springer jun 2009 (230 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -We live in an information age that requires us, more than ever, to represent, access, and use information. Over the last several decades, we have developed a modern science and technology for information retrieval, relentlessly pursuing the vision of a 'memex' that Vannevar Bush proposed in his seminal article, 'As We May Think.' Faceted search plays a key role in this program. Faceted search addresses weaknesses of conventional search approaches and has emerged as a foundation for interactive information retrieval. User studies demonstrate that faceted search provides more effective information-seeking support to users than best-first search. Indeed, faceted search has become increasingly prevalent in online information access systems, particularly for e-commerce and site search. In this lecture, we explore the history, theory, and practice of faceted search. Although we cannot hope to be exhaustive, our aim is to provide sufficient depth and breadth to offer a useful resource to bothresearchers and practitioners. Because faceted search is an area of interest to computer scientists, information scientists, interface designers, and usability researchers, we do not assume that the reader is a specialist in any of these fields. Rather, we offer a self-contained treatment of the topic, with an extensive bibliography for those who would like to pursue particular aspects in more depth. Table of Contents: I. Key Concepts / Introduction: What Are Facets / Information Retrieval / Faceted Information Retrieval / II. Research and Practice / Academic Research / Commercial Applications / III. Practical Concerns / Back-End Concerns / Front-End Concerns / Conclusion / GlossarySpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 96 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The integration of ubiquitous mobile computing resources into physical spaces can potentially affect the development, maintenance, and transformation of communities and social interactions and relations within a particular context or location. Ubiquitous mobile computing allows users to engage in activities in diverse physical locations, to access resources specific to the location, and to communicate directly or indirectly with others. Mobile technologies can potentially enhance social interactions and users' experiences, extend both social and informational resources available in context, and greatly alter the nature and quality of our interactions. Activities using mobile devices in context generate complex systems of interactions, and the benefits of ubiquity and mobility can be easily lost if that complexity is not appreciated and understood. This monograph attempts to address issues of using and designing location-based computing systems and the use of these tools to enhance social awareness, navigate in spaces, extend interactions, and influence others. Table of Contents: Introduction / Space, Place, and Context / Creating a Sense of Presence and Awareness with Mobile Tools / Mobile Computing: A Tool for Social Influence to Change Behavior / Ethical Issues and Final ThoughtsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Documents usually have a content and a structure. The content refers to the text of the document, whereas the structure refers to how a document is logically organized. An increasingly common way to encode the structure is through the use of a mark-up language. Nowadays, the most widely used mark-up language for representing structure is the eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML). XML can be used to provide a focused access to documents, i.e. returning XML elements, such as sections and paragraphs, instead of whole documents in response to a query. Such focused strategies are of particular benefit for information repositories containing long documents, or documents covering a wide variety of topics, where users are directed to the most relevant content within a document. The increased adoption of XML to represent a document structure requires the development of tools to effectively access documents marked-up in XML. This book provides a detailed description of query languages, indexing strategies, ranking algorithms, presentation scenarios developed to access XML documents. Major advances in XML retrieval were seen from 2002 as a result of INEX, the Initiative for Evaluation of XML Retrieval. INEX, also described in this book, provided test sets for evaluating XML retrieval effectiveness. Many of the developments and results described in this book were investigated within INEX. Table of Contents: Introduction / Basic XML Concepts / Historical Perspectives / Query Languages / Indexing Strategies / Ranking Strategies / Presentation Strategies / Evaluating XML Retrieval Effectiveness / ConclusionsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 112 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Today, computer-system optimization, at both the hardware and software levels, must consider the details of the memory system in its analysis; failing to do so yields systems that are increasingly inefficient as those systems become more complex. This lecture seeks to introduce the reader to the most important details of the memory system; it targets both computer scientists and computer engineers in industry and in academia. Roughly speaking, computer scientists are the users of the memory system and computer engineers are the designers of the memory system. Both can benefit tremendously from a basic understanding of how the memory system really works: the computer scientist will be better equipped to create algorithms