Getting Started for Internet of Things with Launch Pad and ESP8266 provides a platform to get started with the Ti launch pad and IoT modules for Internet of Things applications. The book provides the basic knowledge of Ti launch Pad and ESP8266 based customized modules with their interfacing, along with the programming. The book discusses the application of Internet of Things in different areas. Several examples for rapid prototyping are included, this to make the readers understand the concept of IoT. The book comprises of twenty-seven chapters, which are divided into four sections and which focus on the design of various independent prototypes. Section-A gives a brief introduction to Ti launch pad (MSP430) and Internet of Things platforms like GPRS, NodeMCU and NuttyFi (ESP8266 customized board), and it shows steps to program these boards. Examples on how to interface these boards with display units, analog sensors, digital sensors and actuators are also included, this to make reader comfortable with the platforms. Section-B discusses the communication modes to relay the data like serial out, PWM and I2C. Section-C explores the IoT data loggers and shows certain steps to design and interact with the servers. Section-D includes few IoT based case studies in various fields. This book is based on the practical experience of the authors while undergoing projects with students and partners from various industries.

Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting UX Metrics, Third Edition provides the quantitative analysis training that students and professionals need. This book presents an update on the first resource that focused on how to quantify user experience. Now in its third edition, the authors have expanded on the area of behavioral and physiological metrics, splitting that chapter into sections that cover eye-tracking and measuring emotion. The book also contains new research and updated examples, several new case studies, and new examples using the most recent version of Excel.

Printed in full color.Android is booming like never before, with millions of devices shipping every day. It's never been a better time to learn how to create your own 3D games and live wallpaper for Android. You'll find out all about shaders and the OpenGL pipeline, and discover the power of OpenGL ES 2.0, which is much more feature-rich than its predecessor. If you can program in Java and you have a creative vision that you'd like to share with the world, then this is the book for you.This book will teach you everything you need to know to create compelling graphics on Android. You'll learn the basics of OpenGL by building a simple game of air hockey, and along the way, you'll see how to initialize OpenGL and program the graphics pipeline using shaders. Each lesson builds upon the one before it, as you add colors, shading, 3D projections, touch interaction, and more.Then, you'll find out how to turn your idea into a live wallpaper that can run on the home screen. You'll learn about more advanced effects involving particles, lighting models, and the depth buffer. You'll understand what to look for when debugging your program, and what to watch out for when deploying to the market.OpenGL can be somewhat of a dark art to the uninitiated. As you read this book, you'll learn each new concept from first principles. You won't just learn about a feature; you'll also understand how it works, and why it works the way it does. Everything you learn is forward-compatible with the just-released OpenGL ES 3, and you can even apply these techniques to other platforms, such as iOS or HTML5 WebGL.

The idea of this book grew out of a symposium that was held at Stony Brook in September 2012 in celebration of David S.Warren's fundamental contributions to Computer Science and the area of Logic Programming in particular. Logic Programming (LP) is at the nexus of Knowledge Representation, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematical Logic, Databases, and Programming Languages. It is fascinating and intellectually stimulating due to the fundamental interplay among theory, systems, and applications brought about by logic. Logic programs are more declarative in the sense that they strive to be logical specifications of ""what"" to do rather than ""how"" to do it, and thus they are high-level and easier to understand and maintain. Yet, without being given an actual algorithm, LP systems implement the logical specifications automatically. Several books cover the basics of LP but focus mostly on the Prolog language with its incomplete control strategy and non-logical features. At the same time, there is generally a lack of accessible yet comprehensive collections of articles covering the key aspects in declarative LP. These aspects include, among others, well-founded vs. stable model semantics for negation, constraints, object-oriented LP, updates, probabilistic LP, and evaluation methods, including top-down vs. bottom-up, and tabling. For systems, the situation is even less satisfactory, lacking accessible literature that can help train the new crop of developers, practitioners, and researchers. There are a few guides onWarren's Abstract Machine (WAM), which underlies most implementations of Prolog, but very little exists on what is needed for constructing a state-of-the-art declarative LP inference engine. Contrast this with the literature on, say, Compilers, where one can first study a book on the general principles and algorithms and then dive in the particulars of a specific compiler. Such resources greatly facilitate the ability to start making meaningful contributions quickly. There is also a dearth of articles about systems that support truly declarative languages, especially those that tie into first-order logic, mathematical programming, and constraint solving. LP helps solve challenging problems in a wide range of application areas, but in-depth analysis of their connection with LP language abstractions and LP implementation methods is lacking. Also, rare are surveys of challenging application areas of LP, such as Bioinformatics, Natural Language Processing, Verification, and Planning. The goal of this book is to help fill in the previously mentioned void in the LP literature. It offers a number of overviews on key aspects of LP that are suitable for researchers and practitioners as well as graduate students. The following chapters in theory, systems, and applications of LP are included.

