Qing Zhang - Böcker

Most manufacturing systems are large, complex, and operate in an environment of uncertainty. It is common practice to manage such systems in a hierarchical fashion. This book articulates a new theory that shows that hierarchical decision making can in fact lead to a near optimization of system goals. The material in the book cuts across disciplines. It will appeal to graduate students and researchers in applied mathematics, operations management, operations research, and system and control theory.

This edited volume contains 16 research articles. It presents recent and pressing issues in stochastic processes, control theory, differential games, optimization, and their applications in finance, manufacturing, queueing networks, and climate control. One of the salient features is that the book is highly multi-disciplinary. The book is dedicated to Professor Suresh Sethi on the occasion of his 60th birthday, in view of his distinguished career.

Language and Social Change in China: Undoing Commonness through Cosmopolitan Mandarin offers an innovative and authoritative account of the crucial role of language in shaping the sociocultural landscape of contemporary China. Based on a wide range of data collected since the 1990s and grounded in quantitative and discourse analyses of sociolinguistic variation, Qing Zhang tracks the emergence of what she terms “Cosmopolitan Mandarin” as a new stylistic resource for a rising urban elite and a new middle-class consumption-based lifestyle. The book powerfully illuminates that Cosmopolitan Mandarin participates in dismantling the pre-reform, socialist, conformist society by bringing about new social distinctions. Rich in cultural and linguistic details, the book is the first of its kind to highlight the implications of language change on the social order and cultural life of contemporary China. Language and Social Change in China is ideal for students and scholars interested in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, and Chinese language and society.

Language and Social Change in China: Undoing Commonness through Cosmopolitan Mandarin offers an innovative and authoritative account of the crucial role of language in shaping the sociocultural landscape of contemporary China. Based on a wide range of data collected since the 1990s and grounded in quantitative and discourse analyses of sociolinguistic variation, Qing Zhang tracks the emergence of what she terms “Cosmopolitan Mandarin” as a new stylistic resource for a rising urban elite and a new middle-class consumption-based lifestyle. The book powerfully illuminates that Cosmopolitan Mandarin participates in dismantling the pre-reform, socialist, conformist society by bringing about new social distinctions. Rich in cultural and linguistic details, the book is the first of its kind to highlight the implications of language change on the social order and cultural life of contemporary China. Language and Social Change in China is ideal for students and scholars interested in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, and Chinese language and society.

Most manufacturing systems are large, complex, and subject to uncertainty. Obtaining exact feedback policies to run these systems is nearly impossible, both theoretically and computationally. It is a common practice, therefore, to manage such systems in a hierarchical fashion. This book articulates a theory that shows that hierarchical decision making in the context of a goal-seeking manufacturing system can lead to near optimization of its objective. The approach in this book considers manufacturing systems in which events occur at different time scales. For example, changes in demand may occur far more slowly than breakdowns and repairs of production machines. This suggests that capital expansion decisions that respond to demand are relatively longer term than those decisions regarding production. Thus, long-term decisions such as those dealing with capital expansion can be based on the average existing production rapacity, and can be expected to be nearly optimal even though the short-term capacity fluctuations are ignored. Having the long-term decisions in hand, one can then solve the simpler problem of obtaining production rates.Increasingly complex and realistic models of manufacturing systems with failure-prone machines facing uncertain demands are formulated as stochastic optimal control problems. Partial characterization of their solutions is provided when possible along with their hierarchical decomposition based on event frequencies. In the latter case, multilevel decisions are constructed in the manner described above and these decisions are shown to be asymptotically optimal as the average time between successive short-term events becomes much smaller than that between successive long-term events. Much attention is given to establish that the order of deviation of the cost of the hierarchical solution from the optimal cost is small. The striking novelty of the approach is that this is done without solving for the optimal solution, which as stated earlier is an insurmountable task. This approach presents a paradigm in convex production planning, whose roots go back to the classical work of Arrow, Karlin and Scarf (1958). It also represents a new research direction in control theory.Finally, the material covered in the book cuts across the disciplines of Operations Management, Operations Research, System and Control theory, Industrial Engineering, Probability and Statistics, and Applied Mathematics. It is anticipated that the book would encourage development of new models and techniques in these disciplines.

