springer berlin heidelberg apr 2006 (106 risultati)

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -After years of apparent dormancy, once again companies are paying more att- tion to information management. IT departments and CIOs are confronted with a number of new challenges, which force them to reconsider past information m- agement strategies and solutions. Recently cited as positive trends in IT are only those developments concerning stronger customer service and process orientation or pertaining to new forms of IT governance. Questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of company IT utilization are once again taking center stage. More and more IT departments are under pressure to perform with regard to quality, functionality, and transparency, especially when performance does not mirror customers¿ requirements. The intensity with which discussions are taking place about costs, outsourcing, or offshoring between IT and other business units epi- mizes this pressure. This text addresses the challenges to information management. Using the model for integrated information management, this book presents a framework for the management of IT services and a tangible organization of information mana- ment. In defining the model we were guided by two principles.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 172 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Communication is a crucial basis for the development of each individual¿s social identity as well as for intellectual and commercial exchange and economic development. Therefore, the question is not whether telecommunications industries have a future but what kind of future old and new players will have, given the dynamic changes in technologies and markets with various opportunities, challenges, and discontinuities. This book contains the results of a Transatlantic Symposium organized by the MÜNCHNER KREIS and supported by Georgetown University and its BMW Center for German and European Studies. The symposium combined perspectives from industrial practice and academic research originating from North America and Europe. Key issues were the technological drivers of change, changing market structures and business models, and the nature of future regulation on telecom markets.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 204 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Many of problems of the natural sciences lead to nonlinear partial differential equations. However, only a few of them have succeeded in being solved explicitly. Therefore different methods of qualitative analysis such as the asymptotic methods play a very important role. This is the first book in the world literature giving a systematic development of a general asymptotic theory for nonlinear partial differential equations with dissipation. Many typical well-known equations are considered as examples, such as: nonlinear heat equation, KdVB equation, nonlinear damped wave equation, Landau-Ginzburg equation, Sobolev type equations, systems of equations of Boussinesq, Navier-Stokes and others.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 576 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Object detection and recognition is a topic of significant interest in computer and robot vision. It is required in most applications of computational vision, for example, biometric systems, medical imaging, intelligent cars, factory automation, and image databases.One of the major challenges in designing object recognition systems is to construct methods that are fast and capable of operating on standard computer platforms. The more developed such systems become, the more urgent becomes the need for a pre-selection system that enables subsequent processing to focus only on relevant data. One mechanism to achieve this is visual attention: it selects regions in a visual scene that are most likely to contain objects of interest. The field of visual attention is currently the focus of much research for both biological and artificial systems.This monograph presents a complete computational system for visual attention and object detection: VOCUS (Visual Object detection with a CompUtational attention System) is a system capable of automatically selecting regions of interest in images and detecting specific objects. It represents a major step forward on integrating data-driven and model-driven information into a single framework. Additionally, the volume contains an extensive review of the literature on visual attention, detailed evaluations of VOCUS in different settings, and applications of the system in the context of object recognition and robotics. 236 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -At the QMath9 meeting, young scientists learn about the state of the art in the mathematical physics of quantum systems. Based on that event, this book offers a selection of outstanding articles written in pedagogical style comprising six sections which cover new techniques and recent results on spectral theory, statistical mechanics, Bose-Einstein condensation, random operators, magnetic Schrödinger operators and much more. For postgraduate students, Mathematical Physics of Quantum Systems serves as a useful introduction to the research literature. For more expert researchers, this book will be a concise and modern source of reference.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 512 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Advances in wireless technologies promise to reshape the way we conduct business. Yet to make wireless e-business work effectively, a variety of enabling technologies are needed.Kou and Yesha and their contributors provide comprehensive information on these technologies, including, for example, wireless security, mobile payment, location-based services, mobile data management, and RFID technologies. The presentation is targeted at students, lecturers, e-business developers, consultants, and business managers, and this book is an ideal introduction for both self-study and taught e-business classes or commercial training courses.'I believe this is an excellent book to acquire comprehensive knowledge on enabling technologies for the blooming wireless e-business. I highly recommend this book!' Robert Mayberry, Vice President, Sensors and Actuators, IBM Software GroupSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 400 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -A survey of recent research in the fields of condensed matter physics and chemistry based on novel NMR and ESR techniques. Applications include quantum computing, metal nanoparticles, low dimensional magnets, fullerenes as atomic cages, superconductors, porous media, and laser assisted studies. The book is dedicated to Professor Robert Blinc, on the occasion of his seventieth birthday, in appreciation of his remarkable scientific accomplishments in the NMR of condensed matter.