Alexander Gray is an ex-Navy Seal with an impossible assignment. Air Force One is shot down over the Mediterranean Sea with no survivors. The new president secretly orders the U.S. Navy to prepare the Sigonella Naval Air Station on Sicily for a clandestine and experimental operation to save the life of the Russian president, the man most Americans believe responsible for the downing of Air Force One. Antagonistic forces within the U.S. and Russian governments are determined to prevent that operation from taking place. From the U.S. to Sigonella, Gray must evade and outwit those working against the president. Will Gray survive to bring the traitors to justice and execute the daring operation?
This book is a comparative study of African American and Asian American representations of masculinity and race, focusing primarily on the major works of two influential figures, Ralph Ellison and Frank Chin.
This graduate-level textbook is a tutorial for item response theory that covers both the basics of item response theory and the use of R for preparing graphical presentation in writings about the theory. Item response theory has become one of the most powerful tools used in test construction, yet one of the barriers to learning and applying it is the considerable amount of sophisticated computational effort required to illustrate even the simplest concepts. This text provides the reader access to the basic concepts of item response theory freed of the tedious underlying calculations. It is intended for those who possess limited knowledge of educational measurement and psychometrics. Rather than presenting the full scope of item response theory, this textbook is concise and practical and presents basic concepts without becoming enmeshed in underlying mathematical and computational complexities. Clearly written text and succinct R code allow anyone familiar with statistical concepts to explore and apply item response theory in a practical way. In addition to students of educational measurement, this text will be valuable to measurement specialists working in testing programs at any level and who need an understanding of item response theory in order to evaluate its potential in their settings.
Complex industrial or robotic systems with uncertainty and disturbances are difficult to control. As system uncertainty or performance requirements increase, it becomes necessary to augment traditional feedback controllers with additional feedback loops that effectively "add intelligence" to the system. Some theories of artificial intelligence (AI) are now showing how complex machine systems should mimic human cognitive and biological processes to improve their capabilities for dealing with uncertainty. This book bridges the gap between feedback control and AI. It provides design techniques for "high-level" neural-network feedback-control topologies that contain servo-level feedback-control loops as well as AI decision and training at the higher levels. Several advanced feedback topologies containing neural networks are presented, including "dynamic output feedback", "reinforcement learning" and "optimal design", as well as a "fuzzy-logic reinforcement" controller. The control topologies areintuitive, yet are derived using sound mathematical principles where proofs of stability are given so that closed-loop performance can be relied upon in using these control systems. Computer-simulation examples are given to illustrate the performance.
A comprehensive portfolio optimization guide, with provided MATLAB code Robust Equity Portfolio Management + Website offers the most comprehensive coverage available in this burgeoning field. Beginning with the fundamentals before moving into advanced techniques, this book provides useful coverage for both beginners and advanced readers. MATLAB code is provided to allow readers of all levels to begin implementing robust models immediately, with detailed explanations and applications in the equity market included to help you grasp the real-world use of each technique. The discussion includes the most up-to-date thinking and cutting-edge methods, including a much-needed alternative to the traditional Markowitz mean-variance model. Unparalleled in depth and breadth, this book is an invaluable reference for all risk managers, portfolio managers, and analysts. Portfolio construction models originating from the standard Markowitz mean-variance model have a high input sensitivity that threatens optimization, spawning a flurry of research into new analytic techniques. This book covers the latest developments along with the basics, to give you a truly comprehensive understanding backed by a robust, practical skill set. Get up to speed on the latest developments in portfolio optimization Implement robust models using provided MATLAB code Learn advanced optimization methods with equity portfolio applications Understand the formulations, performances, and properties of robust portfolios The Markowitz mean-variance model remains the standard framework for portfolio optimization, but the interest in—and need for—an alternative is rapidly increasing. Resolving the sensitivity issue and dramatically reducing portfolio risk is a major focus of today's portfolio manager. Robust Equity Portfolio Management + Website provides a viable alternative framework, and the hard skills to implement any optimization method.
Children in grades K-5 are invited to learn to form good relationships. Included are practical ideas to increase social skills, friendships, and assertiveness.
An in-depth guide to understanding probability distributions and financial modeling for the purposes of investment management In Financial Models with Lévy Processes and Volatility Clustering, the expert author team provides a framework to model the behavior of stock returns in both a univariate and a multivariate setting, providing you with practical applications to option pricing and portfolio management. They also explain the reasons for working with non-normal distribution in financial modeling and the best methodologies for employing it. The book's framework includes the basics of probability distributions and explains the alpha-stable distribution and the tempered stable distribution. The authors also explore discrete time option pricing models, beginning with the classical normal model with volatility clustering to more recent models that consider both volatility clustering and heavy tails. Reviews the basics of probability distributions Analyzes a continuous time option pricing model (the so-called exponential Lévy model) Defines a discrete time model with volatility clustering and how to price options using Monte Carlo methods Studies two multivariate settings that are suitable to explain joint extreme events Financial Models with Lévy Processes and Volatility Clustering is a thorough guide to classical probability distribution methods and brand new methodologies for financial modeling.