In view of Professor Wendell Fleming's many fundamental contributions, his profound influence on the mathematical and systems theory communi­ ties, his service to the profession, and his dedication to mathematics, we have invited a number of leading experts in the fields of control, optimiza­ tion, and stochastic systems to contribute to this volume in his honor on the occasion of his 70th birthday. These papers focus on various aspects of stochastic analysis, control theory and optimization, and applications. They include authoritative expositions and surveys as well as research papers on recent and important issues. The papers are grouped according to the following four major themes: (1) large deviations, risk sensitive and Hoc control, (2) partial differential equations and viscosity solutions, (3) stochastic control, filtering and parameter esti­ mation, and (4) mathematical finance and other applications. We express our deep gratitude to all of the authors for their invaluable contributions, and to the referees for their careful and timely reviews. We thank Harold Kushner for having graciously agreed to undertake the task of writing the foreword. Particular thanks go to H. Thomas Banks for his help, advice and suggestions during the entire preparation process, as well as for the generous support of the Center for Research in Scientific Computation. The assistance from the Birkhauser professional staff is also greatly appreciated.

Most manufacturing systems are large, complex, and operate in an environment of uncertainty. It is common practice to manage such systems in a hierarchical fashion. This book articulates a new theory that shows that hierarchical decision making can in fact lead to a near optimization of system goals. The material in the book cuts across disciplines. It will appeal to graduate students and researchers in applied mathematics, operations management, operations research, and system and control theory.

This book focuses on the theory and applications of discrete-time two-time-scale Markov chains. Much effort in this book is devoted to designing system models arising from these applications, analyzing them via analytic and probabilistic techniques, and developing feasible computational algorithms so as to reduce the inherent complexity. This book presents results including asymptotic expansions of probability vectors, structural properties of occupation measures, exponential bounds, aggregation and decomposition and associated limit processes, and interface of discrete-time and continuous-time systems. One of the salient features is that it contains a diverse range of applications on filtering, estimation, control, optimization, and Markov decision processes, and financial engineering. This book will be an important reference for researchers in the areas of applied probability, control theory, operations research, as well as for practitioners who use optimization techniques. Part of the book can also be used in a graduate course of applied probability, stochastic processes, and applications.

This edited volume contains 16 research articles. It presents recent and pressing issues in stochastic processes, control theory, differential games, optimization, and their applications in finance, manufacturing, queueing networks, and climate control. One of the salient features is that the book is highly multi-disciplinary. The book is dedicated to Professor Suresh Sethi on the occasion of his 60th birthday, in view of his distinguished career.

One of the most important methods in dealing with the optimization of large, complex systems is that of hierarchical decomposition. The idea is to reduce the overall complex problem into manageable approximate problems or subproblems, to solve these problems, and to construct a solution of the original problem from the solutions of these simpler prob­ lems. Development of such approaches for large complex systems has been identified as a particularly fruitful area by the Committee on the Next Decade in Operations Research (1988) [42] as well as by the Panel on Future Directions in Control Theory (1988) [65]. Most manufacturing firms are complex systems characterized by sev­ eral decision subsystems, such as finance, personnel, marketing, and op­ erations. They may have several plants and warehouses and a wide variety of machines and equipment devoted to producing a large number of different products. Moreover, they are subject to deterministic as well as stochastic discrete events, such as purchasing new equipment, hiring and layoff of personnel, and machine setups, failures, and repairs.

In view of Professor Wendell Fleming's many fundamental contributions, his profound influence on the mathematical and systems theory communi­ ties, his service to the profession, and his dedication to mathematics, we have invited a number of leading experts in the fields of control, optimiza­ tion, and stochastic systems to contribute to this volume in his honor on the occasion of his 70th birthday. These papers focus on various aspects of stochastic analysis, control theory and optimization, and applications. They include authoritative expositions and surveys as well as research papers on recent and important issues. The papers are grouped according to the following four major themes: (1) large deviations, risk sensitive and Hoc control, (2) partial differential equations and viscosity solutions, (3) stochastic control, filtering and parameter esti­ mation, and (4) mathematical finance and other applications. We express our deep gratitude to all of the authors for their invaluable contributions, and to the referees for their careful and timely reviews. We thank Harold Kushner for having graciously agreed to undertake the task of writing the foreword. Particular thanks go to H. Thomas Banks for his help, advice and suggestions during the entire preparation process, as well as for the generous support of the Center for Research in Scientific Computation. The assistance from the Birkhauser professional staff is also greatly appreciated.

