Images support connections between biology, engineering, and material sciences resulting in a growing partnership among academia, laboratories, and industry. Scientists focus on biology-inspired research to understand how biological systems work, and then create systems and materials that would have efficiency and precision of living structures. The Art Science connection has become one of prominent trends exemplified by themes presented in journals, conferences, and books. Biologically-Inspired Computing for the Arts: Scientific Data through Graphics comprises a collection of authors individual approaches to the relationship between nature, science, and art created with the use of computers. Themes discussed in the book relate to the use of visual language in communication about biologically-inspired scientific data, visual literacy in science, and application of practitioner s approach. This comprehensive reference will assist programmers, scientists, engineers, computer science and science-oriented students in creating and effectively communicating their projects using science-related knowledge.

In today s world, most global companies face enormous challenges in dealing with an inflexible budget climate when complex changes are required. "Secrets to a Successful Commercial Software Implementation" will help guide business leaders to gain understanding of how commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) software like SAP, Seibel, and PeopleSoft should be applied in order to ultimately achieve significant cost savings.

Project management professional Nick Berg utilizes his strong background in domestic and international Systems Applications and Products to teach others the potential benefits of implementing COTS products such as faster deployment time, enhanced quality and reliability, reduced development risk, provided periodic upgrades and improvements, and an already established support system. He introduces a unique process for COTS development, presents best-practice processes for COTS projects, and defines the architecture procedures within the COTS environment. Finally, he walks through each project phase of a COTS-based project by introducing the objectives, road map, roles, activities, artifacts, and milestone of the phase.

The cultural impact on an organization facing this decision is profound, but if implemented with forethought, planning, and dedicated guidance and execution, the benefits to an organization will be long reaching and significant.

Ambient intelligence began as a vision for the future of technology and has now become a reality. The widespread use of modern technology has quickly expanded into the use of our everyday lives. On a daily basis, we are instantly connected to people, places, ideas, and information which have led to the acceleration of knowledge. As the continuing development of new technologies becomes available, those technologies will play an integral role in the future. Pervasive and Ubiquitous Technology Innovations for Ambient Intelligence Environments is a collection of research on the subject matter of human computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, embedded systems, and other areas of study which contribute to ambient intelligence. This comprehensive reference aims to broaden the overall knowledge on ambient intelligence as it relates to the aspects of modern life.

Session 2 includes 110 papers selected from 2011 3rd International Asia Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (CAR 2011), held on December 24-25, 2011, Shenzhen, China. As we all know, the ever growing technology in robotics and automation will help build a better human society. This session will provide a unique opportunity for the academic and industrial communities to address new challenges, share solutions, and discuss research directions for the future. Robotics research emphasizes intelligence and adaptability to cope with unstructured environments. Automation research emphasizes efficiency, productivity, quality, and reliability, focusing on systems that operate autonomously. The main focus of this session is on the autonomous acquisition of semantic information in intelligent robots and systems, as well as the use of semantic knowledge to guide further acquisition of information.

This volume includes papers presented at IIH-MSP 2017, the 13th International Conference on Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, held on 12-15 August 2017 in Matsue, Shimane, Japan. The conference covered topics ranging from information hiding and security, and multimedia signal processing and networking, to bio-inspired multimedia technologies and systems. This volume focuses on subjects related to multimedia security and applications, wearable computing, Internet of Things (IoT) privacy and information security, biomedical system design and applications, emerging techniques and applications, soft computing and applications, applications of image encoding and rendering, and information hiding and its criteria. Updated with the latest research outcomes and findings, the papers presented appeal to researchers and students in the corresponding fields.

