Join the virtual reality revolution by creating immersive 3D games and applications with Cardboard VR, Gear VR, OculusVR, and HTC Vive About This Book ? Develop robust, immersive VR experiences that are easy on the eye. ? Code 3D games and applications using Unity 3D game engine. ? Learn the basic principles of virtual reality applications Who This Book Is For If you are a game developer and a VR enthusiast now looking to get stuck into the VR app development process by creating VR apps for different platforms, then this is the book for you. Familiarity with the Unity game engine and the C# language is key to getting the most from this book. What You Will Learn ? Use Unity assets to create object simulation. ? Implement simple touch controls in your application. ? Apply artificial intelligence to achieve player and character interaction. ? Add *s for movement, tracking, grasping, and spawning. ? Create animated walkthroughs, use 360-degree media, and build engaging VR experiences. ? Deploy your games on multiple VR platforms. In Detail Are you new to virtual reality? Do you want to create exciting interactive VR applications? There's no need to be daunted by the thought of creating interactive VR applications, it's much easier than you think with this hands-on, project-based guide that will take you through VR development essentials for desktop and mobile-based games and applications. Explore the three top platforms—Cardboard VR, Gear VR, and OculusVR —to design immersive experiences from scratch. You’ll start by understanding the science-fiction roots of virtual reality and then build your first VR experience using Cardboard VR. You'll then delve into user interactions in virtual space for the Google Cardboard then move on to creating a virtual gallery with Gear VR. Then you will learn all about virtual movements, state machines, and spawning while you shoot zombies in the Oculus Rift headset. Next, you'll construct a Carnival Midway, complete with two common games to entertain players. Along the way, you will explore the best practices for VR development, review game design tips, discuss methods for combating motion sickness and identify alternate uses for VR applications Style and approach A project-based guide with every project built across chapters.

Master the capabilities of PostgreSQL 10 to efficiently manage and maintain your database About This Book ? Your one-stop guide to mastering advanced concepts in PostgreSQL 10 with ease ? Master query optimization, replication, and high availability with PostgreSQL ? Extend the functionalities of your PostgreSQL instance to suit your organizational needs with minimal effort Who This Book Is For If you are a PostgreSQL data architect or an administrator and want to understand how to implement advanced functionalities and master complex administrative tasks with PostgreSQL 10, then this book is perfect for you. Prior experience of administrating a PostgreSQL database and a working knowledge of SQL are required to make the best use of this book. What You Will Learn ? Get to grips with the advanced features of PostgreSQL 10 and handle advanced SQL ? Make use of the indexing features in PostgreSQL and fine-tune the performance of your queries ? Work with stored procedures and manage backup and recovery ? Master replication and failover techniques ? Troubleshoot your PostgreSQL instance for solutions to common and not-so-common problems ? Learn how to migrate your database from MySQL and Oracle to PostgreSQL without any hassle In Detail PostgreSQL is an open source database used for handling large datasets (big data) and as a JSON document database. This book highlights the newly introduced features in PostgreSQL 10, and shows you how you can build better PostgreSQL applications, and administer your PostgreSQL database more efficiently. We begin by explaining advanced database design concepts in PostgreSQL 10, along with indexing and query optimization. You will also see how to work with event triggers and perform concurrent transactions and table partitioning, along with exploring SQL and server tuning. We will walk you through implementing advanced administrative tasks such as server maintenance and monitoring, replication, recovery, high availability, and much more. You will understand common and not-so-common troubleshooting problems and how you can overcome them. By the end of this book, you will have an expert-level command of advanced database functionalities and will be able to implement advanced administrative tasks with PostgreSQL 10. Style and approach This mastering-level guide delves into the advanced functionalities of PostgreSQL 10

