The Challenge to AI. The Future of AGI: Bridging Human Cognition and Artificial Intelligence

Mercury Learning and Information, Stephen Robbins

This book invites readers to explore where AI, consciousness, and human cognition intersect. It challenges existing notions in AI and cognitive science by arguing that true intelligence lies not in software but in the brain's complex biochemical system, far removed from current AI architectures. Through examining time, perception, language, and thought, the book presents a compelling case for the indispensability of biology and consciousness in cognition, highlighting the profound differences between man and machine.The journey begins with an introduction to AGI and the brain's resonance, moving through philosophical perspectives on perception and the external world. Readers will delve into the biochemical basis of cognition, exploring implicit and explicit memory, conscious cognition, voluntary actions, and the unique aspects of human speech and generative AI. The book culminates with discussions on affect, space, time, and the requirements for creating a conscious device.Understanding these concepts is crucial for advancing AI and cognitive science. This book transitions readers from conventional views to a new framework that integrates biology and consciousness, blending theory with profound insights. It is an essential resource for those seeking to understand the true nature of intelligence and the future of AI.

The Creation of a Conscious Machine. The AI Quest: Building Awareness with Advanced Artificial Intelligence Technologies

Mercury Learning and Information, Jean E. Tardy

This book delves into Generative AI and the potential for AI to achieve consciousness. It covers historical and modern perspectives on AI, from ancient myths to the Turing Test and current advancements. The book explores the theoretical and practical aspects of creating a conscious AI, including specifications for synthetic consciousness and integrating AI with human cognition. It questions whether generative AI can meet traditional criteria of consciousness.The journey begins with understanding consciousness, tracing AI's origins, and clarifying human cognition through AI. It examines early AI failures, fears of success, and the engineering of consciousness. The book also explores archaic AI representations, the intelligence of automatons, and the relevance of the Turing Test, concluding with strategies for achieving synthetic consciousness.These concepts are crucial for advancing AI towards synthetic consciousness. This book transitions readers from historical perspectives to modern AI challenges, blending theory with practical insights. It is an essential resource for understanding the future of AI and its potential to achieve consciousness.

Transformer, BERT, and GPT. Unlock the Power of Transformers, BERT, GPT-3, and GPT-4 in Natural Language Processing

Mercury Learning and Information, Oswald Campesato

This book offers an in-depth exploration of the Transformer architecture, BERT models, and the GPT series, including GPT-3 and GPT-4. Beginning with foundational concepts like the attention mechanism and tokenization techniques, it delves into the intricacies of Transformer and BERT architectures. Advanced topics cover the latest developments in the GPT series, including ChatGPT. Key chapters provide insights into the evolution and significance of attention in deep learning, the nuances of Transformer architecture, a detailed exploration of the BERT family, and hands-on guidance on working with GPT-3.The journey continues with a comprehensive overview of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and visualization using generative AI. The book also discusses influential AI organizations such as DeepMind, OpenAI, Cohere, and Hugging Face. Readers will gain a thorough understanding of the current landscape of NLP models, their underlying architectures, and practical applications.Companion files with numerous code samples and figures from the book enhance the learning experience, providing practical tools and resources. This book is an essential guide for those seeking to master the latest advancements in natural language processing and generative AI.

Understanding PTSD. Exploring Trauma, Myths, Assessment, and Recovery

Mercury Learning and Information, Austin Mardon

Understanding PTSD offers a comprehensive exploration of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), tracing its history, debunking common myths, and examining its complex nature. The book begins with a personal narrative to ground the reader, before delving into the origins and evolution of PTSD, particularly during wartime. It addresses widespread misconceptions, emphasizing that PTSD affects diverse populations, not just soldiers. The assessment methods and criteria are discussed, alongside the brain's response to various traumas.Key chapters explore the potential causes of PTSD, including genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. The book also covers the dangers associated with PTSD, various types of PTSD, and symptoms. It provides insights into how PTSD manifests in different age groups and reviews the most effective treatments, such as cognitive therapy and medication.Further chapters discuss comorbidities like depression and substance abuse, the gaps in current knowledge, and ongoing research. The public's perception of PTSD, its portrayal in the media, and the impact on families are also examined. The book concludes with practical advice on supporting individuals with PTSD and a detailed directory of resources available in North America, Europe, and India.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. A Comprehensive Guide to UAV Technology and Applications

Mercury Learning and Information, P. K. Garg

This book offers a comprehensive overview of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), covering their basic concepts, components, and various applications. It delves into the different sensors used in UAVs, the architecture of autonomous UAVs, and the communication tools and devices required to acquire real-time data. The book also explores the software needed to analyze UAV data and the rules and regulations necessary for operating UAVs. The importance of UAV technology is highlighted through its diverse applications in fields such as construction, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, forestry, search and rescue, surveillance, transportation, disaster management, logistics, health, and journalism. The book underscores the potential of UAVs to revolutionize these industries by improving efficiency and safety.Throughout the book, readers will journey from understanding the theory, hardware, and software components of UAVs to exploring their practical uses. Each chapter includes review questions to reinforce understanding, ensuring that readers gain a solid grasp of the subject matter. This text is essential for anyone interested in the current and future impact of UAV technology.

