06401 Abstracts Collection -- Complexity of Constraints

From 01.10.06 to 06.10.06, the Dagstuhl Seminar 06401 ``Complexity of Constraints\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

Dagstuhl News January - December 2006

"Dagstuhl News" is a publication edited especially for the members of the Foundation "Informatikzentrum Schloss Dagstuhl" to thank them for their support. The News give a summary of the scientific work being done in Dagstuhl. Each Dagstuhl Seminar is presented by a small abstract describing the contents and scientific highlights of the seminar as well as the perspectives or challenges of the research topic

Constraint satisfaction problems in clausal form

This is the report-version of a mini-series of two articles on the foundations of satisfiability of conjunctive normal forms with non-boolean variables, to appear in Fundamenta Informaticae, 2011. These two parts are here bundled in one report, each part yielding a chapter. Generalised conjunctive normal forms are considered, allowing literals of the form "variable not-equal value". The first part sets the foundations for the theory of autarkies, with emphasise on matching autarkies. Main results concern various polynomial time results in dependency on the deficiency. The second part considers translations to boolean clause-sets and irredundancy as well as minimal unsatisfiability. Main results concern classification of minimally unsatisfiable clause-sets and the relations to the hermitian rank of graphs. Both parts contain also discussions of many open problems.Comment: 91 pages, to appear in Fundamenta Informaticae, 2011, as Constraint satisfaction problems in clausal form I: Autarkies and deficiency, Constraint satisfaction problems in clausal form II: Minimal unsatisfiability and conflict structur

Determinants of the Components of a State\u27s Tourist Image and Their Marketing Implications

A state\u27s image as perceived by its actual and potential tourists plays a significant role in determining its competitiveness as a tourist destination. A state\u27s image influences a tourist\u27s vacation destination decisions. A tourist\u27s image of a given state is influenced by numerous factors including his amount of touring experience within that state, geographical affiliation, demographic profile, vacation characteristics, and the amount and source of tourist information used. Utah was used as a case study to test the viability of the proposed research model. A mail questionnaire requested information concerning 1) attributes of Utah\u27s tourist image considered when choosing a vacation destination, 2) amount of Utah touring experience in Utah, 3) geographical affiliation, 4) demographic profile, 5) characteristics of the vacation and 6) amounts/sources of tourist information used. A sample of 6,000 people was contacted in six geographical regions across the country. A total of 1917 (32%) useable surveys were returned. This research study to identified the components of Utah\u27s tourist image. The study concluded that touring experience in Utah affects their perceptions of Utah\u27s tourist image. Additionally, the study determined that geographical affiliation does influence perceptions of Utah. Finally, it found that age differences and modes of transportation influence perceptions of Utah

Integrated knowledge-based hierarchical modelling of manufacturing organizations

The objective of this thesis is to research into an integrated knowledge-based simulation method, which combines the capability of knowledge based simulation and a structured analysis method, for the design and analysis of complex and hierarchical manufacturing organizations. This means manufacturing organizations analysed according to this methodology can manage the tactical and operational planning as well as the direct operation of shop floor. [Continues.

The IPBES regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia

The Regional Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Europe and Central Asia produced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) provides a critical analysis of the state of knowledge regarding the importance, status, and trends of biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people. The assessment analyses the direct and underlying causes for the observed changes in biodiversity and in nature’s contributions to people, and the impact that these changes have on the quality of life of people. The assessment, finally, identifies a mix of governance options, policies and management practices that are currently available to reduce the loss of biodiversity and of nature’s contributions to people in that region. The assessment addresses terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal biodiversity and covers current status and trends, going back in time several decades, and future projections, with a focus on the 2020-2050 period

NASA Tech Briefs, Winter 1985

Topics covered include: NASA TU Services; New Product Ideas; Electronic Components and Circuits;Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences

The Costs of Sprawl: Environmental and Economic Costs of Alternative Residential Development Patterns at the Urban Fringe

Local government officials devote a large proportion of their time to considering and acting upon development proposals which substantially affect their communities in many ways. While information bearing on development proposals has been increasingly broader in scope, more specific, and of higher quality, local government officials continue to have considerable difficulty in assessing the relative merits of alternative types of housing, general development patterns, and commercial strip versus center developments. To help compensate for this knowledge deficiency, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in cooperation with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has commissioned the Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC) to undertake a study of the environmental and economic effects of alternative development patterns. The results of that study are presented in two documents, The Costs of Sprawl — Literature Review and Bibliography and The Costs of Sprawl — Detailed Cost Analysis. The literature review and bibliography summarizes the existing knowledge available to local government officials faced with development decision-making, and presents extensive bibliographies pertaining to that knowledge