This paper presents a robotic system for precise needle insertion under radiological guidance for surgical interventions and for delivery of therapy. It is extremely compact and is compatible with portable X-ray units and computer tomography scanners. The system presents a modular structure comprising a global positioning module, a miniature robotic module, and a radiolucent needle driver module. This system is the newest member of a growing family of modular surgical robots under development. The system may be operated stand-alone under joystick control making it readily adaptable to any operating room, or under full image guided computer control.

What started with the sundial has, thus far, been refined to a level of precision based on atomic resonance: Time. Our obsession with time is evident in this continued scaling down to nanosecond resolution and beyond. But this obsession is not without warrant. Precision and time synchronization are critical in many applications, such as air traffic control and stock trading, and pose complex and important challenges in modern information networks. Penned by David L. Mills, the original developer of the Network Time Protocol (NTP), Computer Network Time Synchronization: The Network Time Protocol takes a broad look at the architecture, protocols, and algorithms involved in time dissemination, distribution, and synchronization. Focused on the fourth generation of NTP, Mills' magnum opus gives an in-depth configuration and performance analysis of typical deployed NTP networks as well as a detailed error budget showing the influence of network and computer delay variations on accuracy. Mills demonstrates the algorithms used to select measurements accessed via diverse pathways to achieve the best accuracy, addresses security issues in depth, and describes the engineering principles underlying NTP architecture and timestamping exchange procedures. Opening the door to highly precise time synchronization in both public and private networks, Computer Network Time Synchronization offers in-depth analysis, theory, and practical concerns in a unified and authoritative reference.

"The computer world is like an intellectual Wild West, in which you can shoot anyone you wish with your ideas, if you're willing to risk the consequences. " –from Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age, by Paul Graham

We are living in the computer age, in a world increasingly designed and engineered by computer programmers and software designers, by people who call themselves hackers. Who are these people, what motivates them, and why should you care?

Consider these facts: Everything around us is turning into computers. Your typewriter is gone, replaced by a computer. Your phone has turned into a computer. So has your camera. Soon your TV will. Your car was not only designed on computers, but has more processing power in it than a room-sized mainframe did in 1970. Letters, encyclopedias, newspapers, and even your local store are being replaced by the Internet.

Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age, by Paul Graham, explains this world and the motivations of the people who occupy it. In clear, thoughtful prose that draws on illuminating historical examples, Graham takes readers on an unflinching exploration into what he calls "an intellectual Wild West."

The ideas discussed in this book will have a powerful and lasting impact on how we think, how we work, how we develop technology, and how we live. Topics include the importance of beauty in software design, how to make wealth, heresy and free speech, the programming language renaissance, the open-source movement, digital design, internet startups, and more.

The first complete reference guide to the essential Web protocol

As applications and services converge and Web technologies not only assume HTTP but require developers to manipulate it, it is becoming increasingly crucial for network managers, Web masters, and anyone working with HTTP to understand the nuts and bolts of this most prevalent Web protocol. This book provides complete documentation and explanation of the protocol, including advanced and experimental extensions. Readers will get core guidance on implementing HTTP 1.1 in their products, including how to accelerate HTTP in large scale Web sites, how to secure it, and how to handle compatibility issues with versions 0.9 and 1.0. HTTP switching and invisible HTTP operations such as option negotiations, status checks, and path tracing are also examined.

This book brings together everything you need to achieve superior results with PC-based image processing and analysis. Expert Thomas Klinger combines a highly accessible overview of the field's key concepts, tools, and techniques; the first expert introduction to NI's breakthrough IMAQ Vision software; and several start-to-finish application case studies. You also get an extensive library of code and image samples, as well as a complete trial version of IMAQ Vision for Windows®. Coverage includes:

* Defining what to measure and how to measure it
* Acquiring images: working with CCDs, cameras, frame grabber cards, and leading medical image sources, including ultrasound, CT, and MRI
* Distributing images: compression techniques, image format standards, and DICOM medical imaging
* Processing images: gray-scale operations, spatial image filtering, frequency filtering,
* and morphology functions
* Analyzing images: pixel value and quantitative analyses, shape and pattern matching, bar codes, and more

With 300+ figures and 50+ exercises-all listed up front for easy access-this is the definitive image processing tutorial for every professional.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains IMAQ Vision multimedia demonstration software, plus an evaluation version of NI's Vision Builder for Automated Inspection evaluation software for Windows 98/NT/Me/2000/XP. It also contains application examples, color images, and code examples-including several open source, platform-independent VIs.