This book gives a systematic treatment of singularly perturbed systems that naturally arise in control and optimization, queueing networks, manufacturing systems, and financial engineering.

This book gives a systematic treatment of singularly perturbed systems that naturally arise in control and optimization, queueing networks, manufacturing systems, and financial engineering. It presents results on asymptotic expansions of solutions of Komogorov forward and backward equations, properties of functional occupation measures, exponential upper bounds, and functional limit results for Markov chains with weak and strong interactions. To bridge the gap between theory and applications, a large portion of the book is devoted to applications in controlled dynamic systems, production planning, and numerical methods for controlled Markovian systems with large-scale and complex structures in the real-world problems. This second edition has been updated throughout and includes two new chapters on asymptotic expansions of solutions for backward equations and hybrid LQG problems. The chapters on analytic and probabilistic properties of two-time-scale Markov chains have been almost completely rewritten and the notation has been streamlined and simplified.This book is written for applied mathematicians, engineers, operations researchers, and applied scientists. Selected material from the book can also be used for a one semester advanced graduate-level course in applied probability and stochastic processes.

Although business people often regard licensing requirements as a major obstacle to investment and new ventures, the development of a well-designed regulatory licensing system is also widely believed to promote social welfare. This book explores the existing regulatory licensing systems in China, particularly those typically affected by the rising of the sharing economy, and critically appraises them using a law-and-economics approach. The first part presents a general description of Chinese regulatory licensing systems. Secondly, the book discusses the design and evaluation of regulatory licensing systems by applying law-and-economics theories to three major issues: the use of licensing as a means of regulation and as opposed to other means of regulation; the setting up of standards imposed through regulatory licensing systems; and the arrangement of procedures adopted for regulatory licensing systems. Thirdly, on the basis of the above theoretical framework, this book develops a critical evaluation of current Chinese regulatory licensing systems from the aforementioned three issues. In particular, it looks at licensing regimes for three sectors: lawyers, taxis and pharmaceutical products in China. The book will be of great interest to scholars, practitioners and policymakers.

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.

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.

Intelligentsia has been a widely used term in the studies of history and society to describe intellectual, academic, educational and publishing circles. Zhang Qing analyses the formation of Chinese intelligentsia in the context of modern China, more specifically the late Qing dynasty and Republic of China, and addresses topics such as the expansion of newspaper distributions, the relationship between newspapers and academia, the impact of newspapers on society, the change of readers’ expressions and scholars’ social mobility. The emergence of the intelligentsia and other circles in the early twentieth century is an epitome of the drastic changes in Chinese society at the time, indicative both of a new state-society relation and of Chinese scholars’ efforts to find new roles and identities for themselves after bidding farewell to imperial examinations. The author shows how both the emergence of new-type publications and new roles in academia had a profound influence on modern China. The formation of the intelligentsia at the turn of the twentieth century was not only a key to grasping modern Chinese history, but also a mirror for examining the future society.

The aim of this book is to explain to high-performance computing (HPC) developers how to utilize the Intel® Xeon Phi™ series products efficiently. To that end, it introduces some computing grammar, programming technology and optimization methods for using many-integrated-core (MIC) platforms and also offers tips and tricks for actual use, based on the authors’ first-hand optimization experience.The material is organized in three sections. The first section, “Basics of MIC”, introduces the fundamentals of MIC architecture and programming, including the specific Intel MIC programming environment. Next, the section on “Performance Optimization” explains general MIC optimization techniques, which are then illustrated step-by-step using the classical parallel programming example of matrix multiplication. Finally, “Project development” presents a set of practical and experience-driven methods for using parallel computing in application projects, including how to determine if a serial or parallel CPU program is suitable for MIC and how to transplant a program onto MIC.This book appeals to two main audiences: First, software developers for HPC applications – it will enable them to fully exploit the MIC architecture and thus achieve the extreme performance usually  required in biological genetics, medical imaging, aerospace, meteorology and other areas of HPC. Second, students and researchers engaged in parallel and high-performance computing – it will guide them on how to push the limits of system performance for HPC applications.

