Evolutionary Algorithms, in particular Evolution Strategies, Genetic Algorithms, or Evolutionary Programming, have found wide acceptance as robust optimization algorithms in the last ten years. Compared with the broad propagation and the resulting practical prosperity in different scientific fields, the theory has not progressed as much.This monograph provides the framework and the first steps toward the theoretical analysis of Evolution Strategies (ES). The main emphasis is on understanding the functioning of these probabilistic optimization algorithms in real-valued search spaces by investigating the dynamical properties of some well-established ES algorithms. The book introduces the basic concepts of this analysis, such as progress rate, quality gain, and self-adaptation response, and describes how to calculate these quantities. Based on the analysis, functioning principles are derived, aiming at a qualitative understanding of why and how ES algorithms work.

"Pyramid Algorithms" presents a unique approach to understanding, analyzing, and computing the most common polynomial and spline curve and surface schemes used in computer-aided geometric design, employing a dynamic programming method based on recursive pyramids.
The recursive pyramid approach offers the distinct advantage of revealing the entire structure of algorithms, as well as relationships between them, at a glance. This book-the only one built around this approach-is certain to change the way you think about CAGD and the way you perform it, and all it requires is a basic background in calculus and linear algebra, and simple programming skills.
* Written by one of the world's most eminent CAGD researchers
* Designed for use as both a professional reference and a textbook, and addressed to computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians, theoreticians, and students alike
* Includes chapters on Bezier curves and surfaces, B-splines, blossoming, and multi-sided Bezier patches
* Relies on an easily understood notation, and concludes each section with both practical and theoretical exercises that enhance and elaborate upon the discussion in the text
* Foreword by Professor Helmut Pottmann, Vienna University of Technology

Java Programmers, Preprare for Microsoft's .NET initiative while enhancing your repertoire and marketability with C# for Java Progammers
C# for Java Programmers will prepare readers for the .NET framework by building on what they already know about object-oriented languages and give them the means to maintain their flexibility and effectiveness in an un-certain marketplace. This book will compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of both Java and C# to allow programmers to make their own decisions regarding what each language is best used for.
Whatever your feelings are about Microsoft and its .NET initiative, there can be no denying that C# is here to stay. The C# language, a close cousin to Java, is a new object-oriented programming language (OOPL) designed to work within the .NET framework. It improves upon many of the vague or ill-defined areas of C++ that frequently lead programmers into trouble. C# is a strongly-typed, object-oriented language designed to give the optimum blend of simplicity, expressiveness, and performance.
Written specifically for Java programmers. C# for Java Programmers is not an introductory guide to C#, but builds on what Java programmers already know about object-oriented languages to give them an efficient means for making in-roads to the .NET framework.
Compare and Contrast. This book will compare and contrast many of the advantages and drawbacks of Java and C# to allow programmers to make informed, intelligent decisions based on the unique uses of each language.
Make your own in-depth analysis of C# and Java with the Syngress Wallet CD. Accompanying each book will be a wallet CD containing the HTML version of the text and in-depth code comparison to allow programmers to see for themselves the various differences between Java and C#.

Arc Routing: Theory, Solutions and Applications is about arc traversal and the wide variety of arc routing problems, which has had its foundations in the modern graph theory work of Leonhard Euler. Arc routing methods and computation has become a fundamental optimization concept in operations research and has numerous applications in transportation, telecommunications, manufacturing, the Internet, and many other areas of modern life. The book draws from a variety of sources including the traveling salesman problem (TSP) and graph theory, which are used and studied by operations research, engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians. In the last ten years or so, there has been extensive coverage of arc routing problems in the research literature, especially from a graph theory perspective; however, the field has not had the benefit of a uniform, systematic treatment. With this book, there is now a single volume that focuses on state-of-the-art exposition of arc routing problems, that explores its graph theoretical foundations, and that presents a number of solution methodologies in a variety of application settings. Moshe Dror has succeeded in working with an elite group of ARC routing scholars to develop the highest quality treatment of the current state-of-the-art in arc routing.

