This book highlights the emerging field of intelligent computing and developing smart systems. It includes chapters discussing the outcome of challenging research related to distributed computing, smart machines and their security related research, and also covers next-generation communication techniques and the networking technologies that have the potential to build the future communication infrastructure. Bringing together computing, communications and other aspects of intelligent and smart computing, it contributes to developing a roadmap for future research on intelligent systems.

Computational Finance presents a modern computational approach to mathematical finance within the Windows environment, and contains financial algorithms, mathematical proofs and computer code in C/C++. The author illustrates how numeric components can be developed which allow financial routines to be easily called by the complete range of Windows applications, such as Excel, Borland Delphi, Visual Basic and Visual C++.
These components permit software developers to call mathematical finance functions more easily than in corresponding packages. Although these packages may offer the advantage of interactive interfaces, it is not easy or computationally efficient to call them programmatically as a component of a larger system. The components are therefore well suited to software developers who want to include finance routines into a new application.
Typical readers are expected to have a knowledge of calculus, differential equations, statistics, Microsoft Excel, Visual Basic, C++ and HTML.
A CD-ROM is included which contains: working computer code, demonstration applications and also pdf versions of several research articles.
* Enables reader to incorporate advanced financial modelling techniques in Windows compatible software
* Aids the development of bespoke software solutions covering GARCH volatility modelling, derivative pricing with Partial Differential Equations, VAR, bond and stock options
* Includes CD-ROM with adaptive software

Videogame history is not just a history of one successful technology replacing the next. It is also a history of platforms and communities that never quite made it; that struggled to make their voices heard; that aggravated against the conventions of the day; and that never enjoyed the commercial success or recognition of their major counterparts. In Minor Platforms in Videogame History, Benjamin Nicoll argues that 'minor' videogame histories are anything but insignificant. Through an analysis of transitional, decolonial, imaginary, residual, and minor videogame platforms, Nicoll highlights moments of difference and discontinuity in videogame history. From the domestication of vector graphics in the early years of videogame consoles to the 'cloning' of Japanese computer games in South Korea in the 1980s, this book explores case studies that challenge taken-for-granted approaches to videogames, platforms, and their histories.

Metaheuristic algorithms are present in various applications for different domains. Recently, researchers have conducted studies on the effectiveness of these algorithms in providing optimal solutions to complicated problems. Advancements in Applied Metaheuristic Computing is a crucial reference source for the latest empirical research on methods and approaches that include metaheuristics for further system improvements, and it offers outcomes of employing optimization algorithms. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as manufacturing, genetic programming, and medical imaging, this publication is ideal for researchers, academicians, advanced-level students, and technology developers seeking current research on the use of optimization algorithms in several applications.

Virtual learning environments offer a novel environment through which teachers can engage students in active learning. Whether through virtual worlds such as Second Life or a custom-designed personal learning environment, together students and teachers can explore new boundaries in education. Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Virtual Learning Environments highlights invaluable research covering the design, development, and evaluation of online learning environments. An essential resource for academics, professionals, corporate trainers and policy makers, this book examines the role of technology enhanced learning in this emerging area.

Software for complex problem solving can dazzle people with advanced features and alluring visuals, but when actually put to use it often disappoints and even frustrates users. This software rarely follows the user's own work methods, nor does it give people the degree of control and choice that they truly need.
This book presents a groundbreaking approach to interaction design for complex problem solving applications. The author uses her vast field experience to present a new way of looking at the whole process, and treats complex problem solving software and web applications as a distinct class with its own set of usefulness demands and design criteria. This approach highlights integrated interactions rather than discrete actions, clearly defines what makes problem solving complex, and explores strategies for analyzing, modeling, and designing for exploratory inquiries.
-In depth case studies ranging from IT troubleshooting to marketing analysis to risk assessments in healthcare show exactly where and what goes wrong in real world activities and how to improve them.
-Presents a system and framework for analyzing complex work and takes the mystery out of eliciting patterns of work and their meanings.
-Offers new perspectives for support and new design strategies for building the right models into programs so that they effectively address users' dynamic work.
-Allows designers to turn findings into useful designs for problems that require users to create new knowledge but with no one right answer and with many methods of reaching solutions.

Multimedia security has become a major research topic, yielding numerous academic papers in addition to many watermarking-related companies. In this emerging area, there are many challenging research issues that deserve sustained studying towards an effective and practical system. Multimedia Security: Steganography and Digital Watermarking Techniques for Protection of Intellectual Property explores the myriad of issues regarding multimedia security. This book covers various issues, including perceptual fidelity analysis, image, audio, and 3D mesh object watermarking, medical watermarking, error detection (authentication) and concealment, fingerprinting, digital signature and digital right management.

