!New review of the famous Handbook! 

This information is from Choice Reviews Online, an ALA/ACRL publication, available by subscription at [http://www.cro2.org]




 
__Science & Technology \ Information & Computer Science:__ 

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__Handbook of natural computing, ed. by Grzegorz Rozenberg with Thomas H. W. Bäck and Joost N. Kok.  Springer, 2012.  4v bibl index afp ISBN 3540929096, $799.00; ISBN 9783540929093, $799.00. Reviewed in 2013jan CHOICE.__

 
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The scope of this handbook is quite broad. "Natural computing" encompasses what can be considered "intelligent computing" in both the natural realm of information processing and the artificial world of nature-inspired algorithms. For example, the human brain uses spiking neurons to process input information in order to produce output commands. In like manner, artificial neural networks model the behavior of neurons, with many successful applications. This work provides a solid presentation of both aspects of computing--natural and artificial--and serves as an important foundation and cross-fertilization for researchers in each area, although the emphasis is still primarily on nature-inspired artificial algorithms.

Based on the recommendation of an international board of experts, the plethora of research in these volumes is divided into seven major categories: "Cellular Automata," "Neural Computation," "Evolutionary Computation," "Molecular Computation," "Quantum Computation," and "Broader Perspective--Nature-Inspired Algorithms," and "Broader Perspective--Alternative Models of Computation." Significant research in artificial algorithms has been carried out for the first three categories within the last century; this handbook provides a superb summary of the state of the art of algorithmic developments in diverse areas. The last four categories reflect recent awareness of computing in the natural realm and provide rich content for further investigations in artificial modeling and potential real-world applications. Within each category, an excellent collection of tutorial chapters on the natural realm and the artificial adaptations show how useful algorithms can be crafted from nature-inspired processes. Each chapter is written by experts in the field, who summarize the important concepts of the subject matter and provide an extensive list of references for further exploration. The book is inspirational in its coverage of the subject. It will be an indispensable tool for researchers and practitioners interested in developing nature-inspired algorithms and a valuable resource for research institutions. \\
 __Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students and above. -- J. Y. Cheung, emeritus, University of Oklahoma
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