that perform well and the computer engineer will be better equipped to design systems that approach the optimal, given the resource limitations. Currently, there is consensus among architecture researchers that the memory system is 'the bottleneck,' and this consensus has held for over a decade. Somewhat inexplicably, most of the research in the field is still directed toward improving the CPU to better tolerate a slow memory system, as opposed to addressing the weaknesses of the memory system directly. This lecture should get the bulk of the computer science and computer engineering population up the steep part of the learning curve. Not every CS/CE researcher/developer needs to do work in the memory system, but, just as a carpenter can do his job more efficiently if he knows a little of architecture, and an architect can do his job more efficiently if he knows a little of carpentry, giving the CS/CE worlds better intuition about the memory system should help them build better systems, both software and hardware. Table of Contents: Primers / It Must Be Modeled Accurately / . and It Will Change SoonSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 80 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book will be a key trailblazer in a new and upcoming field. The author¿s predictive approach relies on simple and intuitive probability formulations that will appeal to readers with a modest knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and statistics. Wells¿ carefully erected theory stands on a sure footing and thus should serve as the basis of many rational predictions of survival in the face of not only natural disasters such as hits by asteroids or comets, but perhaps more surprisingly from man-made hazards arising from genetic engineering or robotics.Any formula for predicting human survival will invite controversy. Dr Wells counters anticipated criticism with a thorough approach in which four lines of reasoning are used to arrive at the same survival formula. One uses empirical survival statistics for business firms and stage shows. Another is based on uncertainty of risk rates. The third, more abstract, invokes Laplace¿s principle of insufficient reason and involves an observer¿s random arrival in the lifetime of the entity (the human race) in question. The fourth uses Bayesian theory.The author carefully explains and gives examples of the conditions under which his principle is valid and provides evidence that can counteract the arguments of critics who would reject it entirely. His deflection of possible criticisms results from two major premises: selecting the proper random variable and ¿reference class¿ to make predictions, and the recognition that if one does not know the law that governs a process, then the best prediction that can be made is his own formula.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Das Check Book bietet dem Geschäftsführer einer GmbH kleiner oder mittlerer Unternehmensgröße die an seinen praktischen Aufgaben orientierte nützliche Hilfe für schnelles und sicheres Arbeiten. Kern des Handbuchs sind Checklisten für alle wesentlichen GmbH-Verwaltungstätigkeiten von A wie Abberufung bis Z wie Zweigniederlassung. Dazu erhält der Geschäftsführer Muster, Verträge, Formulare und Brieftexte für die effektive Bearbeitung der verschiedensten Vorgänge in der GmbH. Kurze Aufsätze und Hinweise auf wichtige Quellen erläutern und vertiefen die zentralen Themen und Problemstellungen rund um die GmbH.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 476 pp. Deutsch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book, which focuses on the study of curvature, is an introduction to various aspects of pseudo-Riemannian geometry. We shall use Walker manifolds (pseudo-Riemannian manifolds which admit a non-trivial parallel null plane field) to exemplify some of the main differences between the geometry of Riemannian manifolds and the geometry of pseudo-Riemannian manifolds and thereby illustrate phenomena in pseudo-Riemannian geometry that are quite different from those which occur in Riemannian geometry, i.e. for indefinite as opposed to positive definite metrics. Indefinite metrics are important in many diverse physical contexts: classical cosmological models (general relativity) and string theory to name but two. Walker manifolds appear naturally in numerous physical settings and provide examples of extremal mathematical situations as will be discussed presently. To describe the geometry of a pseudo-Riemannian manifold, one must first understand the curvature of the manifold. We shall analyze a wide variety of curvature properties and we shall derive both geometrical and topological results. Special attention will be paid to manifolds of dimension 3 as these are quite tractable. We then pass to the 4 dimensional setting as a gateway to higher dimensions. Since the book is aimed at a very general audience (and in particular to an advanced undergraduate or to a beginning graduate student), no more than a basic course in differential geometry is required in the way of background. To keep our treatment as self-contained as possible, we shall begin with two elementary chapters that provide an introduction to basic aspects of pseudo-Riemannian geometry before beginning on our study of Walker geometry. An extensive bibliography is provided for further reading. Math subject classifications : Primary: 53B20 -- (PACS: 02.40.Hw) Secondary: 32Q15, 51F25, 51P05, 53B30, 53C50, 53C80, 58A30, 83F05, 85A04 Table of Contents: Basic Algebraic Notions / Basic Geometrical Notions / Walker Structures / Three-Dimensional Lorentzian Walker Manifolds / Four-Dimensional Walker Manifolds / The