Jie Chen

This book provides a concise and in-depth exposition of distributed control and optimization problems of multi-agent systems. The book integrates various ideas and tools from dynamic systems, control theory, graph theory, and optimization to address the special challenges posed by such complexities in the environment as communication delay, topological dynamics, and environmental uncertainties. In order to deal with the mismatched uncertainties and time delay, observer-based controller and sliding mode control are developed to achieve consensus control. When there is a leader or multiple leaders in the communication topologies, containment control is required. The book studies both state and output containment for nonlinear multi-agent systems with undirected or directed networks. Furthermore, event-triggered schemes are proposed to reduce communication and computation costs. Distributed optimization for multi-agent systems is an interesting topic that has attracted more and more attention due to its wide range of applications such as smart grids, sensor networks, and mobile manipulators. In distributed optimization, the goal is to optimize the global cost function, which is the sum of all local cost functions, each of which is known only by its own local agent. Distributed nonsmooth convex optimization for multi-agent systems based on proximal operators is developed to achieve distributed optimal consensus.

Multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs) and uncertain optimization problems (UOPs) which widely exist in real life are challengeable problems in the fields of decision making, system designing, and scheduling, amongst others. Decomposition exploits the ideas of ‘making things simple’ and ‘divide and conquer’ to transform a complex problem into a series of simple ones with the aim of reducing the computational complexity. In order to tackle the abovementioned two types of complicated optimization problems, this book introduces the decomposition strategy and conducts a systematic study to perfect the usage of decomposition in the field of multi-objective optimization, and extend the usage of decomposition in the field of uncertain optimization.

This authored monograph presents a study on fundamental limits and robustness of stability and stabilization of time-delay systems, with an emphasis on time-varying delay, robust stabilization, and newly emerged areas such as networked control and multi-agent systems. The authors systematically develop an operator-theoretic approach that departs from both the traditional algebraic approach and the currently pervasive LMI solution methods. This approach is built on the classical small-gain theorem, which enables the author to draw upon powerful tools and techniques from robust control theory. The book contains motivating examples and presents mathematical key facts that are required in the subsequent sections. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and professionals in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students alike.

This authored monograph presents a study on fundamental limits and robustness of stability and stabilization of time-delay systems, with an emphasis on time-varying delay, robust stabilization, and newly emerged areas such as networked control and multi-agent systems. The authors systematically develop an operator-theoretic approach that departs from both the traditional algebraic approach and the currently pervasive LMI solution methods. This approach is built on the classical small-gain theorem, which enables the author to draw upon powerful tools and techniques from robust control theory. The book contains motivating examples and presents mathematical key facts that are required in the subsequent sections. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and professionals in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students alike.

This monograph is a self-contained, coherent presentation of the background and progress of the stability of time-delay systems. Focusing on techniques, tools, and advances in numerical methods and optimization algorithms, the authors developed material which, up until now, has been scattered in technical journals and conference proceedings. Special emphasis is placed on systems with uncertainty and stability criteria which can be computationally implemented. The second edition is major update to reflect the state of art in this field greatly expanding on the original material in addition to two new chapters on Systems of Neutral Type and an Introduction to Frequency Domain Method. Requiring only basic knowledge of linear systems and Lyapunov stability theory, Stability of Time-Delay Systems, 2nd ed is accessible to a broad audience of researchers, professional engineers, and graduate students. It may be used for self-study or as a reference; portions of the text may be used in advanced graduate courses and seminars.

