Managing Business Projects: The Essentials differs from many other project management textbooks. Foremost, it is about business projects as opposed to construction or engineering projects. Although many techniques, like schedule management, apply to both, they are usually applied differently. As its title conveys, the book explains the essential techniques and perspectives needed for business projects to be successful. The focus is on small- and medium-sized projects, up to $20 million, but often below $1 million. Some literature favors large and mega-projects, but for every mega-project, there are many thousands of smaller projects that are vital to the organization and could involve considerable complexity and risk. Nevertheless, the techniques outlined here also apply to mega-projects and their many subprojects; they even apply to some aspects of construction or engineering projects.

This book does not aim to cover all project management techniques. In real life there is simply no time for sophisticated ‘should-dos.' Rather, it covers the essentials that apply to almost all business projects; these are unlikely to change in the future even as technology and methodologies advance. The driving idea, which is stated repeatedly, is to do the essentials and to do them consistently and well.

Strong emphasis is placed on things that happen before, around, and after the project itself. So, while the basic disciplines like engaging with stakeholders, managing scope, schedules, costs, risks, issues, changes, and communication, are thoroughly explained, other important aspects are covered. These include: governance of a project and of a portfolio of projects, project selection with its financial and non-financial aspects, effective use of the business case through to benefits realization, procurement, outsourcing and partnership, and also the agile mindset that is valuable beyond Agile projects.

Besides project managers and sponsors, this book is intended for people who are working in business or government, at any level, or for MBA students. It offers perspectives that enable them to learn more from their everyday experience. It is not aimed at undergraduate students, although many would benefit from the contents.

Creativity in Computing and DataFlow Supercomputing, the latest release in the Advances in Computers series published since 1960, presents detailed coverage of innovations in computer hardware, software, theory, design, and applications. In addition, it provides contributors with a medium in which they can explore topics in greater depth and breadth than journal articles typically allow. As a result, many articles have become standard references that continue to be of significant, lasting value in this rapidly expanding field.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the suite of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the Internet. TCP/IP uses several protocols, the two main ones being TCP and IP. TCP/IP is built into the UNIX operating system and is used by the Internet, making it the de facto standard for transmitting data over networks. The TCP/IP suite of protocols has become a dominant technology due to its widespread use and reliability, while Ethernet is fast becoming a de facto industrial networking standard.
* A practical hands-on book that covers troubleshooting and maintenance of TCP/IP networks
* Provides a solid understanding of the application of TCP/IP from an engineering perspective
* Complete coverage from networking fundamentals to Internet-enabled control systems

The demand is exploding for complete, integrated systems that sense, process, manipulate, and control complex entities such as sound, images, text, motion, and environmental conditions. These systems, from hand-held devices to automotive sub-systems to aerospace vehicles, employ electronics to manage and adapt to a world that is, predominantly, neither digital nor electronic.

To respond to this design challenge, the industry has developed and standardized VHDL-AMS, a unified design language for modeling digital, analog, mixed-signal, and mixed-technology systems. VHDL-AMS extends VHDL to bring the successful HDL modeling methodology of digital electronic systems design to these new design disciplines.

Gregory Peterson and Darrell Teegarden join best-selling author Peter Ashenden in teaching designers how to use VHDL-AMS to model these complex systems. This comprehensive tutorial and reference provides detailed descriptions of both the syntax and semantics of the language and of successful modeling techniques. It assumes no previous knowledge of VHDL, but instead teaches VHDL and VHDL-AMS in an integrated fashion, just as it would be used by designers of these complex, integrated systems.
* Explores the design of an electric-powered, unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAV) in five separate case studies to illustrate mixed-signal, mixed-technology, power systems, communication systems, and full system modeling.
* Includes a CD-ROM with code for all the examples and case studies in the book, an educational model library, a quick reference guide for VHDL-AMS, a syntax reference from Appendix E in the book, links to VHDL-AMS resources and Mentor Graphics SystemVision software, which provides a simulation and modeling environment with a schematic entry tool, a VHDL-AMS simulator, and a waveform viewing facility.

The main links with your PC and the outside world are the centronic port, used for connecting the printer, the RS232 port, used for the mouse, and the games port for a joystick. This book explores how these input/output (I/O) ports can be put to use through a range of other interfacing applications. This is especially useful for laptop and palmtop PCs which cannot be fitted with internal I/O cards. A novel approach is taken by this book, combining the hardware through which the ports can be explored, and the software programming needed to carry out a range of experiments.
Circuits are provided for simple testing tools, and three experimental boards - which can also be purchased ready-made. Ready-to-run TurboPascal programs are available on the Newnes web site.
A huge range of applications are considered, turning the PC into a flexible core of a variety of systems. External devices considered include opto-isolator drivers, power drivers, LED drivers, relay drivers, special driver ICs, and methods of driving opto-isolated zero-crossing solid state relays, stepper motors, sound generating devices and displays. Ways of gathering information from the outside world are given, as well as connection to digital devices, remote control and digital communication.
As well as teaching in this field, Pei An has written numerous articles for magazines such as Electronics World and Electronics Today International.

