This book is about learning from data using the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS). GAMLSS extends the Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to accommodate large complex datasets, which are increasingly prevalent.In particular, the GAMLSS statistical framework enables flexible regression and smoothing models to be fitted to the data. The GAMLSS model assumes that the response variable has any parametric (continuous, ...

Despite efforts to increase renewables, the global energy mix is still likely to be dominated by fossil-fuels in the foreseeable future, particularly gas for electricity and oil for land, air and sea transport. The reliance on depleting conventional oil and natural gas resources and the geographic distribution of these reserves can have geopolitical implications for energy importers and exporters.Global Energy Policy and Security examines the security of global and nationa...

The story of the rise, fall and second ascendancy of nuclear power in the United Kingdom.Britain was a pioneer in civil nuclear power and there were once high hopes in the 1950s that this could be a source of cheap electricity and a valuable export opportunity. In The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain, Simon Taylor examines why these hopes were never realised, and how we have come to see a new rise in nuclear power in recent years. He traces the UK...

A retro-fit offers many benefits: cutting electricity and heating bills, increasing the resale value of homes, slashing carbon emissions and creating a healthier place to live. This book is the guide to making it happen. It looks at:draught-proofing, insulation and dampventilation, heating and coolingelectrical efficiency and renewable energywater use and re-usematerials' life cycles and incorporating natureprotection from cli...

Finance and energy markets have been an active scientific field for some time, even though the development and applications of sophisticated quantitative methods in these areas are relatively new—and referred to in a broader context as energy finance. Energy finance is often viewed as a branch of mathematical finance, yet this area continues to provide a rich source of issues that are fuelling new and exciting research developments. Based on a special thematic year at the Wolfgang Pauli In...

Liquid markets generate hundreds or thousands of ticks (the minimum change in price a security can have, either up or down) every business day. Data vendors such as Reuters transmit more than 275,000 prices per day for foreign exchange spot rates alone. Thus, high-frequency data can be a fundamental object of study, as traders make decisions by observing high-frequency or tick-by-tick data. Yet most studies published in financial literature deal with low frequency, regularly spaced data. F...

Deregulation is a fairly new paradigm in the electric power industry. And just as in the case of other industries where it has been introduced, the goal of deregulation is to enhance competition and bring consumers new choices and economic benefits. The process has, obviously, necessitated reformulation of established models of power system operation and control activities. Similarly, issues such as system reliability, control, security and power quality in this new environment have come i...

The book presents an introduction to Stochastic Processes including Markov Chains, Birth and Death processes, Brownian motion and Autoregressive models. The emphasis is on simplifying both the underlying mathematics and the conceptual understanding of random processes. In particular, non-trivial computations are delegated to a computer-algebra system, specifically Maple (although other systems can be easily substituted). Moreover, great care is taken to properly introduce the required math...

This book provides a comprehensive discussion of the public policy and management issues that are encountered in the regulation of infrastructure and utilities. Drawing from theoretical arguments and several case studies, the book is divided into three parts, namely devising regulation, installing regulation, and making regulation work. The first part covers theories of regulation, regulatory policies, strategies and tools, and regulatory reforms. The second part deals with the politics of...

Wind Energy Systems: Modeling, Analysis and Control with DFIG provides key information on machine/converter modelling strategies based on space vectors, complex vector, and further frequency-domain variables. It includes applications that focus on wind energy grid integration, with analysis and control explanations with examples. For those working in the field of wind energy integration examining the potential risk of stability is key, this edition looks at how wind energy is modelled, wha...

This book fills a clear gap in the literature for a technically-focused book covering nuclear proliferation and related issues post-9/11. Using a concept-led approach which serves a broad readership, it provides detailed overview of nuclear weapons, nuclear proliferation and international nuclear policy. The author addresses topics including offensive and defensive missile systems, command and control, verification, weapon effects, and nuclear testing. A chronology of nuclear arms is prese...

The subject of the book is advanced statistical analyses for quantitative research synthesis (meta-analysis), and selected practical issues relating to research synthesis that are not covered in detail in the many existing introductory books on research synthesis (or meta-analysis). Complex statistical issues are arising more frequently as the primary research that is summarized in quantitative syntheses itself becomes more complex, and as researchers who are conducting meta-analyses becom...