This book is an attempt to provide a uni?ed methodology to derive models for fatigue life. This includes S-N, ?-N and crack propagation models. This is not a conventional book aimed at describing the fatigue fundamentals, but rather a book in which the basic models of the three main fatigue approaches, the stress-based, the strain-based and the fracture mechanics approaches, are contemplated from a novel and integrated point of view. On the other hand, as an alternative to the preferential attention paid to deterministic models based on the physical, phenomenological and empirical description of fatigue, their probabilistic nature is emphasized in this book, in which stochastic fatigue and crack growth models are presented. This book is the result of a long period of close collaborationbetween its two authors who, although of di?erent backgrounds, mathematical and mechanical, both have a strong sense of engineering with respect to the fatigue problem. When the authors of this book ?rst approached the fatigue ?eld in 1982 (twenty six years ago), they found the following scenario: 1. Linear, bilinear or trilinear models were frequently proposed by relevant laboratoriesandacademiccenterstoreproducetheW] ohler?eld. Thiswas the case of well known institutions, which justi?ed these models based on clientrequirementsorpreferences. Thisledtotheinclusionofsuchmodels and methods as, for example, the up-and-down, in standards and o?cial practical directives (ASTM, Euronorm, etc.), which have proved to be unfortunate."

This book deals with the problem of dynamics of bodies with time-variable mass and moment of inertia. Mass addition and mass separation from the body are treated. Both aspects of mass variation, continual and discontinual, are considered. Dynamic properties of the body are obtained applying principles of classical dynamics and also analytical mechanics. Advantages and disadvantages of both approaches are discussed. Dynamics of constant body is adopted, and the characteristics of the mass variation of the body is included. Special attention is given to the influence of the reactive force and the reactive torque. The vibration of the body with variable mass is presented. One and two degrees of freedom oscillators with variable mass are discussed. Rotors and the Van der Pol oscillator with variable mass are displayed. The chaotic motion of bodies with variable mass is discussed too. To support learning, some solved practical problems are included.

The series is designed to bring together those mathematicians who are seriously interested in getting new challenging stimuli from economic theories with those economists who are seeking effective mathematical tools for their research. A lot of economic problems can be formulated as constrained optimizations and equilibration of their solutions. Various mathematical theories have been supplying economists with indispensable machineries for these problems arising in economic theory. Conversely, mathematicians have been stimulated by various mathematical difficulties raised by economic theories.

This book explores finite element methods for incompressible flow problems: Stokes equations, stationary Navier-Stokes equations and time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations. It focuses on numerical analysis, but also discusses the practical use of these methods and includes numerical illustrations. It also provides a comprehensive overview of analytical results for turbulence models. The proofs are presented step by step, allowing readers to more easily understand the analytical techniques.

It is the aim of INDICES to document recent explorations in the various fields of philosophical logic and formal linguistics and their applications in other disciplines. The main emphasis of this series is on self-contained monographs covering particular areas of recent research and surveys of methods, problems, and results in all fields of inquiry where recourse to logical analysis and logical methods has been fruitful. INDICES will contain monographs dealing with the central areas of philosophical logic (extensional and intensional systems, indexical logics, non-classical logics, philosophy of logic, etc.) as well as studies in which these systems are applied to specific issues in philosophy, in the formal semantics of natural languages, the foundations of linguistic theory, in computational linguistics, and in theoretical computer science. Constructive type theory was first presented in 1970, by the Swedish logician Per Martin-Lof. It has become one of the main approaches used in the foundations of mathematics and computer science. But it has remained relatively unknown among linguists and philosophers, although it provides a considerable extension of the concepts and techniques of logic. The book first gives an introduction to type theory from the point of view of linguistics and the philosophy of language. Type theory is then applied in the areas of quantification, anaphora, temporal reference, and the structure of text and discourse. By virtue of the type-theoretical concepts of proof object and context, various phenomena of dependence and progression in language can be discussed in precise terms, and several well-known problems can be solved. A categorial grammar is presented togenerate formally a fragment of English, together with an example of a computer implementation.

Focuses on acquiring spatial models of physical environments through mobile robots

The robotic mapping problem is commonly referred to as SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping).

