This book is proceedings of the 7th FTRA International Conference on Future Information Technology (FutureTech 2012). The topics of FutureTech 2012 cover the current hot topics satisfying the world-wide ever-changing needs. The FutureTech 2012 is intended to foster the dissemination of state-of-the-art research in all future IT areas, including their models, services, and novel applications associated with their utilization. The FutureTech 2012 will provide an opportunity for academic and industry professionals to discuss the latest issues and progress in this area. In addition, the conference will publish high quality papers which are closely related to the various theories, modeling, and practical applications in many types of future technology. The main scope of FutureTech 2012 is as follows. Hybrid Information Technology Cloud and Cluster Computing Ubiquitous Networks and Wireless Communications Multimedia Convergence Intelligent and Pervasive Applications Security and Trust Computing IT Management and Service Bioinformatics and Bio-Inspired Computing Database and Data Mining Knowledge System and Intelligent Agent Human-centric Computing and Social Networks The FutureTech is a major forum for scientists, engineers, and practitioners throughout the world to present the latest research, results, ideas, developments and applications in all areas of future technologies.

This open access book provides a wealth of hands-on examples that illustrate how hyperparameter tuning can be applied in practice and gives deep insights into the working mechanisms of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methods. The aim of the book is to equip readers with the ability to achieve better results with significantly less time, costs, effort and resources using the methods described here. The case studies presented in this book can be run on a regular desktop or notebook computer. No high-performance computing facilities are required. The idea for the book originated in a study conducted by Bartz & Bartz GmbH for the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis). Building on that study, the book is addressed to practitioners in industry as well as researchers, teachers and students in academia. The content focuses on the hyperparameter tuning of ML and DL algorithms, and is divided into two main parts: theory (Part I) and application (Part II). Essential topics covered include: a survey of important model parameters; four parameter tuning studies and one extensive global parameter tuning study; statistical analysis of the performance of ML and DL methods based on severity; and a new, consensus-ranking-based way to aggregate and analyze results from multiple algorithms. The book presents analyses of more than 30 hyperparameters from six relevant ML and DL methods, and provides source code so that users can reproduce the results. Accordingly, it serves as a handbook and textbook alike.

Stata is the most flexible and extensible data analysis package available from a commercial vendor. R is a similarly flexible free and open source package for data analysis, with over 3,000 add-on packages available. This book shows you how to extend the power of Stata through the use of R. It introduces R using Stata terminology with which you are already familiar. It steps through more than 30 programs written in both languages, comparing and contrasting the two packages' different approaches. When finished, you will be able to use R in conjunction with Stata, or separately, to import data, manage and transform it, create publication quality graphics, and perform basic statistical analyses.

A glossary defines over 50 R terms using Stata jargon and again using more formal R terminology. The table of contents and index allow you to find equivalent R functions by looking up Stata commands and vice versa. The example programs and practice datasets for both R and Stata are available for download.

Business process management is usually treated from two different perspectives: business administration and computer science. While business administration professionals tend to consider information technology as a subordinate aspect in business process management for experts to handle, by contrast computer science professionals often consider business goals and organizational regulations as terms that do not deserve much thought but require the appropriate level of abstraction.

Matthias Weske argues that all communities involved need to have a common understanding of the different aspects of business process management. To this end, he details the complete business process lifecycle from the modeling phase to process enactment and improvement, taking into account all different stakeholders involved. After starting with a presentation of general foundations and abstraction models, he explains concepts like process orchestrations and choreographies, as well as process properties and data dependencies. Finally, he presents both traditional and advanced business process management architectures, covering, for example, workflow management systems, service-oriented architectures, and data-driven approaches. In addition, he shows how standards like WfMC, SOAP, WSDL, and BPEL fit into the picture.

This textbook is ideally suited for classes on business process management, information systems architecture, and workflow management. This 2nd edition contains major updates on BPMN Version 2 process orchestration and process choreographies, and the chapter on BPM methodologies has been completely rewritten. The accompanying website www.bpm-book.com contains further information and additional teaching material.

