The term public sector refers to the functioning agencies and units at the federal, state, county, municipal, and local levels of government. The sector includes all agencies, government corporations, the military, and departments, agencies, and miscellaneous units that perform some form of public service. They range in size from the largest federal department down to the smallest special district, such as a mosquito abatement district or a community library district. For this text, the public sector does not include those organizations considered to be nonprofit organizations (NPOs), although many similar management principles apply to both NPOs and government. All business enterprises, regardless of their form, their structure, or the focus of their activities, constitute the profit-centered portion of the economy, and are part of the private sector. As such, they are not a major concern in this text.

Organizations are among the most valuable and yet most fragile structures of our civilization. We rely on organizations to obtain information, to comprehend and process information, to accumulate and internalize information, to make decisions based in part on that information, and to execute those decisions. Organizations are ubiquitous because they are indispensable. From the most primitive to the most complex societies, organizations of various types have constituted the backbone of societal decision-making.

This book explores recent developments in computational solutions to problems of exploiting or mitigating vulnerabilities within organizational decision-making processes. It describes a range of computational techniques that can help to guide attacks on an adversary’s organization or the defense of one’s own.

From an engineering perspective, the applications of the techniques described in this book cover a broad range of practical problems. They include planning and command of military operations against an enemy command organization, military and foreign intelligence, antiterrorism and domestic security, information security, organizational design, military psychology and training, management practice, and organizational computing. In particular, one discipline—information warfare [1]—traditionally paid special attention to issues related to attacking and defending military command organizations.

Computational approaches applicable to such problems originate in several scientific disciplines: computational organization theory, organizational and management sciences, artificial intelligence planning, cognitive modeling, and game theory. A key objective of this work is to demonstrate important close relations between ideas coming from such diverse areas.

A comprehensive, must-have handbook of matrix methods with a unique emphasis on statistical applications

This timely book, A Matrix Handbook for Statisticians, provides a comprehensive, encyclopedic treatment of matrices as they relate to both statistical concepts and methodologies. Written by an experienced authority on matrices and statistical theory, this handbook is organized by topic rather than mathematical developments and includes numerous references to both the theory behind the methods and the applications of the methods. A uniform approach is applied to each chapter, which contains four parts: a definition followed by a list of results; a short list of references to related topics in the book; one or more references to proofs; and references to applications. The use of extensive cross-referencing to topics within the book and external referencing to proofs allows for definitions to be located easily as well as interrelationships among subject areas to be recognized.

A Matrix Handbook for Statisticians addresses the need for matrix theory topics to be presented together in one book and features a collection of topics not found elsewhere under one cover. These topics include:

• Complex matrices

• A wide range of special matrices and their properties

• Special products and operators, such as the Kronecker product

• Partitioned and patterned matrices

• Matrix analysis and approximation

• Matrix optimization

• Majorization

• Random vectors and matrices

• Inequalities, such as probabilistic inequalities

Additional topics, such as rank, eigenvalues, determinants, norms, generalized inverses, linear and quadratic equations, differentiation, and Jacobians, are also included. The book assumes a fundamental knowledge of vectors and matrices, maintains a reasonable level of abstraction when appropriate, and provides a comprehensive compendium of linear algebra results with use or potential use in statistics. A Matrix Handbook for Statisticians is an essential, one-of-a-kind book for graduate-level courses in advanced statistical studies including linear and nonlinear models, multivariate analysis, and statistical computing. It also serves as an excellent self-study guide for statistical researchers.

About the Author

George A. F. Seber, PhD, is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Statistics at The University of Auckland in New Zealand. A Fellow of the New Zealand Royal Society, he is the author or coauthor of several books, including Nonlinear Regression, Multivariate Observations, Adaptive Sampling, Chance Encounters, and Linear Regression Analysis, Second Edition, all published by Wiley. Dr. Seber's research interests have included statistical ecology, genetics, epidemiology, and adaptive sampling.