There is a myriad of different methodologies for transforming real-world scenarios into information system models. Moreover, this transformation process is critical not only for developing a successful information system, but also for helping users optimize their work and make their organizations more efficient. Tabular Application Development for Information Systems describes the workings and utility of Tabular Application Development (TAD) as an object-oriented methodology that uses tables to model the real world. Essentially, TAD entails collecting information about a real-world situation into tables, identifying and implementing changes by analyzingthe tabularized content, and then using the data gathered in the changed tables to develop the organization's information system. Given that tables can be easily surveyed and modified, analysts can locate almost immediately any information about business processes, work processes, activities, tasks, or events. In addition, the user can confidently proceed without misunderstandings and can quickly rectify any mistake or problem. Topics and features:*TAD's advantages over UML methodology in terms of simplicity, utility for either small or large information systems, and independence from the analyst*presents the subject of business process reengineering and information systems development from a new perspective*thorough descriptions of three case-study applications of TAD*briefly introduces all key object-oriented concepts*segments the TAD methodology into six clearly defined phases This book offers an essential exposition on the TAD method for information systems development and design. Practitioners and professionals in information science, computer science, and business process reengineering will find the work a highly useful resource when using TAD for rapid, efficient software development.

Throughout time, scientists have looked to nature in order to understand and model solutions for complex real-world problems. In particular, the study of self-organizing entities, such as social insect populations, presents a new opportunity within the field of artificial intelligence. >Emerging Research on Swarm Intelligence and Algorithm Optimization discusses current research analyzing how the collective behavior of decentralized systems in the natural world can be applied to intelligent system design. Discussing the application of swarm principles, optimization techniques, and key algorithms being used in the field, this publication serves as an essential reference for academicians, upper-level students, IT developers, and IT theorists.

This edited book first consolidates the results of the EU-funded EDISON project (Education for Data Intensive Science to Open New science frontiers), which developed training material and information to assist educators, trainers, employers, and research infrastructure managers in identifying, recruiting and inspiring the data science professionals of the future. It then deepens the presentation of the information and knowledge gained to allow for easier assimilation by the reader. The contributed chapters are presented in sequence, each chapter picking up from the end point of the previous one. After the initial book and project overview, the chapters present the relevant data science competencies and body of knowledge, the model curriculum required to teach the required foundations, profiles of professionals in this domain, and use cases and applications. The text is supported with appendices on related process models. The book can be used to develop new courses in data science, evaluate existing modules and courses, draft job descriptions, and plan and design efficient data-intensive research teams across scientific disciplines.

Current multimedia and telecom applications require complex, heterogeneous multiprocessor system on chip (MPSoC) architectures with specific communication infrastructure in order to achieve the required performance. Heterogeneous MPSoC includes different types of processing units (DSP, microcontroller, ASIP) and different communication schemes (fast links, non standard memory organization and access).

Programming an MPSoC requires the generation of efficient software running on MPSoC from a high level environment, by using the characteristics of the architecture. This task is known to be tedious and error prone, because it requires a combination of high level programming environments with low level software design.

This book gives an overview of concepts related to embedded software design for MPSoC. It details a full software design approach, allowing systematic, high-level mapping of software applications on heterogeneous MPSoC. This approach is based on gradual refinement of hardware/software interfaces and simulation models allowing to validate the software at different abstraction levels.

This book combines Simulink for high level programming and SystemC for the low level software development. This approach is illustrated with multiple examples of application software and MPSoC architectures that can be used for deep understanding of software design for MPSoC.

This book compiles contributions from renowned researchers covering all aspects of conceptual modeling, on the occasion of Arne Solvberg's 67th birthday. Friends of this pioneer in information systems modeling contribute their latest research results from such fields as data modeling, goal-oriented modeling, agent-oriented modeling, and process-oriented modeling. The book reflects the most important recent developments and application areas of conceptual modeling, and highlights trends in conceptual modeling for the next decade.

This book contains extended and revised versions of the best papers that were p- sented during the 16th edition of the IFIP/IEEE WG10.5 International Conference on Very Large Scale Integration, a global System-on-a-Chip Design & CAD conference. The 16th conference was held at the Grand Hotel of Rhodes Island, Greece (October 13-15, 2008). Previous conferences have taken place in Edinburgh, Trondheim, V- couver, Munich, Grenoble, Tokyo, Gramado, Lisbon, Montpellier, Darmstadt, Perth, Nice and Atlanta. VLSI-SoC 2008 was the 16th in a series of international conferences sponsored by IFIP TC 10 Working Group 10.5 and IEEE CEDA that explores the state of the art and the new developments in the field of VLSI systems and their designs. The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum to exchange ideas and to present industrial and research results in the fields of VLSI/ULSI systems, embedded systems and - croelectronic design and test.

JR is an extension of the Java programming language with additional concurrency mechanisms based on those in the SR (Synchronizing Resources) programming language. The JR implementation executes on UNIX-based systems (Linux, Mac OS X, and Solaris) and Windows-based systems. It is available free from the JR webpage. This book describes the JR programming language and illustrates how it can be used to write concurrent programs for a variety of applications. This text presents numerous small and large example programs. The source code for all programming examples and the given parts of all programming exercises are available on the JR webpage. Dr. Ronald A. Olsson and Dr. Aaron W. Keen, the authors of this text, are the designers and implementors of JR.

