This book discusses the stability of axially moving materials, which are encountered in process industry applications such as papermaking. A special emphasis is given to analytical and semianalytical approaches. As preliminaries, we consider a variety of problems across mechanics involving bifurcations, allowing to introduce the techniques in a simplified setting. In the main part of the book, the fundamentals of the theory of axially moving materials are presented in a systematic manner, including both elastic and viscoelastic material models, and the connection between the beam and panel models. The issues that arise in formulating boundary conditions specifically for axially moving materials are discussed. Some problems involving axially moving isotropic and orthotropic elastic plates are analyzed. Analytical free-vibration solutions for axially moving strings with and without damping are derived. A simple model for fluid--structure interaction of an axially moving panel is presented in detail. This book is addressed to researchers, industrial specialists and students in the fields of theoretical and applied mechanics, and of applied and computational mathematics.

Curated by the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences from their COVID-19 Math Modelling Seminars, this first in a series of volumes on the mathematics of public health allows readers to access the dominant ideas and techniques being used in this area, while indicating problems for further research. This work brings together experts in mathematical modelling from across Canada and the world, presenting the latest modelling methods as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. A primary aim of this book is to make the content accessible so that researchers share the core methods that may be applied elsewhere. The mathematical theories and technologies in this book can be used to support decision makers on critical issues such as projecting outbreak trajectories, evaluating public health interventions for infection prevention and control, developing optimal strategies to return to a new normal, and designing vaccine candidates and informing mass immunization program. Topical coverage includes: basic susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) modelling framework modified and applied to COVID-19 disease transmission dynamics; nearcasting and forecasting for needs of critical medical resources including personal protective equipment (PPE); predicting COVID-19 mortality; evaluating effectiveness of convalescent plasma treatment and the logistic implementation challenges; estimating impact of delays in contact tracing; quantifying heterogeneity in contact mixing and its evaluation with social distancing; modelling point of care diagnostics of COVID-19; and understanding non-reporting and underestimation. Further, readers will have the opportunity to learn about current modelling methodologies and technologies for emerging infectious disease outbreaks, pandemic mitigation rapid response, and the mathematics behind them. The volume will help the general audience and experts to better understand the important role that mathematics has been playing during this on-going crisis in supporting critical decision-making by governments and public health agencies.

The sequential quadratic hamiltonian (SQH) method is a novel numerical optimization procedure for solving optimal control problems governed by differential models. It is based on the characterisation of optimal controls in the framework of the Pontryagin maximum principle (PMP). The SQH method is a powerful computational methodology that is capable of development in many directions. The Sequential Quadratic Hamiltonian Method: Solving Optimal Control Problems discusses its analysis and use in solving nonsmooth ODE control problems, relaxed ODE control problems, stochastic control problems, mixed-integer control problems, PDE control problems, inverse PDE problems, differential Nash game problems, and problems related to residual neural networks. This book may serve as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students, and as an introduction for researchers in sciences and engineering who intend to further develop the SQH method or wish to use it as a numerical tool for solving challenging optimal control problems and for investigating the Pontryagin maximum principle on new optimisation problems. Feature Provides insight into mathematical and computational issues concerning optimal control problems, while discussing many differential models of interest in different disciplines. Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students and as an introduction for researchers in sciences and engineering. Accompanied by codes which allow the reader to apply the SQH method to solve many different optimal control and optimisation problems

This book presents recent research on bioinspired heuristics for optimization. Learning- based and black-box optimization exhibit some properties of intrinsic parallelization, and can be used for various optimizations problems. Featuring the most relevant work presented at the 6th International Conference on Metaheuristics and Nature Inspired Computing, held at Marrakech (Morocco) from 27th to 31st October 2016, the book presents solutions, methods, algorithms, case studies, and software. It is a valuable resource for research academics and industrial practitioners.

