Intelligent Multimedia Multi-Agent Systems focuses on building intelligent successful systems. The book adopts a human-centered approach and considers various pragmatic issues and problems in areas like intelligent systems, software engineering, multimedia databases, electronic commerce, data mining, enterprise modeling and human-computer interaction for developing a human-centered virtual machine. The authors describe an ontology of the human-centered virtual machine which includes four components: activity-centered analysis component, problem solving adapter component, transformation agent component, and multimedia based interpretation component. These four components capture the external and internal planes of the system development spectrum. They integrate the physical, social and organizational reality on the external plane with stakeholder goals, tasks and incentives, and organization culture on the internal plane. The human-centered virtual machine and its four components are used for developing intelligent multimedia multi-agent systems in areas like medical decision support and health informatics, medical image retrieval, e-commerce, face detection and annotation, internet games and sales recruitment. The applications in these areas help to expound various aspects of the human-centered virtual machine including, human-centered domain modeling, distributed intelligence and communication, perceptual and cognitive task modeling, component based software development, and multimedia based data modeling. Further, the applications described in the book employ various intelligent technologies like neural networks, fuzzy logic and knowledge based systems, software engineering artifacts like agents and objects, internet technologies like XML and multimedia artifacts like image, audio, video and text.

This book contains extended and revised versions of the best papers that were presented during the fifteenth edition of the IFIP/IEEE WG10.5 International Conference on Very Large Scale Integration, a global System-on-a-Chip Design & CAD conference. The 15th conference was held at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA (October 15-17, 2007). Previous conferences have taken place in Edinburgh, Trondheim, Vancouver, Munich, Grenoble, Tokyo, Gramado, Lisbon, Montpellier, Darmstadt, Perth and Nice. The purpose of this conference, sponsored by IFIP TC 10 Working Group 10.5 and by the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA), is to provide a forum to exchange ideas and show industrial and academic research results in the field of microelectronics design. The current trend toward increasing chip integration and technology process advancements brings about stimulating new challenges both at the physical and system-design levels, as well in the test of these systems. VLSI-SoC conferences aim to address these exciting new issues.

This is the first book to cover verification strategies and methodologies for SOC verification from system level verification to the design sign-off. All the verification aspects in this exciting new book are illustrated with a single reference design for Bluetooth application.

The book gives a thorough introduction into object orientated design and programming using C++. At the same time it can be used as a library of very useful programs chosen from the fields of finance, adminstration and statistics. These include programs for calculating loan periods, amortization, least squares fitting, a spelling checker, Gregorian calendar, data compression and encryption, searching and sorting. Basic C++ programming is introduced with simple introductory programs while object-oriented programming in C++ is explained as we develop useful classes. Finally we give an introduction into object orientated design and we demonstrate its power by developing a banking package.

Designing Secure IoT devices with the Arm Platform Security Architecture and Cortex-M33 explains how to design and deploy secure IoT devices based on the Cortex-M23/M33 processor. The book is split into three parts. First, it introduces the Cortex-M33 and its architectural design and major processor peripherals. Second, it shows how to design secure software and secure communications to minimize the threat of both hardware and software hacking. And finally, it examines common IoT cloud systems and how to design and deploy a fleet of IoT devices. Example projects are provided for the Keil MDK-ARM and NXP LPCXpresso tool chains. Since their inception, microcontrollers have been designed as functional devices with a CPU, memory and peripherals that can be programmed to accomplish a huge range of tasks. With the growth of internet connected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), "plain old microcontrollers" are no longer suitable as they lack the features necessary to create both a secure and functional device. The recent development by ARM of the Cortex M23 and M33 architecture is intended for today's IoT world.