The book focuses on analyses that extract the flow of data, which imperative programming hides through its use and reuse of memory in computer systems and compilers. It will detail some program transformations that conserve this data flow and will introduce a family of analyses, called reaching definition analyses, to do this task. In addition, it shows that correctness of program transformations is guaranteed by the conservation of data flow.
Professionals and researchers in software engineering, computer engineering, program design analysis, and compiler design will benefit from its presentation of data-flow methods and memory optimization of compilers.

"An Introduction to XML Query Processing and Keyword Search" systematically and comprehensively covers the latest advances in XML data searching. It presents an extensive overview of the current query processing and keyword search techniques on XML data, including XML labeling schemes, indexing, processing on order and un-order XML tree patterns, XML query optimization, results estimation, and XML keyword searches, which are elaborated in separate chapters. Graduate students and researchers in the field of XML data searching will find this book an invaluable resource. Prof. Jiaheng Lu is an associate professor at Renmin University of China's School of Information.

The book offers a detailed guide to temporal ordering, exploring open problems in the field and providing solutions and extensive analysis. It addresses the challenge of automatically ordering events and times in text. Aided by TimeML, it also describes and presents concepts relating to time in easy-to-compute terms. Working out the order that events and times happen has proven difficult for computers, since the language used to discuss time can be vague and complex. Mapping out these concepts for a computational system, which does not have its own inherent idea of time, is, unsurprisingly, tough. Solving this problem enables powerful systems that can plan, reason about events, and construct stories of their own accord, as well as understand the complex narratives that humans express and comprehend so naturally. This book presents a theory and data-driven analysis of temporal ordering, leading to the identification of exactly what is difficult about the task. It then proposes and evaluates machine-learning solutions for the major difficulties. It is a valuable resource for those working in machine learning for natural language processing as well as anyone studying time in language, or involved in annotating the structure of time in documents.

Recent advances in electronic and computer technologies have paved the way for the proliferation of ubiquitous computing and innovative applications that incorporate these technologies. This proceedings book describes these new and innovative technologies, and covers topics like Ubiquitous Communication and Networks, Security Systems, Smart Devices and Applications, Cloud and Grid Systems, Service-oriented and Web Service Computing, Embedded Hardware and Image Processing and Multimedia.

Collaborative Networks A Tool for Promoting Co-creation and Innovation The collaborative networks paradigm offers powerful socio-organizational mec- nisms, supported by advanced information and communication technologies for p- moting innovation. This, in turn, leads to new products and services, growth of better customer relationships, establishing better project and process management, and building higher-performing consortia. By putting diverse entities that bring different perspectives, competencies, practices, and cultures, to work together, collaborative networks develop the right environment for the emergence of new ideas and more efficient, yet practical, solutions. This aspect is particularly important for small and medium enterprises which typically lack critical mass and can greatly benefit from participation in co-innovation networks. However, larger organizations also benefit from the challenges and the diversity found in collaborative ecosystems. In terms of research, in addition to the trend identified in previous years toward a sounder consolidation of the theoretical foundation in this discipline, there is now a direction of developments more focused on modeling and reasoning about new c- laboration patterns and their contribution to value creation. "Soft issues," including social capital, cultural aspects, ethics and value systems, trust, emotions, behavior, etc. continue to deserve particular attention in terms of modeling and reasoning. Exploi- tion of new application domains such as health care, education, and active aging for retired professionals also help identify new research challenges, both in terms of m- eling and ICT support development.

This book emphasizes methods, techniques and tools that can be used by typical software engineers in everyday projects. As the very popular UML language contains an assertion language (OCL), this language is presented and discussed with relation to other currently available assertion techniques. Currently these techniques are more widely used in late design and implementation phases. Here their role in analysis is emphasized. Assertion and scenario techniques are then combined into a single methodological framework. Finally a prototyping oriented model based on this framework is developed which helps to make sure that software fulfills user requirements.

This volume, the 6th volume in the DRUMS Handbook series, is part of the after math of the successful ESPRIT project DRUMS (Defeasible Reasoning and Un certainty Management Systems) which took place in two stages from 1989-1996. In the second stage (1993-1996) a work package was introduced devoted to the topics Reasoning and Dynamics, covering both the topics of 'Dynamics of Rea soning', where reasoning is viewed as a process, and 'Reasoning about Dynamics', which must be understood as pertaining to how both designers of and agents within dynamic systems may reason about these systems. The present volume presents work done in this context. This work has an emphasis on modelling and formal techniques in the investigation of the topic "Reasoning and Dynamics," but it is not mere theory that occupied us. Rather research was aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice. Therefore also real-life applications of the modelling techniques were considered, and we hope this also shows in this volume, which is focused on the dynamics of reasoning processes. In order to give the book a broader perspective, we have invited a number of well-known researchers outside the project but working on similar topics to contribute as well. We have very pleasant recollections of the project, with its lively workshops and other meetings, with the many sites and researchers involved, both within and outside our own work package."

