This concise book shows you how experiential learning can be used to overcome the challenges posed in applying and delivering information technology (IT) to your business needs through an innovative, game-based approach. Technology innovations and evolving business models are part of a rapid change that is forcing corporate and management professionals to learn, deploy, and adopt IT in new ways in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Many are doing this through experiential learning. You'll begin by reviewing the basics of experiential learning and its relevance to IT, followed by six chapters that apply the hands-on concept through various scenarios. Make IT Through Experiential Learning one of your valued resources today. What You'll Learn: Innovative and proven IT-related application scenarios Generic management and leadership skill development Guidance for applying the learning methods for generating extraordinary results over conventional methods Who This Book Is For: IT professionals, higher education students, and those engaged in training and organizational development.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second Russian Supercomputing Days, RuSCDays 2016, held in Moscow, Russia, in September 2016. The 28 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 94 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on the present of supercomputing: large tasks solving experience; the future of supercomputing: new technologies.

This monograph provides comprehensive guidelines on the current and future trends of innovative simulation systems. In particular, their important components, such as augmented reality and unmanned vehicles are presented. The book consists of three parts. Each part presents good practices, new methods, concepts of systems and new algorithms. Presented challenges and solutions are the results of research and conducted by the contributing authors. The book describes and evaluates the current state of knowledge in the field of innovative simulation systems. Throughout the chapters there are presented current issues and concepts of systems, technology, equipment, tools, research challenges and current, past and future applications of simulation systems. The book is addressed to a wide audience: academic staff, representatives of research institutions, employees of companies and government agencies as well as students and graduates of technical universities in the country and abroad. The book can be a valuable source of information for constructors and developers of innovative simulation systems and their components. Scientists and researchers involved in mechanics, control algorithms, image processing, computer vision or data fusion can find many valuable suggestions and solutions.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence, ICAART 2015, held in Lisbon, Portugal, in January 2015.The 18 revised full papers presented in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 187 submissions. The papers are organized in two topical sections on agents and on artificial intelligence and focus on multi-agent systems and software platforms; distributed problem solving and distributed AI in general; knowledge representation; planning; learning; scheduling; perception; reactive AI systems; and evolutionary computing.

This monograph presents a novel numerical approach to solving partial integro-differential equations arising in asset pricing models with jumps, which greatly exceeds the efficiency of existing approaches. The method, based on pseudo-differential operators and several original contributions to the theory of finite-difference schemes, is new as applied to the Levy processes in finance, and is herein presented for the first time in a single volume. The results within, developed in a series of research papers, are collected and arranged together with the necessary background material from Levy processes, the modern theory of finite-difference schemes, the theory of M-matrices and EM-matrices, etc., thus forming a self-contained work that gives the reader a smooth introduction to the subject. For readers with no knowledge of finance, a short explanation of the main financial terms and notions used in the book is given in the glossary. The latter part of the book demonstrates the efficacy of the method by solving some typical problems encountered in computational finance, including structural default models with jumps, and local stochastic volatility models with stochastic interest rates and jumps. The author also adds extra complexity to the traditional statements of these problems by taking into account jumps in each stochastic component while all jumps are fully correlated, and shows how this setting can be efficiently addressed within the framework of the new method. Written for non-mathematicians, this book will appeal to financial engineers and analysts, econophysicists, and researchers in applied numerical analysis. It can also be used as an advance course on modern finite-difference methods or computational finance.

These transactions publish research in computer-based methods of computational collective intelligence (CCI) and their applications in a wide range of fields such as the semantic Web, social networks, and multi-agent systems. TCCI strives to cover new methodological, theoretical and practical aspects of CCI understood as the form of intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals (artificial and/or natural). The application of multiple computational intelligence technologies, such as fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation, neural systems, consensus theory, etc., aims to support human and other collective intelligence and to create new forms of CCI in natural and/or artificial systems. This nineteenth issue contains 11 carefully selected and revised contributions.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Management of Information, Process and Cooperation, MiPAC 2016, held in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. The 8 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 14 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on process modeling, process enactment, and data driven service computing.