With the increased efforts of the analog design community to integrate analog high-frequency front-ends for telecommunications, there has been heightened interest in the behaviour of nonlinear circuits since this can cause considerable degradation of signals. In analog integrated circuits at lower frequencies, such as filters, nonlinear behaviour limits the dynamic range. Analog integrated circuit designers often lack insight into nonlinear circuit behaviour. Indeed, designers are trained to reason in linear or linearized circuits but not in nonlinear ones. Numerical circuit simulations of nonlinear circuit behavior do not provide enough insight to the designer. Distortion Analysis of Analog Integrated Circuits, with a foreword by Robert G. Meyer, provides both qualitative and quantitative insight into the nonlinear behavior of analog integrated circuits at low and high frequencies. General techniques to suppress nonlinear behavior such as pre-distortion, linear and nonlinear feedback are explained in detail and illustrated with realistic examples. In this way the book fills the gap between the theory of nonlinear systems and practical analog integrated circuits. Distortion Analysis of Analog Integrated Circuits provides the reader with an in-depth analysis of elementary transistor stages, both CMOS and bipolar, as well as an analysis of several larger circuits. Hereby use is made of advanced transistor models that are also discussed in the book. The analyses take into account many more effects than in existing publications, thanks to the use of a calculation method that yields closed-form expressions for nonlinear behavior. These expressions are interpreted and illustrated withrealistic numerical examples. Distortion Analysis of Analog Integrated Circuits is essential reading for practicing analog and mixed-signal design engineers and researchers in the field. It is also suitable as a text for an advanced course on the subject. From the foreword: I am sure that the analog circuit design community will [...] welcome this work by Dr. Wambacq and Prof. Sansen as a major contribution to the analog circuit design literature in the area of distortion analysis of electronic circuits. I am personally looking forward to having a copy readily available for reference when designing integrated circuits for communication systems.' Robert G. Meyer, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley.

This book constitutes Part III of the refereed four-volume post-conference proceedings of the 4th IFIP TC 12 International Conference on Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture, CCTA 2010, held in Nanchang, China, in October 2010. The 352 revised papers presented were carefully selected from numerous submissions. They cover a wide range of interesting theories and applications of information technology in agriculture, including simulation models and decision-support systems for agricultural production, agricultural product quality testing, traceability and e-commerce technology, the application of information and communication technology in agriculture, and universal information service technology and service systems development in rural areas.

With the fast development of networking and software technologies, information processing infrastructure and applications have been growing at an impressive rate in both size and complexity, to such a degree that the design and development of high performance and scalable data processing systems and networks have become an ever-challenging issue. As a result, the use of performance modeling and m- surementtechniquesas a critical step in designand developmenthas becomea c- mon practice. Research and developmenton methodologyand tools of performance modeling and performance engineering have gained further importance in order to improve the performance and scalability of these systems. Since the seminal work of A. K. Erlang almost a century ago on the mod- ing of telephone traf c, performance modeling and measurement have grown into a discipline and have been evolving both in their methodologies and in the areas in which they are applied. It is noteworthy that various mathematical techniques were brought into this eld, including in particular probability theory, stochastic processes, statistics, complex analysis, stochastic calculus, stochastic comparison, optimization, control theory, machine learning and information theory. The app- cation areas extended from telephone networks to Internet and Web applications, from computer systems to computer software, from manufacturing systems to s- ply chain, from call centers to workforce management.

This book describes a cross-domain architecture and design tools for networked complex systems where application subsystems of different criticality coexist and interact on networked multi-core chips. The architecture leverages multi-core platforms for a hierarchical system perspective of mixed-criticality applications. This system perspective is realized by virtualization to establish security, safety and real-time performance. The impact further includes a reduction of time-to-market, decreased development, deployment and maintenance cost, and the exploitation of the economies of scale through cross-domain components and tools. Describes an end-to-end architecture for hypervisor-level, chip-level, and cluster level. Offers a solution for different types of resources including processors, on-chip communication, off-chip communication, and I/O. Provides a cross-domain approach with examples for wind-power, health-care, and avionics. Introduces hierarchical adaptation strategies for mixed-criticality systems Provides modular verification and certification methods for the seamless integration of mixed-criticality systems. Covers platform technologies, along with a methodology for the development process. Presents an experimental evaluation of technological results in cooperation with industrial partners. The information in this book will be extremely useful to industry leaders who design and manufacture products with distributed embedded systems in mixed-criticality use-cases. It will also benefit suppliers of embedded components or development tools used in this area. As an educational tool, this material can be used to teach students and working professionals in areas including embedded systems, computer networks, system architecture, dependability, real-time systems, and avionics, wind-power and health-care systems.

This book provides a critical discussion of fuzzy controllers from the perspective of classical control theory. Special emphasis is placed on topics of importance for industrial applications, including self-tuning of fuzzy controllers, optimisation and stability analysis. The text begins with a detailed introduction to fuzzy systems and control theory, and guides the reader to a thorough understanding of up-to-date research results.

