Component-Based Software Engineering (CBSE) is becoming one of the great concerns of researchers and practitioners within the academic areas of computer science and the software industry. After the focus on object-oriented programming, design and modelling during the 90's, reuse and reusability of software entities is nowadays slowed down by new factors. The size of components, their deployment capability, their compatibility and interoperability features in order to be incorporated into heterogeneous cooperative environments, their faults tolerance, and above all, their ability to fulfill performance conditions, are critical expectations of software engineers.
Despite the maturity of the component market and some available results coming from academic research, software engineering and as a result CBSE, remain somehow, a backward discipline, since no modern technique of component composition has been recognized as satisfactory. Business Component-Based Software Engineering, an edited volume, aims to complement some other reputable books on CBSE, by stressing how components are built for large-scale applications, within dedicated development processes and for easy and direct combination. This book will emphasize these three facets and will offer a complete overview of some recent progresses. Projects and works explained herein will prompt graduate students, academics, software engineers, project managers and developers to adopt and to apply new component development methods gained from and validated by the authors. The authors of Business Component-Based Software Engineering are academic and professionals, experts in the field, who will introduce the state of the art on CBSE fromtheir shared experience by working on the same projects.
Business Component-Based Software Engineering is designed to meet the needs of practitioners and researchers in industry, and graduate-level students in Computer Science and Engineering.

The so called information society is being shaped by products and services that either contain software as the core element, are themselves software, or have been designed and manufactured with the help of sophisticated software applications. The new global environment in which these systems are being developed and deployed, in addition to other pressing issues, such as time-to-market and dependability, are pushing the skills of software developers and engineers to the limit. With few exceptions, those products and services will influence the social environment where they will be deployed, because people will operate them or be affected by them, or both. So another challenging issue is the ability of these systems to integrate with their social environment in a way that is perceived as beneficial, trustworthy and acceptable. Given these challenges, defining the requirements that establish what a future system should do, and validating that the system has achieved its goals, is an immense task. In this book the reader will find a detailed account of the challenges posed by the elicitation, specification, validation and management of requirements for the definition of this kind of application: from embedded software in cars to internet-based applications, COTS packages, health-care, and others.

Generating Abstraction Hierarchies presents a completely automated approach to generating abstractions for problem solving. The abstractions are generated using a tractable, domain-independent algorithm whose only inputs are the definition of a problem space and the problem to be solved and whose output is an abstraction hierarchy that is tailored to the particular problem. The algorithm generates abstraction hierarchies that satisfy the `ordered monotonicity' property, which guarantees that the structure of an abstract solution is not changed in the process of refining it. An abstraction hierarchy with this property allows a problem to be decomposed such that the solution in an abstract space can be held invariant while the remaining parts of a problem are solved. The algorithm for generating abstractions is implemented in a system called ALPINE, which generates abstractions for a hierarchical version of the PRODIGY problem solver. Generating Abstraction Hierarchies formally defines this hierarchical problem solving method, shows that under certain assumptions this method can reduce the size of a search space from exponential to linear in the solution size, and describes the implementation of this method in PRODIGY. The abstractions generated by ALPINE are tested in multiple domains on large problem sets and are shown to produce shorter solutions with significantly less search than problem solving without using abstraction. Generating Abstraction Hierarchies will be of interest to researchers in machine learning, planning and problem reformation.

Many-valued logics is becoming increasingly important in many branches of science. This is the second volume of a comprehensive two-volume handbook on many-valued logics by two leading members of the famous Polish school of logic. While the first volume of 1992 was mainly concerned with theoretical foundations, this volume emphasizes automated reasoning, practical applications, and latest developments in closely related fields, such as fuzzy logics and rough set theory. It offers an extensive overview of Gentzen deduction systems and multi-sequential systems in many-valued logics and shows the application of the resolution principle to this logics. It discusses applications in such areas as software specification and electronic circuit verification and presents fuzzy logics and rough set theory in detail.

