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Preface i x

The other tools require an installation following the standard Microsoft Windows
procedure. The description of these tools is given in Appendix B. With these
descriptions and the examples included in the text, the reader should not have, in
principle, any particular difficulty in using them.

Acknowledgements

In the preparation of this book I have received support and encouragement from
several persons. My foremost acknowledgement of deep gratitude goes to
Professor Willem van Meurs, researcher at the Biomedical Engineering Research
Center and Professor at the Applied Mathematics Department, both of the Oporto
University, who gave me invaluable support by reviewing the text and offering
many stimulating comments. The datasets used in the book include contributions
from several people: Professor C. Abreu Lima, Professor AurClio Campilho,
Professor Joiio Bernardes, Professor Joaquim Gois, Professor Jorge Barbosa, Dr.
Jacques Jossinet, Dr. Diogo A. Campos, Dr. Ana Matos and J050 Ribeiro. The
software tools included in the CD have contributions from Eng. A. Garrido, Dr.
Carlos Felgueiras, Eng. F. Sousa, Nuno AndrC and Paulo Sousa. All these
contributions of datasets and softwarc tools are acknowledged in Appendices A
and B, respectively. Professor Pimenta Monteiro helped me review the structural
pattern recognition topics. Eng. Fernando Sereno helped me with the support
vector machine experiments and with the review of the neural networks chapter.
Joiio Ribeiro helped me with the collection and interpretation of economics data.
My deepest thanks to all of them. Finally, my thanks also to Jacqueline Wilson,
who performed a thorough review of the formal aspects of the book.

Joaquim P. Marques de Sa
May, 2001
Oporto University, Portugal