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the radiation left over from the Big Bang. Recent analysis of the fluctuations in this radiation has given us valuable insights into our Universe and its parameters. Examining the theory of CMB and recent developments, this textbook starts with a brief introduction to modern cosmology and its main successes, followed by a thorough derivation of cosmological perturbation theory. It then explores the generation of initial fluctuations by inflation. The Boltzmann equation governs the evolution of CMB anisotropies and polarization is derived using the total angular momentum method. Cosmological parameter estimation and the lensing of CMB fluctuations and spectral distortions are also discussed. This textbook is the first to contain a full derivation of the theory of CMB anisotropies and polarization. Ideal for graduate students and researchers in this field, it includes end-of-chapter exercises, and solutions to selected exercises are provided.

Examining the theory of the cosmic microwave background and recent developments, this textbook is the first to contain a full derivation of the theory of CMB anisotropies and polarization. Ideal for graduate students and researchers, it includes end-of-chapter exercises, and solutions to selected exercises are provided.

About the Author

Ruth Durrer is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Université de Genève. Her research focuses on the cosmic microwave background, cosmic magnetic fields, and braneworld cosmology.

Beginning XML with C# 2008 focuses on XML and how it is used within .NET 3.5. As you’d expect of a modern application framework, .NET 3.5 has extensive support for XML in everything from data access to configuration, from raw parsing to code documentation. This book demystifies all of this. It explains the basics of XML as well as the namespaces and objects you need to know in order to work efficiently with XML. You will see clear, practical examples that illustrate best practices in action. With this book, you’ll learn everything you need to know from the basics of reading and writing XML data to using the DOM, from LINQ and SQL Server integration to SOAP and web services. What you’ll learn

• The basics of XML in .NET 3.5
• Validating and transforming XML
• Using XML with LINQ
• Integrating with ADO.NET, SQL Server, and WCF
• Configuring the .NET Framework with XML

Who is this book for?

Developers wanting to use XML in the .NET Framework

About the Apress Beginning Series

The Beginning series from Apress is the right choice to get the information you need to land that crucial entry–level job. These books will teach you a standard and important technology from the ground up because they are explicitly designed to take you from “novice to professional.” You’ll start your journey by seeing what you need to know—but without needless theory and filler. You’ll build your skill set by learning how to put together real–world projects step by step. So whether your goal is your next career challenge or a new learning opportunity, the Beginning series from Apress will take you there—it is your trusted guide through unfamiliar territory!

About the Author

Bipin Joshi has been programming since 1995 using a variety of tools and technologies including C, C++, Clipper, FoxPro, VB, COM, and ASP before embracing the .NET platform in 2000. Bipin is the webmaster of two popular web sites: www.dotnetbips.com and www.binaryintellect.net. In addition, he is the coauthor of several well–received .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0 titles and is a Microsoft MVP with MCT and MCAD certification.

Perform your own Windows XP maintenance and save $$$ Maintaining Windows XP 10 Easy Steps to Success By Ron Nykiforuk Heres an easy-to-follow program for maintaining your operating system for Windows XP. Dont wait until a virus sneaks in. Or slowness in startup, accessing files and starting programs occurs. It may be much more expensive and time consuming to fix the problem. If you take the time to follow these steps every month, you will save time and money and increase efficiency and effectiveness over the long run. The author draws from 20 years of hands-on experience installing, maintaining and troubleshooting microcomputers. In this book, he outlines a simple 10-step program complete with screen shots you can follow to:

· Scan and remove viruses from your hard drive.
· Use disk cleanup to remove unwanted files from your hard drive.
· Clean out temporary Internet files and offline files in Internet Explorer for faster Internet startup.
· Use spyware software to find and remove spyware programs.
· Use disk defragmenter to reorganize your file structure on the hard drive.
· Update Windows XP with the latest security updates from Microsoft.
· Check Windows XP startup list for unnecessary startup programs.
· Remove unnecessary desktop icons you havent used recently.
· Activate Windows XP firewall to keep computer hackers from accessing your computer.
· Turn system restore back on to recover from computer problems.