To the West, China may appear an unstoppable economic unity, a single high-performing whole, but for the inhabitants of this vast, complex, and contradictory nation, it is the cities that hold the secret to such economic success. From the affluent, Westernized Hong Kong to the ice-cold Harbin in the north, from the Islamic quarters of Xi'an to the manufacturing powerhouse of Guangzhou--China's cities thrum with promise and aspiration, playing host to the myriad hopes, frustrations, and tensions that define China today. The stories in this anthology offer snapshots of 10 such cities, taking in as many different types of inhabitant. Here we meet the lowly Beijing mechanic lovingly piecing together his first car from scrap metal, somnambulant commuters at a Nanjing bus stop refusing to acknowledge the presence of a dead body just feet away, or Shenyang intellectuals conducting a letter-writing campaign on the moral welfare of their city. The challenges depicted in these stories are uniquely Chinese, but the energy and ingenuity with which their authors approach them is something readers everywhere can marvel at. Featuring stories from locations including Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Harbin, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan, and Xi'an, the collection contains work from authors Jie Chen, Han Dong, Diao Dou, Cau Kou, Ding Liying, Ho Sin Tung, Yi Sha, Zhu Wen, Xu Zechen, and Zhang Zhihao.

This monograph is a self-contained, coherent presentation of the background and progress of the stability of time-delay systems. Focusing on techniques, tools, and advances in numerical methods and optimization algorithms, the authors developed material which, up until now, has been scattered in technical journals and conference proceedings. Special emphasis is placed on systems with uncertainty and stability criteria which can be computationally implemented. The second edition is major update to reflect the state of art in this field greatly expanding on the original material in addition to two new chapters on Systems of Neutral Type and an Introduction to Frequency Domain Method. Requiring only basic knowledge of linear systems and Lyapunov stability theory, Stability of Time-Delay Systems, 2nd ed is accessible to a broad audience of researchers, professional engineers, and graduate students. It may be used for self-study or as a reference; portions of the text may be used in advanced graduate courses and seminars.

This book is intended for researchers active in the field of (blind) system identification and aims to provide new identification ideas/insights for dealing with challenging system identification problems. It presents a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in the area, which would save a lot of time and avoid collecting the scattered information from research papers, reports and unpublished work. Besides, it is a self-contained book by including essential algebraic, system and optimization theories, which can help graduate students enter the amazing blind system identification world with less effort.

Understand the principles, practices, and applications of bionanotechnologyThis hands-on textbook covers key aspects of bionanotechnology from an engineering perspective. The book delves into a wide variety of topics, including materials science, micro/nano fabrication, general physics, fluid flow, electromagnetics, thermodynamics, molecular biology, immunology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry.Developed from an advanced engineering course taught by its authors, Bionanotechnology: Engineering Concepts and Applications fully explains all of the underlying concepts and shows how that theory can be directly applied in practical applications. Readers will get examples, problem sets, real-world case studies, and engineering design methodologies that illustrate each concept.The book contains complete discussions on microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip devices, organ-on-a-chip devices, quantum dots, DNA/RNA technology, micro/nano fabrication techniques, the modelling/simulation of microsystems, and bionanotechnology-based biosensors, targeted therapies, and drug delivery systems.Combines many different bionanotechnology topics into one resourceBased on a course developed and taught by the authors at the University of AlbertaWritten by recognized experts and experienced educators

This book is intended for researchers active in the field of (blind) system identification and aims to provide new identification ideas/insights for dealing with challenging system identification problems. It presents a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in the area, which would save a lot of time and avoid collecting the scattered information from research papers, reports and unpublished work. Besides, it is a self-contained book by including essential algebraic, system and optimization theories, which can help graduate students enter the amazing blind system identification world with less effort.

Medical Product Safety Evaluation: Biological Models and Statistical Methods presents cutting-edge biological models and statistical methods that are tailored to specific objectives and data types for safety analysis and benefit-risk assessment. Some frequently encountered issues and challenges in the design and analysis of safety studies are discussed with illustrative applications and examples. Medical Product Safety Evaluation: Biological Models and Statistical Methods presents cutting-edge biological models and statistical methods that are tailored to specific objectives and data types for safety analysis and benefit-risk assessment. Some frequently encountered issues and challenges in the design and analysis of safety studies are discussed with illustrative applications and examples. The book is designed not only for biopharmaceutical professionals, such as statisticians, safety specialists, pharmacovigilance experts, and pharmacoepidemiologists, who can use the book as self-learning materials or in short courses or training programs, but also for graduate students in statistics and biomedical data science for a one-semester course. Each chapter provides supplements and problems as more readings and exercises.

