Integral Methods in Science and Engineering, Volume 1

TheinternationalconferencesonIntegralMethodsinScienceandEngineering (IMSE) are biennial opportunities for academics and other researchers whose work makes essential use of analytic or numerical integration methods to discuss their latest results and exchange views on the development of novel techniques of this type. The ?rst two conferences in the series, IMSE1985 and IMSE1990, were hosted by the University of Texas–Arlington. At the latter, the IMSE c- sortium was created and charged with organizing these conferences under the guidance of an International Steering Committee. Subsequently, IMSE1993 took place at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, IMSE1996 at the University of Oulu, Finland, IMSE1998 at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA, IMSE2000 in Ban?, AB, Canada, IMSE2002 at the University of ´ Saint-Etienne, France, IMSE2004 at the University of Central Florida, - lando, FL, USA, and IMSE2006 at Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. The IMSE conferences are now recognized as an important forum where scientists and engineers working with integral methods express their views about, and int- act to extend the practical applicability of, a very elegant and powerful class of mathematical procedures. A distinguishing characteristic of all the IMSE meetings is their general atmosphere—a blend of utmost professionalism and a strong collegial-social component. IMSE2008, organized at the University of Cantabria, Spain, and attended by delegates from twenty-seven countries on ?ve continents, ma- tained this tradition, marking another unquali?ed success in the history of the IMSE consortium.