A practical guide designed to get you from basics to current state of art in computer vision systems. About This Book ? Master the different tasks associated with Computer Vision and develop your own Computer Vision applications with ease ? Leverage the power of Python, Tensorflow, Keras, and OpenCV to perform image processing, object detection, feature detection and more ? With real-world datasets and fully functional code, this book is your one-stop guide to understanding Computer Vision Who This Book Is For This book is for machine learning practitioners and deep learning enthusiasts who want to understand and implement various tasks associated with Computer Vision and image processing in the most practical manner possible. Some programming experience would be beneficial while knowing Python would be an added bonus. What You Will Learn ? Learn the basics of image manipulation with OpenCV ? Implement and visualize image filters such as smoothing, dilation, histogram equalization, and more ? Set up various libraries and platforms, such as OpenCV, Keras, and Tensorflow, in order to start using computer vision, along with appropriate datasets for each chapter, such as MSCOCO, MOT, and Fashion-MNIST ? Understand image transformation and downsampling with practical implementations. ? Explore neural networks for computer vision and convolutional neural networks using Keras ? Understand working on deep-learning-based object detection such as Faster-R-CNN, SSD, and more ? Explore deep-learning-based object tracking in action ? Understand Visual SLAM techniques such as ORB-SLAM In Detail In this book, you will find several recently proposed methods in various domains of computer vision. You will start by setting up the proper Python environment to work on practical applications. This includes setting up libraries such as OpenCV, TensorFlow, and Keras using Anaconda. Using these libraries, you'll start to understand the concepts of image transformation and filtering. You will find a detailed explanation of feature detectors such as FAST and ORB; you'll use them to find similar-looking objects. With an introduction to convolutional neural nets, you will learn how to build a deep neural net using Keras and how to use it to classify the Fashion-MNIST dataset. With regard to object detection, you will learn the implementation of a simple face detector as well as the workings of complex deep-learning-based object detectors such as Faster R-CNN and SSD using TensorFlow. You'll get started with semantic segmentation using FCN models and track objects with Deep SORT. Not only this, you will also use Visual SLAM techniques such as ORB-SLAM on a standard dataset. By the end of this book, you will have a firm understanding of the different computer vision techniques and how to apply them in your applications. Style and approach Step-by-step guide filled with real-world, practical examples for understanding and applying various Computer Vision techniques

5 real-world projects to help you master deep learning concepts About This Book ? Master the different deep learning paradigms and build real-world projects related to text generation, sentiment analysis, fraud detection, and more ? Get to grips with R's impressive range of Deep Learning libraries and frameworks such as deepnet, MXNetR, Tensorflow, H2O, Keras, and text2vec ? Practical projects that show you how to implement different neural networks with helpful tips, tricks, and best practices Who This Book Is For Machine learning professionals and data scientists looking to master deep learning by implementing practical projects in R will find this book a useful resource. A knowledge of R programming and the basic concepts of deep learning is required to get the best out of this book. What You Will Learn ? Instrument Deep Learning models with packages such as deepnet, MXNetR, Tensorflow, H2O, Keras, and text2vec ? Apply neural networks to perform handwritten digit recognition using MXNet ? Get the knack of CNN models, Neural Network API, Keras, and TensorFlow for traffic sign classification ? Implement credit card fraud detection with Autoencoders ? Master reconstructing images using variational autoencoders ? Wade through sentiment analysis from movie reviews ? Run from past to future and vice versa with bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks ? Understand the applications of Autoencoder Neural Networks in clustering and dimensionality reduction In Detail R is a popular programming language used by statisticians and mathematicians for statistical analysis, and is popularly used for deep learning. Deep Learning, as we all know, is one of the trending topics today, and is finding practical applications in a lot of domains. This book demonstrates end-to-end implementations of five real-world projects on popular topics in deep learning such as handwritten digit recognition, traffic light detection, fraud detection, text generation, and sentiment analysis. You'll learn how to train effective neural networks in R—including convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and LSTMs—and apply them in practical scenarios. The book also highlights how neural networks can be trained using GPU capabilities. You will use popular R libraries and packages—such as MXNetR, H2O, deepnet, and more—to implement the projects. By the end of this book, you will have a better understanding of deep learning concepts and techniques and how to use them in a practical setting. Style and approach This book's unique, learn-as-you-do approach ensures the reader builds on his understanding of deep learning progressively with each project. This book is designed in such a way that implementing each project will empower you with a unique skillset and enable you to implement the next project more confidently.