This book comes out from the materials I used to refer while doing my research on the optimization issues in logistics. I brought together some of these materials to form a guidance material on the fundamentals of the optimization concepts along with my own studies on the application of optimization methods. This book consists of two parts and six chapters. The first part of the book, which consists of three chapters, is about introduction to optimization with typical base problems and algorithms for solving problems. The second part of this book consists of three my own researches on the application of optimization methods. Each chapter in this book is independent of each other. I hope you will find this book useful, informative, beneficial and appropriate for your needs.

This book, which is the first of two volumes, presents, in a unique way, some of the most relevant research tools of modern analysis. This work empowers young researchers with all the necessary techniques to explore the various subfields of this broad subject, and introduces relevant frameworks where these tools can be immediately deployed. Volume I starts with the foundations of modern analysis. The first three chapters are devoted to topology, measure theory, and functional analysis. Chapter 4 offers a comprehensive analysis of the main function spaces, while Chapter 5 covers more concrete subjects, like multivariate analysis, which are closely related to applications and more difficult to find in compact form. Chapter 6 deals with smooth and non-smooth calculus of functions; Chapter 7 introduces certain important classes of nonlinear operators; and Chapter 8 complements the previous three chapters with topics of variational analysis. Each chapter of this volume finishes with a list of problems - handy for understanding and self-study - and historical notes that give the reader a more vivid picture of how the theory developed. Volume II consists of various applications using the tools and techniques developed in this volume. By offering a clear and wide picture of the tools and applications of modern analysis, this work can be of great benefit not only to mature graduate students seeking topics for research, but also to experienced researchers with an interest in this vast and rich field of mathematics.

Linear programming represents one of the major applications of mathematics to business, industry, and economics. It provides a methodology for optimizing an output given that is a linear function of a number of inputs. George Dantzig is widely regarded as the founder of the subject with his invention of the simplex algorithm in the 1940's. This second volume is intended to add to the theory of the items discussed in the first volume. It also includes additional advanced topics such as variants of the simplex method, interior point methods (early and current methods), GUB, decomposition, integer programming, and game theory. Graduate students in the fields of operations research, industrial engineering, and applied mathematics will find this volume of particular interest.

This book reports on the implementation of evolutionary-game theory in the design of distributed optimization-based controllers. First, it discusses how the classical population-game approach can contribute to and complement the design of optimization-based controllers. It shows how the features of this approach can be exploited to extend their capabilities in the solution of distributed optimization problems, and examines density games in order to consider multiple coupled constraints and preserve the non-centralized information requirements. Furthermore, it establishes a close relationship between the possible interactions among agents in a population with constrained information sharing among different local controllers. It also discusses coalitional games, focusing on the Shapley power index and proposes an alternative method of computing the latter, which reduces computational time, as well as a different way of finding it using distributed communication structures. All the proposed strategies are then tested on various control problems, such as those related to the Barcelona water supply network, multiple continuous stirred tank reactors, various unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and a water distribution system. This thesis, examined at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya and Universidad de los Andes in 2017, received the award for best thesis in control from the control group of the Spanish Committee of Automatic Control (CEA) in the same year.

This book is for those interested in number systems, abstract algebra, and analysis. It provides an understanding of negative and fractional numbers with theoretical background and explains rationale of irrational and complex numbers in an easy to understand format. This book covers the fundamentals, proof of theorems, examples, definitions, and concepts. It explains the theory in an easy and understandable manner and offers problems for understanding and extensions of concept are included. The book provides concepts in other fields and includes an understanding of handling of numbers by computers. Research scholars and students working in the fields of engineering, science, and different branches of mathematics will find this book of interest, as it provides the subject in a clear and concise way.