The overseas Chinese democracy movement (OCDM) is one of the world's longest-running and most difficult exile political campaigns. This unique book is a rare and comprehensive account of its trajectory since its beginnings in the early 1980s, examining its shifting operational environment and the diversification of its activities, as well as characterizing its distinctive features in comparison to other exile movements. Chen Jie takes an empirical approach to the history of the OCDM, drawing on extensive primary sources and his own significant field research, including interviews with major dissident figures. He explores the changing roles of activists since the events of Tiananmen Square and the movement's subsequent heyday, highlighting the diverse positions occupied today as a result of internal division and evolving geopolitical circumstances. Using the analytical framework of exile politics, Chen also examines such issues as China's relationship with Taiwan and the implications of the expanding global Chinese diaspora.Academics and postgraduate students studying Chinese politics and international relations, as well as those with an interest in diaspora studies, will find this book invaluable. It will also provide important understanding of Chinese exiles and activists to government officials and those working in international political foundations, funding bodies and human rights organisations.

Medical Product Safety Evaluation: Biological Models and Statistical Methods presents cutting-edge biological models and statistical methods that are tailored to specific objectives and data types for safety analysis and benefit-risk assessment. Some frequently encountered issues and challenges in the design and analysis of safety studies are discussed with illustrative applications and examples. Medical Product Safety Evaluation: Biological Models and Statistical Methods presents cutting-edge biological models and statistical methods that are tailored to specific objectives and data types for safety analysis and benefit-risk assessment. Some frequently encountered issues and challenges in the design and analysis of safety studies are discussed with illustrative applications and examples. The book is designed not only for biopharmaceutical professionals, such as statisticians, safety specialists, pharmacovigilance experts, and pharmacoepidemiologists, who can use the book as self-learning materials or in short courses or training programs, but also for graduate students in statistics and biomedical data science for a one-semester course. Each chapter provides supplements and problems as more readings and exercises.

This book investigates the performance limitation issues in networked feedback systems. The fact that networked feedback systems consist of control and communication devices and systems calls for the integration of control theory and information theory. The primary contributions of this book lie in two aspects: the newly-proposed information-theoretic measures and the newly-discovered control performance limitations. We first propose a number of information notions to facilitate the analysis. Using those notions, classes of performance limitations of networked feedback systems, as well as state estimation systems, are then investigated. In general, the book presents a unique, cohesive treatment of performance limitation issues of networked feedback systems via an information-theoretic approach. This book is believed to be the first to treat the aforementioned subjects systematically and in a unified manner, offering a unique perspective differing from existing books.

This book presents a systematic and unified approach for modern nonparametric treatment of missing and modified data via examples of density and hazard rate estimation, nonparametric regression, filtering signals, and time series analysis. All basic types of missing at random and not at random, biasing, truncation, censoring, and measurement errors are discussed, and their treatment is explained. Ten chapters of the book cover basic cases of direct data, biased data, nondestructive and destructive missing, survival data modified by truncation and censoring, missing survival data, stationary and nonstationary time series and processes, and ill-posed modifications.The coverage is suitable for self-study or a one-semester course for graduate students with a prerequisite of a standard course in introductory probability. Exercises of various levels of difficulty will be helpful for the instructor and self-study.The book is primarily about practically important small samples. It explains when consistent estimation is possible, and why in some cases missing data should be ignored and why others must be considered. If missing or data modification makes consistent estimation impossible, then the author explains what type of action is needed to restore the lost information.The book contains more than a hundred figures with simulated data that explain virtually every setting, claim, and development. The companion R software package allows the reader to verify, reproduce and modify every simulation and used estimators. This makes the material fully transparent and allows one to study it interactively.Sam Efromovich is the Endowed Professor of Mathematical Sciences and the Head of the Actuarial Program at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is well known for his work on the theory and application of nonparametric curve estimation and is the author of Nonparametric Curve Estimation: Methods, Theory, and Applications. Professor Sam Efromovich is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association.

