springer jul 2000 (287 risultati)

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Efficient Methods for Valuing Interest Rate Derivatives provides an overview of the models that can be used for valuing and managing interest rate derivatives. Split into two parts, the first discusses and compares the traditional models, such as spot- and forward-rate models, while the second concentrates on the more recently developed Market models. Unlike most of his competitors, the author's focus is not only on the mathematics: Antoon Pelsser draws on his experience in industry to explore the practical issues, such as the implementation of models, and model selection.Aimed at people with a solid quantitative background, this book will be of particular interest to risk managers, interest rate derivative traders, quantitative researchers, portfolio and fund managers, and students of mathematics and economics, but it will also prove invaluable to anyone looking for a good overview of interest rate derivative modelling.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 188 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Celestial fundamental catalogues are a prerequisite for the determination of absolute positions and motions in space. Presently, positional astrometry is at the watershed between classical fundamental catalogues, based on moving reference stars, and modern catalogues, based on extragalactic reference objects with non-measurable motion. This book addresses the concepts and methods of the respective construction techniques leading to the stellar frame of the FK5 (fifth fundamental catalogue) and to the newly adopted extragalactic radio reference frame, ICRF (international celestial reference frame), with its extension to optical wavelengths by the Hipparcos Catalogue. While principal outlines of meridian circle observations are given, emphasis is put in some detail on the VLBI technique as applied to astrometry, and to the observational techniques used in the Hipparcos mission, including the tie of the originally non-anchored rigid Hipparcos sphere into the ICRF.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - This book explores Shakespeare films as interpretations of Shakespeare's plays as well as interpreting the place of Shakespeare on screen within the classroom and within the English curriculum. Shakespeare on screen is evaluated both in relation to the play texts and in relation to the realms of popular film culture. The book focuses on how Shakespeare is manipulated in film and television through the representation of violence, gender, sexuality, race and nationalism. Cartmell discusses a wide range of films, including Orson Welles' Othello (1952), Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (1991), Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1996) and John Madden's Shakespeare in Love (1998).

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This volume contains the proceedings of SARA 2000, the fourth Symposium on Abstraction, Reformulations, and Approximation (SARA). The conference was held at Horseshoe Bay Resort and Conference Club, Lake LBJ, Texas, July 26¿ 29, 2000, just prior to the AAAI 2000 conference in Austin. Previous SARA conferences took place at Jackson Hole in Wyoming (1994), Ville d¿Est¿erel in Qüebec (1995), and Asilomar in California (1998). The symposium grewout of a series of workshops on abstraction, approximation, and reformulation that had taken place alongside AAAI since 1989. This year¿s symposium was actually scheduled to take place at Lago Vista Clubs & Resort on Lake Travis but, due to the resort¿s failure to pay taxes, the conference had to be moved late in the day. This mischance engendered eleventh-hour reformulations, abstractions, and resource re-allocations of its own. Such are the perils of organizing a conference. This is the rst SARA for which the proceedings have been published in the LNAI series of Springer-Verlag. We hope that this is a re ection of the increased maturity of the eld and that the increased visibility brought by the publication of this volume will help the discipline grow even further. Abstractions, reformulations, and approximations (AR&A) have found - plications in a variety of disciplines and problems including automatic progr- ming, constraint satisfaction, design, diagnosis, machine learning, planning, qu- itative reasoning, scheduling, resource allocation, and theorem proving. The - pers in this volume capture a cross-section of these application domains.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In this book, Thompson and Hickson strongly challenge the standard interpretation of the basis of growth and viability of dominant wealthy nations. Briefly, efforts of the economically wealthy and the government leaders to increase their wealth and protect it from aggressors, internal and external, are cast in a new evolutionary light. The challenge is to the idea that societies' leading intellectual formulators of political and social policy have been helpful. Their alternative, and persuasive, interpretation is that the rise and survival of wealthier nations has been achieved because of an `effective democracy'.The authors explain why an effective democratic state must avoid `narrow, short-sighted', rational-appearing concessions to a sequence of aggressors. In short, the Thompson-Hickson interpretation of the rise of wealthy dominant nations does not rely on the advice of superior intellectual advisors, but instead rests on the pragmatic, almost ad hoc, actions of democratic legislators.