This significantly revised and expanded second edition of "Mathematical Olympiad Challenges" is a rich collection of problems put together by two experienced and well-known professors and coaches of the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad Team. Hundreds of beautiful, challenging, and instructive problems from algebra, geometry, trigonometry, combinatorics, and number theory from numerous mathematical competitions and journals have been selected and updated. The problems are clustered by topic into self-contained sections with solutions provided separately. Historical insights and asides are presented to stimulate further inquiry. The emphasis throughout is on creative solutions to open-ended problems. This book features completely rewritten discussions that precede each of the 30 units, adopting a more user-friendly style with more accessible and inviting examples; many new or expanded examples, problems, and solutions; and additional references and reader suggestions. Featuring enhanced motivation for advanced high school and beginning college students, as well as instructors and Olympiad coaches, this text can be used for creative problem-solving courses, professional teacher development seminars and workshops, self-study, or as a training resource for mathematical competitions.

'This [book] is much more than just another collection of interesting, challenging problems, but is instead organized specifically for learning. The book expertly weaves together related problems, so that insights gradually become techniques, tricks slowly become methods, and methods eventually evolve into master! The book is aimed at motivated high school and beginning college students and instructors...I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in creative problem-solving in mathematics! It has already taken up a prized position in my personal library, and is bound to provide me with many hours of intellectual pleasure - "The Mathematical Gazette" (Review of the First Edition).

Ready to learn computer programming but aren’t sure where to start? Look no further, Computer Programming for Teens is the book for you. Other books on programming tend to be language specific and often get bogged down in the syntax of the language. That is fine if you already have a strong background in programming, but if you’re a novice, the language-specific approach can make things unnecessarily difficult. Computer Programming for Teens stresses concepts over language, but still includes examples in the most popular languages—specifically HTML, C++, and Java. It begins by explaining the fundamental topics, like data storage, and progresses through to more complex topics, such as decisions, loops, design, and complex data structures. Written by a high school teacher, the book includes helpful tips and analogies to guide readers through the maze of programming techniques, concepts, and common pitfalls. It introduces the most relevant topics for beginners and pinpoints the essential skills needed for programming success.

About the Author

Mary Farrell teaches computer science, mathematics, and Japanese at Boston College High School, where she has been teaching for the past 17 years. She is an avid learner of spoken languages as well as computer languages and travels frequently to practice. She lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.

In business, a lot of actions are trigged by rules: "Order more ice cream when the stock is below 100 units and temperature is above 25° C", "Approve credit card application when the credit background check is OK, past relationship with the customer is profitable, and identity is confirmed", and so on. Traditional computer programming languages make it difficult to translate this "natural language" into a software program. But JBoss Rules (also known as Drools) enables anybody with basic IT skills and an understanding of the business to turn statements such as these into running computer code.

This book will teach you to specify business rules using JBoss Drools, and then put them into action in your business. You will be able to create rules that trigger actions and decisions, based on data that comes from a variety of sources and departments right across your business. Regardless of the size of your business, you can make your processes more effective and manageable by adopting JBoss Rules.

Banks use business rules to process your mortgage (home loan) application, and to manage the process through each step (initial indication of amount available, actual application, approval of the total according to strict rules regarding the amount of income, house value, previous repayment record, swapping title deeds, and so on).

Countries such as Australia apply business rules to visa applications (when you want to go and live there)--you get points for your age, whether you have a degree or masters, your occupation, any family members in the country, and a variety of other factors.

Supermarkets apply business rules to what stock they should have on their shelves and where--this depends upon analyzing factors such as how much shelf space there is, what location the supermarket is in, what people have bought the week before, the weather forecast for next week (for example, ice cream in hot weather), and what discounts the manufacturers are giving.

This book shows how you can use similar rules and processes in your business or organization. It begins with a detailed, clear explanation of business rules and how JBoss Rules supports them.

You will then see how to install and get to grips with the essential software required to use JBoss Rules. Once you have mastered the basic tools, you will learn how to build practical and effective of the business rule systems.

The book provides clear explanations of business rule jargon. You will learn how to work with Decision Tables, Domain-Specifi c Languages (DSL)s, the Guvnor and JBoss Integrated Development Environment (IDE), workflow and much more.

By the end of the book you will know exactly how to harness the power of JBoss Rules in your business.

What you will learn from this book?