Spectral Geometry of the Curvature Tensor / Hermitian Geometry / Special Walker ManifoldsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 180 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Most subfields of computer science have an interface layer via which applications communicate with the infrastructure, and this is key to their success (e.g., the Internet in networking, the relational model in databases, etc.). So far this interface layer has been missing in AI. First-order logic and probabilistic graphical models each have some of the necessary features, but a viable interface layer requires combining both. Markov logic is a powerful new language that accomplishes this by attaching weights to first-order formulas and treating them as templates for features of Markov random fields. Most statistical models in wide use are special cases of Markov logic, and first-order logic is its infinite-weight limit. Inference algorithms for Markov logic combine ideas from satisfiability, Markov chain Monte Carlo, belief propagation, and resolution. Learning algorithms make use of conditional likelihood, convex optimization, and inductive logic programming. Markov logic has been successfully applied to problems in information extraction and integration, natural language processing, robot mapping, social networks, computational biology, and others, and is the basis of the open-source Alchemy system. Table of Contents: Introduction / Markov Logic / Inference / Learning / Extensions / Applications / ConclusionSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 156 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a site of intense morbidity for millions of people, especially young, pre-menopausal women. Central to TMJ afflictions are the cartilaginous tissues of the TMJ, especially those of the disc and condylar cartilage, which play crucial roles in normal function of this unusual joint. Damage or disease to these tissues significantly impacts a patient's quality of life by making common activities such as talking and eating difficult and painful. Unfortunately, these tissues have limited ability to heal, necessitating the development of treatments for repair or replacement. The burgeoning field of tissue engineering holds promise that replacement tissues can be constructed in the laboratory to recapitulate the functional requirements of native tissues. This book outlines the biomechanical, biochemical, and anatomical characteristics of the disc and condylar cartilage, and also provides a historical perspective of past and current TMJ treatments and previous tissue engineering efforts. This book was written to serve as a reference for researchers seeking to learn about the TMJ, for undergraduate and graduate level courses, and as a compendium of TMJ tissue engineering design criteria.Table of Contents: The Temporomandibular Joint / Fibrocartilage of the TMJ Disc / Cartilage of the Mandibular Condyle / Tissue Engineering of the Disc / Tissue Engineering of the Mandibular Condyle / Current PerspectivesSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 124 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Die Theorie Riemannscher Flächen wird als ein Mikrokosmos der Reinen Mathematik dargestellt, in dem Methoden der Topologie und Geometrie, der komplexen und reellen Analysis sowie der Algebra zusammenwirken, um die reichhaltige Struktur dieser Flächen aufzuklären. Viele Beispiele und Bilder, die in der historischen Entwicklung eine Rolle spielten, ergänzen die Darstellung. Das Buch beruht auf Vorlesungen und Seminaren im Anschluß an eine Einführung in die komplexe Funktionentheorie. Wegen seiner Methodenvielfalt enthält es gleichzeitig Einführungen in die Topologie (Fundamentalgruppe, Überlagerungen, Flächen), in die algebraische Geometrie (Kurven und ihre Singularitäten) und in die Potentialtheorie (harmonische Funktionen).Die 2. Auflage wurde um eine genauere Betrachtung des Kleinschen 14-Ecks, ein Kapitel über die de Rhamsche Cohomologie und einen Paragraphen über die Lösung nicht-linearer Gleichungen der Mathematischen Physik mittels Riemannscher Thetafunktionen ergänzt.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 352 pp. Deutsch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -To commemorate the momentous 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin¿s pioneering journey into space on 12th April 2011, a series of five books ¿ to be published annually ¿ will explore this half century, decade by decade, to discover how humanity¿s knowledge of flying, working and living in space has changed. Each volume will focus not only upon the individual missions within ¿its¿ decade, but also upon the key challenges facing human space exploration at specific points within those 50 years: from the simple problems of breathing and eating in space to the challenges of venturing outside in a pressurised spacesuit and locomotion on the Moon.The first volume of this series will focus upon the 1960s, exploring each mission from April 1961 to April 1971 in depth: from the pioneering Vostok flights to the establishment of the first Salyut space station and from Alan Shepard¿s modest sub-orbital ¿hop¿ into space to his triumphant arrival at the Moon¿s Fra Mauro foothills almost a decade later.