The 100th Generation

Ancient curses, modern day villains, and a most intriguing woman who keeps appearing when least expected and thenÉdisappearing. Archeologist Valerie Foret has spent a year searching for a tomb in the Egyptian desertÑa labor broken only by high risk trysts with a powerful manÕs wife. When she finally makes the discovery of a lifetime, she is set upon by jealous rivals and religious fanatics. Worse, she is drawn into the depths of the desert by forces that offer knowledge of vast mysteries and at the same time threaten to destroy everything she knows. For what sheÕs found is a glimpse into the hereafter, and itÕs nothing like itÕs supposed to be. Brilliant scientist that she is, she has loved most unwisely and learned what she does not want to know. Follow her adventures through modern and ancient Egypt, through this world and the next, with Book One of the Ibis Prophecy.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Conference on Language and Automata Theory and Applications, LATA 2009, held in Tarragona, Spain, in April 2009. The 58 revised full papers presented together with 3 invited lectures and two tutorials were carefully reviewed and selected from 121 submissions. The papers address all the various issues related to automata theory and formal languages.

God has given you the responsibility to pass your faith to the next generation. When you speak to your children about God, pray for them, and encourage them on their spiritual journey, you prepare them to live a life of enduring faith and blessings. "In our walk with God, the passing of the blessings is not a suggestion," writes author Bishop Kenneth Ulmer. "It's a command, a mandate to those who have been blessed. And the blessing is not only to be passed to your children, but also to your children's children." It is more important than ever to train up new followers of Christ. Though sin has become an accepted part of our culture, it is possible to break the cycle of sin passed down from previous generations and replace it with blessings. "If you want to have a positive impact," says Bishop Ulmer, "tell the story." Passing the Generation Blessing offers practical and powerful ways to speak blessings over your family so all can hear.

The two-volume set LNAI 5777 and LNAI 5778 constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 10th European Conference, ECAl 2009, held in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2009. The 141 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from161 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary developmental biology and hardware, evolutionary robotics, protocells and prebiotic chemistry, systems biology, artificial chemistry and neuroscience, group selection, ecosystems and evolution, algorithms and evolutionary computation, philosophy and arts, optimization, action, and agent connectivity, and swarm intelligence.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Artificial Immune Systems, ICARIS 2005, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, in August 2005. The 37 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 68 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on conceptual, formal, and theoretical frameworks, immunoinformatics, theoretical and experimental studies on artificial immune systems, and applications of artificial immune systems.

The set LNCS 2723 and LNCS 2724 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionaty Computation Conference, GECCO 2003, held in Chicago, IL, USA in July 2003. The 193 revised full papers and 93 poster papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 417 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on a-life adaptive behavior, agents, and ant colony optimization; artificial immune systems; coevolution; DNA, molecular, and quantum computing; evolvable hardware; evolutionary robotics; evolution strategies and evolutionary programming; evolutionary sheduling routing; genetic algorithms; genetic programming; learning classifier systems; real-world applications; and search based softare engineering.

Source-Grid Interaction of Wind Power Integration Systems systematically describes the problems of source-grid interactions of wind power grid-connected system, introducing related research methods and proposing a series of novel control methods for damping oscillations. The book presents problems to be solved, thus enabling easy understanding and perception, from detailed analysis of the problems, to mathematical derivations and simulation verification. Includes principles that can be used to analyze the operation and control of wind farms Presents models developed from basic to complex aspects that affect modeling accuracy Provides control methods and effectiveness verification based on rigorous theory and actual operational data

Reviews state-of-the-art technologies in modern heuristic optimization techniques and presents case studies showing how they have been applied in complex power and energy systems problems Written by a team of international experts, this book describes the use of metaheuristic applications in the analysis and design of electric power systems. This includes a discussion of optimum energy and commitment of generation (nonrenewable & renewable) and load resources during day-to-day operations and control activities in regulated and competitive market structures, along with transmission and distribution systems. Applications of Modern Heuristic Optimization Methods in Power and Energy Systems begins with an introduction and overview of applications in power and energy systems before moving on to planning and operation, control, and distribution. Further chapters cover the integration of renewable energy and the smart grid and electricity markets. The book finishes with final conclusions drawn by the editors. Applications of Modern Heuristic Optimization Methods in Power and Energy Systems: Explains the application of differential evolution in electric power systems' active power multi-objective optimal dispatch Includes studies of optimization and stability in load frequency control in modern power systems Describes optimal compliance of reactive power requirements in near-shore wind power plants Features contributions from noted experts in the field Ideal for power and energy systems designers, planners, operators, and consultants, Applications of Modern Heuristic Optimization Methods in Power and Energy Systems will also benefit engineers, software developers, researchers, academics, and students.

This book features case studies and recommendations for new approaches to environmentally responsive sustainable building, illuminating many principles of sustainability and energy efficiency applicable to buildings worldwide, and in developing countries in particular. These projects identify practical technologies, new and existing, that will yield energy-efficient, healthy, and comfortable designs. Individual chapters address ventilation, controls, materials, and daylighting. Design guidelines and organizational methods suited to urban projects are also discussed.

Changes in land use and land cover can have many drivers, including population growth, urbanization, agriculture, demand for food, evolution of socio-economic structure, policy regulations, and climate variability. The impacts of these changes on water resources range from changes in water availability (due to changes in losses of water to evapotranspiration and recharge) to degradation of water quality (increased erosion, salinity, chemical loadings, and pathogens). The impacts are manifested through complex hydro-bio-geo-climate characteristics, which underscore the need for integrated scientific approaches to understand the impacts of landscape change on water resources. Several techniques, such as field studies, long-term monitoring, remote sensing technologies, and advanced modeling studies, have contributed to better understanding the modes and mechanisms by which landscape changes impact water resources. Such research studies can help unlock the complex interconnected influences of landscape on water resources in terms of quantity and quality at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In this Special Issue, we published a set of eight peer-reviewed articles elaborating on some of the specific topics of landscape changes and associated impacts on water resources.