Since the 1960s, database systems have been playing a relevant role in the information technology field. By the mid-1960s, several systems were also available for commercial purposes. Hierarchical and network database systems provided two different perspectives and data models to organize data collections. In 1970, E. Codd wrote a...

Organizations of all sizes today find themselves increasingly awash in data, yet hungering for information to help them meet their business objectives. These corporations, from Main Street and Wall Street alike, have spent large amounts of time and money over the past 10 or so years implementing systems to help collect data on and...

What is security? Is it a mindset? Is it a measurable and actionable posture or position? Or is it a bit of both? People, as a race, learn from doing; they learn by example. Ingrained into our psyche is a process that builds new information upon previous knowledge as we learn. As Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further than...

After studying this text, you should be able to apply switching theory to the solution of logic design problems.This means that you will learn both the basic theory of switching circuits and how to apply it. After a brief introduction, you will study Boolean algebra, which is the basic mathematical tool needed to analyze and synthesize...

Why is astronomy considered a science while astrology is considered only a pseudoscience? In other words, how can we prove that a theory faithfully describes reality, and that this theory can then be used to predict unknown facts? Karl Popper, the well-known philosopher, studied these problems and summarized his conclusions in one...

Brought to you by the author of Freemasons For Dummies, The Templar Code is more than an intriguing cipher or a mysterious symbol – it is the Code by which the Knights Templar lived and died, the Code that bound them together in secrecy, and the Code...

As the Dilbert cartoon suggests, it is always a good idea to know whether a project fits the company’s overall strategy. You will learn more about the relationship between systems projects and...

Acid rain, ozone photochemistry, long-range transport of pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions and aerosols dominated tropospheric air pollution research in the last 30 years of the 20^^ century. At the start of the 2V^ century, acid rain is subject to planned improvement in Europe and North America, but is a growing problem in Asia....

The so-called “green wave”, triggered by a growing ecological awareness, has resulted in an increased interest in herbal formulations throughout the world, particularly in the last decade. The consumption of medicinal plants has almost doubled in the West during that period. The efficacy of a number of herbal formulations...

This book is meant as a handbook and resource guide for chemists (and other scientists) who either find themselves working alongside chemical engineers or who are undertaking chemical engineering-type projects and who wish to communicate with their colleagues and understand chemical engineering principles. The book has arisen out of...

According to Wordnet, a rule is “a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior” or “a prescribed guide for conduct or action.” Businesses, and organizations in general, operate under a number of rules: rules about what services to offer and to whom; rules about how much to charge for those services;...

Casino card games such as baccarat and blackjack differ significantly from casino games such as craps, roulette, and slot machines in that they are not indepen- dent trial processes-that is, the cards that already have been played do affect the odds on subsequent hands. Consider for a moment the game of blackjack, where the cards...