The idea of this book grew out of a symposium that was held at Stony Brook in September 2012 in celebration of David S.Warren's fundamental contributions to Computer Science and the area of Logic Programming in particular. Logic Programming (LP) is at the nexus of Knowledge Representation, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematical Logic, Databases, and Programming Languages. It is fascinating and intellectually stimulating due to the fundamental interplay among theory, systems, and applications brought about by logic. Logic programs are more declarative in the sense that they strive to be logical specifications of "what" to do rather than "how" to do it, and thus they are high-level and easier to understand and maintain. Yet, without being given an actual algorithm, LP systems implement the logical specifications automatically. Several books cover the basics of LP but focus mostly on the Prolog language with its incomplete control strategy and non-logical features. At the same time, there is generally a lack of accessible yet comprehensive collections of articles covering the key aspects in declarative LP. These aspects include, among others, well-founded vs. stable model semantics for negation, constraints, object-oriented LP, updates, probabilistic LP, and evaluation methods, including top-down vs. bottom-up, and tabling. For systems, the situation is even less satisfactory, lacking accessible literature that can help train the new crop of developers, practitioners, and researchers. There are a few guides onWarren's Abstract Machine (WAM), which underlies most implementations of Prolog, but very little exists on what is needed for constructing a state-of-the-art declarative LP inference engine. Contrast this with the literature on, say, Compilers, where one can first study a book on the general principles and algorithms and then dive in the particulars of a specific compiler. Such resources greatly facilitate the ability to start making meaningful contributions quickly. There is also a dearth of articles about systems that support truly declarative languages, especially those that tie into first-order logic, mathematical programming, and constraint solving. LP helps solve challenging problems in a wide range of application areas, but in-depth analysis of their connection with LP language abstractions and LP implementation methods is lacking. Also, rare are surveys of challenging application areas of LP, such as Bioinformatics, Natural Language Processing, Verification, and Planning. The goal of this book is to help fill in the previously mentioned void in the LP literature. It offers a number of overviews on key aspects of LP that are suitable for researchers and practitioners as well as graduate students. The following chapters in theory, systems, and applications of LP are included.

If you develop, test, or manage .NET software, you will find ."NET Test Automation Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach" very useful. The book presents practical techniques for writing lightweight software test automation in a .NET environment and covers API testing thoroughly. It also discusses lightweight, custom Windows application user interface automation and teaches you low-level web application user interface automation. Additional material covers SQL stored procedure testing techniques.

The examples in this book have been successfully used in seminars and teaching environments where they have proven highly effective for students who are learning intermediate-level .NET programming. You'll come away from the book knowing how to write production-quality combination and permutation methods.-->Table of Contents-->API Testing Reflection-Based UI Testing Windows-Based UI Testing Test Harness Design Patterns Request-Response Testing Script-Based Web UI Testing Low-Level Web UI Testing Web Services Testing SQL Stored Procedure Testing Combinations and Permutations ADO.NET Testing XML Testing

