Decoding Clausewitz

Iterative processing is an important technique with numerous applications. Exploiting the power of factor graphs, this detailed survey provides a general framework for systematically developing iterative algorithms for digital receivers, and highlights connections between important algorithms. Starting with basic concepts in digital communications, progressively more complex ideas are presented and integrated resulting in the development of cutting-edge algorithms for iterative receivers. Real-world applications are covered in detail, including decoding for turbo and LDPC codes, and detection for multi-antenna and multi-user systems. This accessible framework will allow the reader to apply factor graphs to practical problems, leading to the design of new algorithms in applications beyond digital receivers. With many examples and algorithms in pseudo-code, this book is an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers in electrical engineering and computer science, and for pr

The history of the early 'Abbasid Caliphate has long been studied as a factual or interpretive synthesis of various accounts preserved in the medieval Islamic chronicles. Tayeb El-Hibri's book breaks with the traditional approach, applying a literary-critical reading to examine the lives of the caliphs. By focusing on the reigns of Harun al-Rashid and his successors, the study demonstrates how the various historical accounts were not in fact intended as faithful portraits of the past, but as allusive devices used to shed light on controversial religious, political and social issues of the period. The analysis also reveals how the exercise of decoding Islamic historigraphy, through an investigation of the narrative strategies and thematic motifs used in the chronicles, can uncover new layers of meaning and even identify the early narrators. This is an important book which represents a landmark in the field of early Islamic historiography.

The works of the seventh-century writer Virgilius Maro Grammaticus are among the most puzzling medieval texts to survive. Ostensibly a pair of grammars, they swarm with hymns, riddles, invented words and imaginary writers. Conventionally interpreted either as a benighted barbarian's unfortunate attempt to write a 'proper' grammar, or as a parody of the pedantic excesses of the ancient grammatical tradition, these texts have long been in need of an alternative reading. Why should a grammarian attack the very notion of authority, thereby destabilizing his own position? The search for an answer leads us via patristic exegesis and medieval wisdom literature to the tantalizingly ill-documented reaches of heterodox initiatory traditions. Vivien Law's book opens important new perspectives on the intellectual life of the early Middle Ages and on the decoding of medieval literature in general.

Using both his background in interpreting biblical research and his interest in word-puzzles, nationally known journalist John Dart uncovers lengthy codes that illuminate the intent of Mark's gospel,

Developments in sensor and processor sophistication have created a need for effective estimation and control algorithms for hybrid, nonlinear systems. This book presents an effective, flexible family of estimation algorithms that can be used in estimating or controlling a variety of nonlinear plants. Several applications are studied, including tracking a manoeuvring aircraft, automatic target recognition, and the decoding of signals transmitted across a wireless communications link. The authors begin by setting out the necessary theoretical background and then develop a practical, finite-dimensional approximation to an optimal estimator. Throughout the book, they illustrate theoretical results by simulation of control and estimation in real-world hybrid systems, drawn from a variety of engineering fields. The book will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers in electrical and computer engineering. It will also be a useful reference for practising engineers involved in

Error-correcting codes constitute one of the key ingredients in achieving the high degree of reliability required in modern data transmission and storage systems. This 2006 book introduces the reader to the theoretical foundations of error-correcting codes, with an emphasis on Reed-Solomon codes and their derivative codes. After reviewing linear codes and finite fields, the author describes Reed-Solomon codes and various decoding algorithms. Cyclic codes are presented, as are MDS codes, graph codes, and codes in the Lee metric. Concatenated, trellis, and convolutional codes are also discussed in detail. Homework exercises introduce additional concepts such as Reed-Muller codes, and burst error correction. The end-of-chapter notes often deal with algorithmic issues, such as the time complexity of computational problems. While mathematical rigor is maintained, the text is designed to be accessible to a broad readership, including students of computer science, electrical engineering, and

Using both his background in interpreting biblical research and his interest in word-puzzles, nationally known journalist John Dart uncovers lengthy codes that illuminate the intent of Mark's gospel,

Using published Prussian military studies of the time, Echevarria (national security studies, US Army War College) examines the development of military theories in the Boer and Russo-Japanese wars of

Developments in sensor and processor sophistication have created a need for effective estimation and control algorithms for hybrid, nonlinear systems. This book presents an effective, flexible family of estimation algorithms that can be used in estimating or controlling a variety of nonlinear plants. Several applications are studied, including tracking a manoeuvring aircraft, automatic target recognition, and the decoding of signals transmitted across a wireless communications link. The authors begin by setting out the necessary theoretical background and then develop a practical, finite-dimensional approximation to an optimal estimator. Throughout the book, they illustrate theoretical results by simulation of control and estimation in real-world hybrid systems, drawn from a variety of engineering fields. The book will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers in electrical and computer engineering. It will also be a useful reference for practising engineers involved in