Browse Results

Showing 25,426 through 25,450 of 53,657 results

Energy Resilience and Climate Protection: Energy systems, critical infrastructures, and sustainability goals

by Heinz-Adalbert Krebs Patricia Hagenweiler

The increasingly interconnected, fast-moving, unmanageable and unpredictable world brings with it an unprecedented variety of known and as yet unknown challenges and risks. Some of the global risks have a direct impact on critical infrastructures as well as those of energy supply in particular. A high level of functionality of critical infrastructures (CRITIS), which include the sectors of energy, information technology and telecommunications, transportation and traffic, health, water, food, finance and insurance, government and administration, as well as media and culture, is indispensable for a modern industrial society. In the context of the Corona crisis of 2020/2021, the worldwide inadequate preparation for pandemics became obvious, although the probability of epidemic outbreaks and their global spread has increased significantly in recent decades and was thus predictable to a certain extent. Moreover, it has been shown that in a globally interconnected world, complex crisis phenomena can mutually amplify and thus escalate within a short period of time. In particular, the deficits in preparedness for major risks that became apparent in the course of the Corona pandemic cannot be managed by nation states alone, especially since the probability of such events has risen continuously in recent decades and will continue to increase with growing globalization and urbanization and, in particular, as a result of climate change and its consequences. This publication addresses the challenges of energy resilience and climate protection, which will require immense attention in the future.

Agile Portfolio Management

by Jochen Krebs

Agile development processes foster better collaboration, innovation, and results. So why limit their use to software projects--when you can transform your entire business? Written by agile-mentoring expert Jochen Krebs, this book illuminates the opportunities--and rewards--of applying agile processes to your overall IT portfolio. Whether project manager, business analyst, or executive--you'll understand the business drivers behind agile portfolio management. And learn best practices for optimizing results. Use agile processes to align IT and business strategy Adapt and extend core agile processes Orchestrate the collaboration between IT and business vision Eliminate wish-list driven requirements, and manage expectations instead Optimize the balance of projects, resources, and assets in your portfolio Use metrics to communicate project status, quality, even team morale Create a portfolio strategy consistent with the goals of the organization Achieve organizational and process transparency Manage your business with agility--and help maximize the returns!

Was geht mich die Physik an?: Physikalisch denken in Gesellschaft, Politik und Management.

by Reiner Kree

Politische Themen mit wissenschaftlichem Bezug werden medial immer präsenter. In Talkshows, Zeitungen und politischen Beratungsgremien finden oft Expertinnen und Experten mit Physikausbildung Gehör. Egal, ob es um Klimawandel, Finanzmarktcrashs, Pandemiepolitik oder erneuerbare Energien geht: wir müssen den Aussagen dieser Expertinnen und Experten blind vertrauen, wenn wir selbst kein Fachwissen besitzen. In diesem Buch werden physikalische Grundlagen hinter gesellschaftlich relevanten Themen auf eine allgemeinverständliche Weise erklärt. Dabei geht es vor allem darum, die für die Physik typischen Denkweisen klar zu machen. Auf welchen Grundlagen (Mechanik, Elektrodynamik, Quantentheorie, Feldtheorien, Relativitätstheorien, Statistische Physik) beruhen eigentlich physikalische Aussagen? Wie sind diese Grundlagen entstanden? Wie erstellt man in der Physik Modelle zur Beschreibung komplexer Themen? Was ist „Wahrheit" in Wissenschaften? Wie ist das Verhältnis von Modellen zur Wirklichkeit? Beim Beantworten dieser und vieler weiterer Fragen hat der Autor darauf geachtet, nur Mathematik vorauszusetzen, die das Niveau der Mittelstufe nicht überschreitet. Der vorliegende Band richtet sich an alle, die für Entscheidungen und Urteile ein einfaches aber solides Verständnis des physikalischen Denkens suchen: sei es im Alltag, in Unternehmen oder in der Politik.