I Grundlagen.- Wer braucht wofur Avatare? Konzeption und Implementierung naturlichsprachlicher Systeme - Zur Einfuhrung.- Die Bedeutung von naturlichsprachlichen Dialogsystemen im Internet-Business.- Technische Grundlagen von naturlichsprachlichen Dialogsystemen.- Ein Quantensprung fur Dialogsysteme.- II E-Business und Avatare.- "Ich habe Ihre Eingabe leider nicht verstanden" - Qualitatskriterien fur Online-Tests von Bots.- Strategien fur Dialogfuhrungssysteme - Automation der Kundenkommunikation im Kontaktkanal Internet.- Schoen - schnell - schlau: Online-Marketing mit Avataren.- Avatare und die Usability von Websites.- Support-Chat und Avatare als Mittel der persoenlichen Kundenbetreuung im World Wide Web.- Cor@: Der Avatar der Deutschen Bank - Eine Fallstudie aus der Sicht des Auftragnehmers.- PIA - Der virtuelle Einkaufs-Guide - Eine Fallstudie des Club Bertelsmann.- Ein virtueller Berater fur Yello - Auswahl, Implementierung und Betrieb eines Avatars.- III Marketing und Avatare.- Darf's ein bisschen menschlicher sein? - Virtuelle Charaktere am Point of Sale.- Robert T-Online - Eine Karriere zwischen Wirklichkeit und Cyberspace.- Robert T-Online - Ein universeller Markenbotschafter.- Avatare und Entertainment.- It's time for a Strike! - Wahlkampf einer digitalen Prasidentschaftskandidatin.- IV Ausblick.- Mehr als nur ein nettes Gesicht: Embodied conversational interface agents.- Mit Hand und Fuss - Die Bedeutung der nonverbalen Kommunikation fur die Emotionalisierung von Dialogfuhrungssystemen.- Virtualisierung und Personalisierung - Technologietrends machen Avatare zur innovativen Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstelle.

If you know the basics of C#, you are ready to learn to develop server-side web applications with ASP.NET and that's where this book comes in: Section 1 presents a quick-start course on ASP.NET Web Forms, Visual Studio tools, and the role of HTML5/CSS3 a course that works both for beginners and for experienced web developers who are new to ASP.NET, Section 2 gives you the skills you need for every web application like how to use the server controls, validate user entries, manage state, use master pages and themes, provide site navigation, and use friendly URLs, Section 3 presents the skills you need for developing database-driven web sites at a professional level including how to use SQL data sources, object data sources, and ASP.NET data controls like the GridView, DetailsView, FormView, and ListView controls, Section 4 covers skills that enhance your professionalism like how to develop secure web pages, authorise and authenticate users, send email, control the use of the Back button, and deploy finished applications, Section 5 takes you to the next level by showing you how to use ASP.NET Ajax, how to develop WCF and Web API services, and how ASP.N ET MVC programming differs from Web Forms programming. To make it easier for you to master ASP.NET, you get complete web applications including the web forms, the aspx code, and the C# code that show you how each feature works in context. (You can download these for free from the Murach web site.) You get chapter exercises that let you practice your new skills. And you get Murach's distinctive "paired-pages" format that developers like because it saves both training and reference time.

Debunk the myth that JavaScript is not easily testable. Whether you use Node.js, Express, MongoDB, jQuery, AngularJS, or directly manipulate the DOM, you can test-drive JavaScript. Learn the craft of writing meaningful, deterministic automated tests with Karma, Mocha, and Chai. Test asynchronous JavaScript, decouple and properly mock out dependencies, measure code coverage, and create lightweight modular designs of both server-side and client-side code. Your investment in writing tests will pay high dividends as you create code that's predictable and cost-effective to change. Design and code JavaScript applications with automated tests. Writing meaningful tests is a skill that takes learning, some unlearning, and a lot of practice, and with this book, you'll hone that skill. Fire up the editor and get hands-on through practical exercises for effective automated testing and designing maintainable, modular code. Start by learning when and why to do manual testing vs. automated verification. Focus tests on the important things, like the pre-conditions, the invariants, complex logic, and gnarly edge cases. Then begin to design asynchronous functions using automated tests. Carefully decouple and mock out intricate dependencies such as the DOM, geolocation API, file and database access, and Ajax calls to remote servers. Step by step, test code that uses Node.js, Express, MongoDB, jQuery, and AngularJS. Know when and how to use tools such as Chai, Istanbul, Karma, Mocha, Protractor, and Sinon. Create tests with minimum effort and run them fast without having to spin up web servers or manually edit HTML pages to run in browsers. Then explore end-to-end testing to ensure all parts are wired and working well together. Don't just imagine creating testable code, write it. What You Need: A computer with a text editor and your favorite browser. The book provides instructions to install the necessary automated testing-related tools.