A well-balanced and accessible introduction to the elementary quantitative methods and Microsoft(R) Office Excel(R) applications used to guide business decision making Featuring quantitative techniques essential for modeling modern business situations, Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Business: With Applications Using Microsoft(R) Office Excel(R) provides guidance to assessing real-world data sets using Excel. The book presents a balanced approach to the mathematical tools and techniques with applications used in the areas of business, finance, economics, marketing, and operations. The authors begin by establishing a solid foundation of basic mathematics and statistics before moving on to more advanced concepts. The first part of the book starts by developing basic quantitative techniques such as arithmetic operations, functions and graphs, and elementary differentiations (rates of change), and integration. After a review of these techniques, the second part details both linear and nonlinear models of business activity. Extensively classroom-tested, Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Business: With Applications Using Microsoft(R) Office Excel(R) also includes: * Numerous examples and practice problems that emphasize real-world business quantitative techniques and applications * Excel-based computer software routines that explore calculations for an assortment of tasks, including graphing, formula usage, solving equations, and data analysis * End-of-chapter sections detailing the Excel applications and techniques used to address data and solutions using large data sets * A companion website that includes chapter summaries, Excel data sets, sample exams and quizzes, lecture slides, and an Instructors Solutions Manual Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Business: With Applications Using Microsoft(R) Office Excel(R) is an excellent textbook for undergraduate-level courses on quantitative methods in business, economics, finance, marketing, operations, and statistics. The book is also an ideal reference for readers with little or no quantitative background who require a better understanding of basic mathematical and statistical concepts used in economics and business. Bharat Kolluri, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, Finance, and Insurance at the University of Hartford. A member of the American Economics Association, his research interests include econometrics, business statistics, quantitative decision making, applied macroeconomics, applied microeconomics, and corporate finance. Michael J. Panik, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Economics, Finance, and Insurance at the University of Hartford. He has served as a consultant to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles as well as to a variety of health care organizations. In addition, Dr. Panik is the author of numerous books, including Growth Curve Modeling: Theory and Applications and Statistical Inference: A Short Course, both published by Wiley. Rao N. Singamsetti, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, Finance, and Insurance at the University of Hartford. A member of the American Economics Association, his research interests include the status of war on poverty in the United States since the 1960s and forecasting foreign exchange rates using econometric methods.

KES International (KES) is a worldwide organisation that provides a professional community and association for researchers, originally in the discipline of Knowledge Based and Intelligent Engineering Systems, but now extending into other related areas. Through this, KES provides its members with opportunities for publication and beneficial interaction. The focus of KES is research and technology transfer in the area of Intelligent S- tems, i.e. computer-based software systems that operate in a manner analogous to the human brain, in order to perform advanced tasks. Recently KES has started to extend its area of interest to encompass the contribution that intelligent systems can make to sustainability and renewable energy, and also the knowledge transfer, innovation and enterprise agenda. Involving several thousand researchers, managers and engineers drawn from u- versities and companies world-wide, KES is in an excellent position to facilitate - ternational research co-operation and generate synergy in the area of artificial intel- gence applied to real-world 'Smart' systems and the underlying related theory. The KES annual conference covers a broad spectrum of intelligent systems topics and attracts several hundred delegates from a range of countries round the world. KES also organises symposia on specific technical topics, for example, Agent and Multi Agent Systems, Intelligent Decision Technologies, Intelligent Interactive M- timedia Systems and Services, Sustainability in Energy and Buildings and Innovations through Knowledge Transfer. KES is responsible for two peer-reviewed journals, the International Journal of Knowledge based and Intelligent Engineering Systems, and Intelligent Decision Technologies: an International Journal.

