Reaction-diffusion and excitable media are amongst most intriguing substrates. Despite apparent simplicity of the physical processes involved the media exhibit a wide range of amazing patterns: from target and spiral waves to travelling localisations and stationary breathing patterns. These media are at the heart of most natural processes, including morphogenesis of living beings, geological formations, nervous and muscular activity, and socio-economic developments. This book explores a minimalist paradigm of studying reaction-diffusion and excitable media using locally-connected networks of finite-state machines: cellular automata and automata on proximity graphs. Cellular automata are marvellous objects per se because they show us how to generate and manage complexity using very simple rules of dynamical transitions. When combined with the reaction-diffusion paradigm the cellular automata become an essential user-friendly tool for modelling natural systems and designing future and emergent computing architectures. The book brings together hot topics of non-linear sciences, complexity, and future and emergent computing. It shows how to discover propagating localisation and perform computation with them in very simple two-dimensional automaton models. Paradigms, models and implementations presented in the book strengthen the theoretical foundations in the area for future and emergent computing and lay key stones towards physical embodied information processing systems.

Computer-Aided Innovation (CAI) is emerging as a strategic domain of research and application to support enterprises throughout the overall innovation process. The 5.4 Working Group of IFIP aims at defining the scientific foundation of Computer Aided Innovation systems and at identifying state of the art and trends of CAI tools and methods. These Proceedings derive from the second Topical Session on Computer- Aided Innovation organized within the 20th World Computer Congress of IFIP. The goal of the Topical Session is to provide a survey of existing technologies and research activities in the field and to identify opportunities of integration of CAI with other PLM systems. According to the heterogeneous needs of innovation-related activities, the papers published in this volume are characterized by multidisciplinary contents and complementary perspectives and scopes. Such a richness of topics and disciplines will certainly contribute to the promotion of fruitful new collaborations and synergies within the IFIP community. Gaetano Cascini th Florence, April 30 20 08 CAI Topical Session Organization The IFIP Topical Session on Computer-Aided Innovation (CAI) is a co-located conference organized under the auspices of the IFIP World Computer Congress (WCC) 2008 in Milano, Italy Gaetano Cascini CAI Program Committee Chair [email protected]

For half a century at least, I.T. teams have focused on solving business problems through computer technology - and largely ignoring the human element in their interactions with end users. In his new book I.T. IN CRISIS: A NEW BUSINESS MODEL, consultant L. Paul Ouellette shows how to bring the I.T. team into the twenty-first century. Organizations that employ I.T. professionals are facing a new economic landscape - one where closer, more engaged relationships with internal and external customers are not merely nice if you can get it, but essential for organizational survival. I.T.'s old business as usual approach - and let the relationship thing take care of itself - is, Ouellette warns, now a recipe for disaster. I.T.'s challenge is to adapt to the customer-focused operational realities of the twenty-first century. Teams that meet this challenge will thrive, and will create extraordinary opportunities for themselves and their organizations. Teams that don't, Ouellette believes, will be marginalized or phased out. How do we make this (long-overdue) transition? By upgrading the I.T. Professional's skill sets - and moving from the back room to the forefront of the business, the place where person-to-person connections with customers as human beings take place. In I.T. IN CRISIS: A NEW BUSINESS MODEL, Ouellette offers proven, real-world strategies for I.T. teams to forge closer bonds with their end users. He shows I.T. professionals how to change the way their customers think about I.T., how to improve I.T.'s standing within their own organizations, and how to enhance their own careers -Paul offers the 1 tool to turn negative relations into a positive one. Methods for successfully conducting the 3 main points of your clients' interactions, learn what clients really want from I.T. and the 5 steps to building your sustainable service strategy. Building very specific empathy, listening skills, rapport-building, and overall relationship management capacities. Ouellette also includes the case studies and action forms that will help I.T. teams to execute on the book's core concept. Today's business environment is highly competitive. In order to survive, organizations must create new business models that focus "like a laser beam:" on the customer. For those who work in Information Technology (I.T.) customer relations is no longer a "nice to have skill, but rather a "must have:" skill. The average professional Information Technologist is lacking skills in this area - and thus I.T. faces a crisis. For the first time since the introduction of computer technology to the world of business, I.T. funding has been reduced, and investments going into computer business technology are declining. I.T. is no longer seen as the savior of a company's bottom line. This state of affairs actually represents a new opportunity for I.T. If we make a conscious decision to conduct business differently, upgrade our skills, and focus on the customer - we can get the credit, attention, and recognition we deserve. Computer technology solutions are but one part of what we offer. In the twenty-first century, we need to play a much broader role ... build stronger relationships with the people we serve ... and become an irreplaceable part of the client's business solution. Addressing the problems and offering corrective strategies facing today's I.T. professional are the sole purposes of this book. Once we do this, we will not only succeed, we will thrive I.T. IN CRISIS: A NEW BUSINESS MODEL strategizes how to make this transition.