Combinatorial Algorithms: Generation, Enumeration, and Search (Discrete Mathematics And Its Applications Ser. #7)

by Donald L. Kreher Douglas R. Stinson

This textbook thoroughly outlines combinatorial algorithms for generation, enumeration, and search. Topics include backtracking and heuristic search methods applied to various combinatorial structures, such as:CombinationsPermutationsGraphsDesignsMany classical areas are covered as well as new research topics not included in most existing texts, such as:Group algorithmsGraph isomorphismHill-climbingHeuristic search algorithmsThis work serves as an exceptional textbook for a modern course in combinatorial algorithms, providing a unified and focused collection of recent topics of interest in the area. The authors, synthesizing material that can only be found scattered through many different sources, introduce the most important combinatorial algorithmic techniques - thus creating an accessible, comprehensive text that students of mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science can understand without needing a prior course on combinatorics.

Using SQLite: Small. Fast. Reliable. Choose Any Three. (O'reilly Ser.)

by Jay A. Kreibich

Application developers, take note: databases aren't just for the IS group any more. You can build database-backed applications for the desktop, Web, embedded systems, or operating systems without linking to heavy-duty client-server databases such as Oracle and MySQL. This book shows you how to use SQLite, a small and lightweight relational database engine that you can build directly into your application. With SQLite, you'll discover how to develop a database-backed application that remains manageable in size and complexity. This book guides you every step of the way. You'll get a crash course in data modeling, become familiar with SQLite's dialect of the SQL database language, and much more. Learn how to maintain localized storage in a single file that requires no configuration Build your own SQLite library or use a precompiled distribution in your application Get a primer on SQL, and learn how to use several language functions and extensions Work with SQLite using a scripting language or a C-based language such as C# or Objective-C Understand the basics of database design, and learn how to transfer what you already know to SQLite Take advantage of virtual tables and modules "Complex SQL concepts explained clearly." --D. Richard Hipp, creator of SQLite

Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement

by Christian Kreiner Rory V. O'Connor Alexander Poth Richard Messnarz

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 21st EuroSPI conference, held in Luxembourg, in June 2014. The 18 revised papers presented together with 11 invited papers in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected. They are organized in topical sections on SPI and very small entities; process improvement frameworks; testing and improvement issues; SPI and people issues; SPI and quality issues; software processes in various contexts. The volume also contains selected keynote papers from EuroSPI workshops and invited papers covering the topic of creating environments supporting innovation and improvement.

Oracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference

by David C. Kreines

<p><i>Oracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference</i> gives DBAs and developers at any level quick and easy access to the data dictionary in Oracle's latest database, Oracle9i. This pocket-sized book provides a complete list of the most commonly used tables and views in the Oracle9i data dictionary, intelligently arranged for quick reference. It also includes column names and descriptions for each of the tables and views, as well as helpful tips, warnings, and usage examples. When you've reached a sticking point in your work and want to check your facts quickly, the <i>Oracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference</i> is the book to have close by.</p>

Oracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference: Views, Columns & Tips

by David C. Kreines

If you work with Oracle, then you don't need to be told that the data dictionary is large and complex, and grows larger with each new Oracle release. It's one of the basic elements of the Oracle database you interact with regularly, but the sheer number of tables and views makes it difficult to remember which view you need, much less the name of the specific column. Want to make it simpler? The Oracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference puts all the information you need right at your fingertips. Its handy and compact format lets you locate the table and view you need effortlessly without stopping to interrupt your workOracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference gives DBAs and developers at any level quick and easy access to the data dictionary in Oracle's latest database, Oracle9i. This pocket-sized book provides a complete list of the most commonly used tables and views in the Oracle9i data dictionary, intelligently arranged for quick reference. It also includes column names and descriptions for each of the tables and views, as well as helpful tips, warnings, and usage examples.O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among developers and database administrators everywhere. By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. When you've reached a sticking point in your work and want to check your facts quickly, the Oracle Data Dictionary Pocket Reference is the book to have close by.