Organisationen im Wandel der Markte: A.-W. Scheer, R. Borowsky, U. Markus: Neue Markte, neue Medien, neue Methoden - Roadmap zur agilen Organisation; B. Anderer, K. Knue: Sichere Transaktionen in Electronic Banking und Electronic Commerce; D. Budaus: Public Private Partnership als innovative Organisationsform; U. Dalkmann, F. Karbenn: Energieabrechnug im Wandel - Der Weg zum Kunden uber leistungsfahigen 'Customer Service'; E. Frese: Von der Planwirtschaft zur Marktwirtschaft - auch in der Unternehmung?; P. Neef, M. Moeller: Erfolg im Netz; E. Rauch: Bankenfusionen.- Methoden der Organisationsentwicklung: P. Hintermann, W. Hoffmann, C.-P. Koch: Prozessorientiertes Informationssystem als Voraussetzung fur eine erfolgreiche Unternehmensintegration; M. Lapp: Intranet - Internes Internet; R. Minz: IT als Managementaufgabe begreifen; A. Muller: Vom Geschaftsprozessdesign zum prozessorientierten Managementsystem; S. Neumann, G. Fenk, B. Fluegge, J.T. Finerty: Knowledge Management Systems - optimaler Einsatz des 'Produktionsfaktors Wissen'; M. Pastowsky, F. Hausen-Mabilon: Gestaltung von Kommunikationsprozessen im Entwicklungsbereich: Rahmenbedingungen, Vorgehen und Beispiele; A. Poscay: Mit neuen Medien zu einem effizienten Beratungsnetzwerk.- M. Reiss Wandel im Management des Wandels; J. Hagemeyer, R. Rolles, Y. Schmidt, J. Bachmann, A. Haas: Dynamische Prozesse durch workflow-zentrierte Geschaftsprozessoptimierung: Herausforderungen in der Praxis; J. Schweitzer, H. Baltes, K. Merschjahn, G. Schneider: Professionelle Telekooperation fur das Teammanagement in virtuellen Unternehmen; H.-G. Servatius: Vom Reengineering zum Wissensmanagement.- Anforderungen an das Controlling: J. Fiedler, G. Barzel, K. Vernau: Kosten- und Leistungsrechnung als Steuerungsinstrument - flachendeckende und zugige Einfuhrung in einer deutschen Grossstadt; H. Frei: Mit Qualitatscontrolling auf dem Weg zum European Quality Award (EQA); O. Froehling: Controlling goes Multimedia; P. Hirschmann: Prozesskostenrechnerische Bewertung von Dienstleistungen zur Verbesserung der innerbetrieblichen Leistungsverrechnung; P. Horvath: Mit Balanced Scorecard Strategien erfolgreich umsetzen; R. Mahnkopf: Neues Kommunales Rechnungswesen - eine neue Methode fur ein anspruchsvolles Verwaltungsinformationssystem; R. Moser: Neue Perspektiven durch die Istkostenrechnung; H. Neukam: Neues Controlling durch integrierte Standardsoftware; K. Vikas: Trends und neue Entwicklungen im Controlling; A. Hoffmann, K. Wolf: Wertorientiertes Management auch fur Informatik Investitionen?; J. Zinkernagel: Prozesscontrolling im Entwicklungsprozess eines Automobilzulieferers; W. Kraemer, F. Milius, V. Zimmermann: Elektronische Bildungsmarkte fur ein integriertes Wissens- und Qualitatsmanagement.

Biological and biomedical studies have entered a new era over the past two decades thanks to the wide use of mathematical models and computational approaches. A booming of computational biology, which sheerly was a theoretician's fantasy twenty years ago, has become a reality. Obsession with computational biology and theoretical approaches is evidenced in articles hailing the arrival of what are va- ously called quantitative biology, bioinformatics, theoretical biology, and systems biology. New technologies and data resources in genetics, such as the International HapMap project, enable large-scale studies, such as genome-wide association st- ies, which could potentially identify most common genetic variants as well as rare variants of the human DNA that may alter individual's susceptibility to disease and the response to medical treatment. Meanwhile the multi-electrode recording from behaving animals makes it feasible to control the animal mental activity, which could potentially lead to the development of useful brain-machine interfaces. - bracing the sheer volume of genetic, genomic, and other type of data, an essential approach is, ?rst of all, to avoid drowning the true signal in the data. It has been witnessed that theoretical approach to biology has emerged as a powerful and st- ulating research paradigm in biological studies, which in turn leads to a new - search paradigm in mathematics, physics, and computer science and moves forward with the interplays among experimental studies and outcomes, simulation studies, and theoretical investigations.

Using a unique in-depth, case-based approach, Cengage's NEW PERSPECTIVES COLLECTION, MICROSOFT (R) 365 (R) & EXCEL (R) 2021 COMPREHENSIVE helps you prepare for the Microsoft (R) Office (R) Specialist (MOS) certification exam -- and success in your future career. As you apply Microsoft (R) Office (R) skills to real-world business scenarios based on Burning Glass market insights, you will sharpen your critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Professional tips and insights incorporated throughout provide context and relevancy to real-world practice, while ProSkills Boxes help strengthen your employability skills, including written and verbal communication. The text also offers updated coverage of Microsoft (R) 365 (R) features as well as enhanced support for Mac users. In addition, MindTap and up-to-date SAM (Skills Assessment Manager) online resources provide interactive study tools to help maximize your study time -- and results.