• Understand the basics of business rules and JBoss rules with minimal effort
• Install the required software easily and learn to use the Guvnor, which is a user-friendly web editor that's also powerful enough to test our rules as we write them
• Learn to write sophisticated rules and import the fact model into the Guvnor and then build a guided rule around it, which makes your web pages a lot clearer
• Gain complete knowledge of what we can do with the Guvnor rule editor, and then use the JBoss IDE as an even more powerful way of writing rules, and automate processes for discounts, orders, sales, and more
• Know the structure of the rule file through the example of a shipping schedule, which will help you with your own shipping schedule
• Test your rules not only in the Guvnor, but also using FIT for rule testing against requirements documents; run unit tests using JUnit for error-free rules and interruption-free services
• Specifically, non-developers can work with Excel spreadsheets as a fact model to develop business processes without learning any other new technology
• Work with DSLs (Domain-Specific Languages) and rule flow to make writing rules easy; which makes staff training quicker and your working life easier
• Deploy your business rules to the real world, which completes your project successfully, and combine this into a web project using the framework of your choice to provide better services
• Benefit from concepts such as truth maintenance, conflict resolution, pattern matching rules agenda, and the Rete algorithm to provide advanced and faster business systems so that staff efficiency is maximized

Approach

This book takes a practical approach, with step-by-step instructions. It doesn't hesitate to talk about the technologies, but takes time to explain them (to an Excel power-user level). There is a good use of graphics and code where necessary.

Who this book is written for?

If you are a business analyst - somebody involved with enterprise IT but at a high level, understanding problems and planning solutions, rather than coding in-depth implementations - then this book is for you.

If you are a business user who needs to write rules, or a technical person who needs to support rules, this book is for you.

If you are looking for an introduction to rule engine technology, this book will satisfy your needs.

If you are a business user and want to write rules using Guvnor/JBoss IDE, this book will be suitable for you.

This book will also suit your need if you are a business user and want to understand what Drools can do and how it works, but would rather leave the implementation to a developer.

About the Author

Paul Browne

Paul Browne's first job was selling computers in France and things went steadily downhill from there. He spent millons on behalf of a UK telephone company's procurement department and implemented direct marketing for a well-known Texan computer maker before joining the IT department of a company that builds bright red tractors and other seriously cool machines.

Paul then embraced his techie side (he was writing games in machine code from the age of 11) and started a consultancy that used IT to solve business problems for companies in the financial and public sectors in Ireland, UK , Belgium, and New Zealand. Eight years later, he now works with an Irish government agency that helps similar software companies to grow past their initial teething pains.

More formally, Paul has a bachelor's degree in Business and French from the University of Ulster, a master's degree in Advanced Software from UCD Dublin, a post-grad qualification in Procurement from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (UK), and will someday complete his ACCA financial exams.

Who this book is written for?

This book is designed primarily for business owners who want to create a new website for their company or upgrade a company website to be easier to maintain and have advanced capabilities.

Whether you know Drupal or not, this book will be your guide to a powerful website.

What you will learn from this book?

• Create a user-friendly, professional looking, and branded site with clear navigation
• Incorporate a blog or `latest news' page to keep your customers informed about new products, announce special offers, post news about your company, and share information that will attract prospective customers to you
• Build a product catalogue with categories, product images, and custom information
• Add e-commerce features so customers can order and buy products online
• Use a built-in "events calendar" for upcoming special events and occasions
• Build a community by integrating with user-generated content on Flickr and YouTube
• Use Google Maps to make it easy for customers to find you -- display a professional map on your "where to find us" page
• Essential maintenance tasks: upgrading Drupal, keeping backups, and optimizing performance

About the Author

Mark Noble

Mark Noble has worked in software development and website design for over 13 years in a variety of capacities including development, quality assurance, and management. He takes pride in developing software and websites to make businesses run more effectively and delights in helping users to get their jobs done more easily.

Mark currently works developing websites to help libraries manage their books. He also does occasional contract work for clients in a variety of industries.

When he isn't in front of a computer, Mark enjoys playing with his family, photography, and geocaching.

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 is the third generation Microsoft reporting software that is more tightly integrated with SQL Server 2008 than ever before. It provides a complete server-based platform that is designed to support a wide variety of reporting needs, including managed enterprise reporting, special purpose reporting, embedded reporting, and web-based reporting.

Ideal for beginners who need to create reports as quickly as possible, this book will lead you through practical examples to teach you a full range of skills for reporting with SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. A series of carefully picked exercises help you practice the most important aspects of report creation. By the end of the book, you will have the confidence to take on the most complex of reports, and be producing reports that will make you the envy of your organization.

What you will learn from this book?