Structured Biological Modelling presents a straightforward introduction for computer-aided analysis, mathematical modelling, and simulation of cell biological systems. This unique guide brings together the physiological, structural, molecular biological, and theoretical aspects of the signal transduction network that regulates growth and proliferation in normal and tumor cells. It provides comprehensive survey of functional and theoretical features of intracellular signal processing and introduces the concept of cellular self-organization. Exemplified by oscillatory calcium waves, strategies for the design of computer experiments are presented that can assist or even substitute for time-consuming biological experiments. The presented minimal model for proliferation-associated signal transduction clearly shows the alterations of the cellular signal network involved in neoplastic growth. This book will be useful to cell and molecular biologists, oncologists, physiologists, theoretical biologists, computer scientists, and all other researchers and students studying functional aspects of cellular signaling.

Due to the great success and enormous impact of IP networks, In ternet access (such as sending and receiving e-mails) and web brows ing have become the ruling paradigm for next generation wireless systems. On the other hand, great technological and commercial success of services and applications is being witnessed in mobile wire less communications with examples of cellular, pes voice telephony and wireless LANs. The service paradigm has thus shifted from the conventional voice service to seamlessly integrated high quality mul timedia transmission over broadband wireless mobile networks. The multimedia content may include data, voice, audio, image, video and so on. With availability of more powerful portable devices, such as PDA, portable computer and cellular phone, coupled with the easier access to the core network (using a mobile device), the number of mobile users and the demand for multimedia-based applications is increasing rapidly. As a result, there is an urgent need for a sys tem that supports heterogeneous multimedia services and provides seamless access to the desired resources via wireless connections. Therefore, the convergence of multimedia communication and wireless mobile networking technologies into the next generation wireless multimedia (WMM) networks with the vision of "anytime, anywhere, anyform" information system is the certain trend in the foreseeable future. However, successful combination of these two technologies presents many challenges such as available spectral bandwidth, energy efficiency, seamless end-to-end communication, robustness, security, etc."

Implicit definition and description of geometric objects and surfaces plays a critical role in the appearance and manipulation of computer graphics. In addition, the mathematical definition of shapes, using an implicit form, has pivotal applications for geometric modeling, visualization and animation. Until recently, the parametric form has been by far the most popular geometric representation used in computer graphics and computer-aided design. Whereas parametric objects and the techniques associated with them have been exhaustively developed, the implicit form has been used as a complementary geometric representation, mainly in the restricted context of specific applications. However, recent developments in graphics are changing this situation, and the community is beginning to draw its attention to implicit objects. This is reflected in the current research of aspects related to this subject. Employing a coherent conceptual framework, Implicit Objects in Computer Graphics addresses the role of implicitly defined objects in the following parts: mathematical foundations of geometric models, implicit formulations for the specification of shapes, implicit primitives, techniques for constructing and manipulating implicit objects, modeling, rendering and animation implicit objects. Topics and features: *Broad, conceptual approach covers the fundamental algorithms and ideas *Integrated and up-to-date overview of the main developments surrounding implicit objects *Organized and cohesive presentation combines theory and practice *Provides thorough explanation of key problems and challenges in the field

Digital fiction has long been perceived as an experimental niche of electronic literature. Yet born-digital narratives thrive in mainstream culture, as communities of practice create and share digital fiction, filling in the gaps between the media they are given and the stories they seek. Neverending Stories explores the influences of literature and computing on digital fiction and how the practices and cultures of each have impacted who makes and plays digital fiction. Popular creativity emerges from subordinated groups often excluded from producing cultural resources, accepting the materials of capitalism and inverting them for their own carnivalesque uses. Popular digital fiction goes by many different names: webnovels, adventure games, visual novels, Twitter fiction, webcomics, Twine games, walking sims, alternate reality games, virtual reality films, interactive movies, enhanced books, transmedia universes, and many more. The book establishes digital fiction in a foundation of innovation, tracing its emergence in various guises around the world. It examines Infocom, whose commercial success with interactive fiction crumbled, in no small part, because of its failure to consider women as creators or consumers. It takes note of the brief flourish of commercial book apps and literary games. It connects practices of cognitive and conceptual interactivity, and textual multiplicity-dating to the origins of the print novel-to the feminine. It pushes into the technological future of narrative in immersive and mixed realities. It posits the transmedia franchises and the practices of fanfiction as examples of digital fiction that will continue indefinitely, regardless of academic notice or approval.