Become an Ethereum Blockchain developer using a blend of concepts and hands-on implementations About This Book ? Understand the Ethereum Ecosystem and its differences from its rich cousin Bitcoin ? Explore the Solidity programming language and smart contract optimizations ? Get a developer’s perspective of Blockchain-as-a-technology with exposure to common challenges faced while building decentralized applications Who This Book Is For If you want to know the ins and outs of the Ethereum network and build your own decentralized applications, then this book is what you need! This book is for anyone who is interested in blockchain and wants to become an Ethereum developer. It’s ideal for existing Ethereum developers who want to develop Ethereum using smart contracts. Basic knowledge of cryptography is expected but is not mandatory. What You Will Learn ? Know how to build your own smart contracts and cryptocurrencies ? Understand the Solidity language ? Find out about data types, control structure, functions, inheritance, mathematical operations, and much more ? See the various types of forks and discover how they are related to Ethereum ? Get to know the various concepts of web3.js and its APIs so you can build client-side apps ? Build a DAO from scratch and acquire basic knowledge of DApps on Ethercast ? Be guided through the project so you can optimize EVM for smart contracts ? Build your own decentralized applications (DApps) by taking a practical approach In Detail Ethereum is a public, blockchain-based distributed computing platform featuring smart contract functionality. This book is your one-stop guide to blockchain and Ethereum smart contract development. We start by introducing you to the basics of blockchain. You'll learn about hash functions, Merkle trees, forking, mining, and much more. Then you'll learn about Ethereum and smart contracts, and we'll cover Ethereum virtual machine (EVM) in detail. Next, you'll get acquainted with DApps and DAOs and see how they work. We'll also delve into the mechanisms of advanced smart contracts, taking a practical approach. You'll also learn how to develop your own cryptocurrency from scratch in order to understand the business behind ICO. Further on, you'll get to know the key concepts of the Solidity programming language, enabling you to build decentralized blockchain-based applications. We'll also look at enterprise use cases, where you'll build a decentralized microblogging site. At the end of this book, we discuss blockchain-as-a-service, the dark web marketplace, and various advanced topics so you can get well versed with the blockchain principles and ecosystem. Style and approach This comprehensive guide takes a practical approach by showing you how to implement Blockchain in different Enterprise use cases. You’ll quickly brush up on the basics of the blockchain database, then learn the advanced intricacies of smart contract development.

Gain comprehensive insight into WPF mechanics and capabilities. About This Book ? Gain a strong foundation in WPF features and patterns ? Leverage the MVVM pattern to build decoupled, maintainable apps ? Increase efficiency through Performance tuning and UI automation Who This Book Is For The book is intended for developers who are relatively new to WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), or those who have been working with WPF for some time, but want to get a deeper understanding of its foundation and concepts to gain practical knowledge. Basic knowledge of C# and Visual Studio is assumed. What You Will Learn ? Understand the fundamentals of WPF ? Explore the major controls and manage element layout ? Implement data binding ? Create custom elements that lead to a particular implementation path ? Customize controls, styles, and templates in XAML ? Leverage the MVVM pattern to maintain a clean and reusable structure in your code ? Master practical animations ? Integrate WCF services in a WPF application ? Implement WPFs support for debugging and asynchronous operations In Detail Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is Microsoft's development tool for building rich Windows client user experiences that incorporate UIs, media, and documents. With the updates in .NET 4.7, Visual Studio 2017, C# 7, and .NET Standard 2.0, WPF has taken giant strides and is now easier than ever for developers to use. If you want to get an in-depth view of WPF mechanics and capabilities, then this book is for you. The book begins by teaching you about the fundamentals of WPF and then quickly shows you the standard controls and the layout options. It teaches you about data bindings and how to utilize resources and the MVVM pattern to maintain a clean and reusable structure in your code. After this, you will explore the animation capabilities of WPF and see how they integrate with other mechanisms. Towards the end of the book, you will learn about WCF services and explore WPF's support for debugging and asynchronous operations. By the end of the book, you will have a deep understanding of WPF and will know how to build resilient applications. Style and approach This book takes a recipe-based approach to teaching you how to create fault-tolerant WPF applications.

