Accelerated Testing and Validation Methods is a cross-disciplinary guide that describes testing and validation tools and techniques throughout the product development process. Alex Porter not only focuses on what information is needed but also on what tools can produce the information in a timely manner. From the information provided, engineers and managers can determine what data is needed from a test and validation program and then how to select the best, most effective methods for obtaining the data.
This book integrates testing and validation methods with a business perspective so readers can understand when, where, and how such methods can be economically justified. Testing and validation is about generating key information at the correct time so that sound business and engineering decisions can be made. Rather than simply describing various testing and validation techniques, the author offers readers guidance on how to select the best tools for a particular need, explains the appropriateness of different techniques to various situations and shows how to deploy them to ensure the desired information is accurately gathered.
* Emphasizes developing a strategy for testing and validation
* Companion website includes example spreadsheets, program source code, case studies, video clips and much more
* Teaches how to design a testing and validation program that deliver information in a timely and cost-effective manner

This examination of the fiscal health of local governments offers a "how-to" approach to identifying and solving financial problems. It will serve as a primer for readers interested in understanding financial processes and alternatives, and as a practical guide for those who need access to fiscal measurement tools. Its principal selling point lies in its assumptions: instead of using the vocabulary and research agendas of economists (such as Musgrave, Fisher), finance scholars (Ladd/Yinger) and political scientists (Peterson/Strachota), it will appeal to readers who lack sophisticated knowledge in these areas and nevertheless need practical advice.
The book stems from the "Fiscal Health Education Program," an applied economics program at the University of Minnesota. It uses three measures of fiscal health-financial condition, trend analysis, and financial trend monitoring system-as the basis for advocating particular fiscal strategies. The book examines the tools that can be used to assess the condition of a local government's fiscal health and some of the policy causes or remedies for certain situations, as well as some of the strategies governments can pursue to maintain and improve health.
*How-to approach will appeal to readers who lack sophisticated knowledge
* Contains discussion questions and anonymous case studies of actual cities and municipalities
* Presents practical methods for identifying and solving common fiscal problems

This monograph is the first and an initial introduction to the theory of bitopological spaces and its applications. In particular, different families of subsets of bitopological spaces are introduced and various relations between two topologies are analyzed on one and the same set; the theory of dimension of bitopological spaces and the theory of Baire bitopological spaces are constructed, and various classes of mappings of bitopological spaces are studied. The previously known results as well the results obtained in this monograph are applied in analysis, potential theory, general topology, and theory of ordered topological spaces. Moreover, a high level of modern knowledge of bitopological spaces theory has made it possible to introduce and study algebra of new type, the corresponding representation of which brings one to the special class of bitopological spaces.
It is beyond any doubt that in the nearest future the areas of essential applications will be the theories of linear topological spaces and topological groups, algebraic and differential topologies, the homotopy theory, not to mention other fundamental areas of modern mathematics such as geometry, mathematical logic, the probability theory and many other areas, including those of applied nature.
Key Features:
- First monograph is "Generalized Lattices"
* The first introduction to the theory of bitopological spaces and its applications.

The Complete "Tool Kit" for the Hottest Area in RF/Wireless Design!
Short-range wireless-communications over distances of less than 100 meters-is the most rapidly growing segment of RF/wireless engineering. Alan Bensky is an internationally recognized expert in short-range wireless, and this new edition of his bestselling book is completely revised to cover the latest developments in this fast moving field.
You'll find coverage of such cutting-edge topics as:
- architectural trends in RF/wireless integrated circuits
- compatibility and conflict issues between different short-range wireless systems
- "Zigbee" and related new IEEE standards for short-range communications
- latest U.S. and international regulatory standards for spread spectrum, ultra wideband, and other advanced communications techniques
Alan Bensky also thoroughly discusses the fundamentals of radio signal propagation, communications protocols and modulation methods, information theory, antennas and transmission lines, receivers, transmitters, radio system design, and how to successfully implement a short-range wireless system. All material has been carefully updated and revised to make it as technically up-to-the-minute as possible. The accompanying CD includes Mathcad worksheets to greatly simplify common design tasks and calculations.
You'll also find coverage of Bluetooth, "Wi-Fi" and related 802.11 variants, digital modulation methods, and other essential information for planning and designing short-range wireless hardware and networks.
This new edition will, like the first edition, be an invaluable reference for engineers and technical professionals who design, support, market, and maintain short-range wireless communications systems.
* No other book contains EVERYTHING pertaining to short-range wireless design.
* Covers all the hot topics like 802.11, Zigbee, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
* Valuable CD-Rom included that will simplify the design process.