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 432 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The microanalytical technique of atom probe tomography (APT) permits the spatial coordinates and elemental identities of the individual atoms within a small volume to be determined with near atomic resolution. Therefore, atom probe tomography provides a technique for acquiring atomic resolution three dimensional images of the solute distribution within the microstructures of materials. This monograph is designed to provide researchers and students the necessary information to plan and experimentally conduct an atom probe tomography experiment. The techniques required to visualize and to analyze the resulting three-dimensional data are also described. The monograph is organized into chapters each covering a specific aspect of the technique. The development of this powerful microanalytical technique from the origins offield ion microscopy in 1951, through the first three-dimensional atom probe prototype built in 1986 to today's commercial state-of-the-art three dimensional atom probe is documented in chapter 1. A general introduction to atom probe tomography is also presented in chapter 1. The various methods to fabricate suitable needle-shaped specimens are presented in chapter 2. The procedure to form field ion images of the needle-shaped specimen is described in chapter 3. In addition, the appearance of microstructural features and the information that may be estimated from field ion microscopy are summarized. A brief account of the theoretical basis for processes of field ionization and field evaporation is also included.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book explores how new communication and information technologies combine with transportation to modify human spatial and temporal relationships in everyday life. It targets the need to differentiate accessibility levels among a broad range of social groupings, the need to study disparities in electronic accessibility, and the need to investigate new measures and means of representing the geography of opportunity in the information age. It explores how models based on physical notions of distance and connectivity are insufficient for understanding the new structures and behaviors that characterize current regional realities, with examples drawn from Europe, New Zealand, and North America. While traditional notions of accessibility and spatial interaction remain important, information technologies are dramatically modifying and expanding the scope of these core geographical concepts.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 404 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - In preparation for role-play during a RIPP class, 6th grade students consider the following conflict situation: Sharon and Josie, who are good friends, tryout for the basketball team. Josie makes the team, but Sharon does not. The week after tryouts, Sharon tries to pick a fight with Josie, calling her a 'cheater' and 'some one the coach felt sorry for. ' Josie is in a bind; she wants to remain friends with Sharon, but she is really angry with Sharon for treating her so badly. What can Josie do in this situation What type of self-talk will help her work out this prob lem with Sharon and keep the friendship During the role-play, Sharon calls Josie a cheater. Then, before Josie re sponds, two students representing her positive and negative sides take turns whis pering into her ear. Negative self-talk: 'Boy, is she a loser! What if everyone believes her and thinks that I cheated to get on the team !' Positive self-talk: 'I know I worked hard to get on the team! Sharon must really be hurt that she didn't make it. I can talk to her later when she's cooled down, and maybe we can do something together after practice. ' Josie listens to the two voices, and decides that the best approach is to ignore Sharon's comments for now and to call her later that day to see if they can do something together. This description of students dealing with everyday conflicts is quite real.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a fast developing area of intense research interest. Following on from Self-Organising Neural Networks: Independent Component Analysis and Blind Signal Separation, this book reviews the significant developments of the past year.It covers topics such as the use of hidden Markov methods, the independence assumption, and topographic ICA, and includes tutorial chapters on Bayesian and variational approaches. It also provides the latest approaches to ICA problems, including an investigation into certain 'hard problems' for the very first time.Comprising contributions from the most respected and innovative researchers in the field, this volume will be of interest to students and researchers in computer science and electrical engineering; research and development personnel in disciplines such as statistical modelling and data analysis; bio-informatic workers; and physicists and chemists requiring novel data analysis methods.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -zed trigonometric functions is presented. Z.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 356 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In 1996 the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) establ- hed its rst Technical Committee on foundations of computer science, TC1. The aim of IFIP TC1 is to support the development of theoretical computer science as a fundamental science and to promote the exploration of fundamental c- cepts, models, theories, and formal systems in order to understand laws, limits, and possibilities of information processing. This volume constitutes the proceedings of the rst IFIP International C- ference on Theoretical Computer Science (IFIP TCS 2000) { Exploring New Frontiers of Theoretical Informatics { organized by IFIP TC1, held at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan in August 2000. The IFIP TCS 2000 technical program consists of invited talks, contributed talks, and a panel discussion. In conjunction with this program there are two special open lectures by Professors Jan van Leeuwen and Peter D. Mosses. The decision to hold this conference was made by IFIP TC1 in August 1998, and since then IFIP TCS 2000 has bene ted from the e orts of many people; in particular, the TC1 members and the members of the Steering Committee, the Program Committee, and the Organizing Committee of the conference. Our special thanks go to the Program Committee Co-chairs: Track (1): Jan van Leeuwen (U. Utrecht), Osamu Watanabe (Tokyo Inst. Tech.) Track (2): Masami Hagiya (U. Tokyo), Peter D. Mosses (U. Aarhus).Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 652 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related, nonmalignant condition that may lead to bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms. The standard treatment of BPH has been ordinary loop transurethral prostatectomy, but new therapies have been developed as a combined result of research, technological advances, and the cumulative experience of urological surgeons. Among the most promising therapeutic alternatives to ordinary loop resection are those that deliver topical or interstitial heat to prostatic tissue. Transurethral microwave thermotherapy, visual laser ablation with the Nd:YAG laser, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and transurethral electrovaporization are some of the techniques described in this book. These innovative procedures, employed by skilled urologists using state-of-the-art instruments, hold forth the promise of improved quality of life for BPH patients and represent significant advances in the field of urology. 216 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Analysis of past developments in teacher education in Pakistan has shown that substantial progress has been made in this field. It has, however, been pointed out that education of science teachers still needs much improvement. At the present, there is an emergent need to meet the shortage of qualified science teachers and at the same time to bring qualitative improvements in the courses offered in teacher education institutions. First, we recommend that the 1-year duration of teacher preparation is grossly inadequate for all teaching courses, and should be lengthened, and the qualifications for entrance be increased. We believe that teaching must be made a graduate profession. For example, the basic qualification of primary school teachers for admission to teacher education institution should be increased. We recommend that PTC should be made a 12 + 2 year program. Similarly, CT, 12 + 3; B. Ed. , 14 + 2; B. S. Ed. , 12 + 4; M. A. Ed. , 14 + 3; and M. Ed. one year after B. Ed. or B. S. Ed. Secondly, we think the quality of instruction in teacher preparation programs should be improved. Most teachers in the teacher preparation institutions use the lecture method most of the time. Prospective teachers behave like passive listeners to their teachers. They do not participate in the teaching/ learning process. Some instructors even dictate their notes to the preservice teachers. When the teachers join schools, they behave the same way.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Planning, operating, and policy making in the electric utility and natural gas sectors involves important trade-offs among economic, social, and environmental criteria. These trade-offs figure prominently in ongoing debates about how to meet growing energy demands and how to restructure the world's power industry. Energy Decisions and the Environment: A Guide to the Use of Multicriteria Methods reviews practical tools for multicriteria (also called multiobjective) decision analysis that can be used to quantify trade-offs and contribute to more consistent, informed, and transparent decision making. These methods are designed to generate and effectively communicate information about trade-offs; to help people form, articulate, and apply value judgments in decision making; and to promote effective negotiation among stakeholders with competing interests. Energy Decisions and the Environment: A Guide to the Use of Multicriteria Methods includes explanations of a wide range of methods, tutorial applications that readers can duplicate, a detailed review of energy-environment applications, and three in-depth case studies.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The book contains in its first part reviews on modelling of enzyme properties in organic solvents, lipase-catalysed synthesis of carboxylic amides, chemoenzymatic synthesis of lipidated peptides and chemoenzymatic transformations in nucleoside chemistry. In the second part contributions on recent developments in biocatalysis are given: lipase and esterase catalysed resolutions, investigations on regio- and stereoselective biocatalytic acylations in steroid side-chains and of substrate- and stereospecificity of Penicillin G amidases, deracemisation for amino acid synthesis, biocatalytic hydrolysis of nitriles, enzymatic and microbial hydroxylation of dienes and alpha-methyl esters, enantioselective sulphoxidations by peroxidases.