The scientific and technical development of any kind of germplasm is regulated by a vast network of treaties, conventions, international agreements, and national and regional legislation. These regulations govern biotechnological innovations in plants and microorganisms, access to and use of plant genetic resources, and biosafety. This complex mix has made it difficult to arrive at global interpretations, due to overlaps, gaps, ambiguities, contradictions, and lack of consistency. The big picture is even more complex, as a series of scientific developments - gene editing in particular - have in some cases rendered these international regulatory frameworks obsolete. This book puts forward an innovative approach: a "Comprehensive Plant Germplasm System". The System is a cooperative game theory-based proposal for a binding international convention which would supersede all other conventions, treaties, national and regional legislation covering native varieties and traditional developments, heterogeneous plant varieties, microorganisms, biotechnological inventions, plant genetic resources, and biosafety regulation. In short, it offers a comprehensive framework regarding intellectual property, biosafety, and business regulation and covers all types of germplasm. If applied, the system is expected to yield higher productivity rates in crops and improved food biodiversity, as well as a new paradigm based on the promotion of innovation for "Agriculture 4.0."

This volume collects papers, based on invited talks given at the IMA workshop in Modeling, Stochastic Control, Optimization, and Related Applications, held at the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications, University of Minnesota, during May and June, 2018. There were four week-long workshops during the conference. They are (1) stochastic control, computation methods, and applications, (2) queueing theory and networked systems, (3) ecological and biological applications, and (4) finance and economics applications. For broader impacts, researchers from different fields covering both theoretically oriented and application intensive areas were invited to participate in the conference. It brought together researchers from multi-disciplinary communities in applied mathematics, applied probability, engineering, biology, ecology, and networked science, to review, and substantially update most recent progress. As an archive, this volume presents some of the highlights of the workshops, and collect papers covering a broad range of topics.

This volume provides a timely survey of interactions between the calculus of variations and theoretical and applied mechanics. Chapters have been significantly expanded since preliminary versions appeared in a special issue of the Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications (184(1), 2020) on "Calculus of Variations in Mechanics and Related Fields". The variety of topics covered offers researchers an overview of problems in mechanics that can be analyzed with variational techniques, making this a valuable reference for researchers in the field. It also presents ideas for possible future areas of research, showing how the mastery of these foundational mathematical techniques can be used for many exciting applications. Specific topics covered include: Topology optimization Identification of material properties Optimal control Plastic flows Gradient polyconvexity Obstacle problems Quasi-monotonicity Variational Views in Mechanics will appeal to researchers in mathematics, solid-states physics, and mechanical, civil, and materials engineering.

Energy production and supply, as well as sourcing and consumption, are becoming evermore important in a volatile world. In this book, attention is paid to prevalent energy issues from a finance perspective. The topics discussed cover markets, prices, regulations and firms. An international group of authors from both academia and energy practice provides in twelve chapters a state of the art of the energy markets in a finance environment. They do so by discussing the current knowledge and presenting empirical research in this quickly changing and developing field. This book is the first in a planned series on energy at a high scientific level organized by the Centre for Energy and Value Issues (CEVI).

This volume contains the edited texts of the lectures presented at the workshop on Nonlinear Optimization: Theory and Applications, held in Erice at the "G. Stampacchia" School of Mathematics of the "E. Majorana" International Centre for Scientific Culture June 13-21, 1995. The meeting was conceived to review and discuss recent advances and promising research trends concerning theory, algorithms, and innovative applications in the field This is a field of mathematics which is providing viable of Nonlinear Optimization. tools in engineering, in economics and in other applied sciences, and which is giving a great contribution also in the solution of the more practiced linear optimization prob lems. The meeting was attended by approximately 70 people from 18 countries. Besides the lectures, several formal and informal discussions took place. The result was a broad exposure providing a wide and deep understanding of the present research achievements in the field. We wish to express our appreciation for the active contributions of all the partici pants in the meeting. Our gratitude is due to the Ettore Majorana Center in Erice, which offered its facilities and stimulating environment: its staff was certainly instrumental for the success of the meeting. Our gratitude is also due to Francisco Facchinei and Massino Roma for the time spent in the organization of the workshop, and to Giuliana Cai for the careful typesetting of this volume."