This comprehensive text presents cutting-edge advances in the theory and methodology of modeling and simulation (M&S) and reveals how this work has been influenced by the fundamental contributions of Prof. Tuncer OEren to this field. Exploring the synergies among the domains of M&S and systems engineering (SE), the book describes how M&S and SE can help to address the complex problems identified as "Grand Challenges" more effectively under a model-driven and simulation-directed systems engineering framework. Features: examines frameworks for the development of advanced simulation methodologies; presents a focus on advanced modeling methodologies; reviews the reliability and quality assurance of models; discusses the specification and simulation of human and social behavior, including models of personality, emotions, conflict management, perception and anticipation; provides a survey of the body of knowledge in M highlights the foundations established by the pioneering work of Prof. Tuncer OEren.

This four-volume set (CCIS 643, 644, 645, 646) constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th Asia Simulation Conference and the First Autumn Simulation Multi-Conference, AsiaSim / SCS AutumnSim 2016, held in Beijing, China, in October 2016. The 265 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 651 submissions. The papers in this first volume of the set are organized in topical sections on modeling and simulation theory and methodology; model engineering for system of systems; high performance computing and simulation; modeling and simulation for smart city.

The two-volume set, CCIS 681 and CCIS 682, constitutes the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Bio-Inspired Computing: Theories and Applications, BIC-TA 2016, held in Xi'an, China, in October 2016.The 115 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 343 submissions. The papers of Part I are organized in topical sections on DNA Computing; Membrane Computing; Neural Computing; Machine Learning. The papers of Part II are organized in topical sections on Evolutionary Computing; Multi-objective Optimization; Pattern Recognition; Others.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings fo the 14th International Scientific Conference on Information Technologies and Mathematical Modeling, named after A. F. Terpugov, ITMM 2015, held in Anzhero-Sudzhensk, Russia, in November 2015. The 35 full papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 89 submissions. They are devoted to new results in the queueing theory and its applications, addressing specialists in probability theory, random processes, mathematical modeling as well as engineers dealing with logical and technical design and operational management of telecommunication and computer networks.

In recent decades, science has experienced a revolutionary shift. The development and extensive application of computer modelling and simulation has transformed the knowledge-making practices of scientific fields as diverse as astro-physics, genetics, robotics and demography. This epistemic transformation has brought with it a simultaneous heightening of political relevance and a renewal of international policy agendas, raising crucial questions about the nature and application of simulation knowledges throughout public policy. Through a diverse range of case studies, spanning over a century of theoretical and practical developments in the atmospheric and environmental sciences, this book argues that computer modelling and simulation have substantially changed scientific and cultural practices and shaped the emergence of novel 'cultures of prediction'. Making an innovative, interdisciplinary contribution to understanding the impact of computer modelling on research practice, institutional configurations and broader cultures, this volume will be essential reading for anyone interested in the past, present and future of climate change and the environmental sciences.

This proceedings volume collects review articles that summarize research conducted at the Munich Centre of Advanced Computing (MAC) from 2008 to 2012. The articles address the increasing gap between what should be possible in Computational Science and Engineering due to recent advances in algorithms, hardware, and networks, and what can actually be achieved in practice; they also examine novel computing architectures, where computation itself is a multifaceted process, with hardware awareness or ubiquitous parallelism due to many-core systems being just two of the challenges faced. Topics cover both the methodological aspects of advanced computing (algorithms, parallel computing, data exploration, software engineering) and cutting-edge applications from the fields of chemistry, the geosciences, civil and mechanical engineering, etc., reflecting the highly interdisciplinary nature of the Munich Centre of Advanced Computing.

This book presents an overview of a variety of contemporary statistical, mathematical and computer science techniques which are used to further the knowledge in the medical domain. The authors focus on applying data mining to the medical domain, including mining the sets of clinical data typically found in patient's medical records, image mining, medical mining, data mining and machine learning applied to generic genomic data and more. This work also introduces modeling behavior of cancer cells, multi-scale computational models and simulations of blood flow through vessels by using patient-specific models. The authors cover different imaging techniques used to generate patient-specific models. This is used in computational fluid dynamics software to analyze fluid flow. Case studies are provided at the end of each chapter. Professionals and researchers with quantitative backgrounds will find Computational Medicine in Data Mining and Modeling useful as a reference. Advanced-level students studying computer science, mathematics, statistics and biomedicine will also find this book valuable as a reference or secondary text book.