Build your own hybrid cloud strategy with this comprehensive learning guide. About This Book ? Build a hybrid cloud strategy for your organization with AWS and OpenStack ? Leverage Hybrid Cloud to design a complex deployment pipeline ? Learn to implement security and monitoring best practices with real-world examples Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at cloud architects, cloud solution providers, DevOps engineers, or any working stakeholder who wants to learn about the hybrid cloud architecture. A basic understanding of public and private cloud is desirable. What You Will Learn ? Learn the demographics and definitions of Hybrid Cloud ? Understand the different architecture and design of Hybrid Cloud ? Explore multi-cloud strategy and use it with your hybrid cloud ? Implement a Hybrid Cloud using CMP / Common API’s ? Implement a Hybrid Cloud using Containers ? Overcome various challenges and issues while working with your Hybrid Cloud ? Understand how to monitor your Hybrid Cloud ? Discover the security implications in the Hybrid Cloud In Detail Hybrid cloud is currently the buzz word in the cloud world. Organizations are planning to adopt hybrid cloud strategy due to its advantages such as untested workloads, cloud-bursting, cloud service brokering and so on. This book will help you understand the dynamics, design principles, and deployment strategies of a Hybrid Cloud. You will start by understanding the concepts of hybrid cloud and the problems it solves as compared to a stand-alone public and private cloud. You will be delving into the different architecture and design of hybrid cloud. The book will then cover advanced concepts such as building a deployment pipeline, containerization strategy, and data storage mechanism. Next up, you will be able to deploy an external CMP to run a Hybrid cloud and integrate it with your OpenStack and AWS environments. You will also understand the strategy for designing a Hybrid Cloud using containerization and work with pre-built solutions like vCloud Air, VMware for AWS, and Azure Stack. Finally, the book will cover security and monitoring related best practices that will help you secure your cloud infrastructure. By the end of the book, you will be in a position to build a hybrid cloud strategy for your organization. Style and approach This book follows a step-by-step, practical approach to deploying and implementing hybrid cloud architectures using AWS and OpenStack.

Get command of your organizational Big Data using the power of data science and analytics About This Book ? A perfect companion to boost your Big Data storing, processing, analyzing skills to help you take informed business decisions ? Work with the best tools such as Apache Hadoop, R, Python, and Spark for NoSQL platforms to perform massive online analyses ? Get expert tips on statistical inference, machine learning, mathematical modeling, and data visualization for Big Data Who This Book Is For The book is intended for existing and aspiring Big Data professionals who wish to become the go-to person in their organization when it comes to Big Data architecture, analytics, and governance. While no prior knowledge of Big Data or related technologies is assumed, it will be helpful to have some programming experience. What You Will Learn ? Get a 360-degree view into the world of Big Data, data science and machine learning ? Broad range of technical and business Big Data analytics topics that caters to the interests of the technical experts as well as corporate IT executives ? Get hands-on experience with industry-standard Big Data and machine learning tools such as Hadoop, Spark, MongoDB, KDB+ and R ? Create production-grade machine learning BI Dashboards using R and R Shiny with step-by-step instructions ? Learn how to combine open-source Big Data, machine learning and BI Tools to create low-cost business analytics applications ? Understand corporate strategies for successful Big Data and data science projects ? Go beyond general-purpose analytics to develop cutting-edge Big Data applications using emerging technologies In Detail Big Data analytics relates to the strategies used by organizations to collect, organize and analyze large amounts of data to uncover valuable business insights that otherwise cannot be analyzed through traditional systems. Crafting an enterprise-scale cost-efficient Big Data and machine learning solution to uncover insights and value from your organization's data is a challenge. Today, with hundreds of new Big Data systems, machine learning packages and BI Tools, selecting the right combination of technologies is an even greater challenge. This book will help you do that. With the help of this guide, you will be able to bridge the gap between the theoretical world of technology with the practical ground reality of building corporate Big Data and data science platforms. You will get hands-on exposure to Hadoop and Spark, build machine learning dashboards using R and R Shiny, create web-based apps using NoSQL databases such as MongoDB and even learn how to write R code for neural networks. By the end of the book, you will have a very clear and concrete understanding of what Big Data analytics means, how it drives revenues for organizations, and how you can develop your own Big Data analytics solution using different tools and methods articulated in this book. Style and approach This book equips you with a knowledge of various NoSQL tools, R, Python programming, cloud platforms, and techniques so you can use them to store, analyze, and deliver meaningful insights from your data.

