Eschewing a more theoretical approach, Portfolio Optimization shows how the mathematical tools of linear algebra and optimization can quickly and clearly formulate important ideas on the subject. This practical book extends the concepts of the Markowitz "budget constraint only" model to a linearly constrained model.

Only requiring elementary linear algebra, the text begins with the necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal quadratic minimization that is subject to linear equality constraints. It then develops the key properties of the efficient frontier, extends the results to problems with a risk-free asset, and presents Sharpe ratios and implied risk-free rates. After focusing on quadratic programming, the author discusses a constrained portfolio optimization problem and uses an algorithm to determine the entire (constrained) efficient frontier, its corner portfolios, the piecewise linear expected returns, and the piecewise quadratic variances. The final chapter illustrates infinitely many implied risk returns for certain market portfolios.

Drawing on the author 's experiences in the academic world and as a consultant to many financial institutions, this text provides a hands-on foundation in portfolio optimization. Although the author clearly describes how to implement each technique by hand, he includes several MATLAB programs designed to implement the methods and offers these programs on the accompanying CD-ROM.

Quadratic programming is a mathematical technique that allows for the optimization of a quadratic function in several variables. QP is a subset of Operations Research and is the next higher lever of sophistication than Linear Programming. It is a key mathematical tool in Portfolio Optimization and structural plasticity. This is useful in Civil Engineering as well as Statistics.

"Most public and academic libraries, particularly those with emphases on art history, American studies, American popular culture, or book collection, will want to acquire American Popular Illustration." Reference Books Bulletin

This important study examines aspects of political leadership and governance in the last decades of the 20th century. Driven by innovations in science and technology, turbulent change has impacted nearly every political system and created a political environment of extreme complexity and fluidity. In this environment, previously dominant leaders, ideas, and institutions have been disempowered and new leaders and ideas empowered. This work examines seven world leaders, members of the first generation of political elites to assume power in the fluid political environment of the late 20th century. Two were heads of advanced industrial countries: Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom and Helmut Kohl of Germany. Three were leaders of states which underwent the transition from communist to postcommunist regimes: Lech Walesa of Poland, Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union, and Boris Yeltsin of Russia. And two were leaders of important Third World states: Deng Xiaoping of China and Rajiv Gandhi of India. Each case study includes: (1) the political-economic context, (2) the operative elements of political turbulence in the domestic political environment, (3) a profile of the leader and his or her group, (4) the leader's political program, (5) strategies and means of achieving power, (6) the policy dimension, (7) the nature and scope of change, and (8) theories and interpretations of the leader and his or her political agenda. Through such analyses, the authors illustrate the scope, depth, and meaning of the most important recent political changes worldwide. The text will suit courses in international relations and comparative politics.

Every two years, exit polls become the most widely analyzed, written about, and discussed data-set in the United States. Although exit polls are known for their use in predicting elections, they are in fact the best tool for explaining election results. Exit polls are taken from actual voters, whereas pre-election polls that tally people's intended votes tend to overstate the number of people who will actually go to the polls. Exit Polls: Surveying the American Electorate is a groundbreaking new reference work that explores for the first time the trends in longitudinal variables asked in the national Election Day exit polls from their beginning in 1972 to the present. The book documents comparable survey items that have appeared in multiple exit polls over time. Authors Samuel J. Best and Brian S. Krueger-both election commentators for CBS news and statistical experts-present more than 100 tables and 100 figures showing the changes in the American electorate and its voting patterns over time. This work represents the first time exit poll data has been combined to show trends over time. Chapter one: The Exit Poll Phenomenon provides a brief history of exit polls and chronicles how they evolved into their current arrangement. It explains how exit poll questions are developed, the sampling and weighting procedures used, the reporting protocols adopted, and the benefits and limitations of exit polls. Chapter two: Creating and Using Exit Poll Time Series describes how individual exit polls were compiled into a first of its kind cumulative data file and discusses the rationale for selecting specific survey items. The chapter explains the techniques used to merge the data and discusses the framework used to present the data in the subsequent chapters. Chapter three: Composition of Voters in Federal Elections focuses on changes in the demographic and ideological composition of the electorate over almost forty years, including gender, age, race, sexual orientation, education, income, religion, party membership, and military service. Chapter four: The Presidential Voting Preferences of the Active Electorate examines the presidential voting patterns of the various groups that make up the American electorate, from 1972 to 2010. Chapter five: The Congressional Voting Preferences of the Active Electorate examines the congressional voting patterns of the various groups that make up the American electorate from 1972 to 2010. Offering unique insight into the American electorate, this important new work is meant to serve novice and expert researchers alike. Libraries with holdings in American politics and government will want to acquire this one-of-a-kind resource.

