周建阳编著的这本《自然约束语言(英文版)》着重介绍自然约束语言NCL(Natural Constraint Language)的理论基础——混合集合规划与自然建模。书中详细介绍使用NCL语言的开发平台——POEM(Programmingin Operationaland Expressive Models)对组合优化问题的求解方法。组合优化问题在我们日常生活和工作中广泛存在，而且因为往往是NP-hard的，所以一般来说难以求解。设计POEM的目的就是为程序师提供一个建模和求解大规模组合优化问题的编程环境。作为POEM内核的NCL语言，是一门以标准的数理逻辑为语法的运筹学的自然语言。

《The NCL Natural Constraint Language》is Written by the Jianyang Zhou.

《The NCL Natural Constraint Language》 presents the NCL language which is a description language in conventional mathematical logic for modeling and solving constraint satisfaction problems．NCL differs from other declarative languages：It models problems naturally in a simplified form of first—order logic with quantifiers Boolean logic，numeric constraints，set operations and logical functions；it solves problems by mixed set programming over the mixed domain of real numbers Integers，Booleans，dates／times，references，and in particular sets．The book uses plenty of examples and tutorials to illustrate NCL and its applications．It is intended for researchers and developers in the fields of logic programmin9，constraint programmin9，optimization，modelin9，operations research and artificial intelligence．who will learn from a new programming language and theoretical foundations for industrial applications．

Preface

1 Introductlon．

　Modeling and Solving

Programming Framework and Algorithm

　　Formal Grdmmar and Parser

　The NCL Language

　　Natural Modeling m Mathematical Logic

　　Cooperative Solving

　　Comparison with Some Othcr Systems

　The POEM Platform

　　Development Toolkit

　　Component and Server

 References

2 Data Types and Lexical Conventions

　Data Types

　　Generality

　　Sol

　　Date/Trlmc

　　NHmerJc

　LexicaI Tokens

　　Characters

　　ldent tiers

　　Predefined Identifiers

　　CoNstants

　　Non．InstHnlJal Values

　　ConmMenls

　Mathematical Notations

　　Mathematical Symbols

　　Predefined Functions

　　DeiImItc ofTeX

References

3 Grammar and Semantics

4 Tutorial Programs

5 The POEM Software Platform

6 Modeling and Solving

7 Industrial Applications

8 Relaxation and Decomplsition

Appendix 1 THe Grammar in Tex

Appendix 2 The Compoem Component

Index