This book describes a conceptual management system derived from the Business and Technology Relationship Model (BTRM). The BTRM describes the relationship between business and technology and provides simple definitions for service quality, alignment, agility, and governance. It explains our problems with traditional methods, democratizes the management and governance of enterprise technologies, and is suitable for introducing process automation. This book describes in detail how the BTRM, combined with a focus on value creation and value delivery, will enable continuous change, in the context of current, emerging and future technologies. It illustrates the potential for real-time insight and control not previously considered and provides a wide range of information to plan an implementation, understand where AI can be applied, and its importance in the world of self-managing systems. The topic of this book is particularly relevant for business managers, business technology managers and technology service providers.

Contents:
Generalisation: State of the Art and Issues; GIS-Based Compilation and Generalisation; Three Essential Building Blocks for Automated Generalisation; Data and Knowledge Modelling for Generalisation; Controlling the Effects of Generalisation on GIS Map Manipulations; A Hierarchical top-down bottom-up Approach to Topographic Map Generalisation.

O'Brien's Introduction to Information Systems 16e reflects the contemporary use of enterprise-wide business systems. New real-world case studies continue to correspond with this industry reality. The text's focus is on teaching the future manager the potential effect on business of the most current IT technologies such as the Internet, Intranets, and Extranets for enterprise collaboration, and how IT contributes to competitive advantage, reengineering business processes, problem solving, and decision-making. The benchmark text for the syllabus organized by technology (a week on databases, a week on networks, a week on systems development, etc.) taught from a managerial perspective. O'Brien defines technology and then explains how companies use the technology to improve performance. Real world cases finalize the explanation.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and platforms are closely related. Most investments in AI, especially in critical technologies, are provided by large platforms. This book describes how platforms invest in AI and how AI will impact the next generation of competences, following a twofold approach to do so: on the one hand, the book seeks to understand how platforms for investment in intangibles and AI are organized, but on the other hand, it provides a framework to describe how AI will change jobs and competences in the future. Moreover, the book addresses five main themes: 1. platforms, platformization, and the foundations of their business models; 2. artificial intelligence, technological tendencies, and the policy agenda; 3. artificial intelligence, productivity, and the next generation of competences; 4. artificial intelligence, productivity, and the digital divide; 5. artificial intelligence, ethics, and the post-truth society. The book's content is mostly based on papers presented at the last two installments of the World Conference on Intellectual Capital for Communities. It brings together the views of leading scholars and experts on how artificial intelligence and platformization will impact competences in the near future.

Soft computing techniques are innovative tools that use nature-inspired algorithms to run predictive analysis of industries from business to software measurement. These tools have gained momentum in recent years for their practicality and flexibility. The Handbook of Research on Fuzzy and Rough Set Theory in Organizational Decision Making collects both empirical and applied research in the field of fuzzy set theory, and bridges the gap between the application of soft computational approaches and the organizational decision making process. This publication is a pivotal reference for business professionals, IT specialists, software engineers, and advanced students of business and information technology.

All games are potentially transformative experiences because they engage the player in dynamic action. When repurposed in an educational context, even highly popular casual games played online to pass the time can engage players in a way that deepens learning. Games as Transformative Experiences for Critical Thinking, Cultural Awareness, and Deep Learning: Strategies & Resources examines the learning value of a wide variety of games across multiple disciplines. Organized just like a well-made game, the book is divided into four parts highlighting classroom experiences, community and culture, virtual learning, and interdisciplinary instruction. The author crosses between the high school and college classroom and addresses a range of disciplines, both online and classroom practice, the design of curriculum, and the transformation of assessment practices. In addition to a wealth of practical exercises, resources, and lesson ideas, the book explains how to use a wide and diverse range of games from casual to massively multiplayer online games for self-improvement as well as classroom situations.

This book describes an interactive statistical computing environment called 1 XploRe. As the name suggests, support for exploratory statistical analysis is given by a variety of computational tools. XploRe is a matrix-oriented statistical language with a comprehensive set of basic statistical operations that provides highly interactive graphics, as well as a programming environ ment for user-written macros; it offers hard-wired smoothing procedures for effective high-dimensional data analysis. Its highly dynamic graphic capa bilities make it possible to construct student-level front ends for teaching basic elements of statistics. Hot keys make it an easy-to-use computing environment for statistical analysis. The primary objective of this book is to show how the XploRe system can be used as an effective computing environment for a large number of statistical tasks. The computing tasks we consider range from basic data matrix manipulations to interactive customizing of graphs and dynamic fit ting of high-dimensional statistical models. The XploRe language is similar to other statistical languages and offers an interactive help system that can be extended to user-written algorithms. The language is intuitive and read ers with access to other systems can, without major difficulty, reproduce the examples presented here and use them as a basis for further investigation.