Research indicates that active management of intellectual capital can lead to significant payoffs for organizations. However, when considered within a multinational context, there are specific issues that may cause concern. ""Strategic Intellectual Capital Management in Multinational Organizations: Sustainability and Successful Implications"" highlights areas of concern in developing strategies for international management of intellectual capital and demonstrates opportunities for the successful use of these tactics. A defining collection of field advancements, this innovative publication provides a valuable resource to academicians, researchers, and practitioners interested in this area of study.

Efficiency and Efficacy are crucial to the success of national and international business operations today. With this in mind, businesses are continuously searching for the information and communication technologies that will improve job productivity and performance and enhance communications, collaboration, cooperation, and connection between employees, employers, and stakeholders. The Evolution of the Internet in the Business Sector: Web 1.0 to Web 3.0 takes a historical look at the policy, implementation, management, and governance of productivity enhancing technologies. This work shares best practices with public and private universities, IS developers and researchers, education managers, and business and web professionals interested in implementing the latest technologies to improve organizational productivity and communication.

As technology continues to grow as an essential component of small and large enterprises, an ever increasing demand is placed on cutting-edge designs for information systems. Sociotechnical Enterprise Information Systems Design and Integration covers multiple systems and developments in design for businesses and enterprises of all sizes. This publication not only highlights the advancing technology and research in this area, but it also proposes strategic approaches to manage risks and detect errors. Researchers, practitioners, and professionals wishing to expand their knowledge on the most up to date information systems and its designs will benefit from this comprehensive compilation of research.

Develop the Microsoft (R) Office 365 and PowerPoint 2019 skills students need to be successful in college and beyond with the emphasis on critical-thinking, problem-solving, and in-depth coverage found in NEW PERSPECTIVES MICROSOFT OFFICE 365 & POWERPOINT 2019: COMPREHENSIVE. Updated with all-new case scenarios, this edition clearly applies the skills students are learning to real-world situations to make concepts even more relevant across the applications and reinforces critical skills to make them successful in their educational and professional careers. In addition, MindTap and updated SAM (Skills Assessment Manager) online resources are available to guide additional study and ensure successful results.

Official lavish in-depth coffee table art book for the first-person horror adventure game Scorn, inspired by H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski, to be released on Xbox series X/S, Microsoft Windows, Steam, and Windows Store. In this coffee table hardback, uncover the concept and vision behind Scorn, alongside insight from the artists and software designers at Ebb. The game is set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and somber tapestry inspired by the work of H.R. Giger, and designed around the idea of "being thrown into the world". This lavish book explores the characters, creatures, weapons, and locations, with maps, user interfaces, concept art, and original designs. The unsettling biomechanical environment is a character in itself, and every location reveals its own theme, puzzles, and characters that are integral in creating a cohesive lived-in world. "It blends the anatomical and organic with the mechanical and architectural to create fleshy, irregular landscapes inhabited by shambling monstrosities" - PC Gamer magazine

The digital age has introduced a deeper sense of connectivity in business environments. By relying more heavily on current technologies, organizations now experience more effective communication and opportunities for collaboration between individuals. Cultural, Behavioral, and Social Considerations in Electronic Collaboration is an authoritative reference source for the latest scholarly research on the design and implementation of e-collaboration technology in workplace settings. Featuring extensive coverage on a range of topics relating to the benefits and challenges of these tools, this book is an essential reference source for students, researchers, and practitioners seeking relevant research on the use of digital spaces within organizational contexts.

Though once considered purely for their entertainment value, computer and online games have applications as learning tools in learning in a variety of different environments. Computer Games as Educational and Management Tools: Uses and Approaches considers the many uses of games and simulations, focusing specifically on their use in organizational and educational settings. Providing perspectives on gaming for distance learning, gaming for rehabilitation, business simulators, and motivational games, this publication explores new and emerging trends in this ever-evolving area of research.