Colour Design: Theories and Applications, Second Edition, provides information on a broad spectrum of colour subjects written by seasoned industry professionals and academics. It is a multidisciplinary book that addresses the use of colour across a range of industries, with a particular focus on textile colouration. Part One deals with the human visual system, colour perception and colour psychology, while Part Two focuses on the practical application of colour in design, including specifically in textiles and fashion. Part Three covers cultural and historical aspects of colour, as well as recent developments, addressing areas such as dyes and pigments, architecture, colour theory, virtual reality games, colour printing, website development, and sustainability. This revised, expanded, and updated edition reflects recent technological developments, and new industry priorities. Bringing together the science of colouration and the more artistic elements of design, this book supports students, academics, and industry professionals in developing a deep knowledge of colour use. It will also be an important reference for those involved in textile dyeing, design and manufacture.

Given its importance in analysing and influencing the world around us, an understanding of colour is a vital tool in any design process. Colour design provides a comprehensive review of the issues surrounding the use of colour, from the fundamental principles of what colour is to its important applications across a vast range of industries. Part one covers the main principles and theories of colour, focusing on the human visual system and the psychology of colour perception. Part two goes on to review colour measurement and description, including consideration of international standards, approval methods for textiles and lithographic printing, and colour communication issues. Forecasting colour trends and methods for design enhancement are then discussed in part three along with the history of colour theory, dyes and pigments, and an overview of dye and print techniques. Finally, part four considers the use of colour across a range of specific applications, from fashion, art and interiors, to food and website design. With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Colour design is an invaluable reference tool for all those researching or working with colour and design in any capacity.

Strategic technology strategy for smaller financial institutions Breaking Digital Gridlock empowers credit unions and community banks to make the shift to digital--even without a seven-figure consulting budget. From leadership, to technology, to security, and more, this book provides effective, real-world strategies for taking the leap without tearing your organization apart. With an emphasis on maintaining the culture, services, and features you have carefully crafted for your customers over the years, these strategies allow you to make your organization more resistant to digital disruption by adopting key technologies at key points in their evolution. Expert advice grounded in practicality shows how FinTech partnerships and strategic technology acquisition can foster new growth with minimal disruption, and how project management can be restructured to most effectively implement any digital solution and how to implement and leverage analytics. Specific implementation advice coupled with expert approaches offer the ability to modernize in an efficient, organized, financially-sound manner. The companion website features a digital readiness assessment that helps clarify the breadth and scope of the change, and serves as a progress check every step of the way. Access to digital assets helps smooth the path to implementation, and a reader forum facilitates the exchange of ideas, experiences, and advice. Identify revolutionary versus evolutionary technology opportunities Empower employee innovation, and stop managing all risk out of good ideas Understand blockchain, machine learning, cloud computing, and other technologies Forge strategic partnerships that will drive growth and success amidst technological upheaval It is widely accepted that digital is the future of banking, but knowing is not the same as doing. If your organization has been riding the fence for too long amidst uncertainty and budget constraints, Breaking Digital Gridlock provides the solutions, strategies, and knowledge you need to begin moving forward.

This work provides an authoritative overview of the composition of public opinion in America, the methodologies by which public opinion is measured, and the importance of polling to U.S. politics, policy, and culture. This revised edition is a comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of public opinion polling in the United States, including major and emerging theories and concepts; historical and current methodologies; political, journalistic, and corporate uses; landmark events and developments in the history of polling; and influential people and organizations. The encyclopedia also illuminates how public opinion polling has become important in shaping the trajectory of American society and the views that Americans have about themselves and their fellow citizens. Specific big-picture topics explored include how data mining of internet and social media usage trends has shaped modern political and business advertising campaigns; the impact of politically partisan media outlets on public opinion; and attitudes of various sectors of the American electorate about diverse topics including gun control, abortion, immigration, marijuana legalization, and the nation's two main political parties.

When Vermont Yankee melts down in 2031, Brattleboro becomes part of the quarantined Windham National Forest for six hundred years, where the only vendible crop is black market marijuana. As long as you take enough Prussian Blue to precipitate the radioactive cesium-137 from your body, smoke up In the second installment of The D Generation, James is declared a national security threat to "the lower 36" when an alien technology is found in his neck. To escape his future as an NSA funded medical experiment, he disappears into the wilds of Windham, but trouble pursues him from all sides, even from the sky.

Professional stay-at-home nanman looking for needy mistress with a lot of bang and a lot of buck. You: type-A powerhouse, sexy exercise freak, no time for lovely children. Me: lovable child entertainer, epicurean sorcerer, and full action figure complete with handyman tool belt. Trained in subservience and anger management for Your Highness's stress release blowouts. Taking applications now.