Develop the Microsoft (R) PowerPoint (R) 2013 skills you need for success in college and beyond with this latest edition from the popular New Perspectives Series. Updated with all-new case-based tutorials, NEW PERSPECTIVES MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2013, COMPREHENSIVE ENHANCED EDITION continues to apply MS PowerPoint 2013 skills to real situations that fully demonstrate the relevance of concepts. A proven learning approach emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and in-depth coverage. A new Troubleshoot case problem enhances analytical skills, while a new tutorial on Managing Your Files helps you navigate Windows 8. A wealth of resources, including MindTap and SAM, provides opportunities to practice skills. Discover success with MS PowerPoint 2013 as NEW PERSPECTIVES MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2013 helps you fully understand the value and application of what you're learning.

With the widespread use of VRML browsers, e.g., as part of the Netscape and Internet Explorer standard distributions, everyone connected to the Internet can directly enter a virtual world without installing a new kind of software. The VRML technology offers the basis for new forms of customer service such as interactive three-dimensional product configuration, spare part ordering, or customer training. Also, this technology can be used for CSCW in intranets.The reader should be familiar with programming languages and computers and, in particular, should know Java or at least an object-oriented programming language. The book not only provides and explains source code, which can be used as a starting point for own implementations, but it also describes the fundamental problems and how currently known solutions work. It discusses a variety of different techniques and trade-offs. Many illustrations help the reader to understand and memorize the underlying principles.

In the past, rendering systems used a range of different approaches, each compatible and able to handle certain kinds of images. However, the last few years have seen the development of practical techniques, which bring together many areas of research into stable, production ready rendering tools. Written by experienced graphics software developers, Production Rendering: Design and Implementation provides not only a complete framework of different topics including shading engines and compilers, but discusses also the techniques used to implement feature film quality rendering engines.

Key Topics

??A Rendering framework for managing a micro polygon-oriented graphics pipeline

??Problems presented by different types of geometry showing how different surface types can be made ready for shading

??Shading and how it fits into a rendering pipeline

??How to write a good shader compiler

??Ray tracing in a production renderer

??Incorporating global illumination into a renderer

??Gathering surface samples into a final image

??Tips and tricks in rendering

About the authors

Mark Elendt, Senior Mathematician, has been with Side Effects Software Inc, Canada for 11 years and has written at least 5 renderers over these years. He was chief architect for the Houdini renderers Mantra and VMantra. In 1997 he received a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Rick LaMont, co-founder and CTO of Dot C Software, USA, currently acts as lead programmer of RenderDotC and Mai-Tai. He received the Computerworld Smithsonian Award for Technology Benefiting Mankind for his work on the WeyerhaeuserDesign Center (Foley and van Dam, Second Edition, color plate I.8).

Jacopo Pantaleoni, is currently a Developer for LightFlow Technologies, Italy, which he founded in 1999. His interests in mathematics, computer programming and, realistic rendering lead to the publication of Lightflow Rendering Tools. In 2000, he also began working with a team of beta testers, on a connection between his rendering software and MayaTM.

Scott Iverson, is the chief developer of the AIR renderer, and founder of Sitex Graphics Inc, USA

Paul Gregory, works for the Aqsis Team, UK. He is the originator, and lead developer of the open source renderer "Aqsis."

Matthew Bentham, is currently at ART VPS Ltd, UK. He is also the software developer responsible for compiler technology at ART VPS, creators of the RenderDrive rendering appliance.

Ian Stephenson, is a Senior Lecturer at the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), Bournemouth University, UK. Developer of the Angel rendering system, he is also the author of Essential RenderMan Fast.