The last decade has witnessed the rise of big data in game development as the increasing proliferation of Internet-enabled gaming devices has made it easier than ever before to collect large amounts of player-related data. At the same time, the emergence of new business models and the diversification of the player base have exposed a broader potential audience, which attaches great importance to being able to tailor game experiences to a wide range of preferences and skill levels. This, in turn, has led to a growing interest in data mining techniques, as they offer new opportunities for deriving actionable insights to inform game design, to ensure customer satisfaction, to maximize revenues, and to drive technical innovation. By now, data mining and analytics have become vital components of game development. The amount of work being done in this area nowadays makes this an ideal time to put together a book on this subject. Data Analytics Applications in Gaming and Entertainment seeks to provide a cross section of current data analytics applications in game production. It is intended as a companion for practitioners, academic researchers, and students seeking knowledge on the latest practices in game data mining. The chapters have been chosen in such a way as to cover a wide range of topics and to provide readers with a glimpse at the variety of applications of data mining in gaming. A total of 25 authors from industry and academia have contributed 12 chapters covering topics such as player profiling, approaches for analyzing player communities and their social structures, matchmaking, churn prediction and customer lifetime value estimation, communication of analytical results, and visual approaches to game analytics. This book's perspectives and concepts will spark heightened interest in game analytics and foment innovative ideas that will advance the exciting field of online gaming and entertainment.

Provides comprehensive research ideas about Edge-AI technology that can assist doctors in making better data-driven decisions and will provide insights to researchers about healthcare industry, trends and future perspective. Examines how healthcare systems of the future will operate, by augmenting clinical resources and ensuring optimal patient outcomes. Provides insight about how Edge-AI is revolutionizing decision making, early warnings for conditions, and visual inspection in healthcare. Highlight trends, challenges, opportunities and future areas where Healthcare informatics deal with accessing vast data sets of potentially life-saving information.

Modern life is increasingly relying on digital technology, which in turn runs on mathematics. However, this underlying math is hidden from us. That is mostly a good thing since we do not want to be solving equations and calculating fractions just to get things done in our everyday business. But the mathematical details do matter for anyone who wants to understand how stuff works, or wishes to create something new in the jungle of apps and algorithms. This book takes a look at the mathematical models behind weather forecasting, climate change prediction, artificial intelligence, medical imaging and computer graphics. The reader is expected to have only a curious mind; technical math skills are not needed for enjoying this text.

This book presents the proceedings of the 10th International Parallel Tools Workshop, held October 4-5, 2016 in Stuttgart, Germany - a forum to discuss the latest advances in parallel tools. High-performance computing plays an increasingly important role for numerical simulation and modelling in academic and industrial research. At the same time, using large-scale parallel systems efficiently is becoming more difficult. A number of tools addressing parallel program development and analysis have emerged from the high-performance computing community over the last decade, and what may have started as collection of small helper script has now matured to production-grade frameworks. Powerful user interfaces and an extensive body of documentation allow easy usage by non-specialists.

With PROGRAMMING WITH MICROSOFT VISUAL BASIC 2019/2022 by bestselling technology author Diane Zak, even readers with no prior programming experience can quickly learn how to effectively plan and create interactive Visual Basic 2019/2022 applications. A dynamic visual presentation, timely examples, step-by-step tutorials and practical exercises addressing a variety of learning styles make this the ideal introduction to programming. Through hands-on applications in a real-world setting, you will master the fundamentals of effective programming while working through Visual Basic 2019/2022's latest features. In addition to planning and creating your own Windows applications, you will learn about graphical user interface design skills, object-oriented programming concepts and planning tools such as Planning Charts, pseudocode and flowcharts. Also available: MindTap online learning platform.

The contributions in this book survey results on combinations of probabilistic and various other classical, temporal and justification logical systems. Formal languages of these logics are extended with probabilistic operators. The aim is to provide a systematic overview and an accessible presentation of mathematical techniques used to obtain results on formalization, completeness, compactness and decidability. The book will be of value to researchers in logic and it can be used as a supplementary text in graduate courses on non-classical logics.

Automata Theory and its Applications is a uniform treatment of the theory of finite state machines on finite and infinite strings and trees. Many books deal with automata on finite strings, but there are very few expositions that prove the fundamental results of automata on infinite strings and trees. These results have important applications to modeling parallel computation and concurrency, the specification and verification of sequential and concurrent programs, databases, operating systems, computational complexity, and decision methods in logic and algebra. Thus, this textbook fills an important gap in the literature by exposing early fundamental results in automata theory and its applications.