• Install SQL Server 2008 and configure the SQL Server Reporting Services
• Learn the various components and tools that enable end-to-end support for all reporting activities
• Use the report viewer control to get started with the essentials of retrieving and displaying data
• Create a Report Model using the Visual Studio 2008 Template
• Learn to modify reports on a report server and create linked files with report manager
• Embed Microsoft Report Viewer Controls in web and Windows applications
• Create interactive reports with charts and gauges using Report Builder
• Create several kinds of reports with Report Builder 2.0
• Create server reports and report models and deploy them
• Get the full details of available programming interfaces and their usage
• Learn to work with Crystal Reports 2008
• Import reports created using MS Access
• Learn how to use the Programming API, convert Report file types, use command-line utilities and more

Approach

With clear instructions and plenty of screenshots, this book provides all the support and guidance you will need as you begin to generate reports with SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services.

Who this book is written for?

This book is for anyone who is new to SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services and needs to create and deploy reports. The book is suitable for report developers, data analysts, and report server database administrators.

You will need to know the basic concepts of SQL Server, but not necessarily be very familiar with SQL Server 2008.

About the Author

Jayaram Krishnaswamy studied at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore India and Madras University in India and taught at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. He went to Japan on a Japanese Ministry of Education Research scholarship to complete his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Nagoya University. He was a Post Doctoral Fellow at Sydney University in Australia; a Government of India Senior Scientific Officer at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur; a Visiting Scientist at the Eindhoven Institute of Technology in Netherlands; a Visiting Professor of Physics at the Federal University in Brazil; an Associate Research Scientist at a government laboratory in Sao Jose dos Campos in Sao Paulo, Brazil; a visiting scientist at the National Research Council in Ottawa, Canada before coming to USA in 1985. He has also taught and worked at the Colorado State University in Fort Collins and North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He worked with Northrop Grumman Corporation on a number of projects related to high energy electron accelerators / Free Electron Lasers. These projects were undertaken at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island and in the Physics Department at Princeton University. He has over 80 publications in refereed and non-refereed publications and 8 issued patents. He is fluent in Japanese and Portuguese and lives in Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA.

"Deploying QoS for IP Next Generation Networks: The Definitive Guide" provides network architects and planners with insight into the various aspects that drive QoS deployment for the various network types. It serves as a single source of reference for businesses that plan to deploy a QoS framework for voice, video, mobility and data applications creating a converged infrastructure. It further provides detailed design and implementation details for various service deployments across the various Cisco platforms such as the CRS-1, 12000, 7600 & 7200 series routers that are widely deployed in most Carrier Networks. The book covers architectural and implementation specific information plus recommendations for almost all the popular line cards across the various hardware platforms widely used in the market. It also addresses QoS architecture and deployment on the Cisco CRS-1 platform and is considered as a unique selling point of this book. In short, the book serves as an 'On the Job Manual' which can also be used as a study guide for Cisco specialist certification programs (CCNA, CCIP, and CCIE). This book includes detailed illustration and configurations.

 In addition, it provides detailed case studies along with platform specific tests and measurement results. A link to a detailed tutorial on QoS metrics and associated test results will be available at the book's companion website in order to ensure that the reader is able to understand QoS functionality from a deployment standpoint. This book covers the requirements and solutions in deploying QoS for voice, video, IPTV, mobility and data traffic classes (Quad-play networks), saving the reader time in searching for hardware specific QoS information, given the abundance of Cisco platforms and line cards. It presents real-life deployments by means of detailed case studies, allowing the reader to apply the same solutions to situations in the work place. It provides QoS architecture and implementation details on Cisco CRS-1, 12000, 7600, and 7200 routing platforms using Cisco IOS/IOS-XR software, aiding the reader in using these devices and preparing for Cisco specialist certification.

There are many areas of science and engineering where three-dimensional (3-D) discrete data are collected and analyzed, such as medical imaging and geoscience. To design and to prove the validity of computational procedures for processing and analysis of such data, the need for a mathematical theory and algorithms for image processing is essential. Self-contained, accessible, and mathematically precise, this book serves as an introduction to the field of 3-D digital image processing, providing information that can be used immediately in practical algorithms for the analysis of 3-D data sets. By presenting problems of processing and analysis of practical 3-D data sets, readers will find the descriptions clear and accessible as concepts and methods are carefully introduced, defined, and illustrated with examples. A key textbook for graduates and resource for all working in areas of multidimensional image processing and analysis, this book is also excellent for self-study for practitioners in the field of 3-D digital image processing.

