Markov Processes

The Wiley-Interscience Paperback Series consists of selected books that have been made more accessible to consumers in an effort to increase global appeal and general circulation. With these new unabridged softcover volumes, Wiley hopes to extend the lives of these works by making them available to future generations of statisticians, mathematicians, and scientists. «This text is unique in bringing together so many results hitherto found only in part in other texts and papers. . . . The text is fairly self-contained, inclusive of some basic mathematical results needed, and provides a rich diet of examples, applications, and exercises. The bibliographical material at the end of each chapter is excellent, not only from a historical perspective, but because it is valuable for researchers in acquiring a good perspective of the MDP research potential.» —Zentralblatt fur Mathematik «. . . it is of great value to advanced-level students, researchers, and professional practitioners of this field to have now a complete volume (with more than 600 pages) devoted to this topic. . . . Markov Decision Processes: Discrete Stochastic Dynamic Programming represents an up-to-date, unified, and rigorous treatment of theoretical and computational aspects of discrete-time Markov decision processes.» —Journal of the American Statistical Association

This title considers the special of random processes known as semi-Markov processes. These possess the Markov property with respect to any intrinsic Markov time such as the first exit time from an open set or a finite iteration of these times. The class of semi-Markov processes includes strong Markov processes, L?vy and Smith stepped semi-Markov processes, and some other subclasses. Extensive coverage is devoted to non-Markovian semi-Markov processes with continuous trajectories and, in particular, to semi-Markov diffusion processes. Readers looking to enrich their knowledge on Markov processes will find this book a valuable resource.

Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) are a mathematical framework for modeling sequential decision problems under uncertainty as well as Reinforcement Learning problems. Written by experts in the field, this book provides a global view of current research using MDPs in Artificial Intelligence. It starts with an introductory presentation of the fundamental aspects of MDPs (planning in MDPs, Reinforcement Learning, Partially Observable MDPs, Markov games and the use of non-classical criteria). Then it presents more advanced research trends in the domain and gives some concrete examples using illustrative applications.

Piecewise-deterministic Markov processes form a class of stochastic models with a sizeable scope of applications: biology, insurance, neuroscience, networks, finance… Such processes are defined by a deterministic motion punctuated by random jumps at random times, and offer simple yet challenging models to study. Nevertheless, the issue of statistical estimation of the parameters ruling the jump mechanism is far from trivial. Responding to new developments in the field as well as to current research interests and needs, Statistical inference for piecewise-deterministic Markov processes offers a detailed and comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art results. It covers a wide range of general processes as well as applied models. The present book also dwells on statistics in the context of Markov chains, since piecewise-deterministic Markov processes are characterized by an embedded Markov chain corresponding to the position of the process right after the jumps.

Mark H.A. Davis introduced the Piecewise-Deterministic Markov Process (PDMP) class of stochastic hybrid models in an article in 1984. Today it is used to model a variety of complex systems in the fields of engineering, economics, management sciences, biology, Internet traffic, networks and many more. Yet, despite this, there is very little in the way of literature devoted to the development of numerical methods for PDMDs to solve problems of practical importance, or the computational control of PDMPs. This book therefore presents a collection of mathematical tools that have been recently developed to tackle such problems. It begins by doing so through examples in several application domains such as reliability. The second part is devoted to the study and simulation of expectations of functionals of PDMPs. Finally, the third part introduces the development of numerical techniques for optimal control problems such as stopping and impulse control problems.