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 196 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book is especially addressed to young researchers in theoretical physics with a basic background in Field Theory and Condensed Matter Physics. The topics were chosen so as to offer the largest possible overlap between the two expertises, selecting a few key problems in Condensed Matter Theory which have been recently revisited within a field-theoretic approach. The presentation of the material is aimed not only at providing the reader with an overview of this exciting frontier area of modern theoretical physics, but also at elucidating most of the tools needed for a technical comprehen sion of the many papers appearing in current issues of physics journals and, hopefully, to enable the reader to tackle research problems in this area of physics. This makes the material a live creature: while not pretending it to be exhaustive, it is tutorial enough to be useful to young researchers as a starting point in anyone of the topics covered in the book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Geographers regard fieldwork as a vital instrument for understanding our world through direct experience, for gathering basic data about this world, and as a fundamental method for enacting geographical education. The range of international geography and educational experts who contributed to this volume has demonstrated that the concept of fieldwork has a considerable history in the field of geography. They have demonstrated that the theoretical aspects of fieldwork have been interpreted differently in regions around the world, but the importance of fieldwork remains strong globally.A fresh look at the pedagogic implications for fieldwork in formal education offers ideas both for promoting it in geographical education and for maintaining its place in the geography curriculum.Audience: Forward-looking geographers and educators now recognise that alternative strategies, especially those involving the use of information technology, should be developedto reaffirm the centrality of fieldwork in geographical and wider education.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 280 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Computer Aided Systems Theory (CAST) deals with the task of contributing to the creation and implementation of tools for the support of usual CAD tools for design and simulation by formal mathematical or logical means in modeling. Naturally,thebasisfortheconstructionandimplementationofCASTs oftwareis provided by the existing current knowledge in modeling and by the experience of practitioners in engineering design. Systems Theory, as seen from the viewpoint of CAST research and CAST tool development, has the role of providing formal frameworks and related theoretical knowledge for model-construction and model analysis. We purposely do not distinguish sharply between systems theory and CAST and other similar elds of research and tool development such as for example in applied numerical analysis or other computational sciences. TheheredocumentedEUROCASTconferencewhichtookplaceattheVienna University of Technology re ects current mainstreams in CAST. As in the p- vious conferences new topics, both theoretical and application oriented, have been addressed. The presented papers show that the eld is widespread and that new - velopments in computer science and in information technology are the driving forces. Theeditorswouldliketothanktheauthorsforprovidingtheirmanuscriptsin hardcopyandinelectronicformontime.Thesta ofSpringer-VerlagHeidelberg gave, as in previous CAST publications, valuable support in editing this volume. 620 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Automata and Languages presents a step-by-step development of the theoryof automata, languages and computation. Intended to be used as the basisof an introductory course to this theory at both junior and senior levelsthe text is organized in such a way as to allow the design of variouscourses based on selected material.Areas featured in the book include:\* basic models of computation\* formal languages and their properties\* computability, decidability and complexity\* a discussion of the modern trends in the theory of automata andformal languages\* design of programming languages, including the development of a newprogramming language\* compiler design, including the construction of a complete compilerAlexander Meduna uses clear definitions, easy-to-follow proofs and helpfulexamples to make formerly obscure concepts easy to understand. He alsoincludes challenging exercises and programming projects to enhance thereader's comprehension, and, to put the theory firmly into a 'real world'context, he presents lots of realistic illustrations and applications inpractical computer science.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 952 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -These two volumes constitute the Proceedings of the `Conférence Moshé Flato, 1999'. Their spectrum is wide but the various areas covered are, in fact, strongly interwoven by a common denominator, the unique personality and creativity of the scientist in whose honor the Conference was held, and the far-reaching vision that underlies his scientific activity.With these two volumes, the reader will be able to take stock of the present state of the art in a number of subjects at the frontier of current research in mathematics, mathematical physics, and physics. Volume I is prefaced by reminiscences of and tributes to Flato's life and work. It also includes a section on the applications of sciences to insurance and finance, an area which was of interest to Flato before it became fashionable. The bulk of both volumes is on physical mathematics, where the reader will find these ingredients in various combinations, fundamental mathematical developments based on them, and challenging interpretations of physical phenomena.Audience: These volumes will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in a variety of domains, ranging from abstract mathematics to theoretical physics and other applications. Some parts will be accessible to proficient undergraduate students, and even to persons with a minimum of scientific knowledge but enough curiosity.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 360 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Dyslexia research has been proceeding by quantum leaps. Great advances have been made in the past few years, and while many unanswered questions remain, we nonetheless do know a great deal about the causes and nature of the condition, and how teachers should treat it. This book, by two of Europe's leading experts, gathers together a vast amount of recent international research on the causes and remediation of dyslexia, and presents a cognitive model of the normal reading process and a process-analytic diagnostic model. Much of this material appears in English for the first time.