Intelligent Control considers non-traditional modelling and control approaches to nonlinear systems. Fuzzy logic, neural networks and evolutionary computing techniques are the main tools used. The book presents a modular switching fuzzy logic controller where a PD-type fuzzy controller is executed first followed by a PI-type fuzzy controller thus improving the performance of the controller compared with a PID-type fuzzy controller. The advantage of the switching-type fuzzy controller is that it uses one rule-base thus minimises the rule-base during execution. A single rule-base is developed by merging the membership functions for change of error of the PD-type controller and sum of error of the PI-type controller. Membership functions are then optimized using evolutionary algorithms. Since the two fuzzy controllers were executed in series, necessary further tuning of the differential and integral scaling factors of the controller is then performed. Neural-network-based tuning for the scaling parameters of the fuzzy controller is then described and finally an evolutionary algorithm is applied to the neurally-tuned-fuzzy controller in which the sigmoidal function shape of the neural network is determined. The important issue of stability is addressed and the text demonstrates empirically that the developed controller was stable within the operating range. The text concludes with ideas for future research to show the reader the potential for further study in this area. Intelligent Control will be of interest to researchers from engineering and computer science backgrounds working in the intelligent and adaptive control.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks, ADHOCNETS 2016, held in Ottawa, Canada, September 26-17, 2016. The 34 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 46 submissions. The papers provide visions, trends, challenges and opportunities in the area of ad hoc networking and emerging applications. The conference also features two workshops on ad hoc network security and vulnerability, and convergence of wireless directional network systems and software defined networking, respectively.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Formal Techniques for Safety-Critical Systems, FTSCS 2016, held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2016. The 9 revised full papers presented together with an abstract of an invited talk were carefully reviewed and selected from 23 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on specification and verification; automotive and railway systems; circuits and cyber-physical systems; parametrized verification.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Distributed and Computer and Communication Networks, DCCN 2016, held in Moscow, Russia, in November 2016. The 50 revised full papers and the 6 revised short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 141 submissions. The papers cover the following topics: computer and communication networks architecture optimization; control in computer and communication networks; performance and QoS/QoE evaluation in wireless networks; analytical modeling and simulation of next-generation communications systems; queuing theory and reliability theory applications in computer networks; wireless 4G/5G networks, cm- and mm-wave radio technologies; RFID technology and its application in intellectual transportation networks; internet of things, wearables, and applications of distributed information systems; probabilistic and statistical models in information systems; mathematical modeling of high-tech systems; mathematical modeling and control problems; distributed and cloud computing systems, big data analytics.

This book constitutes the refereed post-conference proceedings of the International Conference on Machine Learning and Intelligent Communications, MLICOM 2016, held in Shanghai, China in August 2016. The 41 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 47 submissions. The papers are organized thematically: data mining in heterogeneous networks, decentralized learning for wireless communication systems, intelligent cooperative/distributed coding, intelligent cooperative networks, Intelligent massive MIMO, time coded multi-user MIMO System based on three dimensional complementary codes, intelligent positioning and navigation systems, intelligent spectrum allocation schemes, machine learning algorithm & cognitive radio networks, machine learning for multimedia.

These transactions publish research in computer-based methods of computational collective intelligence (CCI) and their applications in a wide range of fields such as the semantic Web, social networks, and multi-agent systems. TCCI strives to cover new methodological, theoretical and practical aspects of CCI understood as the form of intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals (artificial and/or natural). The application of multiple computational intelligence technologies, such as fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation, neural systems, consensus theory, etc., aims to support human and other collective intelligence and to create new forms of CCI in natural and/or artificial systems. This eighteenth issue contains 9 carefully selected and revised contributions.

Conflict is a major facet of many environmental challenges of our time. However, growing conflict complexity makes it more difficult to identify win-win strategies for sustainable conflict resolution. Innovative methods are needed to help predict, understand, and resolve conflicts in cooperative ways. Agent-Based Modeling of Environmental Conflict and Cooperation examines computer modeling techniques as an important set of tools for assessing environmental and resource-based conflicts and, ultimately, for finding pathways to conflict resolution and cooperation. This book has two major goals. First, it argues that complexity science can be a unifying framework for professions engaged in conflict studies and resolution, including anthropology, law, management, peace studies, urban planning, and geography. Second, this book presents an innovative framework for approaching conflicts as complex adaptive systems by using many forms of environmental analysis, including system dynamics modeling, agent-based modeling, evolutionary game theory, viability theory, and network analysis. Known as VIABLE (Values and Investments from Agent-Based interaction and Learning in Environmental systems), this framework allows users to model advanced facets of conflicts-including institution building, coalition formation, adaptive learning, and the potential for future conflict-and conflict resolution based on the long-term viability of the actors' strategies. Written for scholars, students, practitioners, and policy makers alike, this book offers readers an extensive introduction to environmental conflict research and resolution techniques. As the result of decades of research, the text presents a strong argument for conflict modeling and reviews the most popular and advanced techniques, including system dynamics modeling, agent-based modeling, and participatory modeling methods. This indispensable guide uses NetLogo, a widely used and free modeling software package, to implement the VIABLE modeling approach in three case study applications around the world. Readers are invited to explore, adapt, modify, and expand these models to conflicts they hope to better understand and resolve.