Oracle SQL: The Essential Reference

by David C. Kreines

Everything Oracle developers and DBAs need to know about standard SQL (Structured Query Language) and Oracle's extensions to it is in this single, concise reference volume. Quick-reference chapters investigate basic SQL elements, Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML), SQL functions, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus, and Oracle SQL optimization and tuning. The book covers Oracle8 i, release 8.1.6.

Oracle Database Administration, The Essential Reference

by David C. Kreines Brian Laskey

A concise reference to the enormous store of information Oracle8 or Oracle7 DBAs need every day, Oracle Database Administrationcovers DBA tasks like installation, tuning, backups, networking, auditing, and query optimization. It's also a set of quick references on initialization parameters, SQL statements, data dictionary tables, system privileges, roles, and syntax for SQL*Plus, Export, Import, and SQL*Loader.

Towards Explainable Fuzzy AI: Concepts, Paradigms, Tools, and Techniques (Studies in Computational Intelligence #1047)

by Vladik Kreinovich

Modern AI techniques –- especially deep learning –- provide, in many cases, very good recommendations: where a self-driving car should go, whether to give a company a loan, etc. The problem is that not all these recommendations are good -- and since deep learning provides no explanations, we cannot tell which recommendations are good. It is therefore desirable to provide natural-language explanation of the numerical AI recommendations. The need to connect natural language rules and numerical decisions is known since 1960s, when the need emerged to incorporate expert knowledge -- described by imprecise words like "small" -- into control and decision making. For this incorporation, a special "fuzzy" technique was invented, that led to many successful applications. This book described how this technique can help to make AI more explainable.The book can be recommended for students, researchers, and practitioners interested in explainable AI.

Uncertainty Modeling

by Vladik Kreinovich

This book commemorates the 65th birthday of Dr. Boris Kovalerchuk, and reflects many of the research areas covered by his work. It focuses on data processing under uncertainty, especially fuzzy data processing, when uncertainty comes from the imprecision of expert opinions. The book includes 17 authoritative contributions by leading experts.

Fuzzy Information Processing 2020: Proceedings of the 2020 Annual Conference of the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society, NAFIPS 2020 (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing #1337)

by Vladik Kreinovich Barnabás Bede Martine Ceberio Martine De Cock

This book describes how to use expert knowledge—which is often formulated by using imprecise (fuzzy) words from a natural language. In the 1960s, Zadeh designed special "fuzzy" techniques for such use. In the 1980s, fuzzy techniques started controlling trains, elevators, video cameras, rice cookers, car transmissions, etc. Now, combining fuzzy with neural, genetic, and other intelligent methods leads to new state-of-the-art results: in aerospace industry (from drones to space flights), in mobile robotics, in finances (predicting the value of crypto-currencies), and even in law enforcement (detecting counterfeit banknotes, detecting online child predators and in creating explainable AI systems). The book describes these (and other) applications—as well as foundations and logistics of fuzzy techniques. This book can be recommended to specialists—both in fuzzy and in various application areas—who will learn latest techniques and their applications, and to students interested in innovative ideas.

Constraint Programming and Decision Making: Theory and Applications (Studies in Systems, Decision and Control #100)

by Vladik Kreinovich Martine Ceberio

This book describes new algorithms and ideas for making effective decisions under constraints, including applications in control engineering, manufacturing (how to optimally determine the production level), econometrics (how to better predict stock market behavior), and environmental science and geosciences (how to combine data of different types). It also describes general algorithms and ideas that can be used in other application areas. The book presents extended versions of selected papers from the annual International Workshops on Constraint Programming and Decision Making (CoProd'XX) from 2013 to 2016. These workshops, held in the US (El Paso, Texas) and in Europe (W#65533;rzburg, Germany, and Uppsala, Sweden), have attracted researchers and practitioners from all over the world. It is of interest to practitioners who benefit from the new techniques, to researchers who want to extend the ideas from these papers to new application areas and/or further improve the corresponding algorithms, and to graduate students who want to learn more - in short, to anyone who wants to make more effective decisions under constraints.