Learn the techniques for object recognition, 3D reconstruction, stereo imaging, and other computer vision applications using examples on different functions of OpenCV. About This Book ? Learn how to apply complex visual effects to images with OpenCV 3.x and Python ? Extract features from an image and use them to develop advanced applications ? Build algorithms to help you understand image content and perform visual searches ? Get to grips with advanced techniques in OpenCV such as machine learning, artificial neural network, 3D reconstruction, and augmented reality Who This Book Is For This book is intended for Python developers who are new to OpenCV and want to develop computer vision applications with OpenCV and Python. This book is also useful for generic software developers who want to deploy computer vision applications on the cloud. It would be helpful to have some familiarity with basic mathematical concepts such as vectors, matrices, and so on. What You Will Learn ? Detect shapes and edges from images and videos ? How to apply filters on images and videos ? Use different techniques to manipulate and improve images ? Extract and manipulate particular parts of images and videos ? Track objects or colors from videos ? Recognize specific object or faces from images and videos ? How to create Augmented Reality applications ? Apply artificial neural networks and machine learning to improve object recognition In Detail Computer vision is found everywhere in modern technology. OpenCV for Python enables us to run computer vision algorithms in real time. With the advent of powerful machines, we have more processing power to work with. Using this technology, we can seamlessly integrate our computer vision applications into the cloud. Focusing on OpenCV 3.x and Python 3.6, this book will walk you through all the building blocks needed to build amazing computer vision applications with ease. We start off by manipulating images using simple filtering and geometric transformations. We then discuss affine and projective transformations and see how we can use them to apply cool advanced manipulations to your photos like resizing them while keeping the content intact or smoothly removing undesired elements. We will then cover techniques of object tracking, body part recognition, and object recognition using advanced techniques of machine learning such as artificial neural network. 3D reconstruction and augmented reality techniques are also included. The book covers popular OpenCV libraries with the help of examples. This book is a practical tutorial that covers various examples at different levels, teaching you about the different functions of OpenCV and their actual implementation. By the end of this book, you will have acquired the skills to use OpenCV and Python to develop real-world computer vision applications. Style and approach The book is a practical tutorial that covers various examples at different levels, teaching you about the different functions of OpenCV and their actual implementation.

A family to heal her heart… For physiotherapist April Henderson, gorgeous army doc Riley Callaghan is off-limits. With her life-altering surgery looming, she can’t afford to consider anyone else right now. But when Riley is given the biggest news of his life―a son he knew nothing about―April can’t help but offer him support. Spending time with Riley and his adorable son, Finn, this Christmas gives April a glimpse of the life she’s always wanted. But can she risk her heart when her future is so uncertain…?

A Christmas dream come true When handsome paediatrician Lucas Brodie walked out on his wife Freya at Christmas, he left her heart and hopes for a family shattered. This year, nurse Freya is determined to put the pain behind her by volunteering on a trip to take sick children to Lapland. But then she discovers Lucas is coming too! As they begin to fall in love, again, Lucas wonders – could he give her a family after all? Can he put his past behind him? Perhaps an unexpected pregnancy could be the Christmas miracle to make Freya’s dreams come true…

Kidnapped decades ago, Azim al Bahjat stuns the Kingdom of Alazar with his sudden return. To secure his position, the ruthless royal must claim the woman who was always intended to be his–even if sheltered yet beguiling Johara Behwar resists… No matter how secretly thrilling she finds the flashes of heat beneath Azim's icy exterior, Johara's every instinct is to run. But Azim will not be denied, and as he shows his virgin bride how intoxicating their wedding night could be, Johara soon finds herself enticed to surrender to the sultan!

Damon Gavros: commanding, Greek…and father of her child! When Damon Gavros steps into Lizzie Montgomery’s workplace, their searing desire cuts through the heat of the kitchen. Instantly, she’s swept back eleven years to the one exquisite night they shared! He may be the reason she once lost everything, but the irresistible connection between them blazes hotter than ever. Only there’s one thing Damon doesn’t know about Lizzie…yet. Damon is sure Lizzie is hiding something, and he’s determined to discover what. From London to Greece, his pursuit is relentless, until he finds out Lizzie’s secret has a name…Thea – and she’s his daughter!