Using AI in Marketing. Harness AI technologies to transform marketing strategies and results

Mercury Learning and Information, Greg Kihlström

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the marketing landscape. This book begins with a foundational overview of AI and its history, establishing the importance of AI in modern marketing practices. Readers will gain insights into the integration of AI with marketing fundamentals, paving the way for strategic advancements.Delving deeper, the book explores current applications of AI, from data analytics to campaign automation, and personalized customer experiences. With chapters dedicated to generative AI, prompt optimization, and team augmentation, the book provides actionable insights and case studies to guide readers through real-world usage.As the journey concludes, readers are equipped with an understanding of AI's transformative impact, ethical considerations, and strategies for adoption. This book ensures that marketers are ready to embrace AI, optimize their workflows, and make informed investment decisions for future growth.

Web Applications with ASP.NET Core Blazor. Create Powerful, Responsive, and Engaging Web Applications

Mercury Learning and Information, Brian Ding

Web Applications with ASP.NET Core Blazor is a comprehensive guide to building modern web applications using the Blazor framework. It begins with an introduction to WebAssembly, detailing its purpose, history, and integration with JavaScript, followed by an exploration of Blazor's various hosting models, including Blazor Server, Blazor WebAssembly, and Blazor Hybrid.The book covers essential Blazor components like Razor, directives, data binding, and event handling, and delves into advanced component techniques such as CSS isolation and component templating. Readers will also learn about file uploading, serving, and securing files within Blazor applications.The text provides thorough insights into user input collection through forms, navigation in Blazor apps, and interop between .NET and JavaScript. Additionally, it explores HTTP communication, data persistence using EF Core, and security measures with Identity.Finally, the book concludes with a deep dive into deploying Blazor applications using Docker and Kubernetes, including practical guidance on containerization and deploying on Azure. Designed for web developers and tech enthusiasts, this book equips readers with the knowledge to build robust, interactive web applications with ASP.NET Core Blazor.

WORKING WITH grep, sed, AND awk Pocket Primer. A Quick Guide to Mastering Powerful Command Line Tools

Mercury Learning and Information, Oswald Campesato

This book introduces readers to three powerful command-line utilities—grep, sed, and awk—that can create simple yet powerful shell scripts. Using the bash shell, it focuses on small text files to help readers understand these tools. Grep searches for patterns in data, sed modifies data, and awk performs tasks on pattern matches. Aimed at those new to the bash environment, the book is also valuable for those with some experience.The journey starts with grep, teaching how to search for specific words or patterns in data. It then moves to sed, showing how to change or modify data efficiently. Finally, it delves into awk, a versatile programming language for searching and processing data files. The book also includes a chapter on using regular expressions with these tools, enhancing your scripting capabilities.Mastering these utilities is crucial for efficient data handling and automation in a bash environment. This book transitions readers from basic to advanced command-line skills, blending theory with practical examples. It is an essential resource for anyone looking to harness the full power of bash scripting.

XML Basics. A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Implementing XML

Mercury Learning and Information, S. Banzal

This book focuses on essential XML standards relevant to almost all developers. It investigates XML technologies applicable across a wide range of applications, rather than those limited to specific domains. While XML is a markup language, it is widely used by programmers. The book also covers supporting technologies layered on top of XML, such as XLinks, XSLT, Namespaces, Schemas, XHTML, RDDL, XPointers, XPath, SAX, and DOM.The journey begins with understanding XML and its syntax. It then explores Document Type Definitions (DTDs), Namespaces, and XHTML. Following this, the book delves into CSS Style Sheets, XML Schema Basics, XSL and XSLT, SOAP, DOM Programming Interface, SAX, XPath, XLink, XQuery, XPointer, XForms, XSL-FO, and using XML with Databases. The final chapters cover Web Services, providing a comprehensive understanding of how XML integrates into various applications.Mastering these standards and technologies is crucial for developers working with XML. This book transitions readers from basic XML syntax to advanced applications, blending theoretical concepts with practical examples. It is an essential resource for developers looking to leverage XML in their projects.