The fusion of algebra, analysis and geometry, and their application to real world problems, have been dominant themes underlying mathematics for over a century. Geometric algebras, introduced and classified by Clifford in the late 19th century, have played a prominent role in this effort, as seen in the mathematical work of Cartan, Brauer, Weyl, Chevelley, Atiyah, and Bott, and in applications to physics in the work of Pauli, Dirac and others. One of the most important applications of geometric algebras to geometry is to the representation of groups of Euclidean and Minkowski rotations. This aspect and its direct relation to robotics and vision will be discussed in several chapters of this multi-authored textbook, which resulted from the ASI meeting.

Moreover, group theory, beginning with the work of Burnside, Frobenius and Schur, has been influenced by even more general problems. As a result, general group actions have provided the setting for powerful methods within group theory and for the use of groups in applications to physics, chemistry, molecular biology, and signal processing. These aspects, too, will be covered in detail.

With the rapidly growing importance of, and ever expanding conceptual and computational demands on signal and image processing in remote sensing, computer vision, medical image processing, and biological signal processing, and on neural and quantum computing, geometric algebras, and computational group harmonic analysis, the topics of the book have emerged as key tools. The list of authors includes many of the world's leading experts in the development of new algebraic modeling and signal representation methodologies, novel Fourier-based andgeometric transforms, and computational algorithms required for realizing the potential of these new application fields.

This volume brings together many of the world's leading experts in the development of new imaging methodologies to detect, identify, and counter security threats to society. It covers three broadly defined but interrelated areas: the mathematics and computer science of automatic detection and identification; image processing techniques for radar and sonar; and detection of anomalies in biomedical and chemical images.

The fusion of basic ideas in mathematics, radar, sonar, biology, and chemistry with ongoing improvements in hardware and computation offers the promise of much more sophisticated and accurate detection and identification capabilities than currently exist. Coupled with the dramatic rise in the need for surveillance in innumerable aspects of our daily lives, brought about by hostile acts deemed unimaginable only a few short years ago, the time is ripe for image processing scientists in these usually diverse fields to join together in a concerted effort to combat the new brands of terrorism. We envisage the proposed ASI as one important step. To encompass the diverse nature of the subject this volume covers three broadly defined but interrelated areas:

I. The mathematics and computer science of automatic detection and identification;

II. Image processing techniques for radar and sonar;

III. Detection of anomalies in biomedical and chemical images.

A deep understanding of these three topics, and of their interdependencies, is clearly crucial to countering the increasing sophistication of those who wish to do us harm. The contributors to this volume include many of the world's leading experts in the development of new imaging methodologies to detect, identify, and prevent or respond to these threats.

Preface JIM BYRNES The chapters in this volume were presented at the July 2003NATO Advanced Study Institute on Computational Noncommutative Algebra and Applications. The conference was held at the beautiful Il Ciocco - sort near Lucca, in the glorious Tuscany region of northern Italy. Once again we gathered at this idyllic spot to explore and extend the re- procity between mathematics and engineering. The dynamic interaction between world-renowned scientists from the usually disparate com- nities of pure mathematicians and applied scientists, which occurred at our 1989, 1991, 1992, 1998, and 2000 ASI's, continued at this meeting. The fusion of algebra, analysis and geometry, and their application to real world problems, have been dominant themes underlying mat- matics for over a century. Geometric algebras, introduced and classi?ed by Cli?ord in the late 19th century, have played a prominent role in this e?ort, as seen in the mathematical work of Cartan, Brauer, Weyl, Chevelley, Atiyah, and Bott, and in applications to physics in the work of Pauli, Dirac and others. One of the most important applications of geometric algebras to geometry is to the representation of groups of - clidean and Minkowski rotations. This aspect and its direct relation to robotics and vision were discussed by several of the Principal Lecturers, and are covered in this book.

60 easy to understand, practical tips that can be put to good use when developing your next website. The book covers a wide range of topics, from how to add accessible multimedia to how to ensure the correct character encoding. It is full of examples and links to valuable resources -- and written in an accessible style ensuring that it will be of use to web developers at every level. Jim Byrne was a pioneer in the area of web accessibility. He created one of the worlds first web accessibility consultancies in 1996 and was the founder of the Worldwide Guild of Accessible Web Designers.

In search of remedies to the growing problem of correctional crowding, federal, state, and local policy makers have begun to experiment with a range of new "intermediate" sanctions. These sanctions have taken a variety of forms--intensive probation supervision, home confinement, boot camps, day fines, residential community corrections, day reporting centers, and community service programs. In Smart Sentencing a distinguished panel of experts offers an in-depth assessment of the design, development, and impact of each of these intermediate sanctions while also discussing the most controversial issues surrounding the use of alternative punishments (e.g., the purpose of sanctions, effectiveness issues, gender bias, overrepresentation of minorities). The contributors also look at the future of intermediate sanctions and consider the many questions posed by criminal justice professionals and students regarding their continued development. "New concepts in sentencing are explored, including home supervision, electronic monitoring, boot camps, day fines, community service programs, residential community corrections, and day reporting centers." --The Women's Advocate "Smart Sentencing is a rich, critical collection evaluating various intermediate sanctions such as community service, drug treatment programs, and electronic monitoring. Twenty articles by leading U.S. researchers ably chronicle progress made--and not made--by the movement for intermediate sanctions." --Update "Smart Sentencing is a rich and stimulating collection of reports from the field. Contributors to this volume are astute observers of criminal justice operations, and they rarely hesitate to describe problems when they see them. . . . Smart Sentencing is highly recommended and well worth reading. . . . While this volume strongly supports the 'intermediate sanction movement,' it goes well beyond rhetoric by providing professional assessments of what works and what doesn't work. It also outlines a direction for future studies of intermediate sanctions." --Federal Probation "A major contribution to the study of this resurgent field. . . . Smart Sentencing includes previously unpublished works from some renowned authorities on intermediate sanctions. The book is aimed at academics and correctional administrators who desire a better understanding of intermediate sanctions. In concert with that aim, the contributors keep the use of complex inferential statistics to a minimum, instead relying on descriptive methods of measuring diversion and cost savings. . . . Just as important, almost all of the articles lay conceptual and theoretical foundations for a particular sanction, something frequently neglected by in-house correctional researchers and administrators." --The Criminologist "This book provides a fairly detailed account of the experience of intermediate sanctions in America. . . . Overall, this is a useful book and the general quality of the contributions is high." --The Magistrate