Special attention is devoted to implementation issues. Requiring familiarity with nonlinear systems theory, this book will be accessible to g raduate students interested in systems analysis and design, and is a welcome addition to the literature for researchers and practitioners in these areas.