Entropy, Search, Complexity
The present volume is a collection of survey papers in the fields of entropy, search and complexity. They summarize the latest developments in their respective areas.More than half of the papers belong to search theory which lies on the borderline of mathematics and computer science, information theory and combinatorics, respectively. Search theory has variegated applications, among others in bioinformatics. Some of these papers also have links to linear statistics and communicational complexity.
Entrepreneurship Policy : Theory and Practice
Entrepreneurship Policy: Theory and Practice is the first book to fully analyze the construction of entrepreneurship policy, a rapidly-evolving area of policy about which little is known. From a study and assessment of the practices of governments in thirteen countries in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region, this book fully describes the policy area and shares new tools and methods for better understanding and explaining the how and why of an entrepreneurship policy approach. Methods of note include the entrepreneurship policy comprehensiveness index and the context method. It presents a conceptual model describing the many factors which affect, in a dynamic way, the level of entrepreneurship in a country or region. It also describes a typology of entrepreneurship policy which will be useful to others in categorizing their policy approaches.
Entity-Oriented Search
This open access book covers all facets of entity-oriented search—where “search” can be interpreted in the broadest sense of information access—from a unified point of view, and provides a coherent and comprehensive overview of the state of the art. It represents the first synthesis of research in this broad and rapidly developing area. Selected topics are discussed in-depth, the goal being to establish fundamental techniques and methods as a basis for future research and development. Additional topics are treated at a survey level only, containing numerous pointers to the relevant literature. A roadmap for future research, based on open issues and challenges identified along the way, rounds out the book.
Enterprise Information Systems VI
This book contains the best papers of the Sixth International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems (ICEIS 2004), held in Porto (Portugal) and organized by INSTICC (Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Communication and Control) in collaboration with PORTUCALENSE UNIVERSITY, who hosted the event. Following the route started in 1999, ICEIS has become a major point of contact between research scientists, engineers and practitioners on the area of business applications of information systems. This conference has received an increased interest every year, from especially from the international academic community, and it is now one of the world largest conferences in its area. This year, five simultaneous tracks were held, covering different aspects related to enterprise computing, including: “Databases and Information Systems Integration”,
Enhancing urban environment by environmental upgrading and restoration ; Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on enhancing urban environment : environmental upgrading of municipal pollution control facilities and restoration of urban waters, Rome, Italy from 6 - 9 November 2003.
As urban areas keep growing, water infrastructure ages, and the requirements on environmental protection become more rigorous, there is a continual need for upgrading water pollution control facilities and restoring degraded urban waters. Such issues are addressed in this book by focusing on five major topics: (a) Upgrading stormwater management facilities, (b) Retrofitting / upgrading combined sewer overflow (CSO) facilities, (c) Optimising/upgrading sewage treatment plant performance, (d) Urban stream restoration, and (e) Challenges in restoring urban environment. Each chapter contains some overview papers followed by research or case study papers. Besides presentations of new approaches and accomplishments in the field of upgrading and restoration, several papers provide analysis of vast needs in this field in several countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which either recently joined the European Union (EU) or are preparing for accession, and need to comply with the existing EU directives dealing with environmental protection. As such, this book will be of primary interest to researchers and university lecturers dealing with environmental upgrading and restoration, environmental planners from all levels of government, municipal engineers and politicians, and finally the private industry representatives (consultants, private utilities and environmental technology suppliers) searching for new business opportunities among the new or aspiring members of EU.
Enhancing Smallholder Farmers' Access to Seed of Improved Legume Varieties Through Multi-stakeholder Platforms : Learning from the TLIII project Experiences in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
This book shares the experiences of Tropical Legumes III (TLIII) project in facilitating access to seed of improved legume varieties to smallholder farmers through innovation platforms. It highlights practices and guiding principles implemented in eight developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This book details key processes that respective teams employed to create an innovation space that delivers seed, other inputs, knowledge and financial services to agricultural communities and most importantly, the underserved farmers in remote areas of the drylands
Enhanced Methods in Computer Security, Biometric and Artificial Intelligence Systems
"Methods of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Agents" contains 13 contributions analyzing such areas of AI as fuzzy set theory, predicate logic, neural networks, clustering, data mining and others. It also presents applications of AI as possible solutions for problems like firm bankruptcy, soil erosion, flight control and others. "Information Technology Security" covers three important areas of security engineering in information systems: software security, public key infrastructure and the design of new cryptographic protocols and algorithms. "Biometric Systems" comprises 11 contributions dealing with face picture analysis and recognition systems. This chapter focuses on known methods of biometric problem solution as well as the design of new models.
Enhanced Living Environments : Algorithms, Architectures, Platforms, and Systems
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is an area of research based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), medical research, and sociological research. AAL is based on the notion that technology and science can provide improvements in the quality of life for people in their homes, and that it can reduce the financial burden on the budgets of the healthcare providers. The concept of Enhanced Living Environments (ELE) refers to the AAL area that is more related with ICT. Effective ELE solutions require appropriate ICT algorithms, architectures, platforms, and systems, having in view the advance of science in this area and the development of new and innovative solutions. The aim of this book is to become a state-of-the-art reference, discussing progress made, as well as prompting future directions on theories, practices, standards, and strategies related to the ELE area.
English, French & German comparative law
This comparative analysis considers the differing approaches to important areas of law in England, France and Germany. In particular, constitutions, sources of law, rights against the state to prevent abuse of power, and rights of private individuals and organisations against each other in tort and contract are examined and compared, and the system of courts is also considered. Updated and revised, each sub-topic is introduced with the relevant material in the English system.