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 512 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Gegenstand der Versicherungsmathematik sind Modelle und Methoden zur Quantifizierung von Risiken in der Versicherungswirtschaft. Die Versicherungsmathematik ist damit ein Teilgebiet der Stochastik mit einer anwendungsspezifischen Ausprägung. Den Schwerpunkt dieses Buches bildet die Mathematik der Schadenversicherung. Aufbauend auf dem individuellen und dem kollektiven Modell für den Gesamtschaden eines Bestandes behandelt es grundlegende Aspekte der Tarifierung und der Schadenreservierung sowie die wichtigsten Formen der Rückversicherung und Methoden zum Vergleich von Risiken. Dabei erweist sich neben dem kollektiven Modell auch das multiplikative Modell als ein Grundstein der Modellierung. Darüber hinaus werden die elementaren Grundlagen der Finanzmathematik und der Lebensversicherung dargestellt und die erforderlichen Hilfsmittel der Stochastik entwickelt.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 380 pp. Deutsch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Das Rechtshandbuch Facility Management ist das erste Werk, in dem die rechtlichen Grundlagen des Facility Managements umfassend dargestellt werden. Das Buch behandelt die vertraglichen und prozessualen Fragen des Facility Managements. In eigenen Kapiteln werden die Themen Betriebsübergang, öffentliche Vergabe von Facility Management Leistungen und Betreiberpflichten dargestellt.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 268 pp. Deutsch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Die Umstellung von der analogen zur digitalen terrestrischen Verbreitung von Hörfunk und Fernsehen eröffnet die Möglichkeit, die Nutzung einiger Frequenzen neu zu diskutieren, weil die digitale Rundfunkübertragung mit weniger Spektrum auskommt. Diese ¿Digitale Dividende' kann in Form zusätzlicher Angebote neuer Dienste oder Rundfunkangebote realisiert werden. Die gesamtgesellschaftliche Abwägung ihrer Nutzung muss im Spannungsfeld zwischen der Verschiedenartigkeit der Telekommunikations- und Medienmärkte im nationalen und internationalen Nachbarraum erfolgen. Fragen sind: Wie entsteht größtmöglicher Nutzen aus der Digitalisierung für die Bürger Welche Anwendungen werden neu entstehen, welche bestehenden Dienste sind von den Veränderungen betroffen Welche Erwartungen und Handlungsbedarfe richten sich an die Politik Die Fragen wurden in der Fachkonferenz von hochrangigen Experten aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft, Rundfunk und Politik aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven diskutiert.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 168 pp. Deutsch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Interactive data supports organizations to communicate effectively with their stakeholders and partners on the Internet and the World Wide Web. XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is a key enabling technology for interactive data. XBRL links organizations and knowledge consumers in a variety of information value chains. XBRL is now in use in many countries and important settings. This book provides, for the first time, an in-depth analysis of XBRL. Thorough and up-to-date, this book explains the most popular constructs in XML, on which XBRL builds, and XBRL. The book provides business and policy makers, technologists and information engineers with an essential toolkit to understand the complete implementation of XBRL. The book begins with an overview of the business case for interactive data and XBRL. There is an introduction to XML and XBRL and the design and construction of XBRL taxonomies including extensions and multi-dimensional XBRL implementations. It provides a detailed analysis of the interaction of instance documents and taxonomies. The book also provides a synopsis of the most current XBRL technologies.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -the virtually unlimited possibilities of modern information and communication technology. Future enterprises will therefore have to operate in an ever more dynamic and global environment. They need to be more agile, more adaptive, and more transparent. In addition, they will be held more publicly accountable for every e ect they produce. These challenges are traditionally addressed by black-box thinking-based knowledge, i.e., knowledge concerning the function and the behavior of ent- prises, as contained in the organizational sciences. Such knowledge is su cient, and perfectly adequate, for managing an enterprise (within the range of c- trol). However, it is de nitely inadequate for changing an enterprise. In order to bring about changes, white-box-based knowledge is needed, i.e., knowledge concerning the construction and the operation of enterprises. Developing and applying such knowledge requires no less than a paradigm shift in our thi- ing about enterprises, since the organizational sciences are dominantly oriented toward organizational behavior, based on black-box thinking.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 228 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -SSTD 2009 was the 11th in a series of biannual events that discuss new and exciting research in spatio-temporal data management and related technologies. PrevioussymposiaweresuccessfullyheldinSantaBarbara(1989),Zurich(1991), Singapore (1993), Portland (1995), Berlin (1997), Hong Kong (1999), Los An- les (2001), Santorini, Greece (2003), Angra dos Reis, Brazil (2005), and Boston (2007). Before 2001, the series was devoted solely to spatial database mana- ment, and called SSD. From 2001, the scope was extended in order to also accommodate temporal database management, in part due to the increasing importance of research that considers spatial and temporal aspects jointly. SSTD2009introducedseveralinnovativeaspectscomparedtopreviousevents. There was a demonstrations track which included ten presentations of systems related to the topics of interest. In addition to that, the event included a poster session with seven presentations of innovative