This book is a practical account of pumping, piping and seals starting with basics and providing detailed but accessible information on all aspects of the pumping process and what can go wrong with it. Written by an acknowledged expert with years of teaching experience in the practical understanding of pumps and systems.
Aids understanding of pumps to minimize failures and time-out.
A practical handbook covering the basics of the pumping process.
Written by an acknowledged expert.

This handbook provides a comprehensive reference for firmware developers looking to increase their skills and productivity. It addresses each critical step of the development process in detail, including how to optimize hardware design for better firmware. Topics covered include real-time issues, interrupts and ISRs, memory management (including Flash memory), handling both digital and analog peripherals, communications interfacing, math subroutines, error handling, design tools, and troubleshooting and debugging. The companion CD-ROM includes all the code used in the design examples and a searchable ebook version of the text.
This book is not for the beginner, but rather is an in-depth, comprehensive one-volume reference that addresses all the major issues in firmware design and development, including the pertinent hardware issues.
* Included CD-Rom contains all the source code used in the design examples, so engineers can easily use it in their own designs

In recent years there have been an increasing number of incidents where children have either perpetrated or been the victims of violence in the schools. Often times the children who perpetrated the violence had been the victims of school bullying. If bullying once was a matter of extorting lunch money from one's peers, it has since escalated into slander, sexual harassment, and violence. And the victims, unable to find relief, become depressed and/or violent in return.
Despite all the media attention on recent school tragedies, many of which can be traced to bullied children, there has been little in the way of research-based books toward understanding why and how bullying occurs, the effects on all the individuals involved and the most effective intervention techniques. Summarizing research in education, social, developmental, and counseling psychology, Bullying: Implications for the Classroom examines the personality and background of both those who become bullies and those most likely to become their victims, how families, peers, and schools influence bullying behavior, and the most effective interventions in pre-school, primary and middle schools. Intended for researchers, educators, and professionals in related fields, this book provides an international review of research on bullying.
KEY FEATURES:
* Presents practical ideas regarding prevention/intervention of bullying
* Covers theoretical views of bullying
* Provides an international perspective on bullying
* Discusses bullying similarities and differences in elementary and middle school
* Presents practical ideas regarding prevention/intervention of bullying
* Provides an international perspective on bullying
* Outlines information regarding bullying during the elementary and middle school years
* Covers theoretical views of bullying
* Presents new approaches to explaining bullying
* Contributing authors include internationally known researchers in the field

Geophysical measurements, such as the lateral variations in seismic wave velocities that are imaged by seismic tomography, provide the strongest constraints on the structure of the Earth's deep interior. In order to interpret such measurements in terms of mineralogical/compositional models of the Earth's interior, data on the physical and chemical properties of minerals at high pressures and temperatures are essential. Knowledge of thermodynamics, phase equilibria, crystal chemistry, crystallography, rheology, diffusion and heat transport are required to characterize the structure and dynamics of the Earth's deep interior as well as the processes by which the Earth originally differentiated.

Many experimental studies have been made possible only by a range of technical developments in the quest to achieve high pressures and temperatures in the laboratory. At the same time, analytical methods, including X-ray diffraction, a variety of spectroscopic techniques, electron microscopy, ultrasonic interferometry, and methods for rheological investigations have been developed and greatly improved. In recent years, major progress has been made also in the field of computational mineralogy whereby "ab initio" simulations are used to investigate the structural and dynamical properties of condensed matter at an atomistic level.