HTML, JavaScript, and PHP are Web-based programming languages that can be used to solve computational problems in an online environment.

This easy-to-read, informative guide/reference will enable readers to quickly develop a working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript and PHP a valuable skill for any scientist or engineer. Updating and expanding upon the author s previous Springer titles, "An Introduction to HTML and JavaScript" and "An Introduction to PHP," the text emphasizes a hands-on approach to learning and makes extensive use of examples throughout the book. A detailed science, engineering, or mathematics background is not required to understand the material, making the book ideally suitable for self-study or an introductory course in programming.

Topics and features: describes the creation and use of HTML documents, including tables, forms, lists, frames, and cascading style sheets; presents fundamental concepts of client-side and server-side programming languages and their application to scientific and engineering calculations, using JavaScript and PHP; examines JavaScript and PHP implementation of arrays, built-in and user-defined methods and functions, math capabilities, and input processing with HTML forms; with PHP, extends programming fundamentals to include reading and writing server-based files, command-line interfaces, and an introduction to GD graphics; appendices include lists of ASCII and HTML special characters, and a brief introduction to using a pseudocode approach to organizing solutions to computing problems; includes a Glossary and an extensive set of programming exercises.

This highly useful guidebook supplies all the tools necessary to begin programming in HTML, JavaScript and PHP for scientific and engineering applications. Its clear writing style, with a focus on the importance of learning by example, will appeal to both professionals and undergraduate students in any technical field.

The purpose of this volume is to present current work of the Intelligent Computer Graphics community, a community growing up year after year. This volume is a kind of continuation of the previously published Springer volume "Artificial Int- ligence Techniques for Computer Graphics". Nowadays, intelligent techniques are more and more used in Computer Graphics in order, not only to optimise the pr- essing time, but also to find more accurate solutions for a lot of Computer Gra- ics problems, than with traditional methods. What are intelligent techniques for Computer Graphics? Mainly, they are te- niques based on Artificial Intelligence. So, problem resolution (especially constraint satisfaction) techniques, as well as evolutionary techniques, are used in Declarative scene Modelling; heuristic search techniques, as well as strategy games techniques, are currently used in scene understanding and in virtual world exploration; multi-agent techniques and evolutionary algorithms are used in behavioural animation; and so on. However, even if in most cases the used intelligent techniques are due to Artificial - telligence, sometimes, simple human intelligence can find interesting solutions in cases where traditional Computer Graphics techniques, even combined with Artificial Intelligence ones, cannot propose any satisfactory solution. A good example of such a case is the one of scene understanding, in the case where several parts of the scene are impossible to access.

Genetic algorithms are founded upon the principle of evolution, i.e., survival of the fittest. Hence evolution programming techniques, based on genetic algorithms, are applicable to many hard optimization problems, such as optimization of functions with linear and nonlinear constraints, the traveling salesman problem, and problems of scheduling, partitioning, and control. The importance of these techniques is still growing, since evolution programs are parallel in nature, and parallelism is one of the most promising directions in computer science.The book is self-contained and the only prerequisite is basic undergraduate mathematics. This third edition has been substantially revised and extended by three new chapters and by additional appendices containing working material to cover recent developments and a change in the perception of evolutionary computation.