Component-based software development (CBD) is an emerging discipline that promises to take software engineering into a new era. Building on the achievements of object-oriented software construction, CBD aims to deliver software engineering from a cottage industry into an industrial age for Information Technology, wherein software can be assembled from components, in the manner that hardware systems are currently constructed from kits of parts.

This volume provides a survey of the current state of CBD, as reflected by activities that have been taking place recently under the banner of CBD, with a view to giving pointers to future trends. The contributions report case studies — self-contained, fixed-term investigations with a finite set of clearly defined objectives and measurable outcomes — on a sample of the myriad aspects of CBD.

The secret weapon for attacking complexity in any project is to break it down into smaller, cohesive, and more easily digestible pieces. With Modular Java, you can easily develop applications that are more flexible, testable, maintainable, and comprehensible.

Modular Java is a pragmatic guide to developing modular applications using OSGi, the framework for dynamic modularity in Java, and Spring Dynamic Modules, an OSGi extension to the Spring Framework. You'll start with the basics but quickly ramp up, creating loosely coupled modules that publish and consume services, and you'll see how to compose them into larger applications. Along the way, you'll apply what you learn as you build a complete web application that is made up of several OSGi modules, using Spring-DM to wire those modules together.

Modular Java is filled with tips and tricks that will make you a more proficient OSGi and Spring-DM developer. Equipped with the know-how gained from this book, you'll be able to develop applications that are more robust and agile.

About the Author

Craig Walls is a professional software developer with over 15 years of experience in several industries, including telecommunications, finance, retail, and education. He's currently involved in the development of a natural language business intelligence tool with an Addison, TX-based company. He is the author of Spring in Action and XDoclet in Action (published by Manning) and is an avid proponent of Spring, open-source, and agile development.

We are moving towards a standards-based Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), where IT infrastructure is continuously adapted to keep up with the pace of business change. Oracle is at the forefront of this vision, with the Oracle SOA Suite providing the most comprehensive, proven, and integrated tool kit for building SOA based applications.

Developers and Architects using the Oracle SOA Suite, whether working on integration projects, building composite applications, or specializing in implementations of Oracle Applications, need a hands-on guide on how best to harness and apply this technology.

This book will guide you on using and applying the Oracle SOA Suite to solve real-world problems, enabling you to quickly learn and master the technology and its applications.

The initial section of the book is aimed at providing you with a detailed hands-on tutorial to each of the core components that make up the Oracle SOA Suite; namely the Oracle Service Bus, BPEL Process Manager, Human Workflow, Business Rules, and Business Activity Monitoring. Once you are familiar with the various pieces of the SOA Suite and what they do, the next question will typically be: "What is the best way to combine / use all of these different components to implement a real-world SOA solution?"

Answering this question is the goal of the next section. Using a working example of an online auction site (oBay), it leads you through key SOA design considerations in implementing a robust solution that is designed for change. Though the examples in the book are based on Oracle SOA Suite 10.1.3.4 the book will still be extremely useful for anyone using 11g.

The final section addresses non-functional considerations and covers the packaging, deployment, and testing of SOA applications; it then details how to use Web Service Manager to secure and administer SOA applications.

What you will learn from this book?

• Learn to use key technology adapters to service-enable existing systems
• Build implementation-agnostic services using the Oracle Service Bus
• Assemble services to build composite services and long-running business process using BPEL
• Initiate and discover how business rules can be used to externalize "decision points" in a BPEL process
• Incorporate Human Workflow into your processes and use Business Rules to provide greater agility
• Design XML schemas and service contracts for improved agility, reuse, and interoperability
• Examine different approaches either from scratch or by re-using existing logic for building new business services
• Observe the protocols available in addition to SOAP over HTTP for invoking Web Services and the advantages they provide
• Create, deploy, and run test cases that automate the testing of composite applications
• Secure and administer SOA applications using Web Service Manager
• Architect, design, and implement your overall SOA Solution
• Design your Web Service contracts for interoperability and maintainability

Approach

This book is a comprehensive guide, split into three sections. The initial section of the book provides an introduction to the Oracle SOA Suite and its various components, and will give you a fast-paced hands-on introduction to each of the key components in turn. The next section illustrates the usage of the various components of the SOA Suite to implement a real-world SOA-based solution with the help of an example of an online auction site (oBay). The final section covers other considerations such as the packaging, deployment, testing, security, and administration of SOA applications.

Who this book is written for?

This book targets developers and technical architects who work in the SOA domain. The primary purpose of the book is to provide them with a "hands on" practical guide to using and applying the Oracle SOA Suite in the delivery of real-world composite applications.