This book investigates the performance limitation issues in networked feedback systems. The fact that networked feedback systems consist of control and communication devices and systems calls for the integration of control theory and information theory. The primary contributions of this book lie in two aspects: the newly-proposed information-theoretic measures and the newly-discovered control performance limitations. We first propose a number of information notions to facilitate the analysis. Using those notions, classes of performance limitations of networked feedback systems, as well as state estimation systems, are then investigated. In general, the book presents a unique, cohesive treatment of performance limitation issues of networked feedback systems via an information-theoretic approach. This book is believed to be the first to treat the aforementioned subjects systematically and in a unified manner, offering a unique perspective differing from existing books.

What kind of role can the middle class play in potential democratization in such an undemocratic, late developing country as China? To answer this profound political as well as theoretical question, Jie Chen explores attitudinal and behavioral orientation of China's new middle class to democracy and democratization. Chen's work is based on a unique set of data collected from a probability-sample survey and in-depth interviews of residents in three major Chinese cities, Beijing, Chengdu and Xi'an--each of which represents a distinct level of economic development in urban China-in 2007 and 2008. The empirical findings derived from this data set confirm that (1) compared to other social classes, particularly lower classes, the new Chinese middle class-especially those employed in the state apparatus-tends to be more supportive of the current Party-state but less supportive of democratic values and institutions; (2) the new middle class's attitudes toward democracy may be accounted for by this class's close ideational and institutional ties with the state, and its perceived socioeconomic wellbeing, among other factors; (3) the lack of support for democracy among the middle class tends to cause this social class to act in favor of the current state but in opposition to democratic changes. The most important political implication is that while China's middle class is not likely to serve as the harbinger of democracy now, its current attitudes toward democracy may change in the future. Such a crucial shift in the middle class's orientation toward democracy can take place, especially when its dependence on the Party-state decreases and perception of its own social and economic statuses turns pessimistic. The key theoretical implication from the findings suggests that the attitudinal and behavioral orientations of the middle class-as a whole and as a part-toward democratic change in late developing countries are contingent upon its with the incumbent state and its perceived social/economic wellbeing, and the middle class's support for democracy in these countries is far from inevitable.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of housing affordability under the economic reforms and social transformations in urban China. It also offers an overall review of the current government measures on the housing market and affordable housing policies in China. By introducing a dynamic affordability approach and residual income approach, the book allows us to capture the size of the affordability gap more accurately, to better identify policy targets, and to assess the effectiveness of current public policy. The unique database on urban household surveys and regional information on affordable housing projects serve to strengthen the analysis. The book offers theoretical and empirical insights for in-depth affordability studies and helps readers to understand the social impacts of market reforms and the role of government on the Chinese housing market.

What kind of role can the middle class play in potential democratization in such an undemocratic, late developing country as China? To answer this profound political as well as theoretical question, Jie Chen explores attitudinal and behavioral orientation of China's new middle class to democracy and democratization. Chen's work is based on a unique set of data collected from a probability-sample survey and in-depth interviews of residents in three major Chinese cities, Beijing, Chengdu and Xi'an--each of which represents a distinct level of economic development in urban China-in 2007 and 2008. The empirical findings derived from this data set confirm that (1) compared to other social classes, particularly lower classes, the new Chinese middle class-especially those employed in the state apparatus-tends to be more supportive of the current Party-state but less supportive of democratic values and institutions; (2) the new middle class's attitudes toward democracy may be accounted for by this class's close ideational and institutional ties with the state, and its perceived socioeconomic wellbeing, among other factors; (3) the lack of support for democracy among the middle class tends to cause this social class to act in favor of the current state but in opposition to democratic changes. The most important political implication is that while China's middle class is not likely to serve as the harbinger of democracy now, its current attitudes toward democracy may change in the future. Such a crucial shift in the middle class's orientation toward democracy can take place, especially when its dependence on the Party-state decreases and perception of its own social and economic statuses turns pessimistic. The key theoretical implication from the findings suggests that the attitudinal and behavioral orientations of the middle class-as a whole and as a part-toward democratic change in late developing countries are contingent upon its relationship with the incumbent state and its perceived social/economic wellbeing, and the middle class's support for democracy in these countries is far from inevitable.