research developed at an early stage. For the rst time in the SSTD series, the best paper of the symposium was awarded and a few high-quality papers were selected and the authors were invited to submit extended versionsof their work to a special issue of the Geo- formatica journal (Springer). Prior to the symposium, there was a two-day - vanced seminar, which hosted three half-day tutorials on state-of-the-art topics within spatio-temporal data management, held by distinguished international researchers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 480 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Much of a software architect¿s life is spent designing software systems to meet a set of quality requirements. General software quality attributes include scalability, security, performance or reliability. Quality attribute requirements are part of an application¿s non-functional requirements, which capture the many facets of how the functional - quirements of an application are achieved. Understanding, modeling and continually evaluating quality attributes throughout a project lifecycle are all complex engineering tasks whichcontinuetochallengethe softwareengineeringscienti ccommunity. While we search for improved approaches, methods, formalisms and tools that are usable in practice and can scale to large systems, the complexity of the applications that the so- ware industry is challenged to build is ever increasing. Thus, as a research community, there is little opportunity for us to rest on our laurels, as our innovations that address new aspects of system complexity must be deployed and validated. To this end the 5th International Conference on the Quality of Software Archit- tures (QoSA) 2009 focused on architectures for adaptive software systems. Modern software systems must often recon guretheir structure and behavior to respond to c- tinuous changes in requirements and in their execution environment. In these settings, quality models are helpful at an architectural level to guide systematic model-driven software development strategies by evaluating the impact of competing architectural choices. 224 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Conference on Internationalization, Design and Global Development, IDGD 2009, held in San Diego, CA, USA, in July 2009 in the framework of the 13th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2009 with 10 other thematically similar conferences.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 548 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The fth edition of the European Conference on Model-Driven Architecture Foundations and Applications (ECMDA-FA 2009) was dedicated to furthering the state of knowledge and fostering the industrialization of Model-Driven - chitecture (MDA) and Model-Driven Engineering (MDE). MDA is an initiative proposed by the Object Management Group for platform-generic systems - velopment; MDA is one of a class of approaches under the umbrella of MDE. MDE and MDA promote the use of models in the speci cation, design, analysis, synthesis, deployment, and evolution of complex software systems. It is a pleasure to be able to introduce the proceedings of ECMDA-FA 2009. ECMDA-FA 2009 addressed various MDA areas including model transfor- tions, modelling language issues, modelling of behavior and time, traceability and scalability, model-basedembedded systems engineering,and the application of model-driven development to IT and networking systems. ECMDA-FA 2009 focused on engaging key European and international - searchers and practitioners in a dialogue which will result in a stronger, more e cientindustry,producingmorereliablesoftwareonthebasisofstate-of-the-art research results. ECMDA-FA is a forum for exchanging information, discussing the latest results and arguing about future developments of MDA and MDE. Particularly, it is one of the few venues that engages both leading academic researchers and industry practitioners, with the intent of creating synergies.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 352 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Models have become essential for supporting the development, analysis and e- lution of large-scale and complex IT systems. Models allow di erent views, p- spectives and elements of a system to be captured rigorously and precisely, thus allowing automated tools to manipulate and manage the models. In a full- edged model-driven engineering (MDE) process, the transformations developed and - pressed between models are also key. Model transformations allow the de nition and implementation of the operations on models, and also provide a chain that enables the automated development of a system from its corresponding m- els. Model transformations are already an integral part of any model-driven approach, and there are a number of available model transformation languages, tools, and supporting environments; some of these approaches are now approa- ing maturity. Nevertheless, much work remains: the research community and industry need to better understand the foundations and implications of model transformations, such as the key concepts and operators supporting transfor- tion languages, their semantics, and their structuring mechanisms and properties (e. g. , modularity, composability and parametrization). The e ect of using model transformations on organizations and development processes ¿ particularly when applied to ultra-large scale systems, or in distributed enterprises ¿ is still not clear. These issues, and others related to the speci cation, design, implemen- tion, analysis and experimentation with model transformation, are the focus of these proceedings. The Second International Conference on Model Transformation (ICMT 2009) was held in late June 2009 in Zurich, Switzerland.