Highlighting and illustrating several important and interesting theoretical trends that have emerged in the continuing development of instructional technology, this book's organizational framework is based on the notion of two opposing camps. One evolves out of the intelligent tutoring movement, which employs artificial-intelligence technologies in the service of student modeling and precision diagnosis, and the other emerges from a constructivist/developmental perspective that promotes exploration and social interaction, but tends to reject the methods and goals of the student modelers. While the notion of opposing camps tends to create an artificial rift between groups of researchers, it represents a conceptual distinction that is inherently more interesting and informative than the relatively meaningless divide often drawn between "intelligent" and "unintelligent" instructional systems.
An evident trend is that researchers in both "camps" view their computer learning environments as "cognitive tools" that can enhance learning, performance, and understanding. Cognitive tools are objects provided by the instructional environment that allow students to incorporate new auxiliary methods or symbols into their social problem solving which otherwise would be unavailable. A final section of the book represents researchers who are assimilating and accommodating the wisdom and creativity of their neighbors from both camps, perhaps forming the look of technology for the future. When the idea of model tracing in a computer-based environment is combined with appreciation for creative mind-extension cognitive tools and for how a community of learners can facilitate learning, a camp is created where AI technologists and social constructivist learning theorists can feel equally at home.

When your database application isn't running fast enough, troubleshooting is usually your first move. Finding the slow part of an application is often easy, but discovering a solution can prove much more difficult. Troubleshooting Oracle Performance helps by providing a systematic approach to addressing the underlying causes of poor database application performance. Written for developers by an application developer who has learned by doing, this book shows you how to plan for performance as you would for any other application requirement.

CAAd Futures is a Bi-annual Conference that aims at promoting the advancement of computer aided architectural design in the service of those concerned with the quality of the built environment. The conferences are organised under the auspices of the CAAD Futures Foundation which has its secretariat at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The Series of conferences started in 1985 in Delft, and has since travelled through Eindhoven, Boston, Zurich, Pittsburgh, Singapore, Munich, and Atlanta. The book contains the proceedings of the 9th CAAD Futures conference which took place at Eindhoven University of Technology, 8-11 of July, 2001. The Articles in this book cover a wide range of subjects and provide an excellent overview of the state-of-the-art in research on computer aided architectural design. The following categories of articles are included: Capturing design; Information modelling; CBR techniques; Virtual reality; CAAD education; (Hyper) Media; Design evaluation; Design systems development; Collaboration; Generation; Design representation; Knowledge management; Form programming; Simulation; Architectural analysis; Urban design. Information on the CAAD Futures Foundation and its conferences can be found at: www.caadfutures.arch.tue.nl. Information about the 2001 Conference and this book is available from: www.caadfutures.arch.tue.nl/2001.

In modern medicine, imaging is the most effective tool for diagnostics, treatment planning and therapy. Almost all modalities have went to directly digital acquisition techniques and processing of this image data have become an important option for health care in future. This book is written by a team of internationally recognized experts from all over the world. It provides a brief but complete overview on medical image processing and analysis highlighting recent advances that have been made in academics. Color figures are used extensively to illustrate the methods and help the reader to understand the complex topics.

Do demons and devils have free will? Does justice exist in Menzoberranzan? What's the morality involved with player characters casting necromancy and summoning spells?

"Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy" probes the rich terrain of philosophically compelling concepts and ideas that underlie "Dungeons & Dragons," the legendary fantasy role-playing game that grew into a world-wide cultural phenomenon. A series of accessible essays reveals what the imaginary worlds of "D&D" can teach us about ethics, morality, metaphysics and more.Illustrates a wide variety of philosophical concepts and ideas that arise in "Dungeons & Dragons" gameplay and presents them in an accessible and entertaining mannerReveals how the strategies, tactics, improvisations, and role-play employed by "D&D" enthusiasts have startling parallels in the real world of philosophyExplores a wide range of philosophical topics, including the nature of free will, the metaphysics of personal identity, the morality of crafting fictions, sex and gender issues in tabletop gameplay, and friendship and collaborative storytellingProvides gamers with deep philosophical insights that can lead to a richer appreciation of "D&D" and any gaming experience

As organizations prepare to compete globally in the new millennium, the effective deployment and exploitation of IT will create the difference between those that are successful and those that are not. What lessons are there to be learned from organizations that run global IT operations and deploy IT in support of their global business operations? What lessons are there to be learned in the development, implementation, use and management of IT from organizations operating in countries other than their own? Cases on Global IT Applications and Management: Successes and Pitfalls brings together original cases that report on these aspects of global IT applications and management and benefits educators, researchers and practitioners alike.