Here is a work that adds much to the sum of our knowledge in a key area of science today. It is concerned with the estimation of discrete-time semi-Markov and hidden semi-Markov processes. A unique feature of the book is the use of discrete time, especially useful in some specific applications where the time scale is intrinsically discrete. The models presented in the book are specifically adapted to reliability studies and DNA analysis. The book is mainly intended for applied probabilists and statisticians interested in semi-Markov chains theory, reliability and DNA analysis, and for theoretical oriented reliability and bioinformatics engineers.

Hidden semi-Markov models (HSMMs) are among the most important models in the area of artificial intelligence / machine learning. Since the first HSMM was introduced in 1980 for machine recognition of speech, three other HSMMs have been proposed, with various definitions of duration and observation distributions. Those models have different expressions, algorithms, computational complexities, and applicable areas, without explicitly interchangeable forms. Hidden Semi-Markov Models: Theory, Algorithms and Applications provides a unified and foundational approach to HSMMs, including various HSMMs (such as the explicit duration, variable transition, and residential time of HSMMs), inference and estimation algorithms, implementation methods and application instances. Learn new developments and state-of-the-art emerging topics as they relate to HSMMs, presented with examples drawn from medicine, engineering and computer science. - Discusses the latest developments and emerging topics in the field of HSMMs - Includes a description of applications in various areas including, Human Activity Recognition, Handwriting Recognition, Network Traffic Characterization and Anomaly Detection, and Functional MRI Brain Mapping. - Shows how to master the basic techniques needed for using HSMMs and how to apply them.

Dependability and cost effectiveness are primarily seen as instruments for conducting international trade in the free market environment. These factors cannot be considered in isolation of each other. This handbook considers all aspects of performability engineering. The book provides a holistic view of the entire life cycle of activities of the product, along with the associated cost of environmental preservation at each stage, while maximizing the performance.

This book gathers the proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Engineering, Applied Sciences and System Modeling (ICEASSM), a four-day event (18th–21st April 2017) held in Accra, Ghana. It focuses on research work promoting a better understanding of engineering problems through applied sciences and modeling, and on solutions generated in an African setting but with relevance to the world as a whole. The book provides a holistic overview of challenges facing Africa, and addresses various areas from research and development perspectives. Presenting contributions by scientists, engineers and experts hailing from a host of international institutions, the book offers original approaches and technological solutions to help solve real-world problems through research and knowledge sharing. Further, it explores promising opportunities for collaborative research on issues of scientific, economic and social development, making it of interest to researchers, scientists and practitioners looking to conduct research in disciplines such as water supply, control, civil engineering, statistical modeling, renewable energy and sustainable urban development.

This book is the first volume of a two-volume monograph devoted to the study of limit and ergodic theorems for regularly and singularly perturbed Markov chains, semi-Markov processes, and multi-alternating regenerative processes with semi-Markov modulation. The first volume presents necessary and sufficient conditions for weak convergence for first-rare-event times and convergence in the topology J for first-rare-event processes defined on regularly perturbed finite Markov chains and semi-Markov processes. The text introduces new asymptotic recurrent algorithms of phase space reduction. It also addresses both effective conditions of weak convergence for distributions of hitting times as well as convergence of expectations of hitting times for regularly and singularly perturbed finite Markov chains and semi-Markov processes. The book also contains a comprehensive bibliography of major works in the field. It provides an effective reference for both graduate students as well as theoretical and applied researchers studying stochastic processes and their applications.

Hidden Markov Models for Time Series: An Introduction Using R, Second Edition illustrates the great flexibility of hidden Markov models (HMMs) as general-purpose models for time series data. The book provides a broad understanding of the models and their uses. After presenting the basic model formulation, the book covers estimation, forecasting, decoding, prediction, model selection, and Bayesian inference for HMMs. Through examples and applications, the authors describe how to extend and generalize the basic model so that it can be applied in a rich variety of situations. The book demonstrates how HMMs can be applied to a wide range of types of time series: continuous-valued, circular, multivariate, binary, bounded and unbounded counts, and categorical observations. It also discusses how to employ the freely available computing environment R to carry out the computations. Features Presents an accessible overview of HMMs Explores a variety of applications in ecology, finance, epidemiology, climatology, and sociology Includes numerous theoretical and programming exercises Provides most of the analysed data sets online New to the second edition A total of five chapters on extensions, including HMMs for longitudinal data, hidden semi-Markov models and models with continuous-valued state process New case studies on animal movement, rainfall occurrence and capture-recapture data

This book presents the latest developments in the theory and applications of time series analysis and forecasting. Comprising a selection of refereed papers, it is divided into several parts that address modern theoretical aspects of time series analysis, forecasting and prediction, with applications to various disciplines, including econometrics and energy research. The broad range of topics discussed, including matters of particular relevance for sustainable development, will give readers a modern perspective on the subject. The included contributions were originally presented at the 8th International Conference on Time Series and Forecasting, ITISE 2022, held in Gran Canaria, Spain, June 27-30, 2022. The ITISE conference series provides a forum for scientists, engineers, educators and students to discuss the latest advances and implementations in the foundations, theory, models and applications of time series analysis and forecasting. It focuses on interdisciplinary research encompassing computer science, mathematics, statistics and econometrics.

This book extends the theory and applications of random evolutions to semi-Markov random media in discrete time, essentially focusing on semi-Markov chains as switching or driving processes. After giving the definitions of discrete-time semi-Markov chains and random evolutions, it presents the asymptotic theory in a functional setting, including weak convergence results in the series scheme, and their extensions in some additional directions, including reduced random media, controlled processes, and optimal stopping. Finally, applications of discrete-time semi-Markov random evolutions in epidemiology and financial mathematics are discussed. This book will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in applied mathematics and statistics, and other disciplines, including engineering, epidemiology, finance and economics, who are concerned with stochastic models of systems.

Reliability theory is a multidisciplinary science aimed at developing complex systems that are resistant to failures. Reliability engineering has emerged as a main field not only for scientists and researchers, but also for engineers and industrial managers. This book covers the recent developments in reliability engineering. It presents new theoretical issues that were not previously published, as well as the solutions of practical problems and case studies illustrating the applications methodology. This book is written by a number of leading scientists, analysts, mathematicians, statisticians, and engineers who have been working on the front end of reliability science and engineering. Reliability Engineering: Theory and Applications covers the recent developments in reliability engineering. It presents new theoretical issues that were not previously presented in the literature, as well as the solutions of important practical problems and case studies illustrating the applications methodology. Features Covers applications to reliability engineering practice Discusses current advances and developments Introduces current achievements in the field Considers and analyses case studies along with real world examples Presents numerous examples to illustrate the theoretical results

Credit risk is one of the most important contemporary problems for banks and insurance companies. Indeed, for banks, more than forty percent of the equities are necessary to cover this risk. Though this problem is studied by large rating agencies with substantial economic, social and financial tools, building stochastic models is nevertheless necessary to complete this descriptive orientation. This book presents a complete presentation of such a category of models using homogeneous and non-homogeneous semi-Markov processes developed by the authors in several recent papers. This approach provides a good method of evaluating the default risk and the classical VaR indicators used for Solvency II and Basel III governance rules. This book is the first to present a complete semi-Markov treatment of credit risk while also insisting on the practical use of the models presented here, including numerical aspects, so that this book is not only useful for scientific research but also to managers working in this field for banks, insurance companies, pension funds and other financial institutions.