Economic Games and Strategic Behaviour is a seminal volume which introduces a model providing solutions to economic games subject to repeated play. It develops a link between strategic bargaining and the theory of self-enforcing contracts to give insights into the long-term relationships between two parties, such as firms or governments, who meet in a negotiating situation. The author provides an original approach to strategic bargaining to find a solution to economic games in which cooperation cannot be enforced by a third party. He then applies this approach to a wide range of real life situations including international environmental agreements, bilateral trade agreements, collusion between firms in industry and bargaining between buyers and sellers in the market place. The author also discusses important policy implications as well as setting an agenda for future research. Economic Games and Strategic Behaviour is an original contribution to the existing literature which will be welcomed for providing accurate outcomes for situations in which conventional theories produce ambiguous results. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of microeconomics, game theory and industrial economics.

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS WITH DISCRETE OR INTEGER VARIABLES, REVISED AND UPDATED The revised second edition of Integer Programming explains in clear and simple terms how to construct custom-made algorithms or use existing commercial software to obtain optimal or near-optimal solutions for a variety of real-world problems. The second edition also includes information on the remarkable progress in the development of mixed integer programming solvers in the 22 years since the first edition of the book appeared. The updated text includes information on the most recent developments in the field such as the much improved preprocessing/presolving and the many new ideas for primal heuristics included in the solvers. The result has been a speed-up of several orders of magnitude. The other major change reflected in the text is the widespread use of decomposition algorithms, in particular column generation (branch-(cut)-and-price) and Benders' decomposition. The revised second edition: Contains new developments on column generation Offers a new chapter on Benders' algorithm Includes expanded information on preprocessing, heuristics, and branch-and-cut Presents several basic and extended formulations, for example for fixed cost network flows Also touches on and briefly introduces topics such as non-bipartite matching, the complexity of extended formulations or a good linear program for the implementation of lift-and-project Written for students of integer/mathematical programming in operations research, mathematics, engineering, or computer science, Integer Programming offers an updated edition of the basic text that reflects the most recent developments in the field.

This monograph deals with problems of dynamical reconstruction of unknown variable characteristics (distributed or boundary disturbances, coefficients ofoperator etc.) for various classes of systems with distributed parameters (parabolic and hyperbolic equations, evolutionary variational inequalities etc.).

The contributions in this volume have been written by eminent scientists from the international mathematical community and present significant advances in several theories, methods and problems of Mathematical Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Geometry and their Applications. The chapters focus on both old and recent developments in Functional Analysis, Harmonic Analysis, Complex Analysis, Operator Theory, Combinatorics, Functional Equations, Differential Equations as well as a variety of Applications.

The book also contains some review works, which could prove particularly useful for a broader audience of readers in Mathematical Sciences, and especially to graduate students looking for the latest information.

This handbook aims to serve as a one-stop, reliable source of reference, with curations of survey and expository contributions on the state-of-the-art in Blockchain technology. It covers a comprehensive range of topics, providing the technical and non-technical reader with fundamentals, applications, and deep details on a variety of topics. The readership is expected to span broadly from technologically-minded business professionals and entrepreneurs, to students, instructors, novices and seasoned researchers, in computer science, engineering, software engineering, finance, and data science. Though Blockchain technology is relatively young, its evolution as a field and a practice is booming in growth and its importance to society had never been more important than it is today. Blockchain solutions enable a decentralization of a digital society where people can contribute, collaborate, and transact without having to second-guess the trust and transparency factors with many geographical, financial, and political barriers removed. It is the distributed ledger technology behind the success of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many emerging applications. The resource is divided into 5 parts. Part 1 (Foundation) walks the reader through a comprehensive set of essential concepts, protocols, and algorithms that lay the foundation for Blockchain. Part 2 (Scalability) focuses on the most pressing challenges of today's blockchain networks in how to keep pace with real-world expectations. Part 3 (Trust and Security) provides detailed coverage on the issues of trust, reputation, and security in Blockchain. Part 4 (Decentralized Finance) is devoted to a high-impact application of Blockchain to finance, the sector that has most benefitted from this technology. Part 5 (Application and Policy) includes several cases where Blockchain applies to the real world.