3D maps are necessary to avoid collisions with complex obstacles and to self-localize in six degrees of freedom (x-, y-, z-position, roll, yaw and pitch angle)

New solutions to the 6D SLAM problem for 3D laser scans are proposed and a wide variety of applications are presented

This book explores the life and scientific legacy of Manfred Schroeder through personal reflections, scientific essays and Schroeder s own memoirs. Reflecting the wide range of Schroeder s activities, the first part of the book contains thirteen articles written by his colleagues and former students. Topics discussed include his early, pioneering contributions to the understanding of statistical room acoustics and to the measurement of reverberation time; his introduction of digital signal processing methods into acoustics; his use of ray tracing methods to study sound decay in rooms and his achievements in echo and feedback suppression and in noise reduction. Other chapters cover his seminal research in speech processing including the use of predictive coding to reduce audio bandwidth which led to various code-excited linear prediction schemes, today used extensively for speech coding. Several chapters discuss Schroeder s work in low-peak factor signals, number theory, and maximum-length sequences with key applications in hearing research, diffraction gratings, artificial reverberators and de-correlation techniques for enhancing subjective envelopment in surround sound. In style, the articles range from truly scientific to conversationally personal. In all contributions, the relationship between the current research presented and Manfred Schroeder s own fields of interest is, in general, evident. The second part of the book consists of Schroeder s own memoirs, written over the final decade of his life. These recollections shed light on many aspects not only of Schroeder s life but also on that of many of his colleagues, friends and contemporaries. They portray political, social and scientific events over a period that extends from pre-war to the present. These memoirs, written in an inimitable and witty style, are full of information, entertaining and fun to read, providing key insight into the life and work of one of the greatest acousticians of the 20th century."

The revised edition of this advanced textbook provides the reader with a solid grounding in the formalism of classical mechanics, underlying a number of powerful mathematical methods that are widely used in modern theoretical and mathematical physics. It reviews the fundamentals of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, and goes on to cover related topics such as canonical transformations, integral invariants, potential motion in geometric setting, symmetries, the Noether theorem and systems with constraints. While in some cases the formalism is developed beyond the traditional level adopted in the standard textbooks on classical mechanics, only elementary mathematical methods are used in the exposition of the material. New material for the revised edition includes additional sections on the Euler-Lagrange equation, the Cartan two-form in Lagrangian theory, and Newtonian equations of motion in context of general relativity. Also new for this edition is the inclusion of problem sets and solutions to aid in the understanding of the material presented. The mathematical constructions involved are explicitly described and explained, so the book is a good starting point for the student new to this field. Where possible, intuitive motivations are replaced by explicit proofs and direct computations, preserving the level of rigor that makes the book useful for more advanced students intending to work in one of the branches of the vast field of theoretical physics. To illustrate how classical-mechanics formalism works in other branches of theoretical physics, examples related to electrodynamics, as well as to relativistic and quantum mechanics, are included.

This thesis provides an introduction to the physics of the Standard Model and beyond, and to the methods used to analyse Large Hadron Collider (LHC) data. The 'hierarchy problem', astrophysical data and experiments on neutrinos indicate that new physics can be expected at the now accessible TeV scale. This work investigates extensions of the Standard Model with gravitons and gravitinos (in the context of supergravity). The production of these particles in association with jets is studied as one of the most promising avenues for researching new physics at the LHC. Advanced simulation techniques and tools, such as algorithms allowing the computation of Feynman graphs and helicity amplitudes are first developed and then employed.

In the present work, the target station of the accelerator-driven neutron source HBS is optimized in comprehensive parameter studies using the Monto-Carlo method. The dependence of the most important performance characteristics of such a system on the external parameters is investigated neglecting technical and mechanical limitations. In this way, qualitative and quantitative statements for all possible configurations and envisaged applications can be derived and should be considered in the detailed planning of such facilities. For this purpose, different scenarios are considered that place completely different requirements on the design of the target station. The central statements derived in this thesis can be transferred to any framework conditions, such as different accelerator energies, so that these results can be used in the development of other neutron sources, which together with the HBS form a European network and provide a prosperous community in neutron science.