Decision Making under Constraints (Studies in Systems, Decision and Control #276)

by Vladik Kreinovich Martine Ceberio

This book presents extended versions of selected papers from the annual International Workshops on Constraint Programming and Decision Making from 2016 to 2018. The papers address all stages of decision-making under constraints: (1) precisely formulating the problem of multi-criteria decision-making; (2) determining when the corresponding decision problem is algorithmically solvable; (3) finding the corresponding algorithms and making these algorithms as efficient as possible; and (4) taking into account interval, probabilistic, and fuzzy uncertainty inherent in the corresponding decision-making problems. In many application areas, it is necessary to make effective decisions under constraints, and there are several area-specific techniques for such decision problems. However, because they are area-specific, it is not easy to apply these techniques in other application areas. As such, the annual International Workshops on Constraint Programming and Decision Making focus on cross-fertilization between different areas, attracting researchers and practitioners from around the globe. The book includes numerous papers describing applications, in particular, applications to engineering, such as control of unmanned aerial vehicles, and vehicle protection against improvised explosion devices.

From Intervals to –?: Towards a General Description of Validated Uncertainty (Studies in Computational Intelligence #1041)

by Vladik Kreinovich Graçaliz Pereira Dimuro Antônio Carlos da Rocha Costa

This book is about methodological aspects of uncertainty propagation in data processing. Uncertainty propagation is an important problem: while computer algorithms efficiently process data related to many aspects of their lives, most of these algorithms implicitly assume that the numbers they process are exact. In reality, these numbers come from measurements, and measurements are never 100% exact. Because of this, it makes no sense to translate 61 kg into pounds and get the result—as computers do—with 13 digit accuracy. In many cases—e.g., in celestial mechanics—the state of a system can be described by a few numbers: the values of the corresponding physical quantities. In such cases, for each of these quantities, we know (at least) the upper bound on the measurement error. This bound is either provided by the manufacturer of the measuring instrument—or is estimated by the user who calibrates this instrument. However, in many other cases, the description of the system is more complex than a few numbers: we need a function to describe a physical field (e.g., electromagnetic field); we need a vector in Hilbert space to describe a quantum state; we need a pseudo-Riemannian space to describe the physical space-time, etc. To describe and process uncertainty in all such cases, this book proposes a general methodology—a methodology that includes intervals as a particular case. The book is recommended to students and researchers interested in challenging aspects of uncertainty analysis and to practitioners who need to handle uncertainty in such unusual situations.

Bounded Rationality in Decision Making Under Uncertainty: Towards Optimal Granularity (Studies in Systems, Decision and Control #99)

by Vladik Kreinovich Joe Lorkowski

This book addresses an intriguing question: are our decisions rational? It explains seemingly irrational human decision-making behavior by taking into account our limited ability to process information. It also shows with several examples that optimization under granularity restriction leads to observed human decision-making. Drawing on the Nobel-prize-winning studies by Kahneman and Tversky, researchers have found many examples of seemingly irrational decisions: e. g. , we overestimate the probability of rare events. Our explanation is that since human abilities to process information are limited, we operate not with the exact values of relevant quantities, but with "granules" that contain these values. We show that optimization under such granularity indeed leads to observed human behavior. In particular, for the first time, we explain the mysterious empirical dependence of betting odds on actual probabilities. This book can be recommended to all students interested in human decision-making, to researchers whose work involves human decisions, and to practitioners who design and employ systems involving human decision-making --so that they can better utilize our ability to make decisions under uncertainty.