This volume contains a broad range of contributions that typify and summarize recent progress in the areas of high-pressure mineral physics as well as associated technical developments.

Volume 1B covers the economics of financial markets: the saving and investment decisions; the valuation of equities, derivatives, and fixed income securities; and market microstructure.

The present work is a continuation of the authors' acclaimed multi-volume A
Practical Logic of Cognitive Systems. After having investigated the notion of
relevance in their previous volume, Gabbay and Woods now turn to abduction. In
this highly original approach, abduction is construed as ignorance-preserving
inference, in which conjecture plays a pivotal role. Abduction is a response to a
cognitive target that cannot be hit on the basis of what the agent currently knows.
The abducer selects a hypothesis which were it true would enable the reasoner to attain his target. He concludes from this fact that the hypothesis may be conjectured. In allowing conjecture to stand in for the knowledge he fails to have, the abducer reveals himself to be a satisficer, since an abductive solution is not a solution from knowledge. Key to the authors' analysis is the requirement that a conjectured proposition is not just what a reasoner might allow himself to assume, but a proposition he must defeasibly release as a premiss for further inferences in the domain of enquiry in which the original abduction problem has arisen.

The coverage of the book is extensive, from the philosophy of science to
computer science and AI, from diagnostics to the law, from historical explanation to linguistic interpretation. One of the volume's strongest contributions is its exploration of the abductive character of criminal trials, with special attention given to the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Underlying their analysis of abductive reasoning is the authors' conception of
practical agency. In this approach, practical agency is dominantly a matter of the
comparativemodesty of an agent's cognitive agendas, together with comparatively scant resources available for their advancement. Seen in these ways, abduction has a significantly practical character, precisely because it is a form of inference that satisfices rather than maximizes its response to the agent's cognitive target.

The Reach of Abduction will be necessary reading for researchers, graduate
students and senior undergraduates in logic, computer science, AI, belief dynamics, argumentation theory, cognitive psychology and neuroscience, linguistics, forensic science, legal reasoning and related areas.

Key features:

- Reach of Abduction is fully integrated with a background logic of cognitive systems.

- The most extensive coverage compared to competitive works.

- Demonstrates not only that abduction is a form of ignorance preserving
inference but that it is a mode of inference that is wholly rational.

- Demonstrates the satisficing rather than maximizing character of
abduction.

- The development of formal models of abduction is considerably more extensive than one finds in existing literature. It is an especially impressive amalgam of sophisticated
conceptual analysis and extensive logical modelling.
- Reach of Abduction is fully integrated with a background logic of cognitive systems.
- The most extensive coverage compared to competitive works
- Demonstrates not only that abduction is a form of ignorance preserving
inference but that it is a mode of inference that is wholly rational.
- Demonstrates the satisficing rather than maximizing character of
abduction.
- The development of formal models of abduction isconsiderably more extensive than one finds in existing literature. It is an especially impressive amalgam of sophisticated
conceptual analysis and extensive logical modelling.

Computational Finance presents a modern computational approach to mathematical finance within the Windows environment, and contains financial algorithms, mathematical proofs and computer code in C/C++. The author illustrates how numeric components can be developed which allow financial routines to be easily called by the complete range of Windows applications, such as Excel, Borland Delphi, Visual Basic and Visual C++.
These components permit software developers to call mathematical finance functions more easily than in corresponding packages. Although these packages may offer the advantage of interactive interfaces, it is not easy or computationally efficient to call them programmatically as a component of a larger system. The components are therefore well suited to software developers who want to include finance routines into a new application.
Typical readers are expected to have a knowledge of calculus, differential equations, statistics, Microsoft Excel, Visual Basic, C++ and HTML.
A CD-ROM is included which contains: working computer code, demonstration applications and also pdf versions of several research articles.
* Enables reader to incorporate advanced financial modelling techniques in Windows compatible software
* Aids the development of bespoke software solutions covering GARCH volatility modelling, derivative pricing with Partial Differential Equations, VAR, bond and stock options
* Includes CD-ROM with adaptive software