MUSIC 2013 will be the most comprehensive text focused on the various aspects of Mobile, Ubiquitous and Intelligent computing. MUSIC 2013 provides an opportunity for academic and industry professionals to discuss the latest issues and progress in the area of intelligent technologies in mobile and ubiquitous computing environment. MUSIC 2013 is the next edition of the 3rd International Conference on Mobile, Ubiquitous, and Intelligent Computing (MUSIC-12, Vancouver, Canada, 2012) which was the next event in a series of highly successful International Workshop on Multimedia, Communication and Convergence technologies MCC-11 (Crete, Greece, June 2011), MCC-10 (Cebu, Philippines, August 2010).

What does it mean to live and work inside the information and communication technology revolution? The nature and significance of newly emerging patterns of social and technical interaction as digital technologies become more pervasive in the knowledge economy are the focus of this book. The places and spaces where digital technolgoies are in use are examined to show why such use may or may not be associated with improvements in society. Studies of on- and off-line interactions between individuals and of collective attempts to govern and manage the new technologies show that the communication revolution is essentially about people, social organization, adaptation, and control, not just technologies This book contains original empirical studies conducted within a programme of research in the Information, Networks and Knowledge (INK) research centre at SPRU, University of Sussex.

These proceedings contain the papers selected for presentation at the 23rd Inter- tional Information Security Conference (SEC 2008), co-located with IFIP World Computer Congress (WCC 2008), September 8-10, 2008 in Milan, Italy. In - sponse to the call for papers, 143 papers were submitted to the conference. All - pers were evaluated on the basis of their signi?cance, novelty, and technical quality, and reviewed by at least three members of the program committee. Reviewing was blind meaning that the authors were not told which committee members reviewed which papers. The program committee meeting was held electronically, holding - tensive discussion over a period of three weeks. Of the papers submitted, 42 full papers and 11 short papers were selected for presentation at the conference. A conference like this just does not happen; it depends on the volunteer efforts of a host of individuals. There is a long list of people who volunteered their time and energy to put together the conference and who deserve acknowledgment. We thank all members of the program committee and the external reviewers for their hard work in the paper evaluation. Due to the large number of submissions, p- gram committee members were required to complete their reviews in a short time frame. We are especially thankful to them for the commitment they showed with their active participation in the electronic discussion

It is widely acknowledged that a common knowledge base for European research is necessary. Research repositories are an important innovation to the scientific information infrastructure. In 2006, digital repositories in the 27 countries of the European were surveyed, covering 114 repositories from 17 European countries. In follow-up, this book presents the results of the 2008 survey. It shows an increasing number of respondents, but also a further diversification in the character of a repository. Repositories may be institutional or thematically based, and as such non-institutional as well. 178 Institutional research repositories and 14 thematic and other noninstitutional repositories from 22 European countries took part actively. European practices should be harmonized and the development of state-of-the-art technology facilitated. Authors, institutes and information users are stakeholders in this process. In presenting a state-of the art of developments, this book is a valuable guide for them in developing their policy on research repositories without losing contact with others. The ongoing process of widespread and diversification of digital repositories puts urgency on coherent approach, as a basic feature of repositories is the retrievability of information that may be dispersed over many of them. Continued monitoring of developments will be necessary.

As business paradigm shifts from a desktop-centric environment to a data-centric mobile environment, mobile services provide numerous new business opportunities, and in some cases, challenge some of the basic premises of existing business models.Strategy, Adoption, and Competitive Advantage of Mobile Services in the Global Economy seeks to foster a scientific understanding of mobile services, provide a timely publication of current research efforts, and forecast future trends in the mobile services industry. This book is an ideal resource for academics, researchers, government policymakers, as well as corporate managers looking to enhance their competitive edge in or understanding of mobile services.

This book provides a broad-based approach to decision support systems (DSS) and their applications to finance and accounting. Heymann and Bloom go beyond mere description of DSS applications for particular system configurations to provide a comprehensive, technical analysis. They identify the changing roles over time of finance and accounting within organizational management and business control systems, outline the foundation of economic models within the objectives and methodology of scientific research, and provide an introduction to the logical structure of theoretical models in finance and accounting. The systems approach is examined as an alternative to the traditional decision model approach, and different tasks within a firm are presented in terms of complex and integrated management processes. In addition, the authors describe the role of DSS in the management of a firm, present specific applications of DSS in the areas of finance and accounting, and discuss the future outlook of DSS in computerized management systems as well as their possible effects on organizational structures and management control procedures.

Studying narratives is often the best way to gain a good understanding of how various aspects of human information are organized and integrated-the narrator employs specific informational methods to build the whole structure of a narrative through combining temporally constructed events in light of an array of relationships to the narratee and these methods reveal the interaction of the rational and the sensitive aspects of human information. Computational and Cognitive Approaches to Narratology discusses issues of narrative-related information and communication technologies, cognitive mechanism and analyses, and theoretical perspectives on narratives and the story generation process. Focusing on emerging research as well as applications in a variety of fields including marketing, philosophy, psychology, art, and literature, this timely publication is an essential reference source for researchers, professionals, and graduate students in various information technology, cognitive studies, design, and creative fields.