Online learning is transcending from the text-rich educational experience of the past to a video- and audio-rich learning transformation. The greater levels of media-rich content and media-rich interaction that are currently prevalent in online leisure experiences will help to increase e-learning's future efficiency and effectiveness. ""Enhancing E-Learning with Media-Rich Content and Interactions"" presents instructional designers, educators, scholars, and researchers with the necessary foundational elements, theoretical underpinnings, and practical guidance to aid in the technology selection and design of effective online learning experiences by integrating media-rich interactions and content.

Within a conceptual framework that is developed in the two first chapters, the actual application of systems thinking is described across a broad field of cases representing research, teaching, decision support and construction. All cases are presented by experts who have actually been involved in the activities they describe. Thus, the broad selection of cases captures the great variation of systems thinking and how it is integrated into models and theories and solid knowledge pertaining to different substantive areas. At the same time all case study authors address the same set of questions that are developed in the conceptual chapters. This gives comparability across cases - chapters - and brings cohesion to the book. The focus on Sweden, an advanced country in systems thinking, reinforces the unitary context in which comparison can be made between a systems approach for better research (theory), better practice and better design and construction.

Most recent literature on systems thinking has a general (often philosophical) perspective, concerns computer systems or focuses on one highly specific problem. A special feature of this book is that, while it concerns a single nation, it simultaneously contains a broad overview of systems analysis in a number of important issue areas, for research as well as practice, against a penetrating background description of what systems analysis is, how it functions, what problems it represents and what results it may produce.

The book is intended for a broad readership and can be appreciated by experts on systems thinking and analysis as well as by students, teachers, researchers, planners and policy makers who want to learn more aboutthis topic. The book should be useful in university teaching in several disciplines.

Web 2.0 has become the buzz word for describing social media available on the Internet, such as blogs, photo and file sharing systems and social networking sites. These Web 2.0 applications are rapidly transforming citizen-citizen and citizen-government interactions in a manner not seen before. In recognition of these trends, governments are already taking a very close look at Web 2.0 and online communities in order to leverage them for designing products and services and for providing citizen services. This book brings together international scholars to provide the theoretical and practical contexts for understanding the nature of Web 2.0 technologies and their impact on political, public policy and management processes, and to explore how best Web 2.0 applications can be leveraged and aligned with the strategic goals of government organizations to add value and ensure effective governance. Drawing from experiences from countries around the globe, the book provides the theoretical context of the potential for Web 2.0 applications to transform government services, as well as practical examples of leading public sector institutions that have attempted to use Web 2.0 applications to enhance government operations, policy making and administration. There are three parts to the book, namely 1) Perspectives on Web 2.0 and Democratic Governance, 2) The Political, Policy and Management Impacts of Web 2.0 in Government, and 3) Leveraging Web 2.0 Applications for Effective Governance. This book differs from existing edited books on Web 2.0 technologies that focus primarily on politics and e-democracy because it examines the impact of the applications on politics, policy and public management. The book contributes toward the literature by filling the existing void and expanding knowledge in the field of public administration and policy, making it of interest to both academics and policy-makers.

This book has evolved from a Workshop on Computerized Speech Corpora, held at Lancaster University in 1993. It brings together the findings presented in a clear and coherent manner, focussing on the advantages and disadvantages of particular transcription or mark-up practice.

Designing Sorting Networks: A New Paradigm provides an in-depth guide to maximizing the efficiency of sorting networks, and uses 0/1 cases, partially ordered sets and Haase diagrams to closely analyze their behavior in an easy, intuitive manner. This book also outlines new ideas and techniques for designing faster sorting networks using Sortnet, and illustrates how these techniques were used to design faster 12-key and 18-key sorting networks through a series of case studies. Finally, it examines and explains the mysterious behavior exhibited by the fastest-known 9-step 16-key network. Designing Sorting Networks: A New Paradigm is intended for advanced-level students, researchers and practitioners as a reference book. Academics in the fields of computer science, engineering and mathematics will also find this book invaluable.