A 3D user interface (3DUI) is an interface in which the user performs tasks in three dimensions. For example, interactions using hand/body gestures, interaction using a motion controller (e.g. Sony PlayStation Move), interaction with virtual reality devices using tracked motion controllers, etc. All these technologies which let a user interact in three dimensions are called 3D user interface technologies. These 3D user interfaces have the potential to make games more immersive & engaging and thus potentially provide a better user experience to gamers. Although 3D user interface technologies are available for games, it is unclear how their usage affects game play and if there are any user performance benefits. This book presents state of the art research on exploring 3D user interface technologies for improving video games. It also presents a review of research work done in this area and describes experiments focused on usage of stereoscopic 3D, head tracking, and hand gesture-based control in gaming scenarios. These experiments are systematic studies in gaming environments and are aimed at understanding the effect of the underlined 3D interface technology on the gaming experience of a user. Based on these experiments, several design guidelines are presented which can aid game designers in designing better immersive games.

Multimedia systems and content-based image retrieval are very important areas of research in computer technology. Numerous research works are being done in these fields at present. These two areas are changing our life-styles because they together cover creation, maintenance, accessing and retrieval of video, audio, image, textual and graphic data. But still several important issues in these areas remain unresolved and further research works are needed to be done for better techniques and applications. Multimedia Systems and Content-Based Image Retrieval addresses these unresolved issues and highlights current research.

1. The book is the first comprehensive review of the 95-year development of Chinese animation. 2. All students and scholars of film studies, especially Chinese animation would benefit from this volume. 3. This book would be a useful reference to learn about the developmental trajectory of Chinese animation.

The storage yard is the operational and geographical centre of most seaport container terminals. Therefore, it is of particular importance for the whole terminal system and plays a major role for trade and transport flows. One of the latest trends in container-storage operations is the automated Rail-Mounted-Gantry-Crane system, which offers dense stacking, and offers low labour costs. This book investigates whether the operational performance of container terminals is influenced by the design of these storage systems and to what extent the performance is affected by the terminal's framework conditions, and discusses the strategies applied for container stacking and crane scheduling. A detailed simulation model is presented to compare the performance effects of alternative storage designs, innovative planning strategies, and other influencing factors. The results have useful implications future research, practical terminal planning and optimisation.

This unique text/reference reviews the key principles and techniques in conceptual modelling which are of relevance to specialists in the field of cultural heritage. Information modelling tasks are a vital aspect of work and study in such disciplines as archaeology, anthropology, history, and architecture. Yet the concepts and methods behind information modelling are rarely covered by the training in cultural heritage-related fields. With the increasing popularity of the digital humanities, and the rapidly growing need to manage large and complex datasets, the importance of information modelling in cultural heritage is greater than ever before. To address this need, this book serves in the place of a course on software engineering, assuming no previous knowledge of the field. Topics and features: Presents a general philosophical introduction to conceptual modelling Introduces the basics of conceptual modelling, using the ConML language as an infrastructure Reviews advanced modelling techniques relating to issues of vagueness, temporality and subjectivity, in addition to such topics as metainformation and feature redefinition Proposes an ontology for cultural heritage supported by the Cultural Heritage Abstract Reference Model (CHARM), to enable the easy construction of conceptual models Describes various usage scenarios and applications of cultural heritage modelling, offering practical tips on how to use different techniques to solve real-world problems This interdisciplinary work is an essential primer for tutors and students (at both undergraduate and graduate level) in any area related to cultural heritage, including archaeology, anthropology, art, history, architecture, or literature. Cultural heritage managers, researchers, and professionals will also find this to be a valuable reference, as will anyone involved in database design, data management, or the conceptualization of cultural heritage in general. Dr. Cesar Gonzalez-Perez is a Staff Scientist at the Institute of Heritage Sciences (Incipit), within the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Multiple criteria decision aid (MCDA) methods are illustrated in this book through theoretical and computational techniques utilizing Python. Existing methods are presented in detail with a step by step learning approach. Theoretical background is given for TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE, SIR, AHP, goal programming, and their variations. Comprehensive numerical examples are also discussed for each method in conjunction with easy to follow Python code. Extensions to multiple criteria decision making algorithms such as fuzzy number theory and group decision making are introduced and implemented through Python as well. Readers will learn how to implement and use each method based on the problem, the available data, the stakeholders involved, and the various requirements needed. Focusing on the practical aspects of the multiple criteria decision making methodologies, this book is designed for researchers, practitioners and advanced graduate students in the applied mathematics, information systems, operations research and business administration disciplines, as well as other engineers and scientists oriented in interdisciplinary research. Readers will greatly benefit from this book by learning and applying various MCDM/A methods. (Adiel Teixeira de Almeida, CDSID-Center for Decision System and Information Development, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil) Promoting the development and application of multicriteria decision aid is essential to ensure more ethical and sustainable decisions. This book is a great contribution to this objective. It is a perfect blend of theory and practice, providing potential users and researchers with the theoretical bases of some of the best-known methods as well as with the computing tools needed to practice, to compare and to put these methods to use. (Jean-Pierre Brans, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium) This book is intended for researchers, practitioners and students alike in decision support who wish to familiarize themselves quickly and efficiently with multicriteria decision aiding algorithms. The proposed approach is original, as it presents a selection of methods from the theory to the practical implementation in Python, including a detailed example. This will certainly facilitate the learning of these techniques, and contribute to their effective dissemination in applications. (Patrick Meyer, IMT Atlantique, Lab-STICC, Univ. Bretagne Loire, Brest, France)