A hands-on guide to exploring your PC's input/output ports
Covers the hardware and software aspects of interfacing
An exciting project-based approach to an important subject area

The concentration of private power over media has been the subject of intense public debate around the world. Critics have long feared waves of mergers creating a handful of large media firms that would hold sway over public opinion and endanger democracy and innovation. But others believe with equal fervor that the Internet and deregulation have opened the media landscape significantly. How concentrated has the American information sector really become? What are the facts about American media ownership? In this contentious environment, Eli Noam provides a comprehensive and balanced survey of media concentration with a methodical, scientific approach. He assembles a wealth of data from the last 25 years about mass media such as radio, television, film, music, and print publishing, as well as the Internet, telecommunications, and media-related information technology. After examining 100 separate media and network industries in detail, Noam provides a powerful summary and analysis of concentration trends across industries and major media sectors. He also looks at local media power, vertical concentration, and the changing nature of media ownership through financial institutions and private equity. The results reveal a reality much more complex than the one painted by advocates on either side of the debate. They show a dynamic system that fluctuates around long-term concentration trends driven by changing economics and technology. Media Ownership and Concentration in America will be essential reading and a trove of information for scholars and students in media, telecommunications, IT, economics, and the history of business, as well as media industry professionals, business researchers, and policy makers around the world. Critics and defenders of media trends alike will find much that confirms and refutes their world view. But the next round of their debate will be shaped by the facts presented in this book.

Get the most out of your computer with our quick and easy 6-page laminated guide focusing on configuration and management of your system for you, with guidance for setting up and securing other users that may use your computer. Joan Lambert, author of multiple books on the Microsoft Office Suite, creator of many Lynda.com videos and an experienced corporate trainer used her experience and knowledge to cover the most relevant functions for users at different levels. Suggested uses: Workplace -- easy access at a moments notice to find a function you need to use; Company Training -- reduce help-desk calls and keep productivity flowing for a team or for your entire company; Family & Shared -- admin and set up secure family accounts to keep things separated while controlling time spent on the computer; Students/Teachers/Parents -- help with the learning curve in a classroom or at home; College Students -- make sure you are set-up, secure and using features that can make your life easier.

You ve just purchased a TI-83 Plus calculator to assist in performing different types of mathematical equations now, how can you get the most out of it? You ll find the answer to this question with our comprehensive, 3-panel guide that shows in great detail what exactly the TI-83 Plus can do. Function key and mode descriptions, as well as problem-solving examples, are included within a color-coded format for easy reference.

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A complete and authoritative discussion of systems engineering and neural networks In Systems Engineering Neural Networks, a team of distinguished researchers deliver a thorough exploration of the fundamental concepts underpinning the creation and improvement of neural networks with a systems engineering mindset. In the book, you'll find a general theoretical discussion of both systems engineering and neural networks accompanied by coverage of relevant and specific topics, from deep learning fundamentals to sport business applications. Readers will discover in-depth examples derived from many years of engineering experience, a comprehensive glossary with links to further reading, and supplementary online content. The authors have also included a variety of applications programmed in both Python 3 and Microsoft Excel. The book provides: A thorough introduction to neural networks, introduced as key element of complex systems Practical discussions of systems engineering and forecasting, complexity theory and optimization and how these techniques can be used to support applications outside of the traditional AI domains Comprehensive explorations of input and output, hidden layers, and bias in neural networks, as well as activation functions, cost functions, and back-propagation Guidelines for software development incorporating neural networks with a systems engineering methodology Perfect for students and professionals eager to incorporate machine learning techniques into their products and processes, Systems Engineering Neural Networks will also earn a place in the libraries of managers and researchers working in areas involving neural networks.

