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This monograph introduces various value-based approaches for solving the policy evaluation problem in the online reinforcement learning scenario, which aims to learn the value function associated with a specific policy under a single Markov decision process.

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This monograph is intended to complement an earlier survey on modern b-tree techniques, published in 2011, and to bring the combined contents more up-to-date.

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Among the data structures commonly used in machine learning, graphs are arguably one of the most general. Graphs allow the modelling of complex objects, each of which can be annotated by metadata. Nonetheless, seemingly simple questions, such as determining whether two graphs are identical or whether one graph is contained in another graph, are remarkably hard to solve in practice. Machine learning methods operating on graphs must therefore grapple with the need to balance computational tractability with the ability to leverage as much of the information conveyed by each graph as possible. In the last 15 years, numerous graph kernels have been proposed to solve this problem, thereby making it possible to perform predictions in both classification and regression settings.This monograph provides a review of existing graph kernels, their applications, software plus data resources, and an empirical comparison of state-of-the-art graph kernels. It is divided into two parts: the first part focuses on the theoretical description of common graph kernels; the second part focuses on a large-scale empirical evaluation of graph kernels, as well as a description of desirable properties and requirements for benchmark data sets. Finally, the authors outline the future trends and open challenges for graph kernels. Written for every researcher, practitioner and student of machine learning, Graph Kernels provides a comprehensive and insightful survey of the various graph kernals available today. It gives the reader a detailed typology, and analysis of relevant graph kernels while exposing the relations between them and commenting on their applicability for specific data types. There is also a large-scale empirical evaluation of graph kernels.

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Equipping machines with comprehensive knowledge of the world’s entities and their relationships has been a longstanding goal of AI. Over the last decade, large-scale knowledge bases, also known as knowledge graphs, have been automatically constructed from web contents and text sources, and have become a key asset for search engines. This machine knowledge can be harnessed to semantically interpret textual phrases in news, social media and web tables, and contributes to question answering, natural language processing and data analytics. This monograph surveys fundamental concepts and practical methods for creating and curating large knowledge bases. It covers models and methods for discovering and curating large knowledge bases from online content, with emphasis on semi-structured web pages with lists, tables etc., and unstructured text sources. Case studies on academic projects and industrial knowledge graphs complement the survey of concepts and methods. The intended audience is students and researchers interested in a wide spectrum of topics: from machine knowledge and data quality to machine learning and data science as well as applications in web content mining and natural language understanding. It will also be of interest to industrial practitioners working on semantic technologies for web, social media, or enterprise content.

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Development of formal proofs of correctness of programs can increase actual and perceived reliability and facilitate better understanding of program specifications and their underlying assumptions. Tools supporting such development have been available for over 40 years but have only recently seen wide practical use. Projects based on construction of machine-checked formal proofs are now reaching an unprecedented scale, comparable to large software projects, which leads to new challenges in proof development and maintenance. Despite its increasing importance, the field of proof engineering is seldom considered in its own right; related theories, techniques, and tools span many fields and venues.QED at Large covers the timeline and research literature concerning proof development for program verification, including theories, languages, and tools. It emphasizes challenges and breakthroughs at each stage in history and highlights challenges that are currently present due to the increasing scale of proof developments.This monograph is intended for use by researchers and students who are new to the field. It provides the reader with an insightful overview of the work that has led to modern-day techniques for formally verifying software. In times of increasing automation, this underpins many software systems so future trends are also highlighted.

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Financing Entrepreneurship and Innovation in China provides an overview of the current state-of-affairs in the financing of private innovations in China. While country-level innovation can take many forms, the focus is on the funding of business start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures. The monograph has four specific objectives: (1) to present an economic framework for evaluating the central challenges associated with the financing of entrepreneurial ventures in China, (2) to evaluate the relative size and importance of the channels through which private initiatives for innovation in China are currently being funded, (3) to survey the academic evidence on potential financing constraints currently facing private initiatives in innovation, and (4) to discuss public policy implications that may arise from these findings, as well as to outline the type of future research that may best inform Chinese policy makers. After the introduction, Section 2 begins with a review of the central economic themes in entrepreneurial finance. Section 3 reviews the channels through which external funding now reach entrepreneurs in China. Section 4 further explores the problems engendered by China's IPO regulations. Section 5 summarizes the findings, discusses policy implications, and explores potential venues for future research. The authors conclude that China's current IPO regulations represent a serious impediment to two important near-term goals espoused by the Chinese government – to bring more high-technology firms back to mainland stock markets, and to be included at a meaningful weight in international stock indices, particularly the MSCI Emerging Market Index.