This book gives an overview of constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs), adapts related search algorithms and consistency algorithms for applications to multi-agent systems, and consolidates recent research devoted to cooperation in such systems. The techniques introduced are applied to various problems in multi-agent systems. Among the new approaches is a hybrid-type algorithm for weak-commitment search combining backtracking and iterative improvement; also, an extension of the basic CSP formalization called partial CSP is introduced in order to handle over-constrained CSPs.The book is written for advanced students and professionals interested in multi-agent systems or, more generally, in distributed artificial intelligence and constraint satisfaction. Researchers active in the area will appreciate this book as a valuable source of reference.

The Handbook of Research on Non-Functional Properties for Service-Oriented Systems: Future Directions unites different approaches and methods used to describe, map, and use non-functional properties and service level agreements. This handbook, which will be useful for both industry and academia, provides an overview of existing research and also sets clear directions for future work.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 11th IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2011, held in Kaunas, Lithuania, in October 2011. The 25 revised papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. They are organized in the following topical sections: e-government and e-governance, e-services, digital goods and products, e-business process modeling and re-engineering, innovative e-business models and implementation, e-health and e-education, and innovative e-business models.

In the past several years, there have been significant technological advances in the field of crisis response. However, many aspects concerning the efficient collection and integration of geo-information, applied semantics and situation awareness for disaster management remain open. Improving crisis response systems and making them intelligent requires extensive collaboration between emergency responders, disaster managers, system designers and researchers alike. To facilitate this process, the Gi4DM (GeoInformation for Disaster Management) conferences have been held regularly since 2005. The events are coordinated by the Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JB GIS) and ICSU GeoUnions. This book presents the outcomes of the Gi4DM 2018 conference, which was organised by the ISPRS-URSI Joint Working Group ICWG III/IVa: Disaster Assessment, Monitoring and Management and held in Istanbul, Turkey on 18-21 March 2018. It includes 12 scientific papers focusing on the intelligent use of geo-information, semantics and situation awareness.

The first book to provide an integrative presentation of the issues, challenges and success of designing, building and using agent applications. The chapters presented are written by internationally leading authorities in the field, with a general audience in mind. The result is a unique overview of agent technology applications, ranging from an introduction to the technical foundations to reports on dealing with specific agent systems in practice.

Commutative Algebra, Singularities and Computer Algebra presents current trends in commutative algebra, algebraic combinatorics, singularity theory and computer algebra, and highlights the interaction between these disciplines. Contributions by leading international mathematicians thoroughly discuss topics in: modules theory, integrally closed ideals and determinantal ideals, singularities in projective spaces and Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity, Groebner and SAGBI basis, and the use of the computer packages Bergman, CoCoA and SINGULAR.

"Structured Finance: The Object Orientated Approach" is aimed at both the finance and IT professionals involved in the structured finance business with the intention of sharing common concepts and language within the industry. The financial community (structurers, pricers and risk managers) view structured products as collections of objects under the so-called "replicating portfolio" paradigm. The IT community use object oriented programming (OOP) techniques to improve the software updating and maintenance process. For them structured products are collections of objects as well. Despite use of the same "object" concept, it looks like communication between these different professional functions has been problematic. Recently, construction of standard data structures known as FpML has begun to lay out a common definition of objects, at least for "plain vanilla" derivatives, both between IT and financial people and across different market players. Along this line, this book builds upon the concept of "object" to provide frontier treatment of structured finance issues relevant to both communities engaged in building, pricing and hedging products and people engaged in designing and up-dating the corresponding software.

"Structured Finance: The Object Orientated Approach" will enable you to:

decompose a structured product in elementary constituent financial "objects" and risk factors ("replicating portfolio") understand the basics of object oriented programming (OOP) applied to the design of structured cash flows "objects" build your own "objects" and to understand FpML data structures available for standard products gauge risk exposures of the "objects" in structured products to: risk factors, their volatilities and the correlation among them (which factor are you long/short? Are you long/short volatility? Are you long/short correlation?) update your risk management system to accommodate structured products with non linear exposures and to design "objects" to represent, price and hedge, counterparty risk