Students coping with alcoholism in their family will find this booke extremely user-friendly. Facts about alcoholism and self-care projects are provided.
Does My Kid Really Have AD/HD? is a practical, step-by-step guide to sorting out the AD/HD puzzle. This book is intended as a guide for parents and helping professionals to get the information needed to see if an AD/HD diagnosis is warranted. So much is at stake in deciding this issue. We have to get it right! Since there are no lab tests used for diagnosing AD/HD, how does one get it right? This book helps to find the answers by using a common sense systematic process that includes the following: .What does real AD/HD look like? .What conditions mimic AD/HD? .How to logically rule AD/HD in or out .How to find a qualified evaluator .What treatment plan works for kids with AD/HD? .How to determine success This reader friendly guide will arm parents with the right questions to ask in order to get their child a fair AD/HD evaluation. A careful process of reasoning is what this book is all about.
The Wounded Season highlights fiction from Korea. The authors include Kong Sonok, Ch'oe Inhun, Im Cholu, and Yi Ch'ongjun. Also featured: the first in a two-part symposium on the art of translating poetry from Asian languages.
Item Response Theory clearly describes the most recently developed IRT models and furnishes detailed explanations of algorithms that can be used to estimate the item or ability parameters under various IRT models. Extensively revised and expanded, this edition offers three new chapters discussing parameter estimation with multiple groups, parameter estimation for a test with mixed item types, and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. It includes discussions on issues related to statistical theory, numerical methods, and the mechanics of computer programs for parameter estimation, which help to build a clear understanding of the computational demands and challenges of IRT estimation procedures.
Indians of North America presents accurate portrayals of the history and culture of North American Indian peoples in volumes written specifically for young adults.Based on the most recent scholarship and written by authorities on the subject, each of the volumes in this highly acclaimed series provides a balanced account of the history of relations between Indians and whites and challenges many still-prevalent myths and stereotypes. The volumes also examine the Native American past before European contact--chapters in the history of Indian peoples that are often overlooked.
Understand the relationship between feelings and behaviours. Children learn they have a choice in how they react to their feelings, and how to cope more effectively with negatives.
Kim Bixler's family owned Frank Lloyd Wright's 1908 Edward E. Boynton House in Rochester, New York from 1977-1994. Growing Up in a Frank Lloyd Wright House recounts the joys and pitfalls of owning a Wright-designed home. The tumultuous history of the house is recounted through interviews with former and current owners. Living with the public's curiosity, playing hide-and-seek, coping with the habitually leaky roof, and managing constant renovations make this an unforgettable story.
The Synod of Dort was an international conference of Reformed leaders held in 1618–1619 in the Netherlands. It is famous for its so-called Five Points of Calvinism which were a refutation of the Five Remonstrances of the followers of Arminius on the nature of divine grace and the perseverance of believers unto eternal salvation. As an international Synod, Dort made a significant impact on the definition and development of Reformed orthodoxy for decades and centuries to come. In countries such as France, the Canons of Dort served as a confessional boundary for Reformed orthodoxy and all pastors had to swear allegiance to them. Despite its tremendous influence, the decisions of the Synod of Dort remain a mystery to many today and are subject to caricatures and stereotypes of an extreme divine determinism and the hijacking of Calvin's pure theology. This volume seeks to shed light on various aspects of the Synod of Dort in order to inform the contemporary reader of its proper historical and theological context and its experiential emphases. Some leading scholars of post-Reformation Reformed thought and the Synod have contributed essays to this work. The book is divided into three major sections designed to deliver a better overall perspective on the Synod. The first section focuses on the reception of the Canons of Dort among the Reformed churches in France where they were accepted and enforced. However, there were some internal questions, concerns, and even objections to the canons which are detailed in these chapters. The second section hones in on the theology of the Canons of Dort with particular attention to the doctrines of election and the nature of the atonement. This section also includes an important chapter on the relationship between church and state, always a central concern in the Reformation and post-Reformation eras. Finally, the third major section looks at how believers could apply the theology to their daily lives and devotion to Christ. These chapters indicate that this was not merely a theological conference, but one that had practical and experiential implications as well. The book concludes with a chapter on the application of the Synod for believers today.
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