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The Economic Impacts of the Advanced Encryption Standard, 1996-2017 evaluates the net social benefits of advanced encryption standards (AES). This is one of many areas where the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has promoted innovation and industrial competitiveness to ensure that public and private computer systems can protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of digital information in the face of ever more powerful computers and developments in the field of cryptography.After an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 provides the ABCs of cryptography as it applies to the AES and an introduction to the computer networks that employ encryption systems. It further delves into the evolution of NIST's role as the Federal Government's authority on the computer security of civilian-focused agencies, the AES competition (1997-2000), and subsequent cryptographic validation programs including what these validation programs reveal about the composition of the encryption product market. Chapter 3 characterizes how the AES program and subsequent dependent industry standards have functioned as economic policy tools that reduced the economic barriers of the 1990s to the development, commercialization, and application of cryptographic technologies, as well as their continuing indirect role in supporting the quality of encryption systems, reducing encryption system risks, and facilitating the growth of related industries. This chapter also places the AES program in an industrial organizational context by describing the economic value chain of which the AES program is a part. Chapter 4 discusses the selection of pre-survey interviews with subject matter experts, the design of the survey instrument, and survey execution. Chapter 5 describes survey results, compares selected qualitative survey findings to pre-survey expectations, describes the three-tiered approach to estimating economic impact in context of actual survey results, and reports the costs of NIST's AES program for 1996-2017. Chapter 6 presents the results of the three-tiered approach to estimating the overall economic impacts of the AES program. Chapter 7 provides a summary and conclusion of the analysis.

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"Readers of early Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and the best thrillers out there should try Liu now." -Publishers Weekly In the realm of paranormal romance, no author burns hotter than New York Times bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu! The Fire King is yet another blazing example of her originality, sensuality, and breathtaking storytelling prowess. Her passionate tales centered around the mysterious Dirk and Steele Detective Agency-with its roster of enigmatic psychics, telepaths, shapeshifters, and extraordinary beings-have set a high standard for this popular romance subgenre. In The Fire King, her tormented shape-shifting hero-once almost a god, now much more than a man-freed against his will from an eternal darkness, must overcome his rage and the pain of his tragic past by accepting the love of a remarkable woman with an extraordinary gift. A Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award winner and multiple RITA Award nominee, Lui is not to be missed if your taste is for love stories from the supernatural side. In fact, Christina Feehan, arguably the Queen of paranormal romantic fiction, says, "Anyone who loves my work should love hers."

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REDEMPTION AT TRINITY The Rim rebellion was glorious—and doomed from the start. Brilliant Rim Confederation Navy spaceship captain Jared Clement scuttled his career and professional life by joining the rebels against the overwhelming force of the 5 Suns Alliance. The rebel cause was just. That didn’t matter. Ten years later, Clement regrets nothing — and would prefer to be left alone to his thoughts and drink. But a new chance to command a ship of incredible potential is thrust in his lap—humanity’s first truly faster-than-light vessel. The destination: Trinity, a newly discovered star system where strange signs of possible spacefarers may lead to humanity’s first alien encounter. Or to interstellar war. Humanity is on the brink of a new age, and everything depends on one crusty starship captain, his gritty crew, and the Beauregard, a ship that was never meant to wage war turned into a weapon-bristling battleship that will either propel humanity to ultimate destruction or into a new starfaring age of exploration and conflict. And along the way, a noble lost cause—one Captain Jared Clement—may finally get his revenge. And find his redemption. About Trinity: “[A] rousing. . . far-future tale, taking hard-drinking former Rim Confederacy Navy Capt. Jared Clement of the gunship Beauregard into a whopper of a galactic confrontation. . . . [with] Clement’s rebirth as an idealistic military commander, leading to breathless Horatio Hornblower–type ship-to-ship action updated into a Star Trek–like environment. . . [with] plenty of fun, derring-do, and even some tension-relieving fraternization will keep readers invested in Clement and crew. This is an entertaining escape from the here and now.”—Publishers Weekly About Dave Bara: “. . . fun, fast, and proper science fiction, where the stakes are big and things matter.”—New York Times best-selling author Simon R. Green on Dave Bara’s Lightship Chronicles Series “This energetic mélange of tried-and-true elements—futuristic jargon, military and romantic tactics, and multiple levels of skullduggery—easily grabs the reader’s attention; more impressive is that Bara’s story holds that attention all the way to the end.” —Publishers Weekly on The Lightship Chronicles Series “Bara manages to ramp up the depth and complexity of his world while retaining that sense of excitement, suspense, and adventure.” —Barnes & Noble Sci Fi & Fantasy Blog