Beginning with coverage of all standard fundamental results regarding finite automata, the book deals in great detail with BA1/4chi and Rabin automata and their applications to various logical theories such as S1S and S2S, and describes game-theoretic models of concurrent operating and communication systems.

The book is self-contained with numerous examples, illustrations, exercises, and is suitable for a two-semester undergraduate course for computer science or mathematics majors, or for a one-semester graduate course/seminar. Since no advanced mathematical background is required, the text is also useful for self-study by computer science professionals who wish to understand the foundations of modern formal approaches to software development, validation, and verification.

Game Audio Fundamentals takes the reader on a journey through game audio design: from analog and digital audio basics, to the art and execution of sound effects, soundtracks, and voice production, as well as learning how to make sense of a truly effective soundscape. Presuming no pre-existing knowledge, this accessible guide is accompanied by online resources - including practical examples and incremental DAW exercises - and presents the theory and practice of game audio in detail, and in a format anyone can understand. This is essential reading for any aspiring game audio designer, as well as students and professionals from a range of backgrounds, including music, audio engineering, and game design.

Global optimization is one of the fastest developing fields in mathematical optimization. In fact, an increasing number of remarkably efficient deterministic algorithms have been proposed in the last ten years for solving several classes of large scale specially structured problems encountered in such areas as chemical engineering, financial engineering, location and network optimization, production and inventory control, engineering design, computational geometry, and multi-objective and multi-level optimization. These new developments motivated the authors to write a new book devoted to global optimization problems with special structures. Most of these problems, though highly nonconvex, can be characterized by the property that they reduce to convex minimization problems when some of the variables are fixed. A number of recently developed algorithms have been proved surprisingly efficient for handling typical classes of problems exhibiting such structures, namely low rank nonconvex structures. Audience: The book will serve as a fundamental reference book for all those who are interested in mathematical optimization.

As Web services (any communication between two computers over a network) continue to evolve, publication and research related to the field must keep up in turn. Innovations, Standards and Practices of Web Services: Emerging Research Topics provides a vital new compendium of the latest research topics in the field of Web services. As a set of tools that can be used in a number of ways, Web services continue to evolve as the Internet expands its capabilities and users. Detailing the functions of service composition, and the most relevant models that modify its construction, this volume serves as a vital reference for practitioners, students, and academics alike.

A definitive guide to contemporary video game studies, this second edition has been fully revised and updated to address the ongoing theoretical and methodological development of game studies. Expertly compiled by well-known video game scholars Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, the Companion includes comprehensive and interdisciplinary models and approaches for analyzing video games, new perspectives on video games both as an art form and cultural phenomenon, explorations of the technical and creative dimensions of video games, and accounts of the political, social, and cultural dynamics of video games. Brand new to this second edition are essays examining topics such as preservation, augmented, mixed and virtual reality, eSports, disability, diversity, and identity, as well as a new section that specifically examines the industrial aspects of video games including digital distribution, game labor, triple-A games, indie games, and globalization. Each essay provides a lively and succinct summary of its target area, quickly bringing the reader up-to-date on the pertinent issues surrounding each aspect of the field, including references for further reading. A comprehensive overview of the present state of video game studies that will undoubtedly prove invaluable to students, scholars, and game designers alike.

This book discusses the semantic foundations of concurrent systems with nondeterministic and probabilistic behaviour. Particular attention is given to clarifying the relationship between testing and simulation semantics and characterising bisimulations from metric, logical, and algorithmic perspectives. Besides presenting recent research outcomes in probabilistic concurrency theory, the book exemplifies the use of many mathematical techniques to solve problems in computer science, which is intended to be accessible to postgraduate students in Computer Science and Mathematics. It can also be used by researchers and practitioners either for advanced study or for technical reference.