This book highlights recent advances in the development of effective modeling and solution approaches to enhance the performance of military logistics. It seeks to further research in global defense-related topics, including military operations, governmental operations and security, as well as nation support. Additionally its purpose is to promote the global exchange of information and ideas amongst developers and users of military operations research tools and techniques. Over the course of its nine chapters, this edited volume addresses significant issues in military logistics including: a) Restructuring processes via OR methods aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the military logistics, b) Sense-and-Respond logistics prediction and coordination techniques that provide competitive advantage, spanning the full range of military operations across the strategic, operational and tactical levels of war, c) Procurement and auctioning, d) Inventory and stock control theories and applications, e) Military transport and logistical equipment, and, f) Maintenance, repair and overhaul on operational capability in general and equipment availability. The book aims to bridge the gap between the abundant literature on commercial logistics and its scarce defense & combat counterpart. This collection of useful insights into new trends and research will offer an ideal reference for practitioners and army related personnel interested in integrating scientific rigor to improve logistics management within defense organizations & agencies. Ultimately this book should provide a relevant platform for the latest contributions of operations management, operations research, and computational intelligence towards the enhancement of military logistics.

In this book for the first time two scientific fields - consensus formation and synchronization of communications - are presented together and examined through their interrelational aspects, of rapidly growing importance. Both fields have indeed attracted enormous research interest especially in relation to complex networks. In networks of dynamic systems (or agents), consensus means to reach an agreement regarding a certain quantity of interest that depends on the state of all dynamical systems (agents). Consensus problems have a long history in control theory and computer sciences, and form the foundation of the field of distributed computing. Synchronization, which defines correlated-in-time behavior between different processes and roots going back to Huygens to the least, is now a highly popular, exciting and rapidly developing topic, with applications ranging from biological networks to mathematical epidemiology, and from processing information in the brain to engineering of communications devices. The book reviews recent finding in both fields and describes novel approaches to consensus formation, where consensus is realized as an instance of the nonlinear dynamics paradigm of chaos synchronization. The chapters are written by world-known experts in both fields and cover topics ranging from fundaments to various applications of consensus and synchronization.

This guide demonstrates how virtual build and test can be supported by the Discrete Event Systems Specification (DEVS) simulation modeling formalism, and the System Entity Structure (SES) simulation model ontology. The book examines a wide variety of Systems of Systems (SoS) problems, ranging from cloud computing systems to biological systems in agricultural food crops. Features: includes numerous exercises, examples and case studies throughout the text; presents a step-by-step introduction to DEVS concepts, encouraging hands-on practice to building sophisticated SoS models; illustrates virtual build and test for a variety of SoS applications using both commercial and open source DEVS simulation environments; introduces an approach based on activity concepts intrinsic to DEVS-based system design, that integrates both energy and information processing requirements; describes co-design modeling concepts and methods to capture separate and integrated software and hardware systems.

Multi-finger Haptic Interaction presents a panorama of technologies and methods for multi-finger haptic interaction, together with an analysis of the benefits and implications of adding multiple-fingers to haptic applications. Research topics covered include: design and control of advanced haptic devices; multi-contact point simulation algorithms; interaction techniques and implications in human perception when interacting with multiple fingers. These multi-disciplinary results are integrated into applications such as medical simulators for training manual skills, simulators for virtual prototyping and precise manipulations in remote environments. Multi-finger Haptic Interaction presents the current and potential applications that can be developed with these systems, and details the systems' complexity. The research is focused on enhancing haptic interaction by providing multiple contact points to the user. This state-of-the-art volume is oriented towards researchers who are involved in haptic device design, rendering methods and perception studies, as well as readers from different disciplines who are interested in applying multi-finger haptic technologies and methods to their field of interest.