'Representation in Mind' is the first book in the new series 'Perspectives on Cognitive Science' and includes well known contributors in the areas of philosophy of mind, psychology and cognitive science.
The papers in this volume offer new ideas, fresh approaches and new criticisms of old ideas. The papers deal in new ways with fundamental questions concerning the problem of mental representation that one contributor, Robert Cummins, has described as "THE problem in philosophy of mind for some time now." The editors' introductory overview considers the problem for which mental representation has been seen as an answer, sketching an influential framework, outlining some of the issues addressed and then providing an overview of the papers.
Issues include: the relation between mental representation and public, non-mental representation; misrepresentation; the role of mental representations in intelligent action; the relation between representation and consciousness; the relation between folk psychology and explanations invoking mental representations

"Recent Events in the Psychology of Aging" documents the successful integration of aging into the mainstream of psychology. Leading psychologists present overviews of the key issues and research findings on mainstream topics. These include cognitive neuroscience, visual attention, learning, memory and cognition, as well as personality and happiness. The intersection of aging content with mainstream psychology is also prominent in the areas of emotions, personality, and social psychology as seen in the chapters on subjective well-being, emotional development, self-esteem and personality trajectories.
The seven chapters of this book offer information on such topics as: the seven sins of memory, categorizing the common breakdowns of memory in everyday life and the special breakdown of sins that increase with aging; problems with attention and learning; and offers answers to questions such as do emotions get blunted with age; do older people focus more on positive feelings; and the age old question of whether older people are happier than younger people is given in the chapter on the evolving concept of subjective well-being and the multifaceted nature of happiness. Questions about what occurs to one's self-esteem and personality are also masterfully discussed and the answers may be surprising. The concluding seventh chapter provides a cultural lens on the biopsychosocial study of aging.

Author of AP's bestselling "Therapist's Guide to Clinical Intervention" now turns her attention to substance abuse intervention. The book will follow a similar format to her previous book, presenting information in easy to read outline form, with relevant forms, patient questionnaires, checklists, business documents, etc.
Part I discusses the social impact of substance abuse and provides a general overview of the physiological and psychological characteristics of abuse, DSM IV definition of abuse, and classifications of the varying types of drugs. Part II is the main section of the book and covers assessment, different stages of abuse/recovery, and treatment choices. Coverage includes the discussion of myriad self help choices (e.g. AA), group therapy, brief therapy, and more. Discussion will also include making a determination of treatment as inpatient or outpatient, and issues relevant to special populations (teenagers, geriatrics, comorbidity patients, etc.). Part III presents skill building resources. Part IV covers prevention, quality assurance, and also includes a glossary.
* Outlines treatment goals and objectives
* Outlines for assessing special circumstances
* Offers skill building resources to supplement treatment

Valves are the components in a fluid flow or pressure system that regulate either the flow or the pressure of the fluid. They are used extensively in the process industries, especially petrochemical. Though there are only four basic types of valves, there is an enormous number of different kinds of valves within each category, each one used for a specific purpose. No other book on the market analyzes the use, construction, and selection of valves in such a comprehensive manner.
-Covers new environmentally-conscious equipment and practices, the most important hot-button issue in the petrochemical industry today
-Details new generations of valves for offshore projects, the oil industry's fastest-growing segment
-Includes numerous new products that have never before been written about in the mainstream literature

Investigative Data Mining for Security and Criminal Detection is the first book to outline how data mining technologies can be used to combat crime in the 21st century. It introduces security managers, law enforcement investigators, counter-intelligence agents, fraud specialists, and information security analysts to the latest data mining techniques and shows how they can be used as investigative tools. Readers will learn how to search public and private databases and networks to flag potential security threats and root out criminal activities even before they occur.
The groundbreaking book reviews the latest data mining technologies including intelligent agents, link analysis, text mining, decision trees, self-organizing maps, machine learning, and neural networks. Using clear, understandable language, it explains the application of these technologies in such areas as computer and network security, fraud prevention, law enforcement, and national defense. International case studies throughout the book further illustrate how these technologies can be used to aid in crime prevention.
Investigative Data Mining for Security and Criminal Detection will also serve as an indispensable resource for software developers and vendors as they design new products for the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

