Bücher veröffentlicht von Springer US

Conflicts between agents acting in a multi-agent environment arise for different reasons, involve different concepts, and are dealt with in different ways, depending on the kind of agents and on the domain where they are considered. Agents may have conflicting beliefs, conflicting goals, or may have to share limited resources. Consequently, conflicts may be expressed as mere differences, or as contradictions, or even as social conflicts. They may be avoided, solved, kept, or even created deliberately. Conflicting Agents studies conflicts in the context of multi-agent systems, i.e. artificial societies modeled on the basis of autonomous, interacting agents. This book addresses questions about types of conflicts, conflict definitions and the use of conflicts as trigger functions for activities in multi-agent systems. The book is also dedicated to questions of conflict management, resolution and avoidance, i.e. the question of how agents cope with conflicts and conflicting situations.

Since their inception, fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic became popular. The reason is that the very idea of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic attacks an old tradition in science, namely bivalent (black-or-white, all-or-none) judg- ment and reasoning and the thus resulting approach to formation of scientific theories and models of reality. The idea of fuzzy logic, briefly speaking, is just the opposite of this tradition: instead of full truth and falsity, our judgment and reasoning also involve intermediate truth values. Application of this idea to various fields has become known under the term fuzzy approach (or graded truth approach). Both prac- tice (many successful engineering applications) and theory (interesting nontrivial contributions and broad interest of mathematicians, logicians, and engineers) have proven the usefulness of fuzzy approach. One of the most successful areas of fuzzy methods is the application of fuzzy relational modeling. Fuzzy relations represent formal means for modeling of rather nontrivial phenomena (reasoning, decision, control, knowledge extraction, systems analysis and design, etc. ) in the pres- ence of a particular kind of indeterminacy called vagueness. Models and methods based on fuzzy relations are often described by logical formulas (or by natural language statements that can be translated into logical formulas). Therefore, in order to approach these models and methods in an appropriate formal way, it is desirable to have a general theory of fuzzy relational systems with basic connections to (formal) language which enables us to describe relationships in these systems.

Symbolic Analysis in Analog Integrated Circuit Design provides an introduction to computer-aided circuit analysis and presents systematic methods for solving linear (i.e. small-signal) and nonlinear circuit problems, which are illustrated by concrete examples. Computer-aided symbolic circuit analysis is useful in analog integrated circuit design. Analytic expressions for the network transfer functions contain information that is not provided by a numerical simulation result. However, these expressions are generally extremely long and difficult to interpret; therefore, it is necessary to be able to approximate them guided by the magnitude of the individual circuit parameters. Engineering has been described as `the art of making approximations'. The inclusion of symbolic analysis in analog circuit design reduces the implied risk of ambiguity during the approximation process. A systematic method based on the nullor concept is used to obtain the basic feedback transistor amplifier configurations. Approximate expressions for the locations of poles and zeros for linear networks are obtained using the extended pole-splitting technique. An unusual feature in Symbolic Analysis in Analog Integrated Circuit Design is the consistent use of the transadmittance element with finite (linear or nonlinear) or infinite (i.e. nullor) gain as the only requisite circuit element. The describing function method is used to obtain approximate symbolic expressions for the harmonic distortion generated by a soft or hard transconductance nonlinearity embedded in an arbitrary linear network. The design and implementation of a program (i.e. CASCA) for symbolic analysis of time-continuous networks is described. The algorithms can also be used to solve other linear problems, e.g. the analysis of time-discrete switched-capacitor networks. Symbolic Analysis in Analog Integrated Circuit Design serves as an excellent resource for students and researchers as well as for industry designers who want to familiarize themselves with circuit analysis. This book may also be used for advanced courses on the subject.