Working with Sound is an exploration of the ever-changing working practices of audio development in the era of hybrid collaboration in the games industry. Through learnings from the pre-pandemic remote and isolated worlds of audio work, sound designers, composers and dialogue designers find themselves equipped uniquely to thrive in the hybrid, remote, and studio-based realms of today's fast-evolving working landscapes. With unique insights into navigating the worlds of isolation and collaboration, this book explores ways of thinking and working in this world, equipping the reader with inspiration to sustainably tackle the many stages of the development process. Working with Sound is an essential guide for professionals working in dynamic audio teams of all sizes, as well as the designers, producers, artists, animators and programmers who collaborate closely with their colleagues working on game audio and sound.

This book brings together contributions from researchers, GIS professionals and game designers to provide a first overview of this highly interdisciplinary field. Its scope ranges from fundamentals about games and play, geographic information technologies, game design and culture, to current examples and forward looking analysis. Of interest to anyone interested in creating and using Geogames, this volume serves as a channel for sharing early experiences, discussing technological challenges and solutions, and outlines a future research agenda. Games and play are part of human life, and in many game activities, place, space and geography plays a central role in determining the rules and interactions that are characteristic of each game. Recent developments and widespread access to mobile information, communication, and geospatial technologies have spurred a flurry of developments, including many variations of gaming activities that are situated in, or otherwise connected to the real world.

The Game Music Toolbox provides readers with the tools, models and techniques to create and expand a compositional toolbox, through a collection of 20 iconic case studies taken from different eras of game music. Discover many of the composition and production techniques behind popular music themes from games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Mario Kart 8, The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter II, Diablo, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, and many others. The Game Music Toolbox features: Exclusive interviews from industry experts Transcriptions and harmonic analyses 101 music theory introductions for beginners Career development ideas and strategies Copyright and business fundamentals An introduction to audio implementation for composers Practical takeaway tasks to equip readers with techniques for their own game music The Game Music Toolbox is crucial reading for game music composers and audio professionals of all backgrounds, as well as undergraduates looking to forge a career in the video game industry.

This book uses automotive embedded systems as an example to introduce functional safety assurance and safety-aware cost optimization. The book explores functional safety assurance from the perspectives of verification, enhancement, and validation. The functional safety assurance methods implement a safe and efficient assurance system that integrates safety verification, enhancement, and validation. The assurance methods offered in this book could provide a reasonable and scientific theoretical basis for the subsequent formulation of automotive functional safety standards. The safety-aware cost optimization methods divide cost types according to the essential differences of various costs in system design and establish reasonable models based on different costs. The cost optimization methods provided in this book could give appropriate cost optimization solutions for the cost-sensitive automotive industry, thereby achieving effective cost management and control. Functional safety assurance methods and safety-aware cost optimization support each other and jointly build the architecture of functional safety design methodologies for automotive embedded systems. The work aspires to provide a relevant reference for students, researchers, engineers, and professionals working in this area or those interested in hardware cost optimization and development cost optimization design methods based on ensuring functional safety in general.

Make the most of today's JavaScript--even if you've never programmed anything before. JavaScript Absolute Beginner's Guide, Third Edition is the fastest way to learn JavaScript, starting with the basics and gradually going deeper and broader into all the techniques you need to begin building highly scalable, performant web apps and experiences. Do what you want, the way you want, one incredibly easy step at a time! Learn all this, and much more: Start fast with the basics: values, variables, functions, conditionals, loops, closures, and more Create well-organized, clear code that's easy to reuse and improve Learn proven best practices to build web apps that scale with outstanding performance Make the most of powerful object-oriented techniques to build complex, extensible apps Wrangle data like a pro by learning how to use the popular JSON standard, arrays, web storage, and more Translate your ideas into visually compelling and interactive content by learning how to work with the DOM Identify and fix issues quickly by learning how to use the in-browser development tools Understand the ins and outs of events and how you can use them to react to actions the user or the page will perform Learn how to ensure your code runs lightning-fast with extra coverage of performance optimizations and techniques you can use Learn the basics that set you up to more quickly use modern web frameworks like React, Vue, Next.js, and Nuxt Explore advanced features such as object destructuring, making web requests, the class syntax, accessing your webcam, variable hoisting, and more Get up-to-speed on the latest JavaScript enhancements proposed by the EcmaScript standard