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -SEAFOOD 2009: Enabling Global Partnerships to Deliver on Business Needs Companies have been outsourcing areas of software development work for many years, either because of the engineering challenges or because the outsourced aspect is not central to their core business. A profound transformation has been a ecting this model over recent years: a massive transfer of development - tivities from the USA and Europe to a skilled labor force in service-providing countries. This transformation has been driven by the demands of a global bu- ness climate seeking to increase the value delivery of IT investment. However, the ability to realize this value can prove problematic in practice. Of particular concern are the hidden costs of globally distributed models of working, such as understanding and communicating the true business needs across organizational and cultural boundaries. To address such issues, o shore outsourcing requires di erent support from in-housedevelopmentandthismeansadaptingfamiliartechniques,processesand tools to this setting, as well as perhaps creating innovative new ones. Coupled with this industry transformation there is hence a pressing need to re-examine thosesoftwareengineeringapproachesthateither facilitate orimpede this model of working. With an inevitable focus on the economy in 2009, business decisions regarding the sourcing of software development projects will come under close scrutiny. It will become increasingly critical to design global partnerships that both clarify cost/bene ts and enable delivery on business needs. 148 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Majoreconomicupheavalscanhavethesortofe ectthatSchumpeterforesaw60 yearsagoascreativedestruction.Inscienceandtechnology,equivalentupheavals resultfromeitherscienti crevolutions(asobservedbyKuhn)ortheintroduction of what Christensen calls disruptive technologies. And in software engineering, there has been no technology more disruptive than outsourcing. That it should so quickly reach maturity and an unparalleled scale is truly remarkable; that it should now be called to demonstrate its sustainability in the current nancial turmoil is the challenge that will prove whether and how it will endure. Early signs under even the bleak market conditions of the last 12 months are that it will not only survive, it will rmly establish its role across the world of business. Outsourcing throws into sharp focus the entire software engineering life- cle. Topics as diverse as requirements analysis, concurrency and model-checking need to nd a composite working partnership in software engineering practice. This con uence arises from need, not dogma, and the solutions required are those that will have the right e ect on the associated activities in the world of the application: e.g., reducing the time for a transaction or making the results of a complex analysis available in real-time. While the business of outsourcing continues to be studied, the engineering innovations that make it compelling are constantly changing. It is in this milieu that this series of conferences has placed itself. 224 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Case-Based Reasoning, ICCBR 2009, held in Seattle, WA, USA, in July 2009. The 17 revised full papers and 17 revised poster papers presented together with 2 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 55 submissions. Covering a wide range of CBR topics of interest both to practitioners and researchers, the papers are devoted to theoretical/methodological as well as to applicative aspects of current CBR analysis.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 544 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This Festschrift volume, published in honor of John Mylopoulos on the occasion of his retirement from the University of Toronto, contains 25 high-quality papers, written by leading scientists in the field of conceptual modeling.The volume has been divided into six sections. The first section focuses on the foundations of conceptual modeling and contains material on ontologies and knowledge representation. The four sections on software and requirements engineering, information systems, information integration, and web and services, represent the chief current application domains of conceptual modeling. Finally, the section on implementations concentrates on projects that build tools to support conceptual modeling. With its in-depth coverage of diverse topics, this book could be a useful companion to a course on conceptual modeling.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 532 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -How can our societies be stabilized in a crisis Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare Why are fruitflies uniform How do omnivorous eating habits aid our survival What makes the Mona Lisäs smile beautiful How do women keep our social structures intact ¿ Could there possibly be a single answer to all these questions This book shows that the statement: 'weak links stabilize complex systems' provides the key to understanding each of these intriguing puzzles, and many others too. The author (recipient of several distinguished science communication prizes) uses weak (low affinity, low probability) interactions as a thread to introduce a vast variety of networks from proteins to economics and ecosystems. Many people, from Nobel Laureates to high-school students have helped to make the book understandable to all interested readers. This unique book and the ideas it develops will have a significant impact on many, seemingly diverse, fields of study.