During the 21st century business environments have become more complex and dynamic than ever before. Companies operate in a world of change influenced by globalisation, volatile markets, legal changes and technical progress. As a result, they have to handle growing volumes of data and therefore require fast storage, reliable data access, intelligent retrieval of information and automated decision-making mechanisms, all provided at the highest level of service quality. Successful enterprises are aware of these challenges and efficiently respond to the dynamic environment in which their business operates. Business Intelligence (BI) and Performance Management (PM) offer solutions to these challenges and provide techniques to enable effective business change. The important aspects of both topics are discussed within this state-of-the-art volume. It covers the strategic support, business applications, methodologies and technologies from the field, and explores the benefits, issues and challenges of each. Issues are analysed from many different perspectives, ranging from strategic management to data technologies, and the different subjects are complimented and illustrated by numerous examples of industrial applications. Contributions are authored by leading academics and practitioners representing various universities, research centres and companies worldwide. Their experience covers multiple disciplines and industries, including finance, construction, logistics, and public services, amongst others. Business Intelligence and Performance Management is a valuable source of reference for graduates approaching MSc or PhD programs and for professionals in industry researching in the fields of BI and PM for industrial application.

shift and dramatic improvementfrom the yearly data of the 1970s. For several years now, disaggregated methods (i. e., single-case comparisons) have been used to test theories (Davenport and Eads 2001; Rasler 1996; Francisco 1993, 1995, 1996). The single area of Snyder's(Snyder 1978)demandsthat has faltered is in linking levels of analysis in the eld of protest and repression. James DeNardo's (DeNardo 1985) and Lichbach's (Lichbach 1996) formal models have for the most part not beentestedempirically, norhaveRonaldWintrobe's(Wintrobe1998)modelsofd- tators' strategic behavior. The dif culty stems from the disjuncture between game theory or micro models and macro, aggregate data. Green and Shapiro (Green and Shapiro 1994) took an extreme position on this problem: little empirical evidence from rational choice and game theory exists. To the extent that empirical evidence comprises our understanding of politics, rational choice and game theory have - guably contributed as much or more than any other approach. Think of interest group theory before Olson's The Logic of Collective Action, of electoral theory before Cox's (Cox 1997) Making Votes Count, or of coalition theory before Riker's (Riker 1963) The Theory of Political Coalitions. There are few social scientists who would not judge these books as great for economics and political science. Cox's book alone has won every major book prize appropriate in political science. On the normative side, too few political scientists researching democratization are aware of the theory of social choice. Its ndings challenge the foundations of democratic theory (Riker 1982).

Extra dimensions ? beyond space and time ? are the best methods for unifying gravity with particle physics. The basic extension is to five dimensions (5D), as in the induced-matter and membrane theory. This descriptive text gives an up-to-date account of the classical and quantum consequences of 5D physics. It includes topics that range from Einstein's original theory of relativity to modern views on matter. The book is mathematically precise and focuses on new ideas which appeal to readers. Examples of new ideas are: The big-bang universe, which is curved by matter in 4D, may be viewed as a smooth and empty world in 5D; the uncertainty of quantum interactions in spacetime may be regarded as the consequence of deterministic laws in higher dimensions. This book will interest people who think about the ?meaning of things?.

This book focuses on the analysis and design of advanced techniques for on-line automatic computational monitoring of pipelines and pipe networks. It discusses how to improve the systems' security considering mathematical models of the flow, historical flow rate and pressure data, with the main goal of reducing the number of sensors installed along a pipeline. The techniques presented in the book have been implemented in digital systems to enhance the abilities of the pipeline network's operators in recognizing anomalies. A real leak scenario in a Mexican water pipeline is used to illustrate the benefits of these techniques in locating the position of a leak. Intended for an interdisciplinary audience, the book addresses researchers and professionals in the areas of mechanical, civil and control engineering. It covers topics on fluid mechanics, instrumentation, automatic control, signal processing, computing, construction and diagnostic technologies.

An Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) "Data Fusion Technologies for Harbour Protection" was held in Tallinn, Estonia 27 June-1 July, 2005. This workshop was organized by request of the NATO Security Through Science Programme and the Defence Investment Division. An ARW is one of many types of funded group support mechanisms established by the NATO Science Committee to contribute to the critical assessment of existing knowledge on new important topics, to identify directions for future research, and to promote close working relationships between scientists from different countries and with different professional experiences. The NATO Science Committee was approved at a meeting of the Heads of Government of the Alliance in December 1957, subsequent to the 1956 recommendation of "Three Wise Men" - Foreign Ministers Lange (Norway), Martino (Italy) and Pearson (Canada) on Non-Military Cooperation in NATO. The NATO Science Committee established the NATO Science Programme in 1958 to encourage and support scientific collaboration between individual scientists and to foster scientific development in its member states. In 1999, following the end of the Cold War, the Science Programme was transformed so that support is now devoted to collaboration between Partner-country and NATO-country scientists or to contributing towards research support in Partner countries. Since 2004, the Science Programme was further modified to focus exclusively on NATO Priority Research Topics (i. e. Defence Against Terrorism or Countering Other Threats to Security) and also preferably on a Partner country priority area.

1 Grundlagen der Dynamik regelungstechnischer Systeme.- 1.1 Allgemeine Zielsetzung der Regelungstechnik.- 1.2 Regelkreis.- 1.3 Voraussetzungen fur Blockorientierung und Regelkreisbildung.- 1.4 Aufgaben der Regelungstechnik.- 1.5 UEbertragungsfunktion und Regelungssystemtheorie.- 1.6 Anfangsbedingungen und Nullstellen der UEbertragungsfunktion.- 1.7 Ausgangssignal Xa(s) bei x a(k)(0?)=0.- 1.8 Nichtverschwindende Vorgeschichte xa(k)(0?)?0.- 1.9 Analyse im Spektralbereich. Verknupfung mehrerer Elemente.- 1.10 Regelstrecke und Stoergroessen.- 1.11 Einschleifiger Standardregelkreis.- 1.12 Sensitivitat.- 1.13 Differentielle Sensitivitat fur den Standardregelkreis.- 1.14 Linearisierung.- 1.15 Regelkreis im Signalflussdiagramm.- 1.16 Spezielle Elemente regelungstechnischer Systeme.- 1.16.1 Rationale UEbertragungselemente.- 1.16.2 Totzeit-Elemente.- 1.16.3 Allpass-Elemente.- 1.16.4 Laufzeitelemente.- 2 Regelkreisanalyse im Zeitbereich.- 2.1 Regelkreis-Reaktion auf einfache Signale.- 2.2 Mehrfache Polstellen von Xa(s).- 2.3 Naherung fur kleine Zeitwerte.- 2.4 Naherung fur grosse Zeitwerte.- 2.5 Faltungsintegral und Naherung durch Faltungssumme.- 2.6 Regelungen mit Totzeitelementen.- 3 Formulierung kontinuierlicher Regelungssysteme im Zustandsraum.- 3.1 Grundlagen.- 3.2 Transitionsmatrix (Fundamentalmatrix).- 3.3 Potenzreihenentwicklung der Transitionsmatrix.- 3.4 Zustandsregler. Fuhrungs- und Stoerungsverhalten.- 3.5 Vorfilterbemessung.- 4 Analyseverfahren im Frequenzbereich.- 4.1 Frequenzgang.- 4.2 Ortskurven des Frequenzgangs.- 4.3 Ortskurven von typischen stabilen Regelkreis-Element en.- 4.4 Ortskurven instabiler Regelkreiselemente.- 4.5 Frequenzgangsortskurve des Regelkreises.- 4.6 Ermittlung von Zeitbereichssignalen aus dem Frequenzbereich.- 4.7 Ermittlung des Frequenzganges aus der gemessenen Systemantwort.- 4.8 Bode-Diagramm.- 4.9 Phasenminimum-Beziehungen.- 4.10 Knickstellen der Regelschleife und des Regelkreises.- 4.11 H?-Norm einer UEbertragungsfunktion.- 5 Regelstrecken im Regelkreis.- 5.1 Antriebe. Allgemeines.- 5.2 Stromrichtergespeiste Gleichstromantriebe.- 5.3 Stromleitverfahren.- 5.4 Begrenzungsregelung.- 5.5 Kupplungselastizitat.- 5.6 Umrichtergespeiste Asynchronmaschine.- 5.7 Thermische Regelstrecken.- 5.7.1 Durchlauferhitzer, Warmetauscher.- 5.7.2 Kessel und Turbine.- 5.8 Hydraulische Regelstrecken.- 5.9 Pneumatische Regelstrecke.- 5.10 Mechanische Positionsregelstrecken.- 5.10.1 Einfache Fahrzeuglenkung.- 5.10.2 Balancierung.- 5.10.3 Passagierflugzeug.- 5.10.4 Raketenantrieb.- 5.11 Verfahrenstechnische Regelstrecken.- 5.12 Elektronische und nachrichtentechnische Regelstrecken.- 5.12.1 Verstarkungsausgleich.- 5.12.2 Scharfabstimmung.- 5.12.3 Zeilensynchronisierung.- 5.12.4 Rauschunterdruckung.- 5.13 Phase-Locked Loops (PLL).- 5.13.1 Phase-Locked Loop in analoger Ersatzrechnung.- 5.13.2 Regelungen an einem CD-Player.- 5.14 Schaltzeichen (Sinnbilder) fur technische Regelstrecken.- 5.15 Volkswirtschaftliche Regelungen.- 5.16 Physiologische und psychische Regelkreise.- 5.17 Soziologische Regelungen.- 6 Stellglieder und Verstarker.- 6.1 Stromrichterstellglieder.- 6.2 Umrichter fur Drehfeldmaschinen.- 6.3 Stellmotoren fur mechanische Positionierung.- 6.4 Stellglieder fur Flussigkeits-, Gasstroeme u. koernige Stoffe.- 6.5 Schaltzeichen fur Stellglieder und Verstarker.- 7 Regelungstechnischer Einsatz von Sensoren und Messumformern.- 7.1 Anforderungen.- 7.2 Messrauschen.- 7.3 Leistung eines Rauschsignales.- 8 Identifikationsverfahren.- 8.1 Auswertung der Sprungantwort von PDT1-Elementen.- 8.2 Auswertung der Sprungantwort von PT2-Elementen.- 8.3 Wendetangentenmethode bei PT2-Elementen.- 8.4 Auswertung der Sprungantwort von IT1-Elementen.- 8.5 Momentenmethode an der Gewichtsfunktion.- 8.6 Identifikation mit Hilfsregler.- 8.7 Identifikation mit fiktivem Serienelement.- 8.8 Regressionsanalyse. Quadratische Ausgleichsrechnung.- 9 Regler. Ausfuhrung und Dimensionierung.- 9.1 Operationsverstarker.- 9.2 Elektr