Engineers have long been fascinated by how efficient and how fast biological neural networks are capable of performing such complex tasks as recognition. Such networks are capable of recognizing input data from any of the five senses with the necessary accuracy and speed to allow living creatures to survive. Machines which perform such complex tasks as recognition, with similar ac curacy and speed, were difficult to implement until the technological advances of VLSI circuits and systems in the late 1980's. Since then, the field of VLSI Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have witnessed an exponential growth and a new engineering discipline was born. Today, many engineering curriculums have included a course or more on the subject at the graduate or senior under graduate levels. Since the pioneering book by Carver Mead; "Analog VLSI and Neural Sys tems," Addison-Wesley, 1989; there were a number of excellent text and ref erence books on the subject, each dealing with one or two topics. This book attempts to present an integrated approach of a single research team to VLSI ANNs Engineering."

Global software development and productivity related technologies are the key to today's globalization with new technologies and concepts being developed continually. In such an ever-evolving environment, teachers, researchers, and professionals in the discipline need access to the most current information about the concepts, issues, trends, and technologies in this emerging field. ""The Handbook of Research on Software Engineering and Productivity Technologies: Implications of Globalization"" provides an authoritative collection of international research on software engineering and enterprise systems. Presenting unique coverage of topics such as agile software engineering, requirements traceability, and distributed software development, this Handbook of Research offers an innovative repository of knowledge useful to academicians, practitioners, and researchers in various related fields.

This text is about methods used for the computer simulation of analog systems. It concentrates on electronic applications, but many of the methods are applicable to other engineering problems as well. This revised edition (1st, 1983) encompasses recent theoretical developments and program-writing ti

Faster, better and cheaper are challenges that IT-companies face every day. The customer's expectations shall be met in a world where constant change in environment, organization and technology are the rule rather that the exception. A solution for meeting these challenges is to share knowledge and experience - use the company's own experience, and the experience of other companies. Process Improvement in Practice - A Handbook for IT Companies tackles the problems involved in launching these solutions.
Process Improvement in Practice - A Handbook for IT Companies is designed for small IT companies who wish to start with systematic improvement. The methods and techniques in this handbook are tried in practice, and have proven to be easy to use and scalable for local needs. Managers and developers will discover useful tips to initiate improvement work efficiently. This practical handbook is based on the authors' improvement work in a range of companies since the mid-nineties.
Process Improvement in Practice - A Handbook for IT Companies is designed for a professional audience, composed of researchers and practitioners in industry. This book is also suitable for graduate-level students in software process improvement and software engineering.

Written by one of the founding fathers of Quantum Information, this book gives an accessible (albeit mathematically rigorous), self-contained introduction to quantum information theory. The central role is played by the concept of quantum channel and its entropic and information characteristics. In this revised edition, the main results have been updated to reflect the most recent developments in this very active field of research.

Offers support for a wide range of products for the RISC System/6000
product line and AIX operating system, including Uni-processor (UP) and
Symmetric Multiple Processor (SMP) systems. Provides important information
for building many system features such as memory controllers with caches
and bus-to-bus bridges. "RISC System/ 6000 PowerPC System Architecture"
defines an architecture that allows each operating system--in particular,
the AIX operating system--to run unchanged on all systems that comply with
this architecture. It provides a consistent software interface across a
broad range of system implementations and offers all hardware/software
dependencies necessary for a successful system identification,
configuration and performance tuning process.

An important reference for all programmers and product development
engineers who are developing software and hardware products for the
RISC/System 6000 PowerPC systems. Also useful for system programmers
involved in operating system design, system integrators building products
and parts for the system family, and anyone interested in porting other
operating systems to the RISC System/6000 family.

Information engineering and applications is the field of study concerned with constructing information computing, intelligent systems, mathematical models, numerical solution techniques, and using computers and other electronic devices to analyze and solve natural scientific, social scientific and engineering problems. Information engineering is an important underpinning for techniques used in information and computational science and there are many unresolved problems worth studying. The Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Information Engineering and Applications (IEA 2012), which was held in Chongqing, China, from October 26-28, 2012, discusses the most innovative research and developments including technical challenges and social, legal, political, and economic issues. A forum for engineers and scientists in academia, industry, and government, the Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Information Engineering and Applications presents ideas, results, works in progress, and experience in all aspects of information engineering and applications.

This annual publication deals with how microcomputers and other computers can be applied to improving the explanatory and evaluative roles of modern social science. Each volume contains chapters by experts in political science, psychology, sociology, economics and computer science.