Pro ODP.NET for Oracle Database 11g

This book is a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide for using the Oracle Data Provider (ODP) version 11g on the .NET Framework. It also outlines the core GoF (Gang of Four) design patterns and coding techniques employed to build and deploy high-impact mission-critical applications using advanced Oracle database features through the ODP.NET provider.

The book details the features of the ODP.NET provider in two main sections: “Basic,” covering the basics and mechanisms for data access via ODP.NET; and “Advanced,’ covering advanced Oracle features such as globalization, savepoints, distributed transactions and how to call them via ODP.NET, advanced queueing (AQ), and promotable transactions. It takes you from the ground up through different implementation scenarios via a rich collection of both VB.NET and C# code samples.

It outlines database security and performance optimization tricks and techniques on ODP.NET that conform to best practices and adaptable design. Different GoF design patterns are highlighted for different types of ODP.NET usage scenarios with consideration of performance and security.

It provides a comprehensive guide to the synergistic integration of Oracle and Microsoft technologies such as the upcoming Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio (11.1.0.7.10). It also details how programmers can make use of ODT to streamline the creation of robust ODP.NET applications from within the Visual Studio environment.
What you’ll learn
How to use the full set of features available in ODP.NET 11g (with code samples and diagrams illustrating each feature/concept). New features such as using Oracle Streams AQ, promotable transactions, Oracle database event notifications, and Oracle database control are also covered.
The core performance and feature differences between ODP.NET, Microsoft.NET Provider for Oracle, OLEDB.NET, and ODBC.NET, together with the strengths and weaknesses of each method. This section also provides comprehensive coverage on the differences between ODP.NET 9i, 10g, and 11g.
How to take advantage of connection pooling, fetch size controls, ref cursors, bind variables, client result cache and statement caching via ODP.NET to squeeze every ounce of performance from your .NET application.
How to secure your ODP.NET applications via authentication and ODP.NET 11g’s new classes to enforce imperative and declarative Oracle security.
The common programming pitfalls and design patterns to use/avoid in different ODP.NET usage scenarios
How to use a significant set of features of Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio (11.1.0.7.10), including new features such as the AQ designers, user/role management, and performance-tuning tools

Essential C# 4.0

Essential C# 4.0 is a well-organized,“no-fluff” guide to all versions of C# for programmers at all levels of C# experience. This fully updated edition shows how to make the most of C# 4.0’s new features and programming patterns to write code that is simple, yet powerful.

This edition contains two new chapters on parallel programming, multi­threading, and concurrency, as well as extensive coverage of new C# 4.0 features: dynamic typing, variance, optional/named parameters, and many other new topics.

Mark Michaelis covers the C# language in depth, illustrating key constructs with succinct, downloadable code examples. Graphical “mind maps” at the beginning of each chapter show what material is covered and how individual topics interrelate. Topics intended for beginners and advanced readers are clearly marked, and the book includes indexes of C# versions (2.0, 3.0, and 4.0), which make it easy for readers to reference topics specific to a given release of C#.

Following an introduction to C#, readers learn about
Best practices for object-oriented programming in C#
C# primitive data types, value and reference types, implicitly typed variables, anonymous types, plus dynamic typing in C# 4.0
Methods and parameters–including extension methods, partial meth­ods, and C# 4.0’s optional and named parameters
Generics, concurrent collections, and custom collections with iterators
Delegates, events, and lambda expressions
Collection interfaces and standard query operators
Query expressions and the tree expressions on which LINQ providers are based
Reflection, attributes, and dynamic programming
Parallel Query Processing with PLINQ
Multithreaded programming with the Task Parallel Library
Platform interoperability and unsafe code
The Common Language Infrastructure that underlies C#
Whether you’re just starting out, are an experienced developer moving to C#, or are a seasoned C# programmer seeking to master C# 4.0’s most valuable enhancements, Essential C# 4.0 will help you write high-quality, highly effective code.

Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#

C# has matured over the past decade: It’s now a rich language with generics, functional programming concepts, and support for both static and dynamic typing. This palette of techniques provides great tools for many different idioms, but there are also many ways to make mistakes. In Effective C#, Second Edition, respected .NET expert Bill Wagner identifies fifty ways you can leverage the full power of the C# 4.0 language to express your designs concisely and clearly.

Effective C#, Second Edition, follows a clear format that makes it indispensable to hundreds of thousands of developers: clear, practical explanations, expert tips, and plenty of realistic code examples. Drawing on his unsurpassed C# experience, Wagner addresses everything from types to resource management to dynamic typing to multicore support in the C# language and the .NET framework. Along the way, he shows how to avoid common pitfalls in the C# language and the .NET environment. You’ll learn how to

Use both types of C# constants for efficiency and maintainability (see Item 2)
Employ immutable data types to promote multicore processing (see Item 20)
Minimize garbage collection, boxing, and unboxing (see Items 16 and 45)
Take full advantage of interfaces and delegates (see Items 22 though 25)
Make the most of the parallel framework (see Items 35 through 37)
Use duck typing in C# (see Item 38)
Spot the advantages of the dynamic and Expression types over reflection (see Items 42 and 43)
Assess why query expressions are better than loops (see Item 8)
Understand how generic covariance and contravariance affect your designs (see Item 29)
See how optional parameters can minimize the number of method overloads (see Item 10)

You’re already a successful C# programmer–this book will help you become an outstanding one.

Microsoft Visual J# .NET...

Presented in an easy-to-browse format, this erudite book provides the authoritative technical details you need to leverage Microsoft Visual J# .NET and the richness of the Microsoft .NET Framework to build scalable, enterprise-level applications.

Game Programming Gems (Game Programming Gems Series)

Aimed at the working (or aspiring) Visual C/C game programmer, Game Programming Gems contains over 60 programming tips that have been gathered from more than 40 working game gurus. It you want to build your own games or are interested simply in how games work, this text provides an intriguing glimpse into how the pros create state-of-the-art 3-D animation.
The guiding principle in this book is to publish the best available tips for game programming; most of these fit into 10 pages or fewer. But don't let the efficient presentation fool you; almost every one of these tips will be invaluable to any serious game developer.
Early sections concentrate on techniques for creating more maintainable, faster code. A guide to using scripts for data-driven game modules and techniques teaches you better resource management (like using handles). A quick-start tutorial to the Standard Template Library (STL) will help you learn how to use these fast collection classes in your code right away. Several contributors show off strategies for better game debugging and profilingthere's even a set of classes that can provide onscreen feedback during testing.

Baby's Dressin'Fancy

Baby's Dressin'Fancy by Norma Gale

William Damon - Bringing in a New Era in Character Education

William Damon - Bringing in a New Era in Character Education
Publisher: Hoover Institution Press | File type: PDF | 194 pages | 5.63 mb

Education in the United States has at last ended its failed experiment with separating the intellectual from the moral��and schools from K�C12 to college campuses are increasingly paying attention to students' values and accepting responsibility for students' character. But how can we bring in this new era in character education in a way that makes the right kind of difference to young people? What are the approaches that will provide character education the solid foundation necessary to sustain it now and into the future? What obstacles in our current educational system must we overcome, and what new opportunities can we create? This book provides a unique perspective on what is needed to overcome the remaining impediments and make character
education an effective, lasting part of our educational agenda. Each chapter points out the directions that character education must take today and offers strategies essential for making progress in the field. The expert contributors explain, for instance, how we can pass core values down to the younger generation in ways that will elevate their conduct and their life goals. They reveal why relativism has threatened the moral development of young people in our time��and what we can do to turn this around. And they show the critical importance of reestablishing student morality and character as targets of higher education's central mission. The authors make a strong case for quot;moral exemplarityquot;��actual human examples of moral excellence��as an effective tool of educational practice and describe how stoic quot;warriorquot; principles can offer a moral manner of managing one's emotions in times of pressure. Perhaps most important, they clarify the necessity of authority in any moral education endeavor��and show how it is actually a powerful force for both personal freedom and character building.