It presumes basic understanding of the concepts of SOA, as well as some of the key standards in this space, including web services (SOAP, WSDL), XML Schemas, and XSLT (and XPath).

About the Author

Antony Reynolds

Antony Reynolds has worked with Oracle BPEL from the days before Oracle acquired Collaxa in 2004 and with it the product now known as the Oracle BPEL Process Manager. Since then Antony has been a keen evangelist of the power of SOA and has worked with key European customers to help them realize the power of the Oracle SOA Suite within their own organizations.

Prior to joining Oracle, Antony was a system architect working on the Galileo Computerized Reservation System. The business-driven architecture skills Antony learned there have proven invaluable in helping him to see beyond initial flashy solutions and understand the issues that will come with implementing SOA solutions in a high-volume 24x7 environment.

With more than 20 years of IT experience Antony has always focused on secure, high-volume systems on the leading edge of the technology curve and is now a leading proponent of business-focused SOA at Oracle.

Matt Wright

Matt Wright has been involved with standards-based Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) since shortly after the initial submission of SOAP 1.1 to the W3C in 2000, and has worked with some of the early adopters of BPEL since its initial release in 2002. Since then, he has been a passionate exponent of SOA and has been engaged in some of the earliest SOA-based implementations across EMEA and APAC.

He is currently a Director of Product Management for Oracle Fusion Middleware in APAC, where he is responsible for working with organizations to educate and enable them in realizing the full business benefits of SOA in solving complex business problems. As a recognized authority on SOA, Matt is also responsible for evangelizing the Oracle SOA message and is a regular speaker and instructor at private and public events.Matt holds a B.Sc. (Eng) in Computer Science from Imperial College, University of London.

Magento is the world's most evolved e-commerce solution. It runs on the Apache/MySQL/PHP platform. From one installation, you can control multiple storefronts, all sharing customer and product information. Magento's templates and themes enable you to customize the look and feel of your store, even optimizing it for mobile phones. Extensions enable you to connect Magento to a large number of payment gateways and shipping services. Modular code enables you to upgrade your Magento installation while retaining your customizations. Support is provided free by an active open source community and by subscription to Varien, the company behind Magento.

Magento is one of the most exciting, flexible, and customizable e-commerce systems. It offers you an extensive suite of powerful tools for creating and managing an online store. As your online store grows, you can be sure that this robust e-commerce system can handle your needs. However, getting started with Magento can be difficult without the right guidance.

This book provides that guidance in the form of a step-by-step approach to building a simple, effective online store. The book covers the key features of Magento that will help you get your store up and running. It guides you through installation, configuration, populating your store with products, accepting payments, maintaining relationships with your customers, and fulfilling orders.

When you create an online store with Magento, you usually follow a defined series of steps. This book is arranged to support that process. Each chapter shows you how to get the most from one step.

You will learn to customize the default Magento storefront so that it becomes your store and also about Magento's directory structure and where some of the elements of a store are customized. This experience will help you if you decide to go beyond this book and install new themes or create your own themes.

As you work your way through each chapter, your store will grow in scope and sophistication. By the time you finish this book, you should have a basic but complete, working online store.

What you will learn from this book?

• Install and configure Magento and add products to your online catalog
• Create categories and attributes to build your catalog of products
• Enhance your products with descriptions, images, and inventory information
• Create product categories to help your customers navigate your online store
• Automatically apply sales tax rules to different shipping addresses and different types of products
• Present and sell products in groups and sets
• Display products related to the one that is being viewed by a customer
• Offer your customer choices for a product's size, color, or other attribute and give discounts based on quantities
• Accept payments using Paypal, credit cards, and checks/money orders and offer a variety of shipping options
• Create your own, customized shipping rates and connect to shippers such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS

Approach

This book will provide you with step-by-step instructions for installing, configuring, and using Magento to run your own e-commerce site. We will set up an example store in the book with enough information to adapt the instructions according to your needs.

Who this book is written for?

This book is for anyone who wants to create an online store using Magento. If you are a non-technical person and are discouraged by the complexity of this powerful e-commerce application, this book is ideal for you.

About the Author

William Rice

William Rice is a software training professional who lives, works, and plays in New York City. His indoor hobbies include writing books and spending way too much time reading sites like slashdot and 43folders. His outdoor hobbies include orienteering, rock climbing, and edible wild plants (a book on that is coming someday).

William is fascinated by the relationship between technology and society: how we create our tools, and how our tools in turn shape us. He is married to an incredible woman who encourages his writing pursuits, and has two amazing sons.