Combining Interval, Probabilistic, and Other Types of Uncertainty in Engineering Applications (Studies In Computational Intelligence #773)

by Vladik Kreinovich Andrew Pownuk

How can we solve engineering problems while taking into account data characterized by different types of measurement and estimation uncertainty: interval, probabilistic, fuzzy, etc.? This book provides a theoretical basis for arriving at such solutions, as well as case studies demonstrating how these theoretical ideas can be translated into practical applications in the geosciences, pavement engineering, etc.In all these developments, the authors’ objectives were to provide accurate estimates of the resulting uncertainty; to offer solutions that require reasonably short computation times; to offer content that is accessible for engineers; and to be sufficiently general - so that readers can use the book for many different problems. The authors also describe how to make decisions under different types of uncertainty.The book offers a valuable resource for all practical engineers interested in better ways of gauging uncertainty, for students eager to learn and apply the new techniques, and for researchers interested in processing heterogeneous uncertainty.

Structural Changes and their Econometric Modeling (Studies in Computational Intelligence #808)

by Vladik Kreinovich Songsak Sriboonchitta

This book focuses on structural changes and economic modeling. It presents papers describing how to model structural changes, as well as those introducing improvements to the existing before-structural-changes models, making it easier to later on combine these models with techniques describing structural changes. The book also includes related theoretical developments and practical applications of the resulting techniques to economic problems. Most traditional mathematical models of economic processes describe how the corresponding quantities change with time. However, in addition to such relatively smooth numerical changes, economical phenomena often undergo more drastic structural change. Describing such structural changes is not easy, but it is vital if we want to have a more adequate description of economic phenomena – and thus, more accurate and more reliable predictions and a better understanding on how best to influence the economic situation.

Beyond Traditional Probabilistic Methods in Economics (Studies in Computational Intelligence #809)

by Vladik Kreinovich Nguyen Ngoc Thach Nguyen Duc Trung Dang Van Thanh

This book presents recent research on probabilistic methods in economics, from machine learning to statistical analysis. Economics is a very important – and at the same a very difficult discipline. It is not easy to predict how an economy will evolve or to identify the measures needed to make an economy prosper. One of the main reasons for this is the high level of uncertainty: different difficult-to-predict events can influence the future economic behavior. To make good predictions and reasonable recommendations, this uncertainty has to be taken into account. In the past, most related research results were based on using traditional techniques from probability and statistics, such as p-value-based hypothesis testing. These techniques led to numerous successful applications, but in the last decades, several examples have emerged showing that these techniques often lead to unreliable and inaccurate predictions. It is therefore necessary to come up with new techniques for processing the corresponding uncertainty that go beyond the traditional probabilistic techniques. This book focuses on such techniques, their economic applications and the remaining challenges, presenting both related theoretical developments and their practical applications.

Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians

by Patricia A. Kreitz JoAnn DeVries

Since the 1950s there has been a persistent shortage of sci-tech librarians, and as more librarians retire or change positions, the prospect looms that the profession will only depopulate further. Tackling this difficult challenge, Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians gathers together into one source the perspectives of top library administrators and managers as well as front-line librarians who present the latest research and practical strategies to find, train, and keep those valuable specialized professionals. This book explores in depth timely issues and presents creative perspectives and innovative solutions to this persistent problem in subject-specialized libraries.As the baby-boom generation of science and technology librarians begins to retire, training and keeping sci-tech librarians will become even more crucial. Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians discusses the “replacement gap” problem in libraries, including who should be recruited, how they should be trained, and how to retain them once hired. Several authors address the field’s long-standing specialist vs. generalist debate, bringing new data and experience-driven perspectives to this challenging issue.Topics in Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians include: updating the cultural image of librarians to make the profession more appealing a comprehensive literature review how to cultivate candidates who are dedicated to service and love research and learning practical approaches to improve the visibility and attractiveness of science librarianship the skills and support needed to become a successful science librarian an innovative program to recruit undergraduates an in-depth survey of practicing science and technology librarians the challenges of science librarianship in Africa library and information science educators as recruiters for sci-tech librarians creative strategies to recruit and retain librarians adapting aspects of first-year student retention programs as a model for library retention programs how professional competencies can be used for recruitment, training, and retention and more Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians is a timely, important resource for college and university administrators, and public, special, academic, and government librarians.

