On a Method of Multiprogramming


Book Description

Here, the authors propose a method for the formal development of parallel programs - or multiprograms as they prefer to call them. They accomplish this with a minimum of formal gear, i.e. with the predicate calculus and the well- established theory of Owicki and Gries. They show that the Owicki/Gries theory can be effectively put to work for the formal development of multiprograms, regardless of whether these algorithms are distributed or not.




Topographic Support


Book Description




Predicate Calculus and Program Semantics


Book Description

This booklet presents a reasonably self-contained theory of predicate trans former semantics. Predicate transformers were introduced by one of us (EWD) as a means for defining programming language semantics in a way that would directly support the systematic development of programs from their formal specifications. They met their original goal, but as time went on and program derivation became a more and more formal activity, their informal introduction and the fact that many of their properties had never been proved became more and more unsatisfactory. And so did the original exclusion of unbounded nondeterminacy. In 1982 we started to remedy these shortcomings. This little monograph is a result of that work. A possible -and even likely- criticism is that anyone sufficiently versed in lattice theory can easily derive all of our results himself. That criticism would be correct but somewhat beside the point. The first remark is that the average book on lattice theory is several times fatter (and probably less self contained) than this booklet. The second remark is that the predicate transformer semantics provided only one of the reasons for going through the pains of publication.




Immersed in Media


Book Description

Highlights key research currently being undertaken within the field of telepresence, providing the most detailed account of the field to date, advancing our understanding of a fundamental property of all media - the illusion of presence; the sense of “being there” inside a virtual environment, with actual or virtual others. This collection has been put together by leading international scholars from America, Europe, and Asia. Together, they describe the state-of-the-art in presence theory, research and technology design for an advanced academic audience. Immersed in Media provides research that can help designers optimize presence for users of advanced media technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, collaborative social media, robotics, and artificial intelligence and lead us to better understand human cognition, emotion and behaviour.




Applied Optimization and Swarm Intelligence


Book Description

This book gravitates on the prominent theories and recent developments of swarm intelligence methods, and their application in both synthetic and real-world optimization problems. The special interest will be placed in those algorithmic variants where biological processes observed in nature have underpinned the core operators underlying their search mechanisms. In other words, the book centers its attention on swarm intelligence and nature-inspired methods for efficient optimization and problem solving. The content of this book unleashes a great opportunity for researchers, lecturers and practitioners interested in swarm intelligence, optimization problems and artificial intelligence.




Cold-Spray Coatings


Book Description

This book combines the contributions of experts in the field to describe the behavior of various materials, micromechanisms involved during processing, and the optimization of cold-spray technology. It spans production, characterization, and applications including wear resistance, fatigue, life improvement, thermal barriers, crack repair, and biological applications. Cold spray is an innovative coating technology based on the kinetic energy gained by particles sprayed at very high pressures. While the technique was developed in the 1990s, industrial and scientific interest in this technology has grown vastly in the last ten years. Recently, many interesting applications have been associated with cold-sprayed coatings, including wear resistance, fatigue life improvement, thermal barriers, biological applications, and crack repair. However, many fundamental aspects require clarification and description.




Thermal Spray Fundamentals


Book Description

This book provides readers with the fundamentals necessary for understanding thermal spray technology. Coverage includes in-depth discussions of various thermal spray processes, feedstock materials, particle-jet interactions, and associated yet very critical topics: diagnostics, current and emerging applications, surface science, and pre and post-treatment. This book will serve as an invaluable resource as a textbook for graduate courses in the field and as an exhaustive reference for professionals involved in thermal spray technology.




E-Z Business Math


Book Description

This self-teaching manual reviews arithmetic skills as they apply to business records and functions. Topics reviewed include fractions, decimals, calculating percentages, the fundamentals of statistics and business graphics, measurements in the English and metric systems, and applications of mathematics to banking, investing, loans, and setting up a business. Barron’s continues its ongoing project of updating, improving, and giving handsome new designs to its popular list of Easy Way titles, now re-named Barron’s E-Z Series. The new cover designs reflect the books’ brand-new page layouts, which feature extensive two-color treatment, a fresh, modern typeface, and more graphic material than ever. Charts, graphs, diagrams, instructive line illustrations, and where appropriate, amusing cartoons help to make learning E-Z. Barron’s E-Z books are self-teaching manuals focused to improve students’ grades across a wide array of academic and practical subjects. For most subjects, the skill level ranges between senior high school and college-101 standards. In addition to their self-teaching value, these books are also widely used as textbooks or textbook supplements in classroom settings. E-Z books review their subjects in detail, using both short quizzes and longer tests to help students gauge their learning progress. All exercises and tests come with answers. Subject heads and key phrases are set in a second color as an easy reference aid.




Bioceramic Coatings for Medical Implants


Book Description

Reflecting the progress in recent years, this book provides in-depth information on the preparation, chemistry, and engineering of bioceramic coatings for medical implants. It is authored by two renowned experts with over 30 years of experience in industry and academia, who know the potentials and pitfalls of the techniques concerned. Following an introduction to the principles of biocompatibility, they present the structures and properties of various bioceramics from alumina to zirconia. The main part of the work focuses on coating technologies, such as chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel deposition and thermal spraying. There then follows a discussion of the major interactions of bioceramics with bone or tissue cells, complemented by an overview of the in-vitro testing methods of the biomineralization properties of bioceramics. The text is rounded off by chapters on the functionalization of bioceramic coatings and a look at future trends. As a result, the authors bring together all aspects of the latest techniques for designing, depositing, testing, and implementing improved and novel bioceramic coating compositions, providing a full yet concise overview for beginners and professionals.




Polish Migration to the UK in the 'New' European Union


Book Description

Since the 2004 enlargement of the European Union over half a million Polish migrants have registered to work in the United Kingdom, constituting one of the largest migration movements in contemporary Europe. Drawing on research undertaken across a wide range of disciplines - history, economics, sociology, anthropology, film studies and discourse analysis - and focusing on both the Polish and British aspects of this phenomenon - both emigration and immigration - this edited collection investigates what is actually new about this migration flow, what its causes and consequences are, and how these migrants' lives have changed by moving to the United Kingdom. As the first book to deal with Polish migration to the United Kingdom, Polish Migration to the UK in the 'New' European Union will appeal to scholars across a range of social sciences, whose work concerns migration and the migration process.