The aim of this book is to explain to high-performance computing (HPC) developers how to utilize the Intel® Xeon Phi™ series products efficiently. To that end, it introduces some computing grammar, programming technology and optimization methods for using many-integrated-core (MIC) platforms and also offers tips and tricks for actual use, based on the authors’ first-hand optimization experience.The material is organized in three sections. The first section, “Basics of MIC”, introduces the fundamentals of MIC architecture and programming, including the specific Intel MIC programming environment. Next, the section on “Performance Optimization” explains general MIC optimization techniques, which are then illustrated step-by-step using the classical parallel programming example of matrix multiplication. Finally, “Project development” presents a set of practical and experience-driven methods for using parallel computing in application projects, including how to determine if a serial or parallel CPU program is suitable for MIC and how to transplant a program onto MIC.This book appeals to two main audiences: First, software developers for HPC applications – it will enable them to fully exploit the MIC architecture and thus achieve the extreme performance usually  required in biological genetics, medical imaging, aerospace, meteorology and other areas of HPC. Second, students and researchers engaged in parallel and high-performance computing – it will guide them on how to push the limits of system performance for HPC applications.

In a competitive world, research in manufacturing systems plays an important role in creating, updating and improving the technologies and management practices of the economy. This volume presents some of the most recent results in stochastic manufacturing systems. Experts from the fields of applied mathematics, engineering and management sciences review and substantially update the recent advances in the control and optimization of manufacturing systems. Recent Advances in Control and Optimization of Manufacturing Systems consists of eight chapters divided into three parts which focus on Optimal Production Planning, Scheduling and Improvability and Approximate Optimality and Robustness. This book is intended for researchers and practitioners in the fields of systems theory, control and optimization, and operation management as well as in applied probability and stochastic processes.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed joint post-workshop proceedings of three international workshops held in conjunction with the 10th Asia-Pacific Web Conference, APWeb 2008, in Shenyang, China, in April 2008 (see LNCS 4976). The 15 revised full papers presented together with 4 invited papers and 4 keynote lectures were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. Topics addressed by the workshops are business intelligence and data mining (BIDM 2008), health data management (IWHDM 2008), and data engineering and Web technology research (DeWeb 2008). The papers focus on issues such as Web searching, Web services, database, data mining, bioinformatics, and business intelligence.

This book analyses the growth of disciplinary knowledge in modern China through Sino-foreign cultural exchange. It examines Western influences and the transformation of Chinese academic thought through "modern scientific disciplines" rather than mere westernization based on the "nationality" of knowledge. Historically, this transformation is not the unidirectional "eastward dissemination of Western learning," but the "introduction of West learning into China" with more active participation and choice by Chinese scholars. This understanding of the historical process focuses more on the innovation of the medium of knowledge, emphasizing the material and technological background of the dissemination of Western learning.

This book overviews the current status of research and development activities of CNTs in nanodevices, nanomaterials, or nanofabrication. This book presents 15 state-of-the-art review articles that cover CNT synthesis technologies for growing highly orientated CNTs, chirality-pure CNTs and CNTs at a large throughput and low cost, CNT assembly techniques, CNT sorting and separation processes, CNT functionalization engineering for more functionalities, CNT fundamental properties and their practical/potential electrical, electronic, optical, mechanical, chemical and biological applications.

This book presents and highlights some of the key advances on, but not limited to, electronic and optoelectronic devices of nanometer/molecular scale, nanomechanics and nanoelectromechanical systems, electromechanical coupled devices, manipulation and aligning processes at nanometer/molecular scale, quantum phenomena, modeling of nanodevices and nanostructures, fabrication and property characterization of nanodevices, and nanofabrication with focused beam technology.