A concise, direct examination of general relativity and black holes, Exploring Black Holes provides tools that motivate tools that motivate readers to become active participants in carrying out their own investigations about curved spacetime near earth and black holes. The authors use calculus and algebra to make general relativity accessible, and use quotes from well-known personalities, including Einstein, to offer further insight. Five chapters introduce basic theory. The book also includes seven projects regarding the analysis of major applications. Discussions provide the background needed to carry out projects. The book's projects guide readers as they fill in steps, compute outcomes and carry out their own investigations. For astronomers, mathematicians and people interested in learning about the relativity of black holes.

About the Author

Exploring Black Holes: An Introduction to General Relativity was written by Oersted Medal winner Edwin Taylor and foremost relativist John Archibald Wheeler.

Imagine yourself stuck in a busy airport chock full of business commuters, watching delay after delay post to the digital screen that announces incoming and departing flights. You have your e-ticket confirmation in one hand and a handheld device in the other. Rather than allowing your time to be completely wasted by circumstances beyond your control, you are absorbing some continuing education—with posted learning materials, or better yet a live instructor from hundreds if not thousands of miles away.

What if, in the not-too-distant future, you could gain back hours of such useful time each day. How can this be possible?

Considering the growing trends of mobility in our society, it’s easy to see that gaining back some of the time we spend on the road, in airports, and even waiting in lines could be a great source of productivity. According to a 2002 study by Texas A&M University’s Transportation Institute, the average U.S. commute to work is more than 25 minutes. Multiply that by two, and you have a significant amount of time that people commute and travel to work every single day (Schrank & Lomax, 2002).

This book was born out of a desire to help teachers teach their students math by being engaged in its study, and by showing teachers how they can custombuild visual examples of some of the concepts they are trying to get across to their students. Microsoft Excel is an extremely powerful spreadsheet with literally hundreds of built-in mathematical, statistical, and other functions to accomplish the mundane calculations encountered in the world of business. However, the Excel program has tools and features hidden in arcane menus that do not enable self-discovery. A person using Excel often thinks, "there MUST be a way to do this, but where would they have hidden it?".

Our hope is that this book will help you to discover more features available in Excel and your students to become better at mathematics by using Excel. If you are also inspired to alter, refine, or completely redesign what you will find in here, even better. And, if you would rather not spend a lot of time trying to learn Excel, you can download all these files in their completed state by going to the “secret” web page at http://www.MrExcel.com/mathfiles/html .

One final note to Mac users: all of our screen shots were done using the Windows version of Excel 2003. Instructions for the Mac should be similar, except that the Windows right-click on the Mac is accomplished by holding down the Control key on the keyboard while clicking on the right mouse button.

Explores the role of dreams in spiritual work.

In Dreaming about the Divine, Bonnelle Lewis Strickling argues that people dream about the divine in forms that fit their current emotional and spiritual condition. Using Jungian psychology and the philosophy of Karl Jaspers, Strickling contends that dreams about the divine occur in the context of existential issues; psychic and emotional crises which open us to the experience of the divine. She concludes that working with dreams of the divine can be spiritually, psychically, and emotionally helpful both to people who are engaged in a spiritual search and also to people who are already committed to a spiritual tradition.
"Bonnelle Lewis Strickling has written a compelling book that illustrates powerfully the point that, as Jacques Derrida said, it is when we are `hoping, sighing, dreaming' that we give form to what is really going on in our hearts, that we give shape to our deepest desire beyond desire. A beautiful and moving work." -- John D. Caputo, author of Philosophy and Theology

"The texture of this work is intellectually stimulating, emotionally engaging, and spiritually brave. It also reflects the author's own deep psychospiritual journey." -- Jeremy Taylor, author of The Living Labyrinth: Exploring Universal Themes in Myths, Dreams, and the Symbolism of Waking Life

"Strickling creates a totally original, yet deeply satisfying approach to the psychospiritual dynamics of dreaming and provides excellent practical methods for helping people develop a fruitful, open-ended dialogue with the dreaming imagination." -- Kelly Bulkeley, author of Visions of the Night: Dreams, Religion, and Psychology

About the Author

A practicing Jungian therapist, Bonnelle Lewis Strickling is also Chair of Philosophy at Langara College and Clinical Associate of Psychology at Simon Fraser University.