The Nanman is a romance set against the modern trend of stay-at-home dads who are losing their families. The news has recently reported this paradox: women are increasingly interested in their own professional development, while men are enjoying the acceptability of staying home and raising children. Yet many of these women still desire a man who can "take care of them," and are becoming disenchanted with their stay-at-home husbands, often leaving and taking the children with them. The Nanman shows one man's rejection of that fate.

Life and cases investigated by a 34-year law enforcement/intelligence officer in the USA and in Latin America. The title of this book was suggested to me many years ago when I saw a license plate frame with the words, Bad Cop - No Doughnut." As a police officer I thought it fit very well with the American concept that, "Cops like doughnuts - therefore - if he is not a good cop - he gets no doughnuts." My book covers many of the cases and situations I worked on during my career and I firmly believe that I do it all again, first thing tomorrow morning. In my opinion, enforcement of the law began with the Code of Hammurabi and has always been based on the idea that evil doers should be apprehended and punished for their transgressions against their fellow man, regardless of their position or status in the community.

Dorie Archer's carefree childhood days became filled with darkness-no fresh air, no sunshine, no rain, no work for the farmers, and no money. Dorie's gripping story brings to life the everyday activities of a Nebraska girl and her family during the Dust Bowl as they struggled to survive the enormous challenges of one of the most trying times in Nebraska history. Excerpt: The wind began to swirl around them and pick up in intensity. The cloud cast a veil over them as thick as pea soup. Soon the sun was completely blotted out by its murkiness. The light had turned into total darkness that Sunday afternoon. Imprisoned within the swirling, blinding wind, the children could feel particles of dust blast their faces sharply as they frantically covered their mouths and eyes with their arms and hands. It was no use. The dust filled their mouths with grit and stung their eyes. It coated their teeth and tongue and caused them to cough, sputter, and struggle for air.

The Armun Shorts: I-III is the first installment of a series of short medieval fantasies based on the characters and tales that precede the novel Lost Sovereignty.

Full Title: "Testimony Taken before the Senate Committee on Banks and The Senate of the State of New York"Description: "The Making of the Modern Law: Trials, 1600-1926" collection provides descriptions of the major trials from over 300 years, with official trial documents, unofficially published accounts of the trials, briefs and arguments and more. Readers can delve into sensational trials as well as those precedent-setting trials associated with key constitutional and historical issues and discover, including the Amistad Slavery case, the Dred Scott case and Scopes "monkey" trial."Trials" provides unfiltered narrative into the lives of the trial participants as well as everyday people, providing an unparalleled source for the historical study of sex, gender, class, marriage and divorce.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++MonographHarvard Law School LibraryAlbany: Weed, Parsons & Company, Printers, 1878

Full Title: "Testimony Taken Before the Senate Committee on Banks and The Senate of The State of New York, in Reference to Charges Preferrd by William J. Best, Receiver, Etc., Edward Mallon and John Mack, against De Witt C. Ellis, Superintendent of the Banking Departm"Description: "The Making of the Modern Law: Trials, 1600-1926" collection provides descriptions of the major trials from over 300 years, with official trial documents, unofficially published accounts of the trials, briefs and arguments and more. Readers can delve into sensational trials as well as those precedent-setting trials associated with key constitutional and historical issues and discover, including the Amistad Slavery case, the Dred Scott case and Scopes "monkey" trial."Trials" provides unfiltered narrative into the lives of the trial participants as well as everyday people, providing an unparalleled source for the historical study of sex, gender, class, marriage and divorce.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++Court RecordHarvard Law School LibraryAlbany: Weed, Parsons & Company, Printers. 1878

Full Title: "Testimony Taken Before the Senate Committee on banks and the Senate of the State of New York, in Reference to Charges Preferred by William J. Best, Receiver, Etc., Edward Mallon and John Mack, Against De Witt C. Ellis, Superintendent of the Banking Depart"Description: "The Making of the Modern Law: Trials, 1600-1926" collection provides descriptions of the major trials from over 300 years, with official trial documents, unofficially published accounts of the trials, briefs and arguments and more. Readers can delve into sensational trials as well as those precedent-setting trials associated with key constitutional and historical issues and discover, including the Amistad Slavery case, the Dred Scott case and Scopes "monkey" trial."Trials" provides unfiltered narrative into the lives of the trial participants as well as everyday people, providing an unparalleled source for the historical study of sex, gender, class, marriage and divorce.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++Court RecordYale Law LibraryAlbany: Weed, Parsons & Company, Printers. 1878