Queueing theory (the mathematical theory of waiting lines in all its configurations) continues to be a standard major area of operations research on the stochastic side. Therefore, universities with an active program in operations research sometimes will have an entire course devoted mainly or entirely to queueing theory, and the course is also taught in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, and industrial engineering programs. The basic course in queueing theory is often taught at first year graduate level, though can be taught at senior level undergraduate as well. This text evolved from the author's preferred syllabus for teaching the course, presenting the material in a more logical order than other texts and so being more effective in teaching the basics of queueing theory. The first three chapters focus on the needed preliminaries, including exposition distributions, Poisson processes and generating functions, renewal theory, and Markov chains, Then, rather than switching to first-come first-served memoryless queues here as most texts do, Haviv discusses the M/G/1 model instead of the M/M/1, and then covers priority queues. Later chapters cover the G/M/1 model, thirteen examples of continuous-time Markov processes, open networks of memoryless queues and closed networks, queueing regimes with insensitive parameters, and then concludes with two-dimensional queueing models which are quasi birth and death processes. Each chapter ends with exercises.

Mathematical finance has grown into a huge area of research which requires a large number of sophisticated mathematical tools. This book simultaneously introduces the financial methodology and the relevant mathematical tools in a style that is mathematically rigorous and yet accessible to practitioners and mathematicians alike. It interlaces financial concepts such as arbitrage opportunities, admissible strategies, contingent claims, option pricing and default risk with the mathematical theory of Brownian motion, diffusion processes, and Levy processes. The first half of the book is devoted to continuous path processes whereas the second half deals with discontinuous processes.