Wireless Communication Networks Supported by Autonomous UAVs and Mobile Ground Robots covers wireless sensor networks and cellular networks. For wireless sensor networks, the book presents approaches using mobile robots or UAVs to collect sensory data from sensor nodes. For cellular networks, it discusses the approaches to using UAVs to work as aerial base stations to serve cellular users. In addition, the book covers the challenges involved in these two networks, existing approaches (e.g., how to use the public transportation vehicles to play the role of mobile sinks to collect sensory data from sensor nodes), and potential methods to address open questions.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Bestselling CompTIA A+ author Mike Meyers provides hands-on, step-by-step labs-updated for the 2012 release of Exam 220-802-so you can practice the IT skills essential for your successMike Meyers' CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting Operating Systems Lab Manual, Fourth Edition contains more than 80 labs that challenge you to solve real-world problems with key concepts. Clear, measurable lab objectives map to certification exam objectives, ensuring direct correspondence to Mike Meyers' CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting Operating Systems, Fourth Edition. Lab solutions are only available to instructors and are not printed inside the book. The Lab Manual also includes materials lists and lab set-up instructions. Step-by-step, not click-by click, lab scenarios require you to think critically, and Hint and Warning icons guide you through potentially tricky situations. Post-lab observation questions measure your understanding of lab results and the key term quiz helps to build your vocabulary.

Inclusive Radio Communication Networks for 5G and Beyond is based on the COST IRACON project that consists of 500 researchers from academia and industry, with 120 institutions from Europe, US and the Far East involved. The book presents state-of-the-art design and analysis methods for 5G (and beyond) radio communication networks, along with key challenges and issues related to the development of 5G networks. This book is Open Access and was funded by: CNIT - Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni European Association for Communications and Networking (EURACON), AISBL

Intelligent Image and Video Compression: Communicating Pictures, Second Edition explains the requirements, analysis, design and application of a modern video coding system. It draws on the authors' extensive academic and professional experience in this field to deliver a text that is algorithmically rigorous yet accessible, relevant to modern standards and practical. It builds on a thorough grounding in mathematical foundations and visual perception to demonstrate how modern image and video compression methods can be designed to meet the rate-quality performance levels demanded by today's applications and users, in the context of prevailing network constraints. "David Bull and Fan Zhang have written a timely and accessible book on the topic of image and video compression. Compression of visual signals is one of the great technological achievements of modern times, and has made possible the great successes of streaming and social media and digital cinema. Their book, Intelligent Image and Video Compression covers all the salient topics ranging over visual perception, information theory, bandpass transform theory, motion estimation and prediction, lossy and lossless compression, and of course the compression standards from MPEG (ranging from H.261 through the most modern H.266, or VVC) and the open standards VP9 and AV-1. The book is replete with clear explanations and figures, including color where appropriate, making it quite accessible and valuable to the advanced student as well as the expert practitioner. The book offers an excellent glossary and as a bonus, a set of tutorial problems. Highly recommended!" --Al Bovik

This book takes the reader through the actual manufacturing process of making a typical chip, from start to finish, including a detailed discussion of each step, in plain language. The evolution of today's technology is added to the story, as seen through the eyes of the engineers who solved some of the problems. The authors are well suited to that discussion since they are three of those same engineers. They have a broad exposure to the industry and its technology that extends all the way back to Shockley Laboratories, the first semiconductor manufacturer in Silicon Valley.
The CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) process flow is the focus of the discussion and is covered in ten chapters. The vast majority of chips made today are fabricated using this general method. In order to ensure that all readers are comfortable with the vocabulary, the first chapter carefully and clearly introduces the science concepts found in later chapters. A chapter is devoted to pointing out the differences in other manufacturing methods, such as the gallium arsenide technology that produces chips for cell phones. In addition, a chapter describing the nature of the semiconductor industry from a business perspective is included.
"The entire process of making a chip is surprisingly easy to understand. The part of the story that defies belief is the tiny dimensions: the conducting wires and other structures on a chip are more than a hundred times thinner than a hair - and getting thinner with every new chip design."
* Included CD gives the reader a much greater comprehension of the process than a strictly print book with static illustrations provides
* Authors are actual engineers who have a broad range of exposure and experience with chip technology
* Contains a unique chapter describing the nature of the semiconductor industry from a business perspective

Thinking Machines: Machine Learning and Its Hardware Implementation covers the theory and application of machine learning, neuromorphic computing and neural networks. This is the first book that focuses on machine learning accelerators and hardware development for machine learning. It presents not only a summary of the latest trends and examples of machine learning hardware and basic knowledge of machine learning in general, but also the main issues involved in its implementation. Readers will learn what is required for the design of machine learning hardware for neuromorphic computing and/or neural networks. This is a recommended book for those who have basic knowledge of machine learning or those who want to learn more about the current trends of machine learning.

