Modern information processing systems show such complex properties as distribution, parallelism, interaction, time dependency, and nondeterminism. For critical applications, mathematical methods are needed to model the systems and to support their development and validation. Impressive progress in mathematical methods for programming software systems makes it possible to think about unifying the different approaches. This book gives a comprehensive overview of existing methods and presents some of the most recent results in applying them. The main topics are: advanced programming techniques, foundations of systems engineering, mathematical support methods, and application of the methods. The approaches presented are illustrated by examples and related to other approaches.

An unparalleled learning tool and guide to error correction coding Error correction coding techniques allow the detection and correction of errors occurring during the transmission of data in digital communication systems. These techniques are nearly universally employed in modern communication systems, and are thus an important component of the modern information economy. Error Correction Coding: Mathematical Methods and Algorithms provides a comprehensive introduction to both the theoretical and practical aspects of error correction coding, with a presentation suitable for a wide variety of audiences, including graduate students in electrical engineering, mathematics, or computer science. The pedagogy is arranged so that the mathematical concepts are presented incrementally, followed immediately by applications to coding. A large number of exercises expand and deepen students' understanding. A unique feature of the book is a set of programming laboratories, supplemented with over 250 programs and functions on an associated Web site, which provides hands-on experience and a better understanding of the material. These laboratories lead students through the implementation and evaluation of Hamming codes, CRC codes, BCH and R-S codes, convolutional codes, turbo codes, and LDPC codes. This text offers both "classical" coding theory-such as Hamming, BCH, Reed-Solomon, Reed-Muller, and convolutional codes-as well as modern codes and decoding methods, including turbo codes, LDPC codes, repeat-accumulate codes, space time codes, factor graphs, soft-decision decoding, Guruswami-Sudan decoding, EXIT charts, and iterative decoding. Theoretical complements on performance and bounds are presented. Coding is also put into its communications and information theoretic context and connections are drawn to public key cryptosystems. Ideal as a classroom resource and a professional reference, this thorough guide will benefit electrical and computer engineers, mathematicians, students, researchers, and scientists.

The use of mathematical methods in the development of software is essential when reliable systems are sought; in particular they are now strongly recommended by the official norms adopted in the production of critical software. Program Verification is the area of computer science that studies mathematical methods for checking that a program conforms to its specification. This text is a self-contained introduction to program verification using logic-based methods, presented in the broader context of formal methods for software engineering. The idea of specifying the behaviour of individual software components by attaching contracts to them is now a widely followed approach in program development, which has given rise notably to the development of a number of behavioural interface specification languages and program verification tools. A foundation for the static verification of programs based on contract-annotated routines is laid out in the book. These can be independently verified, which provides a modular approach to the verification of software. The text assumes only basic knowledge of standard mathematical concepts that should be familiar to any computer science student. It includes a self-contained introduction to propositional logic and first-order reasoning with theories, followed by a study of program verification that combines theoretical and practical aspects - from a program logic (a variant of Hoare logic for programs containing user-provided annotations) to the use of a realistic tool for the verification of C programs (annotated using the ACSL specification language), through the generation of verification conditions and the static verification of runtime errors.

The Summer School in Marktoberdorf 1990 had as its overall theme the development of programs as an activity that can be carried out based on and supported by a mathematical method. In particular mathematical methods for the development of programs as parts of distributed systems were included. Mathematical programming methods are a very important topic for which a lot of research in recent years has been carried out. In the Marktoberdorf Summer School outstanding scientists lectured on mathematical programming methods. The lectures centred around logical and functional calculi for the • specification, • refinement, • verification of programs and program systems. Some extremely remarkable examples were given. Looking at these examples it becomes clear that proper research and teaching in the area of program methodology should always show its value by being applied at least to small examples or case studies. It is one of the problems of computing science that examples and case studies have to be short and small to be lJresentable in lectures and papers of moderate size. However, even small examples can tell a lot about the tractability and adequacy of methods and being able to treat small examples does at least prove that the method can be applied in modest ways. Furthermore it demonstrates to some extent the notational and calculational overhead of applying formal methods.

Summary of International Energy Research and Development Activities 1974–1976 is a directory of energy research and development projects conducted in various countries such as Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom between 1974 and 1976. A limited number of projects sponsored by international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency are also included. This directory consists of nine chapters and opens with a section on organic sources of energy such as coal, oil and gas, peat, hydrocarbons, and non-fossil organic sources. The next sections focus on thermonuclear energy and plasma physics; fission sources and energy production; geophysical energy sources; conversion technology; and environmental aspects of energy conversion and use. Energy transport, transmission, utilization, and conservation are also covered. The final chapter deals with energy systems and other energy-related research on subjects ranging from car sharing and urban passenger transport to nuclear power plants, energy supply and demand models, and high-power molecular lasers. This monograph will be a valuable resource of information for those involved in energy research and development.