Engineering Stochastic Local Search Algorithms. Designing, Implementing and Analyzing Effective Heuristics ; International Workshop, SLS 2007, Brussels, Belgium, September 6-8, 2007, Proceedings
Stochastic local search (SLS) algorithms enjoy great popularity as powerful and versatile tools for tackling computationally hard decision and optimization pr- lems from many areas of computer science, operations research, and engineering. However, in recent years it has become evident that at the core of this development task there is a highly complex engineering process, which combines various aspects of algorithm design with empirical analysis techniques and problem-specific background, and which relies heavily on knowledge from a number of disciplines and areas, including computer science, operations research, artificial intelligence, and statistics. This development process needs to be - sisted by a sound methodology that addresses the issues arising in the various phases of algorithm design, implementation, tuning, and experimental eval- tion.
Engineering self-organising systems Vol. 3910 ; 3rd International Workshop, ESOA 2005, Utrecht, The Netherlands, July 25, 2005, Revised Selected Papers
This book contains recent work from a broad range of areas with the common theme of utilising self-organisation productively. As distributed information infrastructures continue to spread (such as the Internet, wireless and mobile systems), new challenges have arisen demanding robust and scalable solutions. In these new challenging environments the - signers and engineers of global applications and services can seldom rely on centralised control or management, high reliability of devices, or secure en- ronments. At the other end of the scale, ad-hoc sensor networks and ubiquitous computing devices are making it possible to embed millions of smart computing agents into the local environment.
Engineering psychology and cognitive ergonomics ; 7th International Conference, EPCE 2007, Held as Part of HCI International 2007, Beijing, China, July 22-27, 2007, Proceedings
This book address the latest research and development efforts and highlight the human aspects of design and use of computing systems. It cover the entire field of Human-Computer Interaction, addressing major - vances in knowledge and effective use of computers in a variety of application areas. This volume contains papers in the thematic area of En- neering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics, addressing the following major topics: Cognitive and Affective Issues in User Interface Design, Cognitive Workload and Human Performance, Cognitive Modeling and Measuring, Safety Critical Applications and Systems
Engineering and Managing Software Requirements
This book provides an exploration of key issues in requirements engineering, the book is organized in three parts. Part 1 presents surveys of state-of-the art requirements engineering process research along with critical assessments of existing models, frameworks and techniques. Part 2 addresses key areas in requirements engineering, such as market-driven requirements engineering, goal modeling, requirements ambiguity, and others. Part 3 concludes the book with articles that present empirical evidence and experiences from practices in industrial projects. Its broader perspective gives this book its distinct appeal and makes it of interest to both researchers and practitioners, not only in software engineering but also in other disciplines such as business process engineering and management science.
Energy-efficient and semi-automated truck platooning : Research and evaluation
This book presents research and evaluation results of the Austrian flagship project “Connecting Austria,” illustrating the wide range of research needs and questions that arise when semi-automated truck platooning is deployed in Austria. The work presented is introduced in the context of work in similar research areas around the world. This interdisciplinary research effort considers aspects of engineering, road-vehicle and infrastructure technologies, traffic management and optimization, traffic safety, and psychology, as well as potential economic effects.
Endoscopic Anatomy of the Third Ventricle : Microsurgical and Endoscopic Approaches
In this atlas anatomical aspects important for combinations of microsurgical and endoscopic approaches are presented and illustrated. Modern imaging techniques are necessary for the three-dimensional orientation but do not show enough details for endoscopic interventions. The small visual fields need a combination of the depiction of fine details and of the three-dimensional presentation of large areas. Furthermore, problems with little known anatomical standard variants of the target areas may arise. Therefore, numerous common anatomical variants are demonstrated with reference to their impact for the surgical technique.
Endodontology at a Glance
Covers all the essential topics (diagnosis, endodontic therapy, pain management and outcome of treatment) as well as the recent developments that comprise the field of endodontology. Written by experts in the field, the book explores the causes and sequelae of endodontic disease and offers suggestions for taking an effective patient history. New addition to the At a Glance series covering a core area of dentistry Review style makes for the ideal revision companion Includes access to a companion website with MCQs for self-assessment and downloadable images for use in teaching
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals : From Basic Research to Clinical Practice
This book presents a translational approach to EDC research, spanning both basic biology and clinical applications, and provides a critical link between the laboratory and the physicians’ office. Scientists and physicians engaged in EDC studies or practice will find that this volume offers insight across all areas of EDC research, including clarifying the mechanisms for EDC effects, understanding the adverse affects of EDCs on humans and wildlife, and offering solutions to the problems created by exposures to EDCs.
Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology
It provides rapid access to information on molecular pharmacology for research scientists, clinicians and advanced students. With the A-Z format of over 2,000 entries, around 350 authors provide a complete reference to the area of molecular pharmacology. The book combines the knowledge of classic pharmacology with the more recent approach of the precise analysis of the molecular mechanisms by which drugs exert their effects. Short keyword entries define common acronyms, terms and phrases. In addition, detailed essays provide in-depth information on drugs, cellular processes, molecular targets, techniques, molecular mechanisms, and general principles.
Encyclopedia of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics
Covering all aspects of transport phenomena on the nano- and micro-scale, Springer’s Encyclopedia of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics includes over 750 entries in three alphabetically-arranged volumes including the most up-to-date research, insights, and applied techniques across all areas. Specifically, subjects covered in this comprehensive Springer Reference include electrical double-layers, optofluidics, DNC lab-on-a-chip, nanosensors, and more.
Encyclopedia of cryptography and security
An encyclopedia that contains information on various aspects of cryptography and security. It covers subject areas such as: authentication and identification; block ciphers and stream ciphers; computational issues; copy protection; cryptanalysis and security; cryptographic protocols; and, electronic payment and digital certificates.



