With more restrictions upon animal experimentations, pharmaceutical industries are currently focusing on a new generation of experiments and technologies that are considerably more efficient and less controversial. The integration of computational and experimental strategies has led to the identification and development of promising compounds. Computer Applications in Drug Discovery and Development is a pivotal reference source that provides innovative research on the application of computers for discovering and designing new drugs in modern molecular biology and medicinal chemistry. While highlighting topics such as chemical structure databases and dataset utilization, this publication delves into the current panorama of drug discovery, where high drug failure rates are a major concern and properly designed virtual screening strategies can be a time-saving, cost-effective, and productive alternative. This book is ideally designed for chemical engineers, pharmacists, molecular biologists, students, researchers, and academicians seeking current research on the unexplored avenues and future perspectives of drug design.

The information technology explosion in our global society is creating tremendous challenges and opportunities for educators as we help shape the next generation of information pioneers. But in these times of severe budget cuts, our challenges become even greater, and the necessity for success more critical. Current Issues in IT Education addresses the ongoing quest for teaching excellence in the midst of implementing teaching technologies and crossing disciplinary boundaries.

The computer is the great technological and scientific innovation of the last half of the twentieth century. It has revolutionized how we organize information, how we communicate with each other, and even the way that we think about the human mind. Computers have eased the drudgery of such tasks as calculating sums and clerical work, making them both more bearable and more efficient. The computer has become ubiquitous in many aspects of business, recreation, and everyday life, and the trend is that they are becoming both more powerful and easier to use. Computers: The Life Story of a Technology provides an accessible overview of this ever changing technology history, giving students and lay readers an understanding of the complete scope of its history from ancient times to the present day. In addition to providing a concise biography of how this technology developed, this book provides insights into how the computer has changed our lives: * Demonstrates how, just as the invention of the steam engine in the 1700s stimulated scientists to think of the laws of nature in terms of machines, the success of the computer in the late 1900s prompted scientists to think of the basic laws of the universe as being similar to the operation of a computer. * Provides a worldwide examination of computing, and how such needs as security and defense during the Cold War drove the development of computing technology. * Shows how the computer has entered almost every aspect of daily life in the 21st century The volume includes a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, and a selected bibliography of useful resources for further information.

The World Wide Web exploded into public consciousness in 1995, a year which saw the coming of age of the Internet. People are communicating, working, shopping, learning, and entertaining themselves, as well as satisfying carnal desires and even finding God through the simple act of connecting their computers to the wide universe of cyberspace.

We are assured, at the same time, that this progress will have profound effects on work, culture, leisure--everything, including the ways in which we interact with each other. Yet just what these effects will be, how power will be distributed, and what recourse will be available to those adversely affected by the new technologies, are issues that have yet to be negotiated. Aside from the occasional panic over cyber-porn, few have considered the wide-ranging effects of our increasing reliance on interactive technologies.

"Cyberfutures" offers a close examination of issues that will become increasingly important as computers, networks, and technologies occupy crucial roles in our everyday lives. Comprised of essays from a range of occupational and disciplinary perspectives, including those of Vivian Sobchack and Arturo Escobar, this volume makes essential reading for students in cultural and media studies, anthropology, as well as for citizens interested in considering the larger implications of the Information Superhighway.

Competitive intelligence uses public sources to obtain valuable information on competition and competitors. By using competitive intelligence aggressively and intelligently, corporations can obtain information on potential acquisition targets, markets, key personnel, the probable emergence of new products, or the financial strength or contracts of a competing firm. An absolutely indispensable playbook for anyone who has to compete during the information explosion.

"Martin Sikora, Editor, Mergers and AcquisitionS"

Competitive intelligence uses public sources to obtain valuable information on competition and competitors. In an open society such as our own, businesses place a great deal of information in the public domain. By using competitive intelligence aggressively and intelligently, corporations can obtain information on potential acquisition targets, markets, key personnel, the probable emergence of new products, or the financial strength or contracts of a competing firm. In fact, the authors contend that as much as 90 percent of the information required to decide on a course of litigation, acquisitions, expansion, new product introduction, or financing, is available through competitive intelligence.

This volume represents the papers reviewed and accepted for the HOIT2007 conference held at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in the city of Chennai, India in August 2007. This volume addresses many of the major themes of current interest in the field, with a particular focus on community-based technologies. This comprehensive book is divided into five different sections reflecting the most up-to-date research on computers and society.

This book is located at the interface of online learning within a context of English language studies and academic literacy and is underpinned, from a critical theoretical perspective, by an understanding of the implications of the digital divide for developing countries worldwide. The work is an exploration of online learning in an undergraduate English language and academic literacy classroom at a university in South Africa, and theorises the need for technology in developing countries as a means of social inclusion. The aim is to explore the extent to which communities of practice are enabled in an online environment, among English non-mother tongue speakers from technologically under-resourced backgrounds. This study examines the extent to which the students participate, negotiate meaning, and construct identities in online spaces. From a sociocultural perspective this book locates learning as a form of interaction and co-participation, and argues that learning occurs within specific contexts, hence the focus on how individuals become members of 'communities of practice'.