The third entry in the Jim Blinn's Corner series, this is, like the others, a handy compilation of selected installments of his influential column. But here, for the first time, you get the "Director's Cut" of the articles: revised, expanded, and enhanced versions of the originals. What's changed? Improved mathematical notation, more diagrams, new solutions. What remains the same? All the things you've come to rely on: straight answers, irreverent style, and innovative thinking. This is Jim Blinn at his best now even better.
Highlights
- Features 21 expanded and updated installments of "Jim Blinn's Corner," dating from 1995 to 2001, and never before published in book form.
- Includes "deleted scenes" tangential explorations that didn't make it into the original columns.
- Details how Blinn represented planets in his famous JPL flyby animations.
- Explores a wide variety of other topics, from the concrete to the theoretical: assembly language optimization for parallel processors, exotic usage of C++ template instantiation, algebraic geometry, a graphical notation for tensor contraction, and his hopes for a future world.
*Features 21 expanded and updated installments of "Jim Blinn's Corner," dating from 1995 to 2001, and never before published in book form.
*Includes "deleted scenes" tangential explorations that didn't make it into the original columns.
*Details how Blinn represented planets in his famous JPL flyby animations.
*Explores a wide variety of other topics, from the concrete to the theoretical: assembly language optimization for parallel processors, exotic usage of C++ template instantiation, algebraic geometry, a graphical notation for tensor contraction, and his hopes for a future world."

Let the iconic, retro-futuristic wasteland guide your tarot practice with this beautifully illustrated deck inspired by the massively popular Fallout franchise. Featuring deluxe custom artwork of iconic figures from the beloved Fallout franchise, this deck is a great way to enjoy the characters and lore of this popular video game. Containing both major and minor arcana, the set also comes with a comprehensive guidebook explaining each card's meaning, as well as simple spreads for easy readings. Packed in a sturdy, decorative gift box, this compelling tarot deck is perfect for Fallout fans and tarot enthusiasts alike.

Even as developments in photorealistic computer graphics continue to affect our work and leisure activities, practitioners and researchers are devoting more and more attention to non-photorealistic (NPR) techniques for generating images that appear to have been created by hand. These efforts benefit every field in which illustrations thanks to their ability to clarify, emphasize, and convey very precise meanings offer advantages over photographs. These fields include medicine, architecture, entertainment, education, geography, publishing, and visualization.
Non-Photorealistic Computer Graphics is the first and only resource to examine non-photorealistic efforts in depth, providing detailed accounts of the major algorithms, as well as the background information and implementation advice readers need to make headway with these increasingly important techniques.
Already, an estimated 10% of computer graphics users require some form of non-photorealism. Strothotte and Schlechtweg's important new book is designed and destined to be the standard NPR reference for this large, diverse, and growing group of professionals.
*Hard-to-find information needed by a wide range and growing number of computer graphics programmers and applications users.
*Traces NPR principles and techniques back to their origins in human vision and perception.
*Focuses on areas that stand to benefit most from advances in NPR, including medical and architectural illustration, cartography, and data visualization.
*Presents algorithms for two and three-dimensional effects, using pseudo-code where needed to clarify complex steps.
*Helps readers attain pen-and-ink, pencil-sketch, and painterly effects, in addition to other styles.
*Explores specific challenges for NPR including "wrong" marks, deformation, natural media, artistic technique, lighting, and dimensionality.
*Includes a series of programming projects in which readers can apply the book's concepts and algorithms."

Alarm or alert detection remains an issue in various areas from nature, i.e. flooding, animals or earthquake, to software systems. Liveness, dynamicity, reactivity of alarm systems: how to ensure the warning information reach the right destination at the right moment and in the right location, still being relevant for the recipient, in spite of the various and successive filters of confidentiality, privacy, firewall policies, etc.? Also relevant in this context are to technical contingency issues: material failure, defect of connection, break of channels, independence of information routes and sources? Alarms with crowd media, (mis)information vs. rumours: how to make the distinction? The prediction of natural disasters (floods, avalanches, etc.), health surveillance (affectionate fevers of cattle, pollution by pesticides, etc.), air, sea and land transport, or space surveillance to prevent Risks of collisions between orbital objects involve more and more actors within Information Systems, one of whose purposes is the dissemination of alerts. By expanding the capabilities and functionality of such national or international systems, social networks are playing a growing role in dissemination and sharing, eg. with the support of systems like the Google Alert (https://www.google.fr/alerts) which concerns the publication of contents online. Recently, the Twitter microblogging platform announced a broadcast service, designed to help government organizations with alerts to the public. The proper functioning of such systems depends on fundamental properties such as resilience, liveliness and responsiveness: any alert must absolutely reach the right recipient at the right time and in the right place, while remaining relevant to him, despite the various constraints. on the one hand to external events, such as hardware failures, connection faults, breaks in communication channels, on the other hand to confidentiality, such as the collection and use of personal data (with or without the consent of the user), or the disparity of access policies (generation according to industrial, technological, security constraints, management of internal / external policies, etc.) between actors. This book opens the discussion on the "procrastination", the dynamics and the reactivity of the alert systems, but also the problems of confidentiality, filtering of information, and the means of distinguishing information and rumor.