Iterative Detection: Adaptivity, Complexity Reduction, and Applications is a primary resource for both researchers and teachers in the field of communication. Unlike other books in the area, it presents a general view of iterative detection that does not rely heavily on coding theory or graph theory. The features of the text include: Both theoretical background and numerous real-world applications. Over 70 detailed examples, 100 problems, 180 illustrations, tables of notation and acronyms, and an extensive bibliography and subject index. A whole chapter devoted to a case study on turbo decoder design. Receiver design guidelines, rules and suggestions. The most advanced view of iterative (turbo) detection based only on block diagrams and standard detection and estimation theory. Development of adaptive iterative detection theory. Application of adaptive iterative detection to phase and channel tracking in turbo coded systems and systems representative of digital mobile radio designs. An entire chapter dedicated to complexity reduction. Numerous recent research results. Discussion of open problems at the end of each chapter. Among the applications considered in this book are joint equalization and decoding, turbo codes, multiuser detection and decoding, broadband wireless channel equalization, and applications to two-dimensional storage and imaging systems. Audience: Iterative Detection: Adaptivity, Complexity Reduction, and Applications provides an accessible and detailed reference for researchers, practicing engineers, and students working in the field of detection and estimation. It will be of particular interest to those who would like to learn how iterative detection can be applied to equalization, interference mitigation, and general signal processing tasks. Researchers and practicing engineers interested in learning the turbo decoding algorithm should also have this book.

The Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval (CIIR) was formed in the Computer Science Department ofthe University ofMassachusetts, Amherst in 1992. The core support for the Center came from a National Science Foun- tion State/Industry/University Cooperative Research Center(S/IUCRC) grant, although there had been a sizeable information retrieval (IR) research group for over 10 years prior to that grant. Thebasic goal ofthese Centers is to combine basic research, applied research, and technology transfer. The CIIR has been successful in each of these areas, in that it has produced over 270 research papers, has been involved in many successful government and industry collaborations, and has had a significant role in high-visibility Internet sites and start-ups. As a result of these efforts, the CIIR has become known internationally as one of the leading research groups in the area of information retrieval. The CIIR focuses on research that results in more effective and efficient access and discovery in large, heterogeneous, distributed, text and multimedia databases. The scope of the work that is done in the CIIR is broad and goes significantly beyond "e;traditional"e; areas of information retrieval such as retrieval models, cross-lingual search, and automatic query expansion. The research includes both low-level systems issues such as the design of protocols and architectures for distributed search, as well as more human-centered topics such as user interface design, visualization and data mining with text, and multimedia retrieval.

too vast, too complex, too grand ... for description. John Wesley Powell-1870 (discovering the Grand Canyon) VHDL is a big world. A beginner can be easily disappointed by the generality of this language. This generality is explained by the large number of domains covered - from specifications to logical simulation or synthesis. To the very beginner, VHDL appears as a "e;kit"e;. He is quickly aware that his problem may be solved with VHDL, but does not know how. He does not even know how to start. In this state of mind, all the constraints that can be set to his modeling job, by using a subset of the language or a given design methodology, may be seen as a life preserver. The success of the introduction of VHDL in a company depends on solutions to many questions that should be answered months before the first line of code is written: * Why choose VHDL? * Which VHDL tools should be chosen? * Which modeling methodology should be adopted? * How should the VHDL environment be customized? * What are the tricks? Where are the traps? * What are the differences between VHDL and other competing HDLs? Answers to these questions are organized according to different concerns: buying the tools, organizing the environment, and designing. Decisions taken in each of these areas may have many consequences on the way to the acceptance and efficiently use of VHDL in a company.

Most of the progress in cardiac energetics in recent years has been spurred by the pressure-volume area concept, the natural extension into energetics of earlier pioneering work delineating the time-varying elastance framework for ventricular contraction. The book draws together a broad spectrum of researchers - basic, applied and clinical - having a shared interest in the energetics of cardiac muscle and ventricle, providing an overview of the current state of the art.

The dramatic recent expansion in genomic information has motivated the development of new approaches to characterize gene expression and function. A critical issue for both basic and clinical endocrinologists is the physiological role of genes involved in regulating endocrine functions. Transgenic technologies allow the translation of genotypic information into specific phenotypes by using gene overexpression or loss of specific gene functions. Murine functional genomics is thus of central importance in modem biomedical endocrine research. Although mice are at present, the preferred mammalian species for genetic manipulations because of the availability of pluripotent embryonic. stem cells and inbred strains and the relatively low breeding and maintenance costs, transgenic rats have also been generated and used to study endocrine physiology. The two basic techniques used in the creation of transgenic animal models are integration of foreign DNA into a fertilized oocyte by random chromosomal insertion and homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells that are then introduced into zygotes. Transgenic mice and rats serve as sophisticted tools to probe protein function, as models of human disease, and as hosts for the testing of gene replacement and other therapies. Embryonic stem cell libraries for mouse gene deletion are being developed, which will make it possible to generate knockout mice rapidly and without the need to analyze gene structure, construct targeting vectors, and screen embryonic stem cell clones. A novel approach to transgenesis for the expression of DNA within adult differentiated neuroendocrine cells in vivo is using viral vectors.