The human capacity to abstract complex systems and phenomena into simplified models has played a critical role in the rapid evolution of our modern industrial processes and scienti c research. As a science and an art, Modelling and Simulation have been one of the core enablers of this remarkable human trace, and have become a topic of great importance for researchers and practitioners.

This book was created to compile some of the most recent concepts, advances, challenges and ideas associated with Intelligent Modelling and Simulation frameworks, tools and applications. The rst chapter discusses the important aspects of a human interaction and the correct interpretation of results during simulations. The second chapter gets to the heart of the analysis of entrepreneurship by means of agent-based modelling and simulations.

The following three chapters bring together the central theme of simulation frameworks, rst describing an agent-based simulation framework, then a simulator for electrical machines, and nally an airborne network emulation environment. The two subsequent chapters discuss power distribution networks from different points of view-anticipation and optimization of multi-echelon inventory policy. After that, the book includes also a group of chapters discussing the mathematical modelling supported by veri cation simulations, and a set of chapters with models synthesised by means of arti cial intelligence tools and complex automata framework. Lastly, the book includes a chapter introducing the use of graph-grammar model for generation of threedimensional computational meshes and a chapter focused on the experimental and computational results regarding simulation of aero engine vortexes. Authors believe, that this book is a valuable reference to researchers and practitioners in the eld, as well as an inspiration to those interested in the area of Intelligent Modelling and Simulation.

The purpose of this book is to present a methodology for designing and tuning fuzzy expert systems in order to identify nonlinear objects; that is, to build input-output models using expert and experimental information. The results of these identifications are used for direct and inverse fuzzy evidence in forecasting and diagnosis problem solving. The book is organised as follows: Chapter 1 presents the basic knowledge about fuzzy sets, genetic algorithms and neural nets necessary for a clear understanding of the rest of this book. Chapter 2 analyzes direct fuzzy inference based on fuzzy if-then rules. Chapter 3 is devoted to the tuning of fuzzy rules for direct inference using genetic algorithms and neural nets. Chapter 4 presents models and algorithms for extracting fuzzy rules from experimental data. Chapter 5 describes a method for solving fuzzy logic equations necessary for the inverse fuzzy inference in diagnostic systems. Chapters 6 and 7 are devoted to inverse fuzzy inference based on fuzzy relations and fuzzy rules. Chapter 8 presents a method for extracting fuzzy relations from data. All the algorithms presented in Chapters 2-8 are validated by computer experiments and illustrated by solving medical and technical forecasting and diagnosis problems. Finally, Chapter 9 includes applications of the proposed methodology in dynamic and inventory control systems, prediction of results of football games, decision making in road accident investigations, project management and reliability analysis.

This book features papers presented at IIH-MSP 2018, the 14th International Conference on Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing. The scope of IIH-MSP included information hiding and security, multimedia signal processing and networking, and bio-inspired multimedia technologies and systems. The book discusses subjects related to massive image/video compression and transmission for emerging networks, advances in speech and language processing, recent advances in information hiding and signal processing for audio and speech signals, intelligent distribution systems and applications, recent advances in security and privacy for multimodal network environments, multimedia signal processing, and machine learning. Presenting the latest research outcomes and findings, it is suitable for researchers and students who are interested in the corresponding fields. IIH-MSP 2018 was held in Sendai, Japan on 26-28 November 2018. It was hosted by Tohoku University and was co-sponsored by the Fujian University of Technology in China, the Taiwan Association for Web Intelligence Consortium in Taiwan, and the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, as well as the Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Big Data Mining and Applications (Fujian University of Technology) and the Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School in China.