Each Student Book and ActiveBook have has clearly laid out pages with a range of supportive features to aid learning and teaching: Getting to know your unit sections ensure learners understand the grading criteria and unit requirements. Getting ready for Assessment sections focus on preparation for external assessment with guidance for learners on what to expect. Hints and tips will help them prepare for assessment and sample answers are provided for a range of question types including, short and long answer questions, all with a supporting commentary. Learners can also prepare for internal assessment using this feature. A case study of a learner completing the internal assessment for that unit covering 'How I got started', 'How I brought it all together' and 'What I got from the experience'. Pause Point feature provide opportunities for learners to self-evaluate their learning at regular intervals. Each Pause Point point feature gives learners a Hint or Extend option to either revisit and reinforce the topic or to encourage independent research or study skills. Case Study and Theory into Practice features enable development of problem-solving skills and place the theory into real life situations learners could encounter. Assessment Activity/Practice provide scaffolded assessment practice activities that help prepare learners for assessment. Within each assessment practice activity, a Plan, Do and Review section supports learners' formative assessment by making sure they fully understand what they are being asked to do, what their goals are and how to evaluate the task and consider how they could improve. Dedicated Think Future pages provide case studies from the industry, with a focus on aspects of skills development that can be put into practice in a real work environment and further study.

Advances in Delay-Tolerant Networks: Architecture and Enhanced Performance, Second Edition provides an important overview of delay-tolerant networks (DTNs) for researchers in electronics, computer engineering, telecommunications and networking for those in academia and R&D in industrial sectors. Part I reviews the technology involved and the prospects for improving performance, including different types of DTN and their applications, such as satellite and deep-space communications and vehicular communications. Part II focuses on how the technology can be further improved, addressing topics, such as data bundling, opportunistic routing, reliable data streaming, and the potential for rapid selection and dissemination of urgent messages. Opportunistic, delay-tolerant networks address the problem of intermittent connectivity in a network where there are long delays between sending and receiving messages, or there are periods of disconnection.

Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop describes the change from the current Internet, which focuses on the democratization of information independent of location or time, to the Tactile Internet, which democratizes skills to promote equity that is independent of age, gender, sociocultural background or physical limitations. The book promotes the concept of the Tactile Internet for remote closed-loop human-machine interaction and describes the main challenges and key technologies. Current standardization activities in the field for IEEE and IETF are also described, making this book an ideal resource for researchers, graduate students, and industry R&D engineers in communications engineering, electronic engineering, and computer engineering.

Shape grammar and space syntax have been separately developed but rarely combined in any significant way. The first of these is typically used to investigate or generate the formal or geometric properties of architecture, while the second is used to analyze the spatial, topological, or social properties of architecture. Despite the reciprocal relationship between form and space in architecture-it is difficult to conceptualize a completed building without a sense of both of these properties-the two major computational theories have been largely developed and applied in isolation from each another. Grammatical and Syntactical Approaches in Architecture: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical scholarly resource that explores the relationship between shape grammar and space syntax for urban planning and architecture and enables the creative discovery of both the formal and spatial features of an architectural style or type. This book, furthermore, presents a new method to selectively capture aspects of both the grammar and syntax of architecture. Featuring a range of topics such as mathematical analysis, spatial configuration, and domestic architecture, this book is essential for architects, policymakers, urban planners, researchers, academicians, and students.

Edsger Wybe Dijkstra (1930-2002) was one of the most influential researchers in the history of computer science, making fundamental contributions to both the theory and practice of computing. Early in his career, he proposed the single-source shortest path algorithm, now commonly referred to as Dijkstra's algorithm. He wrote (with Jaap Zonneveld) the first ALGOL 60 compiler, and designed and implemented with his colleagues the influential THE operating system. Dijkstra invented the field of concurrent algorithms, with concepts such as mutual exclusion, deadlock detection, and synchronization. A prolific writer and forceful proponent of the concept of structured programming, he convincingly argued against the use of the Go To statement. In 1972 he was awarded the ACM Turing Award for "fundamental contributions to programming as a high, intellectual challenge; for eloquent insistence and practical demonstration that programs should be composed correctly, not just debugged into correctness; for illuminating perception of problems at the foundations of program design." Subsequently he invented the concept of self-stabilization relevant to fault-tolerant computing. He also devised an elegant language for nondeterministic programming and its weakest precondition semantics, featured in his influential 1976 book A Discipline of Programming in which he advocated the development of programs in concert with their correctness proofs. In the later stages of his life, he devoted much attention to the development and presentation of mathematical proofs, providing further support to his long-held view that the programming process should be viewed as a mathematical activity. In this unique new book, 31 computer scientists, including five recipients of the Turing Award, present and discuss Dijkstra's numerous contributions to computing science and assess their impact. Several authors knew Dijkstra as a friend, teacher, lecturer, or colleague. Their biographical essays and tributes provide a fascinating multi-author picture of Dijkstra, from the early days of his career up to the end of his life.