Henkin-Keisler models emanate from a modification of the Henkin construction introduced by Keisler to motivate the definition of ultraproducts. Keisler modified the Henkin construction at that point at which `new' individual constants are introduced and did so in a way that illuminates a connection between Henkin-Keisler models and ultraproducts. The resulting construction can be viewed both as a specialization of the Henkin construction and as an alternative to the ultraproduct construction. These aspects of the Henkin-Keisler construction are utilized here to present a perspective on ultraproducts and their applications accessible to the reader familiar with Henkin's proof of the completeness of first order logic and naive set theory. This approach culminates in proofs of various forms of the Keisler-Shelah characterizations of elementary equivalence and elementary classes via Henkin-Keisler models. The presentation is self-contained and proofs of more advanced results from set theory are introduced as needed. Audience: Logicians in philosophy, computer science, linguistics and mathematics.

Security and privacy are paramount concerns in information processing systems, which are vital to business, government and military operations and, indeed, society itself. Meanwhile, the expansion of the Internet and its convergence with telecommunication networks are providing incredible connectivity, myriad applications and, of course, new threats. Data and Applications Security XVII: Status and Prospects describes original research results, practical experiences and innovative ideas, all focused on maintaining security and privacy in information processing systems and applications that pervade cyberspace. The areas of coverage include: -Information Warfare, -Information Assurance, -Security and Privacy, -Authorization and Access Control in Distributed Systems, -Security Technologies for the Internet, -Access Control Models and Technologies, -Digital Forensics. This book is the seventeenth volume in the series produced by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 11.3 on Data and Applications Security. It presents a selection of twenty-six updated and edited papers from the Seventeenth Annual IFIP TC11 / WG11.3 Working Conference on Data and Applications Security held at Estes Park, Colorado, USA in August 2003, together with a report on the conference keynote speech and a summary of the conference panel. The contents demonstrate the richness and vitality of the discipline, and other directions for future research in data and applications security. Data and Applications Security XVII: Status and Prospects is an invaluable resource for information assurance researchers, faculty members and graduate students, as well as for individuals engaged in research and development in the information technology sector.

JR is a language for concurrent programming. It is an imperative language that provides explicit mechanisms for concurrency, communication, and s- chronization. JR is an extension of the Java programming language with - ditional concurrency mechanisms based on those in the SR (Synchronizing Resources) programming language. It is suitable for writing programs for both shared- and distributed-memory applications and machines; it is, of course, also suitable for writing sequential programs. JR can be used in applications such as parallel computation, distributed systems, simulation, and many others. JR supports many ¿features¿ useful for concurrent programming. However, our goals have always been keeping the language simple and easy to learn and use. We have achieved these goals by integrating common notions, both sequ- tial and concurrent, into a few powerful mechanisms. We have implemented these mechanisms as part of a complete language to determine their feasibility and cost, to gain hands-on experience, and to provide a tool that can be used for research and teaching. The introduction to Chapter 1 expands on how JR has realized our design goals.

As the computer gradually automates human-oriented tasks in multiple environ- ments, the interface between computers and the ever-wider population of human users assumes progressively increasing importance. In the office environment, for instance, clerical tasks such as document filing and retrieval, and higher-level tasks such as scheduling meetings, planning trip itineraries, and producing documents for publication, are being partially or totally automated. The range of users for office- oriented software includes clerks, secretaries, and businesspersons, none of whom are predominantly computer literate. The same phenomenon is echoed in the factory production line, in the securities trading floor, in government agencies, in educa- tional institutions, and even in the home. The arcane command languages of yes- teryear have proven too high a barrier for smooth acceptance of computerized func- tions into the workplace, no matter how useful these functions may be. Computer- naive users simply do not take the time to learn intimidating and complex computer interfaces. In order to place the functionality of modem computers at the disposition of diverse user populations, a number of different approaches have been tried, many meeting with a significant measure of success, to wit: special courses to train users in the simpler command languages (such as MS-DOS), designing point-and-click menu/graphics interfaces that require much less user familiarization (illustrated most clearly in the Apple Macintosh), and interacting with the user in his or her language of choice.