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 250 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book explains the basic use of the software package called MuPAD and gives an insight into the power of the system. M u PAD is a so-called computer algebra system, which is developed mainly at the University of Paderborn in Germany. This introduction addresses mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists, natural scientists, and more generally all those in need of mathematical computations for their education or their profession. Generally speaking, this book addresses anybody who wants to use the power of a modern computer algebra package. There are two ways to use a computer algebra system. On the one hand, you may use the mathematical knowledge it incorporates by calling system functions interactively. For example, you can compute symbolic integrals, or generate and invert matrices, by calling appro priate functions. They comprise the system's mathematical intelligence and may implement sophisticated algorithms. Chapters 2 through 15 discuss this way of using MuPAD. On the other hand, with the help of MuPAD's programming lan guage you can easily add functionality to the system by implementing your own algorithms as MuPAD procedures. This is useful for special purpose applications if no appropriate system functions exist. Chap ters 16 through 18 are an introduction to programming in MuPAD. You can now read this book in the standard way 'linearly' from the first to the last page. However, there are reasons to proceed otherwise. 376 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -We welcome Volume 20, Formal Aspects of Context. Context has always been recognised as strongly relevant to models in language, philosophy, logic and artifi cial intelligence. In recent years theoretical advances in these areas and especially in logic have accelerated the study of context in the international community. An annual conference is held and many researchers have come to realise that many of the old puzzles should be reconsidered with proper attention to context. The volume editors and contributors are from among the most active front-line researchers in the area and the contents shows how wide and vigorous this area is. There are strong scientific connections with earlier volumes in the series. I am confident that the appearance of this book in our series will help secure the study of context as an important area of applied logic. D.M.Gabbay INTRODUCTION This book is a result of the First International and Interdisciplinary Con ference on Modelling and Using Context, which was organised in Rio de Janeiro in January 1997, and contains a selection of the papers presented there, refereed and revised through a process of anonymous peer review. The treatment of contexts as bona-fide objects of logical formalisation has gained wide acceptance in recent years, following the seminal impetus by McCarthy in his 'lUring award address.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Some years ago, businesses could choose whether to migrate to electronic commerce, however, today it seems they have no choice. Predictions indicate that companies that do not make the necessary changes will be overrun by competition and ultimately fail. Therefore, we see more and more companies undergoing tremendous transformationin order to adapt to the new business paradigm. At the same time new companies are being established. One thing these companies have in common is the increased dependency on security technology. The invention of electronic commerce has changed the role of - curity technologies from being merely a protector to being also an enabler of electronic commerce, and it is clear that the development of security techn- ogy is a key enabler in the growth and deployment of electronic commerce. This has been recognised at European level (European Union 1997e). The launch of a comprehensive EU policy in the area of security in open networksisfairlyrecentwiththeadoptionofaCommunicationoncryptog- phy inOctober 1997(EuropeanUnion1997c). A veryimportantcomplement and support to the European policy is the European Commission¿s contri- tion to overcometechnological barriers by giving special importance to R&D (Research and Development) activities. The SEMPER project was launched in September 1995 and was funded partly by the European Community within the Advanced Communication Technologies and Services (ACTS) speci c research programme part of the Fourth Framework Program (1994-1998). In this book the SEMPER project team presents in a coherent, integrated, and readable form the issues - dressed,themotivationfortheworkcarriedout,andthekeyresultsobtained. SEMPER is an innovative project in several aspects.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 372 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Financial Markets in Hong Kong is a unique guide to the workings and the legal framework governing all aspects of Hong Kong's financial markets. Drawing upon the extensive experience of its contributors to present a lucid insight into the intricacies of the matrix behind the functioning of financial markets, it is possibly the only book to cover the spectrum ranging from a discussion on the regulatory framework to the various measures implemented to facilitate the further development of the markets to the important role assumed by professional advisers. Given the width of coverage, its clarity and readability, it will prove to be the ideal reference text for those with an interest in the financial sector of Hong Kong. Contributors include Templeton Asset Management Limited, Hong Kong; Standard & Poor's, Hong Kong; Ernst & Young, Hong Kong; Arthur Anderson & Co., Hong Kong; The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, among others.