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Jared Clement has returned to Trinity, not as a mere ship captain but now as a 5 Suns Fleet Admiral. With his promotion comes increased responsibility that weighs heavy on his shoulders. 30,000 settlers are leaving the dying planets of the Rim, his home, and resettling next to the natives of the planet Bellus. Clement is responsible for those lives and the lives of the natives, Trinity’s children, and for building a better future for them all. But when his migrant fleet arrives in the Trinity system, they are faced with enemies both old and new. Former Fleet Admiral Elara DeVore has escaped her exile on the planet Alphus and has vanished into parts unknown. Soon, however, Clement discovers she has a new fleet and a new ally, the Solar League from Earth. The Solar League has arrived with a massive fleet and plans on taking Trinity for itself, then forcing the 5 Suns to surrender. With just a small military fleet to accompany the migrants, Clement is faced with the almost impossible task of defending both his people and the natives from becoming slaves of the Solar League. About Trinity: “[A] rousing. . . far-future tale, taking hard-drinking former Rim Confederacy Navy Capt. Jared Clement of the gunship Beauregard into a whopper of a galactic confrontation. . . . [with] Clement’s rebirth as an idealistic military commander, leading to breathless Horatio Hornblower–type ship-to-ship action updated into a Star Trek–like environment. . . [with] plenty of fun, derring-do, and even some tension-relieving fraternization will keep readers invested in Clement and crew. This is an entertaining escape from the here and now.”—Publishers Weekly About Dave Bara: “. . . fun, fast, and proper science fiction, where the stakes are big and things matter.”—New York Times best-selling author Simon R. Green on Dave Bara’s Lightship Chronicles Series “This energetic mélange of tried-and-true elements—futuristic jargon, military and romantic tactics, and multiple levels of skullduggery—easily grabs the reader’s attention; more impressive is that Bara’s story holds that attention all the way to the end.” —Publishers Weekly on The Lightship Chronicles Series “Bara manages to ramp up the depth and complexity of his world while retaining that sense of excitement, suspense, and adventure.” —Barnes & Noble Sci Fi & Fantasy Blog

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Jared Clement has returned to Trinity, not as a mere ship captain but as a Five Suns Fleet Admiral. With his promotion comes increased responsibility that weighs heavily on his shoulders: 30,000 settlers are leaving the dying planets of the Rim, his home, and resettling next to the natives of the planet Bellus. Clement is responsible for those lives and the lives of the natives, Trinity’s children, and for building a better future for them all. But when his migrant fleet arrives in the Trinity system, they are faced with enemies both old and new. Former Fleet Admiral Elara DeVore has escaped her exile on the planet Alphus and vanished into parts unknown. Soon, however, Clement discovers she has a new fleet and a new ally, the Solar League from Earth. The Solar League has arrived with a massive fleet and plans on taking Trinity for itself, forcing the Five Suns to surrender. With just a small military fleet to accompany the migrants, Clement is faced with the almost impossible task of defending both his people and the natives from becoming slaves of the Solar League. Praise for Trinity’s Children: "As with the first book, the characters here are outstanding and fascinating, and their relationships are dynamic. It's a fun and diverse group, and Clement makes a great lead . . . Fans of series like David Weber's Honor Harrington, Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet, Orson Scott Card's Ender Saga, and Timothy Zahn's many space operas will all want to check this out. It could be their next new series love." —Analog SF&F About Trinity: "Trinity is a knockout read. Imagine if James T. Kirk (Star Trek) and Mal Reynolds (Firefly) were combined and you pretty much have main character Jared Clement... The story moves at a brisk pace with fun and interesting characters, and lots of action. It very much feels like Mal Reynolds on a Star Trek: Original Series away mission, though much more modern in its sensibilities." —Analog SF&F “[A] rousing. . . far-future tale, taking hard-drinking former Rim Confederacy Navy Capt. Jared Clement of the gunship Beauregard into a whopper of a galactic confrontation. . . . [with] Clement’s rebirth as an idealistic military commander, leading to breathless Horatio Hornblower-type ship-to-ship action updated into a Star Trek-like environment. . . [with] plenty of fun, derring-do, and even some tension-relieving fraternization will keep readers invested in Clement and crew. This is an entertaining escape from the here and now.” —Publishers Weekly About Dave Bara: “. . . fun, fast, and proper science fiction, where the stakes are big and things matter.” —Simon R. Green, New York Times best-selling author on Dave Bara’s Lightship Chronicles Series "A true talent in the genre, Bara brings a scope of imagination to his worlds, building them brick by brick in your mind and populating them with stalwart characters, men and women of action rather than words... If far-flung space opera is what you seek, Bara is the author for you." —Rick Partlow, best-selling author of the Drop Troopers series “This energetic mélange of tried-and-true elements—futuristic jargon, military and romantic tactics, and multiple levels of skullduggery—easily grabs the reader’s attention; more impressive is that Bara’s story holds that attention all the way to the end.” —Publishers Weekly on The Lightship Chronicles Series “Bara manages to ramp up the depth and complexity of his world while retaining that sense of excitement, suspense, and adventure.” —Barnes & Noble Sci Fi & Fantasy Blog

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