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 432 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -More people in communities of color are contracting, living with, and being treated for HIV/AIDS than ever before. In 2005, 71% of new AIDS cases were diagnosed in people of color. The rate of HIV infection in the African-American community alone has increased from 25% of total cases diagnosed in 1985 to 50% in 2005. Latinos similarly comprise a disproportionate segment of the AIDS epidemic: though they make up only 14% of the U.S. population, 20% of AIDS cases diagnosed in 2004 were Latino/a.Though the number of racial and ethnic minority HIV/AIDS cases continues to grow, the health care community has been unable to adequately meet the unique medical needs of these populations. African-American, Latino/Latina, and other patients of color are less likely to seek medical care, have sufficient access to the health care system, or receive the drugs they need for as long as they need them.HIV/AIDS in Minority Communities acknowledges the prevalence of HIV/AIDS within minority communities in the U.S. and strives to educate physicians about the barriers to treatment that exist for minority patients. By analyzing the main causes of treatment failure and promoting respect for individual and cultural values, this book effectively teaches readers to provide responsive, patient-centered care and devise preventive strategies for minority communities. Comprehensive chapters contributed by physicians with extensive experience dealing with HIV/AIDS in minority communities cover issues as far-reaching as: anti-retroviral therapy; dermatologic manifestations and co-morbidities of the disease in patients of color; unique risks to women and MSMs of color; participation of minority cases in HIV research; and substance abuse and mental health issues.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 320 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Nowadays, there is software everywhere in our life. It controls cars, airplanes, factories, medical implants. Without software, banking, logistics and transportation, media, and even scientific research would not function in the accustomed way. Building and maintaining software is a knowledge-intensive endeavour and requires that specific experiences are handled successfully. However, neither knowledge nor experience can be collected, stored, and shipped like physical goods, instead these delicate resources require dedicated techniques. Knowledge and experience are often called company assets, yet this is only part of the truth: it is only software engineers and other creative employees who will effectively exploit an organisation's knowledge and experience.Kurt Schneider¿s textbook is written for those who want to make better use of their own knowledge and experience ¿ either personally or within their group or company. Everyone related to software development will benefit from his detailed explanations and case studies: project managers, software engineers, quality assurance responsibles, and knowledge managers. His presentation is based on years of both practical experience, with companies such as Boeing, Daimler, and Nokia, and research in renowned environments, such as the Fraunhofer Institute. Each chapter is self-contained, it clearly states its learning objectives, gives in-depth presentations, shows the techniques¿ practical relevance in application scenarios, lists detailed references for further reading, and is finally completed by exercises that review the material presented and also challenge further, critical examinations. The overall result is a textbook that is equally suitable as a personal resource for self-directed learning and as the basis for a one-semester course on software engineering and knowledge management.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The two-volume set LNCS 5601 and LNCS 5602 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Work-Conference on the Interplay between Natural and Artificial Computation, IWINAC 2009, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in June 2009. The 108 revised papers presented are thematically divided into two volumes. The first volume includes papers relating the most recent collaborations with Professor Mira and contributions mainly related with theoretical, conceptual and methodological aspects linking AI and knowledge engineering with neurophysiology, clinics and cognition. The second volume contains all the contributions connected with biologically inspired methods and techniques for solving AI and knowledge engineering problems in different application domains. 556 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The two-volume set LNCS 5601 and LNCS 5602 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Work-Conference on the Interplay between Natural and Artificial Computation, IWINAC 2009, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in June 2009. The 108 revised papers presented are thematically divided into two volumes. The first volume includes papers relating the most recent collaborations with Professor Mira and contributions mainly related with theoretical, conceptual and methodological aspects linking AI and knowledge engineering with neurophysiology, clinics and cognition. The second volume contains all the contributions connected with biologically inspired methods and techniques for solving AI and knowledge engineering problems in different application domains.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 556 pp. Englisch.