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 316 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Artificial intelligence has, traditionally focused on solving human-centered problems like natural language processing or common-sense reasoning. On the other hand, for a while now soft computing has been applied successfully in areas like pattern recognition, clustering, or automatic control. The papers in this book explore the possibility of bringing these two areas together.This book is unique in the way it concentrates on building intelligent software systems by combining methods from diverse disciplines, such as fuzzy set theory, neuroscience, agent technology, knowledge discovery, and symbolic artificial intelligence. The first part of the book focuses on foundational aspects and future directions; the second part provides the reader with an overview of recently developed software tools for building flexible intelligent systems; the final section studies developed applications in various fields.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 384 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -These are the proceedings of the First International Conference on Compu- tional Logic (CL 2000) which was held at Imperial College in London from 24th to 28th July, 2000. The theme of the conference covered all aspects of the theory, implementation, and application of computational logic, where computational logic is to be understood broadly as the use of logic in computer science. The conference was collocated with the following events: { 6th International Conference on Rules and Objects in Databases (DOOD 2000) { 10th International Workshop on Logic-based Program Synthesis and Tra- formation (LOPSTR 2000) { 10th International Conference on Inductive Logic Programming (ILP 2000). CL 2000 consisted of seven streams: { Program Development (LOPSTR 2000) { Logic Programming: Theory and Extensions { Constraints { Automated Deduction: Putting Theory into Practice { Knowledge Representation and Non-monotonic Reasoning { Database Systems (DOOD 2000) { Logic Programming: Implementations and Applications. The LOPSTR 2000 workshop constituted the program development stream and the DOOD 2000 conference constituted the database systems stream. Each stream had its own chair and program committee, which autonomously selected the papers in the area of the stream. Overall, 176 papers were submitted, of which 86 were selected to be presented at the conference and appear in these proceedings. The acceptance rate was uniform across the streams. In addition, LOPSTR 2000 accepted about 15 extended abstracts to be presented at the conference in the program development stream.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 1428 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The papers in this volume were selected for presentation at the 6th Annual International Computing and Combinatorics Conference (COCOON2000), in Sydney, Australia from July 26 - 28, 2000. The topics cover many areas in t- oretical computer science and combinatorial optimization. There were 81 high quality papers submitted to COCOON2000. Each paper was reviewed by at least three program committee members, and the 44 papers were selected. It is expected that most of them will appear in a more complete form in scientic journals. In addition to the selected papers, the volume also contains the papers from two invited keynote speeches by Christos Papad- itriou and Richard Brent. This year the Hao Wang Award was given to honor the paper judged by the programcommittee to have the greatest merit. The recipient is Approximating Uniform TriangularMeshes in Polygons'byFranz Aurenhammer, NaokiKatoh, Hiromichi Kojima, Makoto Ohsaki, and Yinfeng Xu. The rst Best Young - searcher paper award was given to William Duckworth for his paper Maximum Induced Matchings of Random Cubic Graphs'. We wish to thank all who have made this meeting possible: the authors for submitting papers, the program committee members and the external referees, sponsors, the local organizers, ACM SIGACT for handling electronic subm- sions,Springer-Verlagfor their support, and Debbie Hatherellfor her assistance.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 496 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The Arti cial Evolution conference was originally conceived as a forum for the French-speaking Evolutionary Computation community, but has of late been acquiring an European audience, with several papers from Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain. However, AE remains as intended a small and friendly gathering, which will continue to be held every two years. Previous AE meets were held in Toulouse, Brest, and N¿ mes. This year, the hosting was done by the LIL (Laboratoire d¿Informatique du Littoral) in the not-so-cold city of Dunkerque. The invited talk on ¿Fitness Landscapes and Evolutionary Algorithms¿ was delivered by Colin Reeves of Coventry University This volume contains a selection of the papers presented at the conference. Twenty-seven papers were presented orally at the conference, selected from over 40 papers refereed by the program committee. After the conference, each p- sentation was reviewed and 20 papers were retained and revised for publication in this volume. The papers in this volume have been grouped into the following ve sections which more or less re ect the organization of the oral presentations. 1. Invited Paper: C. Reeves brightly describes the state of the art in Fitness Landscapes. 312 pp. Englisch.