A fascinating and instructive guide to Markov chains for experienced users and newcomers alike This unique guide to Markov chains approaches the subject along the four convergent lines of mathematics, implementation, simulation, and experimentation. It introduces readers to the art of stochastic modeling, shows how to design computer implementations, and provides extensive worked examples with case studies. Markov Chains: From Theory to Implementation and Experimentation begins with a general introduction to the history of probability theory in which the author uses quantifiable examples to illustrate how probability theory arrived at the concept of discrete-time and the Markov model from experiments involving independent variables. An introduction to simple stochastic matrices and transition probabilities is followed by a simulation of a two-state Markov chain. The notion of steady state is explored in connection with the long-run distribution behavior of the Markov chain. Predictions based on Markov chains with more than two states are examined, followed by a discussion of the notion of absorbing Markov chains. Also covered in detail are topics relating to the average time spent in a state, various chain configurations, and n-state Markov chain simulations used for verifying experiments involving various diagram configurations. • Fascinating historical notes shed light on the key ideas that led to the development of the Markov model and its variants • Various configurations of Markov Chains and their limitations are explored at length • Numerous examples—from basic to complex—are presented in a comparative manner using a variety of color graphics • All algorithms presented can be analyzed in either Visual Basic, Java Script, or PHP • Designed to be useful to professional statisticians as well as readers without extensive knowledge of probability theory Covering both the theory underlying the Markov model and an array of Markov chain implementations, within a common conceptual framework, Markov Chains: From Theory to Implementation and Experimentation is a stimulating introduction to and a valuable reference for those wishing to deepen their understanding of this extremely valuable statistical tool. Paul A. Gagniuc, PhD, is Associate Professor at Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania. He obtained his MS and his PhD in genetics at the University of Bucharest. Dr. Gagniuc’s work has been published in numerous high profile scientific journals, ranging from the Public Library of Science to BioMed Central and Nature journals. He is the recipient of several awards for exceptional scientific results and a highly active figure in the review process for different scientific areas.

This book is the second of two volumes on random motions in Markov and semi-Markov random environments. This second volume focuses on high-dimensional random motions. This volume consists of two parts. The first expands many of the results found in Volume 1 to higher dimensions. It presents new results on the random motion of the realistic three-dimensional case, which has so far been barely mentioned in the literature, and deals with the interaction of particles in Markov and semi-Markov media, which has, in contrast, been a topic of intense study. The second part contains applications of Markov and semi-Markov motions in mathematical finance. It includes applications of telegraph processes in modeling stock price dynamics and investigates the pricing of variance, volatility, covariance and correlation swaps with Markov volatility and the same pricing swaps with semi-Markov volatilities.

This book is the first of two volumes on random motions in Markov and semi-Markov random environments. This first volume focuses on homogenous random motions. This volume consists of two parts, the first describing the basic concepts and methods that have been developed for random evolutions. These methods are the foundational tools used in both volumes, and this description includes many results in potential operators. Some techniques to find closed-form expressions in relevant applications are also presented. The second part deals with asymptotic results and presents a variety of applications, including random motion with different types of boundaries, the reliability of storage systems and solutions of partial differential equations with constant coefficients, using commutative algebra techniques. It also presents an alternative formulation to the Black-Scholes formula in finance, fading evolutions and telegraph processes, including jump telegraph processes and the estimation of the number of level crossings for telegraph processes.

The formation of solids is governed by kinetic processes, which are closely related to the macroscopic behaviour of the resulting materials. With the main focus on ease of understanding, the author begins with the basic processes at the atomic level to illustrate their connections to material properties. Diffusion processes during crystal growth and phase transformations are examined in detail. Since the underlying mathematics are very complex, approximation methods typically used in practice are the prime choice of approach. Apart from metals and alloys, the book places special emphasis on the growth of thin films and bulk crystals, which are the two main pillars of modern device and semiconductor technology. All the presented phenomena are tied back to the basic thermodynamic properties of the materials and to the underlying physical processes for clarity.

This book presents basic stochastic processes, stochastic calculus including L?vy processes on one hand, and Markov and Semi Markov models on the other. From the financial point of view, essential concepts such as the Black and Scholes model, VaR indicators, actuarial evaluation, market values, fair pricing play a central role and will be presented. The authors also present basic concepts so that this series is relatively self-contained for the main audience formed by actuaries and particularly with ERM (enterprise risk management) certificates, insurance risk managers, students in Master in mathematics or economics and people involved in Solvency II for insurance companies and in Basel II and III for banks.