The extensive bibliography comprises a wealth of important references and the author index enables readers quickly to locate where the reference is cited within the book, making this volume an invaluable tool both for students and for those at the forefront of research and practice."

Stability is one of the most studied issues in the theory of time-delay systems, however the corresponding chapters of published volumes on time-delay systems do not include a comprehensive study of a counterpart ofclassical Lyapunov theory for linear delay free systems. The principal goal of the book is to fill this gap, and to provide readers with asystematic and exhaustivetreatment of the basic concepts of the Lyapunov-Krasovskii approach to the stability analysis of linear time-delay systems.

"Time-Delay Systems: Lyapunov Functionals and Matrices "will be of great use and interest to researchers and graduate students in automatic control and applied mathematics as well as practicing engineers involved in control system design. "

This is a masterly exposition and an encyclopedic presentation of the theory of hyperbolic conservation laws. It illustrates the essential role of continuum thermodynamics in providing motivation and direction for the development of the mathematical theory while also serving as the principal source of applications. The reader is expected to have a certain mathematical sophistication and to be familiar with (at least) the rudiments of analysis and the qualitative theory of partial differential equations, whereas prior exposure to continuum physics is not required. The target group of readers would consist of (a) experts in the mathematical theory of hyperbolic systems of conservation laws who wish to learn about the connection with classical physics; (b) specialists in continuum mechanics who may need analytical tools; (c) experts in numerical analysis who wish to learn the underlying mathematical theory; and (d) analysts and graduate students who seek introduction to the theory of hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. This new edition places increased emphasis on hyperbolic systems of balance laws with dissipative source, modeling relaxation phenomena. It also presents an account of recent developments on the Euler equations of compressible gas dynamics. Furthermore, the presentation of a number of topics in the previous edition has been revised, expanded and brought up to date, and has been enriched with new applications to elasticity and differential geometry. The bibliography, also expanded and updated, now comprises close to two thousand titles. From the reviews of the 3rd edition: "This is the third edition of the famous book by C.M. Dafermos. His masterly written book is, surely, the most complete exposition in the subject." Evgeniy Panov, Zentralblatt MATH "A monumental book encompassing all aspects of the mathematical theory of hyperbolic conservation laws, widely recognized as the "Bible" on the subject." Philippe G. LeFloch, Math. Reviews

This book offers an essential textbook on complex analysis. After introducing the theory of complex analysis, it places special emphasis on the importance of Poincare theorem and Hartog's theorem in the function theory of several complex variables. Further, it lays the groundwork for future study in analysis, linear algebra, numerical analysis, geometry, number theory, physics (including hydrodynamics and thermodynamics), and electrical engineering. To benefit most from the book, students should have some prior knowledge of complex numbers. However, the essential prerequisites are quite minimal, and include basic calculus with some knowledge of partial derivatives, definite integrals, and topics in advanced calculus such as Leibniz's rule for differentiating under the integral sign and to some extent analysis of infinite series. The book offers a valuable asset for undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics and engineering, as well as students with no background in topological properties.

This short monograph presents the theory of electromagnetic pulses in a simple and physical way. All pulses discussed are exact solutions of the Maxwell equations, and have finite energy, momentum and angular momentum. There are five chapters: on Fundamentals, Solutions of the Wave Equation, Electromagnetic Pulses, Angular Momentum, and Lorentz Transformations. Nine Appendices cover mathematical or associated aspects, such as chiral measures of electromagnetic fields. The subject matter is restricted to free-space classical electrodynamics, but contact is made with quantum theory in proofs that causal pulses are equivalent to superpositions of photons.

Hyperbolic geometry is an essential part of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology. Besides specialists of these domains, many specialists of new domains start to show a growing interest
both to hyperbolic geometry and to cellular automata. This is especially the case in biology and computer science.

This book gives the reader a deep and efficient introduction to an algorithmic approach to hyperbolic geometry. It focuses the attention on the possibilities to obtain in this frame the power of computing everything a computer can compute, that is to say: universality.