This book describes the next generation of industry-Industry 4.0-and how it holds the promise of increased flexibility in manufacturing, along with automation, better quality, and improved productivity. The authors discuss how it thus enables companies to cope with the challenges of producing increasingly individualized products with a short lead-time to market and higher quality. The authors posit that intelligent cloud services and resource sharing play an important role in Industry 4.0 anticipated Fourth Industrial Revolution. This book serves the different issues and challenges in cloud resource management CRM techniques with proper propped solution for IT organizations. The book features chapters based on the characteristics of autonomic computing with its applicability in CRM. Each chapter features the techniques and analysis of each mechanism to make better resource management in cloud.

This book collects some recent works on the application of dynamic game and control theory to the analysis of environmental problems. This collec tion of papers is not the outcome of a conference or of a workshop. It is rather the result of a careful screening from among a number of contribu tions that we have solicited across the world. In particular, we have been able to attract the work of some of the most prominent scholars in the field of dynamic analyses of the environment. Engineers, mathematicians and economists provide their views and analytical tools to better interpret the interactions between economic and environmental phenomena, thus achiev ing, through this interdisciplinary effort, new and interesting results. The goal of the book is more normative than descriptive. All papers include careful modelling of the dynamics of the main variables involved in the game between nature and economic agents and among economic agents themselves, as well-described in Vrieze's introductory chapter. Fur thermore, all papers use this careful modelling framework to provide policy prescriptions to the public agencies authorized to regulate emission dy namics. Several diverse problems are addressed: from global issues, such as the greenhouse effect or deforestation, to international ones, such as the management of fisheries, to local ones, for example, the control of effluent discharges. Moreover, pollution problems are not the only concern of this book."

Machine learning heavily relies on optimization algorithms to solve its learning models. Constrained problems constitute a major type of optimization problem, and the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is a commonly used algorithm to solve constrained problems, especially linearly constrained ones. Written by experts in machine learning and optimization, this is the first book providing a state-of-the-art review on ADMM under various scenarios, including deterministic and convex optimization, nonconvex optimization, stochastic optimization, and distributed optimization. Offering a rich blend of ideas, theories and proofs, the book is up-to-date and self-contained. It is an excellent reference book for users who are seeking a relatively universal algorithm for constrained problems. Graduate students or researchers can read it to grasp the frontiers of ADMM in machine learning in a short period of time.

For a long time the techniques of solving linear optimization (LP) problems improved only marginally. Fifteen years ago, however, a revolutionary discovery changed everything. A new golden age' for optimization started, which is continuing up to the current time. What is the cause of the excitement? Techniques of linear programming formed previously an isolated body of knowledge. Then suddenly a tunnel was built linking it with a rich and promising land, part of which was already cultivated, part of which was completely unexplored. These revolutionary new techniques are now applied to solve conic linear problems. This makes it possible to model and solve large classes of essentially nonlinear optimization problems as efficiently as LP problems. This volume gives an overview of the latest developments of such High Performance Optimization Techniques'. The first part is a thorough treatment of interior point methods for semidefinite programming problems. The second part reviews today's most exciting research topics and results in the area of convex optimization. Audience: This volume is for graduate students and researchers who are interested in modern optimization techniques.

This book analyzes coalitional control schemes by incorporating concepts of cooperative game theory into a distributed control framework. It considers a networked architecture where the nodes are the agents and the edges are their communication links and either the agents or the links are established as the players of cooperative games related to the cost function of the coalitional schemes. The book discusses various cooperative game theory tools that are used to measure/analyze the players' features, impose constraints on them, provide alternative methods of game computation, detect critical players inside the control scheme, and perform system partitioning of large-scale systems, such as the Barcelona drinking water network, which is described in a case study.