Key Features:
* Covers cutting-edge data mining technologies available to use in evidence gathering and collection
* Includes numerous case studies, diagrams, and screen captures to illustrate real-world applications of data mining
* Easy-to-read format illustrates current and future data mining uses in preventative law enforcement, criminal profiling, counter-terrorist initiatives, and forensic science
* Introduces cutting-edge technologies in evidence gathering and collection, using clear non-technical language
* Illustrates current and future applications of data mining tools in preventative law enforcement, homeland security, and other areas of crime detection and prevention
* Shows how to construct predictive models for detecting criminal activity and for behavioral profiling of perpetrators
* Features numerous Web links, vendor resources, case studies, and screen captures illustrating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies

The Handbooks in Finance are intended to be a definitive source for comprehensive and accessible information in the field of finance. Each individual volume in the series should present an accurate self-contained survey of a sub-field of finance, suitable for use by finance and economics professors and lecturers, professional researchers, graduate students and as a teaching supplement. The goal is to have a broad group of outstanding volumes in various areas of finance. The Handbook of Heavy Tailed Distributions in Finance is the first handbook to be published in this series.

This volume presents current research focusing on heavy tailed distributions in finance. The contributions cover methodological issues, i.e., probabilistic, statistical and econometric modelling under non- Gaussian assumptions, as well as the applications of the stable and other non -Gaussian models in finance and risk management.

Acoustic logging is a multidisciplinary technology involving basic theory, instrumentation, and data processing/interpretation methodologies. The advancement of the technology now allows for a broad range of measurements to obtain formation properties such as elastic wave velocity and attenuation, formation permeability, and seismic anisotropy that are important for petroleum reservoir exploration. With these advances, it is easier to detect and characterize formation fractures, estimate formation stress field, and locate/estimate petroleum reserves. The technology has evolved from the monopole acoustic logging into the multipole, including dipole, cross-dipole, and even quadrupole, acoustic logging measurements. The measurement process has developed from the conventional wireline logging into the logging-while-drilling stage.

For such a fast developing technology with applications that are interesting to readers of different backgrounds, it is necessary to have systematic documentation of the discipline, including the theory, methods, and applications, as well as the technology's past, present, and near future development trends. "Quantitative Borehole Acoustic Methods" provides such documentation, with emphasis on the development over the past decade. Although considerable effort has been made to provide a thorough basis for the theory and methodology development, emphasis is placed on the applications of the developed methods. The applications are illustrated with field data examples. Many of the acoustic waveform analysis/processing methods described in the book are now widely used in the well logging industry.

This title is a refereed, academic research annual, that is devoted to publishing articles about advancements in the development of accounting and its related disciplines from an international perspective. This serial examines how these developments affect the financial reporting and disclosure practices, taxation, management accounting practices, and auditing of multinational corporations, as well as their effect on the education of professional accountants worldwide. "Advances in International Accounting" welcomes traditional and alternative approaches, including theoretical research, empirical research, applied research, and cross-cultural studies.

One of the most frequently occurring types of optimization problems involves decision variables which have to take integer values. From a practical point of view, such problems occur in countless areas of management, engineering, administration, etc., and include such problems as location of plants or warehouses, scheduling of aircraft, cutting raw materials to prescribed dimensions, design of computer chips, increasing reliability or capacity of networks, etc. This is the class of problems known in the professional literature as "discrete optimization" problems. While these problems are of enormous applicability, they present many challenges from a computational point of view. This volume is an update on the impressive progress achieved by mathematicians, operations researchers, and computer scientists in solving discrete optimization problems of very large sizes. The surveys in this volume present a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in discrete optimization and are written by the most prominent researchers from all over the world.