Working with Video Gamers and Games in Therapy moves beyond stereotypes about video game addiction and violence to consider the role that games play in psychological experiences and mental health. Chapters examine the factors that compel individual gamers to select and identify with particular games and characters, as well as the different play styles, genres, and archetypes common in video games. For clinicians looking to understand their clients' relationships with video games or to use games as a therapeutic resource in their own practice, this is a thoughtful, comprehensive, and timely resource.

The overall aim of the book is to introduce students to the typical course followed by a data analysis project in earth sciences. A project usually involves searching relevant literature, reviewing and ranking published books and journal articles, extracting relevant information from the literature in the form of text, data, or graphs, searching and processing the relevant original data using MATLAB, and compiling and presenting the results as posters, abstracts, and oral presentations using graphics design software. The text of this book includes numerous examples on the use of internet resources, on the visualization of data with MATLAB, and on preparing scientific presentations. As with its sister book MATLAB Recipes for Earth Sciences-3rd Edition (2010), which demonstrates the use of statistical and numerical methods on earth science data, this book uses state-of-the art software packages, including MATLAB and the Adobe Creative Suite, to process and present geoscientific information collected during the course of an earth science project. The book's supplementary electronic material (available online through the publisher's website) includes color versions of all figures, recipes with all the MATLAB commands featured in the book, the example data, exported MATLAB graphics, and screenshots of the most important steps involved in processing the graphics.

This book provides an overview of concepts and challenges in intis investigated using structural equation modeling. The conveyed understanding of gaming QoE, empirical eraction quality in the domain of cloud gaming services. The author presents a unified evaluation approach by combining quantitative subjective assessment methods in a concise way. The author discusses a measurement tool, Gaming Input Quality Scale (GIPS), that assesses the interaction quality of such a service available. Furthermore, the author discusses a new framework to assess gaming Quality of Experience (QoE) using a crowdsourcing approach. Lastly, based on a large dataset including dominant network and encoding conditions, the evaluation method is investigated using structural equation modeling. The conveyed understanding of gaming QoE, empirical findings, and models presented in this book should be of particular interest to researchers working in the fields of quality and usability engineering, as well as service providers and network operators.

Covering research topics from system software such as programming languages, compilers, runtime systems, operating systems, communication middleware, and large-scale file systems, as well as application development support software and big-data processing software, this book presents cutting-edge software technologies for extreme scale computing. The findings presented here will provide researchers in these fields with important insights for the further development of exascale computing technologies.This book grew out of the post-peta CREST research project funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, the goal of which was to establish software technologies for exploring extreme performance computing beyond petascale computing. The respective were contributed by 14 research teams involved in the project. In addition to advanced technologies for large-scale numerical computation, the project addressed the technologies required for big data and graph processing, the complexity of memory hierarchy, and the power problem. Mapping the direction of future high-performance computing was also a central priority.

Game Devs & Others: Tales from the Margins tell the true stories of life in the industry by people of color, LGBTQIA and other marginalized identities. This collection of essays give people a chance to tell their stories and to let others know what life on the other side of the screen is like when you're not part of the supposed "majority". Key Features This book is perfect for anyone interested in getting into the games industry who feels they have a marginalized identity For those who wish to better diversify their studio or workplace who may or may not have access to individuals that could or would share their stories about the industry Includes initiatives aimed at diversifying the industry that have a positive or negative impact on the ongoing discussions Coverage of ajor news items about diversity, conferences aimed at or having diversity at its core of content and mission are discussed Included essays are written with as little game dev specific jargon as possible, makeing it accessible to people outside the industry as well as those in the scene but that may not have all the insider lingo

"In this not-too-long and easy-to-read book, author Celia Hodent presents a clear overview of the challenges, demands, and rewards of becoming a user experience professional. If this field interests you, there’s no better place to start than with the volume you now hold in your hand."

