CVX Propulsion System Decision


Book Description

The U.S. Navy is in the process of designing the CVX, its next-generation aircraft carrier. One technological advance for the CVX, compared with the current Nimitz class of carriers, is a new propulsion system. To help in deciding between a nuclear and non-nuclear propulsion system for the CVX, the Navy asked RAND to determine the effects of the CVX propulsion choice on the industrial bases supporting nuclear propulsion systems and those supporting conventional propulsion systems. RAND began the research in April 1998 and provided the results of the analyses to the CVX program office in August 1998. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made that the CVX class would use nuclear propulsion. The research findings described in this document helped influence that decision. This report offers the briefing presented to the program office along with accompanying annotation. The researchers delineated the various propulsion system options being considered and contacted







Combinatorial Image Analysis


Book Description

This volume presents the proceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Combinatorial Image Analysis, held December 1–3, 2004, in Auckland, New Zealand. Prior meetings took place in Paris (France, 1991), Ube (Japan, 1992), Washington DC (USA, 1994), Lyon (France, 1995), Hiroshima (Japan, 1997), Madras (India, 1999), Caen (France, 2000), Philadelphia (USA, 2001), and - lermo (Italy, 2003). For this workshop we received 86 submitted papers from 23 countries. Each paper was evaluated by at least two independent referees. We selected 55 papers for the conference. Three invited lectures by Vladimir Kovalevsky (Berlin), Akira Nakamura (Hiroshima), and Maurice Nivat (Paris) completed the program. Conference papers are presented in this volume under the following topical part titles: discrete tomography (3 papers), combinatorics and computational models (6), combinatorial algorithms (6), combinatorial mathematics (4), d- ital topology (7), digital geometry (7), approximation of digital sets by curves and surfaces (5), algebraic approaches (5), fuzzy image analysis (2), image s- mentation (6), and matching and recognition (7). These subjects are dealt with in the context of digital image analysis or computer vision.




Mathematical Programming for Power Systems Operation


Book Description

Explore the theoretical foundations and real-world power system applications of convex programming In Mathematical Programming for Power System Operation with Applications in Python, Professor Alejandro Garces delivers a comprehensive overview of power system operations models with a focus on convex optimization models and their implementation in Python. Divided into two parts, the book begins with a theoretical analysis of convex optimization models before moving on to related applications in power systems operations. The author eschews concepts of topology and functional analysis found in more mathematically oriented books in favor of a more natural approach. Using this perspective, he presents recent applications of convex optimization in power system operations problems. Mathematical Programming for Power System Operation with Applications in Python uses Python and CVXPY as tools to solve power system optimization problems and includes models that can be solved with the presented framework. The book also includes: A thorough introduction to power system operation, including economic and environmental dispatch, optimal power flow, and hosting capacity Comprehensive explorations of the mathematical background of power system operation, including quadratic forms and norms and the basic theory of optimization Practical discussions of convex functions and convex sets, including affine and linear spaces, politopes, balls, and ellipsoids In-depth examinations of convex optimization, including global optimums, and first and second order conditions Perfect for undergraduate students with some knowledge in power systems analysis, generation, or distribution, Mathematical Programming for Power System Operation with Applications in Python is also an ideal resource for graduate students and engineers practicing in the area of power system optimization.




Aircraft Carriers


Book Description

In the post-1945 era, the aircraft carrier has remained a valued weapon despite the development of nuclear weapons, cruise and ballistic missiles, and highly capable submarines. At times, as in the early days of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and in the Falklands conflict, carriers alone could deploy high-performance aircraft to the battlefield. In other operations, such as enforcing the no-fly zones and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, only carriers could provide the bases needed for sustained combat and support operations. This second volume of Norman Polmar's landmark study details the role of carriers in the unification of the U.S. armed forces and strategic deterrence, fiscally constrained Great Britain, the development of British Commonwealth and ex-colonial navies, and the efforts of France and the Netherlands to rebuild their fleets. The role of the modern carrier-nine nations currently possess them-is discussed, as are the issues confronting nations that might acquire them. Chapters on the Soviet Union's effort to produce carriers are included for the first time. The development of both carrier planes and the many "oddball" aircraft that have flown from carriers-such as the U-2 spy plane-are also examined. Appendixes include comprehensive data on all carriers built and converted through 2006. This volume is a valuable companion to the critically acclaimed Volume I, which covers aircraft carrier development and operations from 1909 to 1945.










Fusion Protein Technologies for Biopharmaceuticals


Book Description

The state of the art in biopharmaceutical FUSION PROTEIN DESIGN Fusion proteins belong to the most lucrative biotech drugs—with Enbrel® being one of the best-selling biologics worldwide. Enbrel® represents a milestone of modern therapies just as Humulin®, the first therapeutic recombinant protein for human use, approved by the FDA in 1982 and Orthoclone® the first monoclonal antibody reaching the market in 1986. These first generation molecules were soon followed by a plethora of recombinant copies of natural human proteins, and in 1998, the first de novo designed fusion protein was launched. Fusion Protein Technologies for Biopharmaceuticals examines the state of the art in developing fusion proteins for biopharmaceuticals, shedding light on the immense potential inherent in fusion protein design and functionality. A wide pantheon of international scientists and researchers deliver a comprehensive and complete overview of therapeutic fusion proteins, combining the success stories of marketed drugs with the dynamic preclinical and clinical research into novel drugs designed for as yet unmet medical needs. The book covers the major types of fusion proteins—receptor-traps, immunotoxins, Fc-fusions and peptibodies—while also detailing the approaches for developing, delivering, and improving the stability of fusion proteins. The main body of the book contains three large sections that address issues key to this specialty: strategies for extending the plasma half life, the design of toxic proteins, and utilizing fusion proteins for ultra specific targeting. The book concludes with novel concepts in this field, including examples of highly relevant multifunctional antibodies. Detailing the innovative science, commercial realities, and brilliant potential of fusion protein therapeutics, Fusion Protein Technologies for Biopharmaceuticals is a must for pharmaceutical scientists, biochemists, medicinal chemists, molecular biologists, pharmacologists, and genetic engineers interested in determining the shape of innovation in the world of biopharmaceuticals.




The Science of Quantitative Information Flow


Book Description

This book presents a comprehensive mathematical theory that explains precisely what information flow is, how it can be assessed quantitatively – so bringing precise meaning to the intuition that certain information leaks are small enough to be tolerated – and how systems can be constructed that achieve rigorous, quantitative information-flow guarantees in those terms. It addresses the fundamental challenge that functional and practical requirements frequently conflict with the goal of preserving confidentiality, making perfect security unattainable. Topics include: a systematic presentation of how unwanted information flow, i.e., "leaks", can be quantified in operationally significant ways and then bounded, both with respect to estimated benefit for an attacking adversary and by comparisons between alternative implementations; a detailed study of capacity, refinement, and Dalenius leakage, supporting robust leakage assessments; a unification of information-theoretic channels and information-leaking sequential programs within the same framework; and a collection of case studies, showing how the theory can be applied to interesting realistic scenarios. The text is unified, self-contained and comprehensive, accessible to students and researchers with some knowledge of discrete probability and undergraduate mathematics, and contains exercises to facilitate its use as a course textbook.




Natural Language Processing and Chinese Computing


Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th CCF Conference, NLPCC 2015, held in Nanchang, China, in October 2015. The 35 revised full papers presented together with 22 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 238 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on fundamentals on language computing; applications on language computing; NLP for search technology and ads; web mining; knowledge acquisition and information extraction.