What is good code? Writing good code is really a question about what the code is trying to solve. (And good code is not to be confused with patterns–because not all pieces of good code are patterns.) We debate about good code because there is not just a single piece of good code, but so many good pieces of code. And each good piece of code depends on the context in which it is used.

How to Code .NET: Tips and Tricks for Coding .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0 Applications Effectively provides solutions to certain problems. That is, specific problems. This book provides detailed, authoritative explanations of good .NET coding techniques. It's based on award-winning material that author Christian Gross has previously presented at conferences throughout the US and Europe. What's more, the author is at the forefront of the .NET technology wave and an acknowledged expert on the subject of .NET coding style and techniques.

A practical guide to building fully operational financial cash flow models for structured finance transactions.

Structured finance and securitization deals are becoming more commonplace on Wall Street. Up until now, however, market participants have had to create their own models to analyze these deals, and new entrants have had to learn as they go. Modeling Structured Finance Cash Flows with Microsoft Excel provides readers with the information they need to build a cash flow model for structured finance and securitization deals. Financial professional Keith Allman explains individual functions and formulas, while also explaining the theory behind the spreadsheets. Each chapter begins with a discussion of theory, followed by a section called "Model Builder," in which Allman translates the theory into functions and formulas.

For any software developer who has spent days in “integration hell,” cobbling together myriad software components, Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk illustrates how to transform integration from a necessary evil into an everyday part of the development process. The key, as the authors show, is to integrate regularly and often using continuous integration (CI) practices and techniques.The authors first examine the concept of CI and its practices from the ground up and then move on to explore other effective processes performed by CI systems, such as database integration, testing, inspection, deployment, and feedback. Through more than forty CI-related practices using application examples in different languages, readers learn that CI leads to more rapid software development, produces deployable software at every step in the development lifecycle, and reduces the time between defect introduction and detection, saving time and lowering costs. With successful implementation of CI, developers reduce risks and repetitive manual processes, and teams receive better project visibility.

Simulating physics helps cutting-edge games distinguish themselves by making virtual objects behave as we expect them to in the real world. Physics engines are the software programs that run these simulations. Building an engine is difficult, however. There are a large number of new developers (and hobbyists) coming into this market who need help through this complex process. Current introductory books are inadequate; they don't bring enough real-world programming experience to the task. There is a need for an introductory book on game physics with solid coding guidance but which limits the math content. Ian Millington brings his extensive professional programming experience to this problem. He has developed games since 1987, has studied AI and mathematics at the PhD level, and founded Mindlathe Ltd., a company that designed and built commercial physics engines. Physics Engine Development carefully describes each step in the creation of a robust, usable physics engine. It introduces the mathematical concepts in a clear and simple manner, keeping to high school level topics and building a physics code library as it goes. Each new concept is explained in diagrams and code to make sure that even the most novice of game programmers understands. The companion CD-ROM includes the source code for a complete physics engine of commercial quality.

Outsourcing is currently one of the hottest topics in business practices and in particular in the field of management information systems (MIS) education. Outsourcing Management Information Systems focuses on concepts, processes, and methodologies for firms who are planning to undertake, or are currently involved in, outsourcing decisions in the field of management information systems. Outsourcing Management Information Systems helps MIS managers to manage outsourcing projects by establishing performance metrics, including: appropriate risk factor considerations, structuring a centralized architecture that best suits the organization, and avoiding the case study pitfalls reported in the literature.