Alan Cooper, Ancestry Thinker, Software Alchemist, Regenerative Rancher, Author of The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity

The main objective of What UX is Really About: Introducing a Mindset for Great Experiences is to provide a quick introduction to user experience (UX 101) for students, professionals, or simply curious readers who want to understand this trendy yet commonly misunderstood practice better. Readers will learn that UX is much more than a set of techniques, guidelines, and tools. It is a mindset; a philosophy that takes the perspective of the humans that will use a product. It is about solving their problems, offering them a pleasurable experience, and building a win-win, long-lasting relationship between them and the company developing the product. Above all, it is about improving people’s lives with technology. What UX is Really About is informative, concise, and provides readers with a high-level overview of the science, design, and methodologies of UX.

KEY FEATURES:

• The most approachable and concise introduction book about UX.

• Easy to read and aims to popularize the UX mindset while debunking its main misconceptions.

• Small format size makes it easy to carry around.

• Includes content relatable and meaningful to the readers by taking many examples from everyday life with a conversational and light writing style.

• Tackles the psychology, design, research, process, strategy, and ethics behind offering the best experience with products, systems, or services.

• Includes a glossary.

Celia Hodent holds a PhD in psychology, and is a leading expert in the application of cognitive science and psychology to product development, with over 13 years of experience in the development of UX strategy in video game studios, such as Ubisoft, LucasArts, and Epic Games (Fortnite). She currently leads an independent UX consultancy, working with a wide range of international media and enterprise companies to help ensure their products are engaging, successful, and respectful of users. Celia conducts workshops and provides guidance on the topics of game-based UX, playful learning ("gamification"), ethics, implicit biases, and inclusion in tech. Celia is the author of The Gamer’s Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact Video Game Design and The Psychology of Video Games.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 What Is UX?

Chapter 2 What UX Is Not

Chapter 3 The Science behind UX

Chapter 4 The Process and Methodologies of UX

Chapter 5 Ethics and the UX Mindset

Chapter 6 Conclusion

Game Programming for Artists provides a foundation for artists and creatives to jumpstart learning to program their own games. It is an accessible and conversational guide focused on three areas: basic programming, understanding game engines, and practical code for commonly employed game systems. The best way to get into games is to make one, and this book will help artists do that!

Photoshop is not just for photographers anymore. Photoshop 3D for Animators is one of the only titles available that discusses 3D Photoshop techniques specifically for animators. Now with Adobe CS5, 3D Digital artists can integrate 3D models into Photoshop or create 3D models in Photoshop with the high capability to customize, edit and animate. With Photoshop 3D for Animators, explore the new 3D tools and techniques that will enhance your animation pipeline and workflows with the Adobe Suite softwares, including After Effects and Flash. Explore the ins and outs of Adobe Photoshop and expand your 3D expertise with the comprehensive guide to Adobe 3D toolset for animators. Customize Adobe CS5 tools for your specific, animation workflow and integrate your 3D models with Adobe Flash and the entire Adobe Suite platform with ease. Learn to manipulate 3D images as well as import 3D content from the Adobe creative suite. With in-depth, step-by-step tutorials, explore lighting, digital painting, texturing and rendering for 2D and 3D the power of Adobe Photoshop software. Enhance your digital workflow and expand your expertise with this hands-on guide to Photoshop CS5. Includes downloadable resources with source files, working samples and models.

Scholars and professionals from all over the world, across experience levels and the gender and sexuality spectrum, share experiences and analysis of romance and sexuality in video games. Whether discussing casual sex in the Star Wars universe; analyzing various Otome games; examining "the gaze" in various games; player romance behavior in games; or exploring the ethical ramifications of sexuality in virtual reality and other emerging technologies, this book discusses what players want in video game romance, and how developers can best deliver it. Key Features: Examines the past, present, and future of romance in single-player, role-playing games Discusses common presentations of romance in single-player, role-playing games- both in the category and game mechanics that drive romance Discusses research on how players define a satisfying game romance and what specific steps narrative designers can take to design satisfying games Explains the notion of the empathic game and explores its importance in relation to romance in game design