This volume describes the tremendous progress in discrete optimization achieved in the last 20 years since the publication of Discrete Optimization '77, Annals of Discrete Mathematics, volumes 4 and 5, 1979 (Elsevier). It contains surveys of the state of the art written by the most prominent researchers in the field from all over the world, and covers topics like neighborhood search techniques, lift and project for mixed 0-1 programming, pseudo-Boolean optimization, scheduling and assignment problems, production planning, location, bin packing, cutting planes, vehicle routing, and applications to graph theory, mechanics, chip design, etc.

Key features:
state of the art surveys
comprehensiveness
prominent authors
theoretical, computational and applied aspects.

This book is a reprint of "Discrete Applied Mathematics" Volume 23, Numbers 1-3
"

Kovacich and Halibozek offer you the benefit of more than 55 years of combined experience in government and corporate security. Throughout the book, the authors use a fictional global corporation as a model to provide continual real-world challenges and solutions. New and experienced managers alike will find a wealth of information and practical advice to help you develop strategic and tactical plans and manage your daily operations.
* Contains real case examples to illustrate practical application of concepts
* Thoroughly covers the integration of physical, computer and information security goals for complete security awareness
* A handy reference for managers to quickly find and implement the security solutions they need

One of the greatest challenges facing chemists and chemical educators today is conveying the central importance and relevance of chemistry to students and society at large. The new edition of Chemistry Connections highlights the fundamental role of chemical principles in governing our everyday experiences and observations.
Introductory chemistry students and educators as well as laypersons with an inquisitiveness about the world around them will find the book an informative introduction to the context of chemistry in their lives. The book is written in a lively question-and-answer format with presentations in both lay and technical terms.
* Two levels of explanations: general, accessible ones highlight the chemical essence of the phenomenon; and technical ones using chemical principles provide more in-depth interpretation
* Indexing of questions according to key principles or terms enhances instructional use
* Figures and 3-D chemical structures illustrate the chemical concepts presented
* References to related World Wide Web sites for further exploration provide inexpensive and convient access to related information.
* Color plates enhance connections between specific topics

CCTV for Security Professionals provides the information necessary to design the ideal CCTV system. The chapters are stand-alone sources of information on their subjects and are presented in logical sequence to guide the reader from basic principles to more complex for a complete system understanding.
In his straight-forward and informative text, Alan Matchett approaches the camera systems from the user's point of view, providing the security manager with the knowledge to discuss the system, its desired features, and the areas of design concern within the context of an organization's business model. This can prove to be invaluable when evaluating an existing system, the use and components of a given system, or in evaluating a system design proposed by a vendor.
Installers and service personnel will benefit from the functions and possibilities that are available with the various components and by gaining an understanding of their customers' needs. Newer technicians will learn how to set up the system properly, and can familiarize themselves with the technologies that go into a CCTV system.
Security equipment sales personnel will also gain a better knowledge of the customer's needs as well as learn to determine exactly what questions they should be asking the customer and what the customer's responses mean. In this manner, the book will offer invaluable tips to ensure customers get exactly what they expect in a system.
* Provides a detailed explanation of CCTV components and the technology behind analog and digital CCTV systems.
* Establishes a "common language" for security professionals, CCTV system designers and sales personnel to use as a basis for system design.
* Provides a clear explanation of the design process and design principles.

This research annual publication intends to bring together investment analysis and portfolio theory and their implementation to portfolio management. It seeks theoretical and empirical research manuscripts with high quality in the area of investment and portfolio analysis. The contents will consist of original research on: The principles of portfolio management of equities and fixed-income securities. The evaluation of portfolios (or mutual funds) of common stocks, bonds, international assets, and options. The dynamic process of portfolio management. Strategies of international investments and portfolio management. The applications of useful and important analytical techniques such as mathematics, econometrics, statistics, and computers in the field of investment and portfolio management. Theoretical research related to options and futures. In addition, it also contains articles that present and examine new and important accounting, financial, and economic data for managing and evaluating portfolios of risky assets.