Applications of Time Delay Systems


Book Description

This book provides an update of the latest research in control of time delay systems and applications by world leading experts. It will appeal to engineers, researchers and students in Control.




Statistical Inference for Ergodic Diffusion Processes


Book Description

The first book in inference for stochastic processes from a statistical, rather than a probabilistic, perspective. It provides a systematic exposition of theoretical results from over ten years of mathematical literature and presents, for the first time in book form, many new techniques and approaches.




Semiparametric Theory and Missing Data


Book Description

This book summarizes current knowledge regarding the theory of estimation for semiparametric models with missing data, in an organized and comprehensive manner. It starts with the study of semiparametric methods when there are no missing data. The description of the theory of estimation for semiparametric models is both rigorous and intuitive, relying on geometric ideas to reinforce the intuition and understanding of the theory. These methods are then applied to problems with missing, censored, and coarsened data with the goal of deriving estimators that are as robust and efficient as possible.




Faecal Sludge Management


Book Description

It is estimated that literally billions of residents in urban and peri-urban areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America are served by onsite sanitation systems (e.g. various types of latrines and septic tanks). Until recently, the management of faecal sludge from these onsite systems has been grossly neglected, partially as a result of them being considered temporary solutions until sewer-based systems could be implemented. However, the perception of onsite or decentralized sanitation technologies for urban areas is gradually changing, and is increasingly being considered as long-term, sustainable options in urban areas, especially in low- and middle-income countries that lack sewer infrastructures. This is the first book dedicated to faecal sludge management. It compiles the current state of knowledge of the rapidly evolving field of faecal sludge management, and presents an integrated approach that includes technology, management, and planning based on Sandecs 20 years of experience in the field. Faecal Sludge Management: Systems Approach for Implementation and Operation addresses the organization of the entire faecal sludge management service chain, from the collection and transport of sludge, and the current state of knowledge of treatment options, to the final end use or disposal of treated sludge. The book also presents important factors to consider when evaluating and upscaling new treatment technology options. The book is designed for undergraduate and graduate students, and engineers and practitioners in the field who have some basic knowledge of environmental and/or wastewater engineering.







CIKM'13


Book Description

CIKM'13: 22nd ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management Oct 27, 2013-Nov 01, 2013 San Francisco, USA. You can view more information about this proceeding and all of ACM�s other published conference proceedings from the ACM Digital Library: http://www.acm.org/dl.




Livestock Policy Analysis


Book Description

Policy concepts; Identification of policy issues; Production systems, supply and demand; Market, price and trade policies; Marketing and distribution systems; Budget and manpower planning; Land tenure police for the livestock sector; Policy analysis report writing and communication; Livestock production and marketing in alphabeta - a case study.




On-line Estimation and Adaptive Control of Bioreactors


Book Description

This book deals with monitoring and control of biotechnological processes. Different methods are proposed which are based on the nonlinear structure of the process and do not require any a priori knowledge of the fermentation parameters. The theoretical stability and convergence properties of the proposed algorithms are analysed and their performances are illustrated by simulation results and, in many instances, by real life experiments. The concept of software sensors is introduced; these are algorithms based on the nonlinear model of the process and designed for on-line estimation of the biological variables and/or the fermentation parameters. In order to deal with process nonstationarities and parameter uncertainties, reference is made to adaptive estimation and control techniques.The book is the result of an intensive joint research effort by the authors during the last decade. It is intended as a graduate level text for students of bioengineering as well as a reference text for scientists and engineers involved in the design and optimization of bioprocesses.




Optimal Shape Design for Elliptic Systems


Book Description

The study of optimal shape design can be arrived at by asking the following question: "What is the best shape for a physical system?" This book is an applications-oriented study of such physical systems; in particular, those which can be described by an elliptic partial differential equation and where the shape is found by the minimum of a single criterion function. There are many problems of this type in high-technology industries. In fact, most numerical simulations of physical systems are solved not to gain better understanding of the phenomena but to obtain better control and design. Problems of this type are described in Chapter 2. Traditionally, optimal shape design has been treated as a branch of the calculus of variations and more specifically of optimal control. This subject interfaces with no less than four fields: optimization, optimal control, partial differential equations (PDEs), and their numerical solutions-this is the most difficult aspect of the subject. Each of these fields is reviewed briefly: PDEs (Chapter 1), optimization (Chapter 4), optimal control (Chapter 5), and numerical methods (Chapters 1 and 4).




Nondifferentiable Optimization


Book Description