Publications

– The book aims to describe how soft computing and statical methods can be used together to improve data analysis

– Advances research in soft computing and statical methods for data analysis

– Written by leading experts in the field

Soft computing, as an engineering science, and statistics, as a classical branch of mathematics, emphasise different aspects of data analysis.

Soft computing focuses on obtaining working solutions quickly, accepting approximations and unconventional approaches. Its strength lies in its flexibility to create models that suit the needs arising in applications. In addition, it emphasises the need for intuitive and interpretable models, which are tolerant to imprecision and uncertainty.

Statistics is more rigorous and focuses on establishing objective conclusions based on experimental data by analysing the possible situations and their (relative) likelihood. It emphasises the need for mathematical methods and tools to assess solutions and guarantee performance.

Combining the two fields enhances the robustness and generalisability of data analysis methods, while preserving the flexibility to solve real-world problems efficiently and intuitively.

The workshop VUUM brings together a group of experienced HCI researchers and practitioners to explore a long-standing research problem – the meaningfulness of measurable constructs and the measurability of non-measurable ones.

Electronic emotion is the emotion lived, re-lived or discovered through machines. It is the meotion that users of information and communication technologies (ICTs) feel when using or not using different devices. Through ICTs emotion is amplified, shaped, stereotyped and re-invented but at the same time sacrificed. This book addresses a number of questions such as: what does elecontronic emotion actually mean? How does emotion change when mediated by information and communication technologies? Ow are the production and the consumption of electronic and mediated emotion articulated? What emotional investment do people express in ICTs? The editors have brought together a distinctive group of scholars from multiple disciplines including social sciences, linguistics and information sciences to discuss and provide some answers to these questions.

This book reviews the evidence from across Europe that confirms nitrogen deposition as a major threat to European biodiversity, especially on the Natura 2000, including sensitive habitats and species listed under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). It documents the information presented and discussed at an international workshop on ‘Natura 2000 and Nitrogen Deposition’, held in Brussels in May 2009, to review new evidence of nitrogen impacts, develop best practices when conducting assessments, and recommend options for consideration in future policy development.

The workshop was attended by 73 scientists, conservation practitioners and policy makers from 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands and the UK. Delegates included representatives from the European Commission DG Environment, and Government departments from EU member states.