The minimal ways to get universality are investigated in a large family of tilings of the hyperbolic plane. In several cases the best results are obtained.In all cases, the results are close to the theoretical best values. This gives rise to fantastic illustrations: the results are jewels in all meanings of the word.

------------------------

Maurice MARGENSTERN is professor emeritus at the University of Lorraine, he is a member of LITA, the research unit of computer science in the campus of Metz of this university. Professor Margenstern is amongst top world experts in theory of computation, mathematical machines and geometry. He is a pioneer
in cellular automata in hyperbolic spaces.

Optimization is an integral part to science and engineering. Most real-world applications involve complex optimization processes, which are di?cult to solve without advanced computational tools. With the increasing challenges of ful?lling optimization goals of current applications there is a strong drive to advancethe developmentofe?cientoptimizers. The challengesintroduced by emerging problems include: * objective functions which are prohibitively expensive to evaluate, so ty- callysoonlyasmallnumber ofobjectivefunctionevaluationscanbemade during the entire search, * objective functions which are highly multimodal or discontinuous, and * non-stationary problems which may change in time (dynamic). Classical optimizers may perform poorly or even may fail to produce any improvement over the starting vector in the face of such challenges. This has motivated researchers to explore the use computational intelligence (CI) to augment classical methods in tackling such challenging problems. Such methods include population-based search methods such as: a) evolutionary algorithms and particle swarm optimization and b) non-linear mapping and knowledgeembedding approachessuchasarti?cialneuralnetworksandfuzzy logic, to name a few. Such approaches have been shown to perform well in challenging settings. Speci?cally, CI are powerful tools which o?er several potential bene?ts such as: a) robustness (impose little or no requirements on the objective function) b) versatility (handle highly non-linear mappings) c) self-adaptionto improveperformance and d) operationin parallel(making it easy to decompose complex tasks). However, the successful application of CI methods to real-world problems is not straightforward and requires both expert knowledge and trial-and-error experiments.

This treasure of popular science by the Russian biophysicist Mikhail V. Volkenstein is at last, more than twenty years after its appearance in Russian, available in English translation.

As its title Entropy and Information suggests, the book deals with the thermodynamical concept of entropy and its interpretation in terms of information theory. The author shows how entropy is not to be considered a mere shadow of the central physical concept of energy, but more appropriately as a leading player in all of the major natural processes: physical, chemical, biological, evolutionary, and even cultural.

The theory of entropy is thoroughly developed from its beginnings in the foundational work of Sadi Carnot and Clausius in the context of heat engines, including expositions of much of the necessary physics and mathematics, and illustrations from everyday life of the importance of entropy.

The author then turns to Boltzmann's epoch-making formula relating the entropy of a system directly to the degree of disorder of the system, and to statistical physics as created by Boltzmann and Maxwell---and here again the necessary elements of probability and statistics are expounded. It is shown, in particular, that the temperature of an object is essentially just a measure of the mean square speed of its molecules.

Fluctuations" in a system are introduced and used to explain why the sky is blue, and how, perhaps, the universe came to be so ordered. Whether statistical physics reduces ultimately to pure mechanics, as Laplace's demon" would have it, is also discussed.

The final three chapters concentrate on open systems, that is, systems which exchange energy or matter with their surroundings---first linear systems close to equilibrium, and then non-linear systems far from equilibrium. Here entropy, as it figures in the theory of such systems developed by Prigogine and others, affords explanations of the mechanism of division of cells, the process of aging in organisms, and periodic chemical reactions, among other phenomena.

Finally, information theory is developed---again from first principles---and the entropy of a system characterized as absence of information about the system. In the final chapter, perhaps the piece de resistance of the work, the author examines the thermodynamics of living organisms in the context of biological evolution. Here the value of biological information" is discussed, linked to the concepts of complexity and irreplaceability. The chapter culminates in a fascinating discussion of the significance of these concepts, all centered on entropy, for human culture, with many references to particular writers and artists.

The book is recommended reading for all interested in physics, information theory, chemistry, biology, as well as literature and art."