Discretization of Processes


Book Description

In applications, and especially in mathematical finance, random time-dependent events are often modeled as stochastic processes. Assumptions are made about the structure of such processes, and serious researchers will want to justify those assumptions through the use of data. As statisticians are wont to say, “In God we trust; all others must bring data.” This book establishes the theory of how to go about estimating not just scalar parameters about a proposed model, but also the underlying structure of the model itself. Classic statistical tools are used: the law of large numbers, and the central limit theorem. Researchers have recently developed creative and original methods to use these tools in sophisticated (but highly technical) ways to reveal new details about the underlying structure. For the first time in book form, the authors present these latest techniques, based on research from the last 10 years. They include new findings. This book will be of special interest to researchers, combining the theory of mathematical finance with its investigation using market data, and it will also prove to be useful in a broad range of applications, such as to mathematical biology, chemical engineering, and physics.




Discretization Methods in Structural Mechanics


Book Description

The advent of the digital computer has given great impetus to the development of modern discretization methods in structural mechanics. The young history of the finite element method (FEM) reflects the dramatic increase of computing speed and storage capacity within a relatively short period of time. The history of the boundary element method (BEM) is still younger. Presently, intense scientific efforts aimed at extending the range of application of the BEM can be observed. More than 10 years ago, O.C. Zienkiewicz and his co-workers published the first papers on the coupling of FE and BE discretizations of subregions of solids for the purpose of exploiting the complementary advantages of the two discretization methods and reducing their disadvantages. The FEM has revolutionized structural analysis in industry as well as academia. The BEM has a fair share in the continuation of this revolution. Both discretization methods have become a domain of vigorous, world-wide research activities. The rapid increase of the number of specialized journals and scientific meetings indicates the remarkable increase of research efforts in this important subdolll.ain of computational ulechanics. Several discussions of this situation in the Committee for Discretization Methods ill Solid Mechanics of the Society for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (GAMM) resulted in the plan to submit a proposal to the General Assembly of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) to sponsor a pertinent IUTAM Symposium.




Analysis of Discretization Methods for Ordinary Differential Equations


Book Description

Due to the fundamental role of differential equations in science and engineering it has long been a basic task of numerical analysts to generate numerical values of solutions to differential equations. Nearly all approaches to this task involve a "finitization" of the original differential equation problem, usually by a projection into a finite-dimensional space. By far the most popular of these finitization processes consists of a reduction to a difference equation problem for functions which take values only on a grid of argument points. Although some of these finite difference methods have been known for a long time, their wide applica bility and great efficiency came to light only with the spread of electronic computers. This in tum strongly stimulated research on the properties and practical use of finite-difference methods. While the theory or partial differential equations and their discrete analogues is a very hard subject, and progress is consequently slow, the initial value problem for a system of first order ordinary differential equations lends itself so naturally to discretization that hundreds of numerical analysts have felt inspired to invent an ever-increasing number of finite-difference methods for its solution. For about 15 years, there has hardly been an issue of a numerical journal without new results of this kind; but clearly the vast majority of these methods have just been variations of a few basic themes. In this situation, the classical text book by P.




Discrete-Time Markov Control Processes


Book Description

This book presents the first part of a planned two-volume series devoted to a systematic exposition of some recent developments in the theory of discrete-time Markov control processes (MCPs). Interest is mainly confined to MCPs with Borel state and control (or action) spaces, and possibly unbounded costs and noncompact control constraint sets. MCPs are a class of stochastic control problems, also known as Markov decision processes, controlled Markov processes, or stochastic dynamic pro grams; sometimes, particularly when the state space is a countable set, they are also called Markov decision (or controlled Markov) chains. Regardless of the name used, MCPs appear in many fields, for example, engineering, economics, operations research, statistics, renewable and nonrenewable re source management, (control of) epidemics, etc. However, most of the lit erature (say, at least 90%) is concentrated on MCPs for which (a) the state space is a countable set, and/or (b) the costs-per-stage are bounded, and/or (c) the control constraint sets are compact. But curiously enough, the most widely used control model in engineering and economics--namely the LQ (Linear system/Quadratic cost) model-satisfies none of these conditions. Moreover, when dealing with "partially observable" systems) a standard approach is to transform them into equivalent "completely observable" sys tems in a larger state space (in fact, a space of probability measures), which is uncountable even if the original state process is finite-valued.




Discrete Stochastic Processes


Book Description

Stochastic processes are found in probabilistic systems that evolve with time. Discrete stochastic processes change by only integer time steps (for some time scale), or are characterized by discrete occurrences at arbitrary times. Discrete Stochastic Processes helps the reader develop the understanding and intuition necessary to apply stochastic process theory in engineering, science and operations research. The book approaches the subject via many simple examples which build insight into the structure of stochastic processes and the general effect of these phenomena in real systems. The book presents mathematical ideas without recourse to measure theory, using only minimal mathematical analysis. In the proofs and explanations, clarity is favored over formal rigor, and simplicity over generality. Numerous examples are given to show how results fail to hold when all the conditions are not satisfied. Audience: An excellent textbook for a graduate level course in engineering and operations research. Also an invaluable reference for all those requiring a deeper understanding of the subject.