The Internet as we know it today is the result of a continuous activity for improving network communications, end user services, computational processes and also information technology infrastructures. The Internet has become a critical infrastructure for the human-being by offering complex networking services and end-user applications that all together have transformed all aspects, mainly economical, of our lives. Recently, with the advent of new paradigms and the progress in wireless technology, sensor networks and information systems and also the inexorable shift towards everything connected paradigm, first as known as the Internet of Things and lately envisioning into the Internet of Everything, a data-driven society has been created. In a data-driven society, productivity, knowledge, and experience are dependent on increasingly open, dynamic, interdependent and complex Internet services. The challenge for the Internet of the Future design is to build robust enabling technologies, implement and deploy adaptive systems, to create business opportunities considering increasing uncertainties and emergent systemic behaviors where humans and machines seamlessly cooperate.

One has to make everything as simple as possible but, never more simple. Albert Einstein Discovery consists of seeing what every body has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. Albert S. ent_Gyorgy; The primary goal of this book is to provide an introduction to the theory of Interior Point Methods (IPMs) in Mathematical Programming. At the same time, we try to present a quick overview of the impact of extensions of IPMs on smooth nonlinear optimization and to demonstrate the potential of IPMs for solving difficult practical problems. The Simplex Method has dominated the theory and practice of mathematical pro gramming since 1947 when Dantzig discovered it. In the fifties and sixties several attempts were made to develop alternative solution methods. At that time the prin cipal base of interior point methods was also developed, for example in the work of Frisch (1955), Caroll (1961), Huard (1967), Fiacco and McCormick (1968) and Dikin (1967). In 1972 Klee and Minty made explicit that in the worst case some variants of the simplex method may require an exponential amount of work to solve Linear Programming (LP) problems. This was at the time when complexity theory became a topic of great interest. People started to classify mathematical programming prob lems as efficiently (in polynomial time) solvable and as difficult (NP-hard) problems. For a while it remained open whether LP was solvable in polynomial time or not. The break-through resolution ofthis problem was obtained by Khachijan (1989)."

Parallelism is the key to achieving high performance in computing. However, writing efficient and scalable parallel programs is notoriously difficult, and often requires significant expertise. To address this challenge, it is crucial to provide programmers with high-level tools to enable them to develop solutions easily, and at the same time emphasize the theoretical and practical aspects of algorithm design to allow the solutions developed to run efficiently under many different settings. This thesis addresses this challenge using a three-pronged approach consisting of the design of shared-memory programming techniques, frameworks, and algorithms for important problems in computing. The thesis provides evidence that with appropriate programming techniques, frameworks, and algorithms, shared-memory programs can be simple, fast, and scalable, both in theory and in practice. The results developed in this thesis serve to ease the transition into the multicore era. The first part of this thesis introduces tools and techniques for deterministic parallel programming, including means for encapsulating nondeterminism via powerful commutative building blocks, as well as a novel framework for executing sequential iterative loops in parallel, which lead to deterministic parallel algorithms that are efficient both in theory and in practice. The second part of this thesis introduces Ligra, the first high-level shared memory framework for parallel graph traversal algorithms. The framework allows programmers to express graph traversal algorithms using very short and concise code, delivers performance competitive with that of highly-optimized code, and is up to orders of magnitude faster than existing systems designed for distributed memory. This part of the thesis also introduces Ligra , which extends Ligra with graph compression techniques to reduce space usage and improve parallel performance at the same time, and is also the first graph processing system to support in-memory graph compression. The third and fourth parts of this thesis bridge the gap between theory and practice in parallel algorithm design by introducing the first algorithms for a variety of important problems on graphs and strings that are efficient both in theory and in practice. For example, the thesis develops the first linear-work and polylogarithmic-depth algorithms for suffix tree construction and graph connectivity that are also practical, as well as a work-efficient, polylogarithmic-depth, and cache-efficient shared-memory algorithm for triangle computations that achieves a 2-5x speedup over the best existing algorithms on 40 cores. This is a revised version of the thesis that won the 2015 ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award.