Pairwise Comparison Matrices and their Fuzzy Extension: Multi-criteria Decision Making With A New Fuzzy Approach (Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing #366)

by Jana Krejčí

This book offers the first comprehensive and critical literature review of fuzzy pairwise comparison methods derived from methods originally developed for crisp pairwise comparison matrices. It proposes new fuzzy extensions of these methods and provides a detailed study of the differences and analogies between all the reviewed methods, as well as a detailed description of their drawbacks, with the help of many numerical examples. In order to prevent the drawbacks related to the reviewed fuzzy pairwise comparison methods, the book introduces constrained fuzzy arithmetic in fuzzy extension of the pairwise comparison methods. It proposes new fuzzy pairwise comparison methods based on constrained fuzzy arithmetic and critically compares them with the reviewed methods. It describes the application of the newly developed methods to incomplete large-dimensional pairwise comparison matrices showcased in a real-life case study. Written for researchers, graduate and PhD students interested in multi-criteria decision making methods based on both crisp and fuzzy pairwise comparison matrices, this self-contained book offers an overview of cutting-edge research and all necessary information to understand the described tools and use them in real-world applications.

Cyberspace and International Relations: Theory, Prospects and Challenges

by Jan-Frederik Kremer Benedikt Müller

Cyberspace is everywhere in today's world and has significant implications not only for global economic activity, but also for international politics and transnational social relations. This compilation addresses for the first time the "cyberization" of international relations - the growing dependence of actors in IR on the infrastructure and instruments of the internet, and the penetration of cyberspace into all fields of their activities. The volume approaches this topical issue in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary fashion, bringing together scholars from disciplines such as IR, security studies, ICT studies and philosophy as well as experts from everyday cyber-practice. In the first part, concepts and theories are presented to shed light on the relationship between cyberspace and international relations, discussing implications for the discipline and presenting fresh and innovative theoretical approaches. Contributions in the second part focus on specific empirical fields of activity (security, economy, diplomacy, cultural activity, transnational communication, critical infrastructure, cyber espionage, social media, and more) and address emerging challenges and prospects for international politics and relations.

Digital Cultural Heritage

by Horst Kremers

This book provides an overview of various application spheres and supports further innovations needed in information management and in the processes of knowledge generation. The professions, organizations and scientific associations involved are unusually challenged by the complexity of the data situation. Cartography has always been the central field of application for georeferencing digital cultural heritage (DCH) objects. It is particularly important in enabling spatial relation analysis between any number of DCH objects or of their granular details. In addition to the pure geometric aspects, the cognitive relations that lead to knowledge representation and derivation of innovative use processes are also of increasing importance. Further, there is a societal demand for spatial reference and analytics (e.g. the extensive use of cognitive concepts of "map" and "atlas" for a variety of social topics in the media). There is a huge geometrical-logical-cognitive potential for complex, multimedia, digital-cultural-heritage databases and stakeholders expect handling, transmission and processing operations with guaranteed long-term availability for all other stakeholders. In the future, whole areas of digital multimedia databases will need to be processed to further our understanding of historical and cultural contexts. This is an important concern for the information society and presents significant challenges for cartography in all these domains.This book collects innovative technical and scientific work on the entire process of object digitization, including detail extraction, archiving and interoperability of multimedia DCH data.

Level Design: Concept, Theory, and Practice

by Rudolf Kremers

Good or bad level design can make or break any game, so it is surprising how little reference material exists for level designers. Beginning level designers have a limited understanding of the tools and techniques they can use to achieve their goals, or even define them. This book is the first to use a conceptual and theoretical foundation to build

Refine Search

Showing 25,426 through 25,450 of 53,657 results