Process Algebra with Timing


Book Description

Timing issues are of growing importance for the conceptualization and design of computer-based systems. Timing may simply be essential for the correct behaviour of a system, e.g. of a controller. Even if timing is not essential for the correct behaviour of a system, there may be good reasons to introduce it in such a way that suitable timing becomes relevant for the correct behaviour of a complex system. This book is unique in presenting four algebraic theories about processes, each dealing with timing from a different point of view, in a coherent and systematic way. The timing of actions is either relative or absolute and the underlying time scale is either discrete or continuous.




Discretization and MCMC Convergence Assessment


Book Description

The exponential increase in the use of MCMC methods and the corre sponding applications in domains of even higher complexity have caused a growing concern about the available convergence assessment methods and the realization that some of these methods were not reliable enough for all-purpose analyses. Some researchers have mainly focussed on the con vergence to stationarity and the estimation of rates of convergence, in rela tion with the eigenvalues of the transition kernel. This monograph adopts a different perspective by developing (supposedly) practical devices to assess the mixing behaviour of the chain under study and, more particularly, it proposes methods based on finite (state space) Markov chains which are obtained either through a discretization of the original Markov chain or through a duality principle relating a continuous state space Markov chain to another finite Markov chain, as in missing data or latent variable models. The motivation for the choice of finite state spaces is that, although the resulting control is cruder, in the sense that it can often monitor con vergence for the discretized version alone, it is also much stricter than alternative methods, since the tools available for finite Markov chains are universal and the resulting transition matrix can be estimated more accu rately. Moreover, while some setups impose a fixed finite state space, other allow for possible refinements in the discretization level and for consecutive improvements in the convergence monitoring.




Error Estimation and Adaptive Discretization Methods in Computational Fluid Dynamics


Book Description

As computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is applied to ever more demanding fluid flow problems, the ability to compute numerical fluid flow solutions to a user specified tolerance as well as the ability to quantify the accuracy of an existing numerical solution are seen as essential ingredients in robust numerical simulation. Although the task of accurate error estimation for the nonlinear equations of CFD seems a daunting problem, considerable effort has centered on this challenge in recent years with notable progress being made by the use of advanced error estimation techniques and adaptive discretization methods. To address this important topic, a special course wasjointly organized by the NATO Research and Technology Office (RTO), the von Karman Insti tute for Fluid Dynamics, and the NASA Ames Research Center. The NATO RTO sponsored course entitled "Error Estimation and Solution Adaptive Discretization in CFD" was held September 10-14, 2002 at the NASA Ames Research Center and October 15-19, 2002 at the von Karman Institute in Belgium. During the special course, a series of comprehensive lectures by leading experts discussed recent advances and technical progress in the area of numerical error estimation and adaptive discretization methods with spe cific emphasis on computational fluid dynamics. The lecture notes provided in this volume are derived from the special course material. The volume con sists of 6 articles prepared by the special course lecturers.




Consistent Higher Order Accurate Time Discretization Methods for Inelastic Material Models


Book Description

The present thesis investigates the usage of higher order accurate time integrators together with appropriate error estimators for small and finite dynamic (visco)plasticity. Therefore, a general (visco)plastic problem is defined which serves as a basis to create closed-form solution strategies. A classical access towards small and finite (visco)plasticity is integrated into this concept. This approach is based on the idea, that the balance of linear momentum is formulated in a weak sense and the material laws are included indirectly. Thus, separate time discretizations are implemented and an appropriate coupling between them is necessary. Limitations for the usage of time integrators are the consequence. In contrast, an alternative multifield formulation is derived, adapting the principle of Jourdain. The idea is to assume that the balance of energy - taking into account a pseudopotential representing dissipative effects – resembles a rate-type functional, whose stationarity condition leads to the equations describing small or finite dynamic (visco)plasticity. Accordingly, the material laws and the balance of linear momentum can be solved on the same level and only one single time discretization has to be performed. A greater freedom in the choice of time integrators is obtained and the application of higher order accurate schemes - such as Newmark’s method, fully implicit as well as diagonally implicit Runge-Kutta schemes, and continuous as well as discontinuous Galerkin methods - is facilitated. An analysis and a comparison of the classical and the multifield formulation is accomplished by means of distinct examples. In this context, a dynamic benchmark problem is developed, which allows to focus on the effect of different time integrators. For this investigation, a variety of time discretization error estimators are formulated, evaluated, and compared.




IUTAM Symposium on Discretization Methods in Structural Mechanics


Book Description

The JUT AMlIACM Symposium on Discretization Methods in Structural Mechanics was nd th held in Vienna, Austria, from 2 to 6 June 1997. The site of the Symposium was the "Theatersaal" of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The Symposium was attended by 71 persons from 23 countries. In addition, several Austrian graduate students and research associates participated in the meeting. In the 5-day Symposium a total of 48 papers were presented. All of them were invited and accorded equal weight in the programme. The following topics were covered: • Error-controlled adaptivity of finite element methods • Large deformations and buckling, including inelastic deformations • Inelastic brittle or ductile localization, phase transition and system failure, resulting from monotonic, cyclic or impact loading • Sensitivity analysis and inverse problems with special emphasis on identification of material parameters • Development of linear and nonlinear finite element methods for thin-walled structures and composites • Implicit integration schemes for nonlinear dynamics • Coupling of rigid and deformable structures; fluid-structures and acoustic-structure interaction • Competitive numerical methods (finite element methods, boundary element methods, coupling ofthese two methods) • Identification of material and structural data. Comments on details of the treatment of these topics are contained in the Concluding Remarks. The Editors would like to express their appreciation to E. Stein who has prepared these Concluding Remarks.