FROM SUMMER LOVE . . . TO FOREVER FAMILY? In all her life, Izzy Lambert has only told one lie–fourteen years ago. Now that her teenage summer love is back in town she's on a mission to cover it up. But how do you hide a gangly fourteen-year-old boy? Years ago, when golden boy Nate Thayer left Thunder Ridge, he never looked back. Izzy was from the wrong side of the tracks and they weren't ready to be parents to their unborn baby. Adoption was the answer. Now Nate's back home and seeing Izzy is like pouring gasoline on a fire that never died. But an even bigger surprise awaits him–finding out she wasn't the only one he left behind….

He was a man of action—especially when it came to protecting his new undercover partner… At ninenteen, Andrea Gordon's life was forever changed. After proving herself instrumental in a bank hostage crisis, she became one of Omega Sector's top agents. Four years later, her skill at reading people is unrivaled—until she meets fellow profiler Brandon Han. Paired together to track a serial killer who has been targeting at-risk women, the two become entangled beyond the case. Their mutual attraction deepens as they get closer to the truth. But when Andrea's own sordid past surfaces, they will both be forced to question everything about the assignment…and each other.

HER ROCKY MOUNTAIN BODYGUARD Nannying six children was supposed to be the toughest part of Lexie DeMille’s new job. Then their massive Aspen residence was attacked and it was clear someone had a very personal vendetta to settle. A job that required TST Security and its best bodyguard, Mason Steele. His focus should only have been on securing the remote mountain hideaway. But unraveling Lexie’s secrets became critical to the case and to his own private agenda. Under a veneer of domesticity was a Marine brat with more survival skills than your average nanny. Something about her had driven her assailant into a violent rage. And that same thing blurred the parameters of Mason’s detail–and would test his every survival instinct.

Sometimes the only way to forgiveness is sin… Sean Dryden—the superhot all-American golden boy—has always gotten under Kentucky Lee’s skin. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t in love with the Special Ops Aviation pilot…even when he got engaged to her best friend. What Kentucky never knew is that Sean broke it off with Lynnie just a week before she died. Something has come apart in Sean—too many missions, too much loss. Only Kentucky seems to understand him…and the undercurrent running between them is tangible. That need to touch and taste—to remind themselves they’re still alive. Can the fire in her warm his frozen heart?

Forbidden to the A-lister When Grace Watson last saw Liam Carter, she was in black lingerie and a trench coat at his door, while he gently—mortifyingly!—turned her down. Now Liam is Hollywood’s hottest property and Grace is the top physical therapist he needs to literally get him back on his feet. Grace tempted him then and she tempts him even more now. As her kindness banishes the demons that have always haunted him, is it possible that their second chance can heal his damaged heart? The Hollywood Hills Clinic Where doctors to the stars work miracles by day— and explore their hearts' desires by night…

Kathryn Mercer and Tim McGrath were intensely attracted at first sight. But the petite, stunning blonde was off-limits, so Tim tried to forget her. Easier said than done! Now Kat is Tim's new paramedic partner in a busy New Zealand fire station! And as they work together, racing to save lives, the attraction becomes overwhelming. Tim knows he shouldn't get involved – but Kat has a dangerous secret, and he is the only one who can help her….

The powerfully gripping new book from USA Today bestselling author Kate Hewitt. Josh and Ben are nine years old and best friends, until a single, careless act in the school playground destroys the lives of both families – and wrenches their small Manhattan school apart. As both mothers Maddie and Joanna try to find out what really happened between the boys, they discover the truth is far more complicated and painful than either of them could have ever realised… with lasting repercussions for both families. And when tragedy strikes again in the most unexpected of ways, the lives of these two women will be changed once more, and this time forever. When He Fell explores the issues of parental responsibility and guilt, and whether there are some acts that human nature just cannot forgive…

Dr. Abby Curtis starts her new job in a busy A&E department with trepidation. Her consultant boss is notorious for his critical nature and she's had enough of overbearing men Her fears are borne out as Dr. Jordan Blakesley seems intent on faulting everything she does–but he's just so attractive that she cannot keep her eyes off him! And when dramatic events in Abby's life result in Jordan paying her very personal attention, she has to decide whether his protection is something she wants to depend upon for ever…