Cutthroat

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[edited] by Dimiter R. Avresky and David R. Kaeli

The most important uses of computing in the future will be those related to the global "digital convergence" where all computing becomes digital and internetworked. This convergence will be propelled by new and advanced applications in storage, searching, retrieval and exchanging of information in a myriad of forms. All of these will place heavy demands on large parallel and distributed computer systems because these systems have high intrinsic failure rates. The challenge to the computer scientist is to build a system that is inexpensive, accessible and dependable. The chapters in this book provide insight into many of these issues and others that will challenge researchers and applications developers. Fault-Tolerant Parallel and Distributed Systems is a coherent and uniform collection of chapters with contributions by several of the leading experts working on fault-resilient applications. The numerous techniques and methods included will be of special interest to researchers, developers, and graduate students.

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James G. Ferry

"Since the introduction and general recognition of the Archaebacteria, research into the evolution, metabolism, molecular biology, and ecological roles of these fastidious anaerobes has proceeded at an ever-increasing pace. All possess a very novel biochemistry and many exploit unique ecological niches. Methanogens, which convert one-and two-carbon compounds into the important atmospheric gas methane, are the largest group among the Archaebacteria. Of all microbial groups methanogens provide perhaps the best opportunity to study evolution, because of their phylogenetic diversity and unique biochemistry. Today the analysis of methanogens is at a threshold. Molecular-biological studies of these microorganisms are revealing more and more processes unique to this group, and, in turn, studies of methanogens are providing new perspectives to the broader fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. This volume is the first book to be published on methanogenesis, and it will provide the reader with a comprehensive view of the field and point to future trends."--Jacket.

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Diana Beresford-Kroeger

"A world expert on how trees chemically affect our environment, Diana Beresford-Kroeger has woven together ecology, ethnobotany, horticulture, spirituality, science and alternative medicine in The Global Forest to capture their enormous significance to us - and our future. Trees absorb pollutants from the ground, comb particulates from the air and house beneficial insects. But what they do chemically in the environment is something we're only beginning to understand. Trees not only breathe and communicate; they also reproduce, provide shelter, medicine and food, and each of these forty interlocking essays picks out a different aspect of the life of the forest, explains it and then shows why it is so vitally important. Combining the precision of a scientist with the lyricism of a poet, Diana Beresford-Kroeger has written an unforgettable work of natural history that shows how we really can save the Earth, one tree at a time."--Publisher description.

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Armin Biere, Amir Nahir, Tanja Vos

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed proceedings of the 8th International Haifa Verification Conference, HVC 2012, held in Haifa, Israel in November 2012. The 18 revised full papers presented together with 3 poster presentations were carefully reviewed and selected from 36 submissions. They focus on the future directions of testing and verification for hardware, software, and complex hybrid systems.