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 460 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -A new approach is presented for modelling multi-body systems, which constitutes a substantial enhancement of the Rigid Finite Element method. The new approach is based on homogeneous transformations and joint coordinates, and it yields the advantage that equations of motion are automatically generated for systems consisting of alternate rigid and flexible links. Apart from its simple physical interpretation and easy computer implementation, the method is also valuable for educational purposes since it impressively illustrates the impact of mechanical features on the mathematical model. This novel modelling approach is then applied to systems such as offshore-cranes and telescopic rapiers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 236 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 200 pp. Deutsch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Das Lehrbuch bietet eine leicht zugängliche Einführung in die entscheidungsorientierte Produktionstheorie industrieller Leistungsprozesse. In einem einheitlichen Rahmen behandelt es sowohl wesentliche Modelle und Aussagen der traditionellen Produktions- und Kostentheorie als auch grundlegende Aspekte des Produktionsmanagements. Der system-, prozess- und erfolgsorientierte Ansatz integriert auf organische Weise Gesichtspunkte des Umweltschutzes und bildet so auch eine Grundlage für das betriebliche Umweltmanagement und das industrielle Controlling. Das didaktische Hilfsmittel der Input/Output-Graphen führt zu einer konstruktiven Ausrichtung der Theorie und fördert zudem das Verständnis komplexer, vernetzter Produktionsstrukturen.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 408 pp. Deutsch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The importance of empirical economics and econometric methods has greatly in creased during the last 20 years due to the availability of better data and the improved performance of computers. In an information-driven society such as ours we need quickly to obtain complete and convincing statistical results. This is only possible if the appropriate econometric methods are applied. Traditional econometric analysis concentrates on classical methods which are far from suitable for handling actual economic problems. They can only be used as a starting point for students to learn basic econometrics and as a reference point for more advanced methods. Modern Econometrics tries to develop new approaches from an economic perspective. A consequence is that we have less of a unified econometric theory than in former times. Specific branches which require specific methods have been established. Nowadays, nobody has complete knowledge of every area of econometrics. If someone is interested to learn more about a field, relatively unknown to them, they will require support.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -When watching the collapse of the Twin Towers on CNN 11 September 2001, the international community was awakened to the urgent needs of open discussion to identify the emerging threat and the way to cope with it. Given the unprecedented heinous nature of the incident, the moves that the international community made were quick and included countermeasures in various dimensions. One of the major countermeasures highlighted as a result was to target the financial infrastructure of terrorist organisations. In this campaign, diverse organisations have participated, including the Security Council, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), IMF, World Bank, etc. At the same time, various methodologies have also been introduced at both the international and national level. Such a consensus and mobilisation of - sources to one end in the international community may be considered phenomenal in the history of public international law, and without doubt merits an in-depth analysis for both academic and practical purposes. In this context, this book examines the evolution and implementation of int- national standards on countering the financing of terrorism. There are two dim- sions to be taken into account to understand the structure of this book. The first is concerned with a sequential perspective. Given that 9/11 has provided a critical momentum in this area, chapter 2 deals with the international position prior to 9/11, whereas chapters 3, 4 and 5 analyse development following 9/11. The s- ond is related to a hard law and soft law perspective.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 264 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Classical microeconomics is intended to explain how a price system is able to coordinate the economic agents. But even if it can be extended to incomplete information and externalities, it remains grounded on very heroic assumptions. Agents are endowed with a very strong rationality, equilibrium is stated without a concrete process to achieve it, market is the unique institution considered. Evolutionary microeconomics is aimed at bypassing these limitations by considering a dynamic approach, however not biologically oriented. Agents have local information and bounded rationality, they are involved in explicit processes of interactions through time, various institutions sustain the market or substitute to it. It explains then some phenomena hardly explained by classical microeconomics: dispersion of prices, variety of industrial structures, financial bubbles.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Pensionomics puts forward a portfolio perspective on the combination of funded and unfunded pension arrangements. In a second-best type argument it is formally shown that a Pay-As-You-Go pension system can substitute the tradability of human capital: if risk-averse investors were able to directly invest into the present value of future labour income, they would allocate their pension portfolios in both human and physical capital. While this ideal form of diversification can not be implemented due to the imperfection of capital markets, one can design a typical Pay-As-You-Go system in such a way that it allows for the same intertemporal consumption allocations as the first-best solution. This replication works regardless of the demographic development.Therefore, PAYGO should play a key role in optimising the risk-return combinations for old-age savings.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 332 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Optimization is a serious issue, touching many aspects of our life and activity. But it has not yet been completely absorbed in our culture. In this book the authors point out how relatively young even the word ¿model¿ is. On top of that, the concept is rather elusive. How to deal with a technology that nds applicationsinthingsasdi erentaslogistics,robotics,circuitlayout, nancial deals and tra c control Although, during the last decades, we made signi cant progress, the broad public remained largely unaware of that. The days of John von Neumann, with his vast halls full of people frantically working mechanical calculators are long gone. Things that looked completely impossible in my youth, like solving mixed integer problems are routine by now. All that was not just achieved by ever faster and cheaper computers, but also by serious progress in mathematics. But even in a world that more and more understands that it cannot a ord to waste resources, optimization remains to a large extent unknown. R It is quite logical and also fortunate that SAP , the leading supplier of enterprise management systems has embedded an optimizer in his software. The authors have very carefully investigated the capabilities and the limits of APO. Remember that optimization is still a work in progress. We do not have the tool that does everything for everybody.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Singular systems have been widely studied in the past two decades due to their extensive applications in modelling and control of electrical circuits, power systems, economics and other areas. Interest has grown recently in the stability analysis and control of singular systems with parameter uncertainties due to their frequent presence in dynamic systems, which is much more complicated than that of state-space systems because controllers must be designed so that the closed-loop system is not only robustly stable, but also regular and impulse-free (in the continuous case) or causal (in the discrete case), while the latter two issues do not arise in the state-space case. This monograph aims to present up-to-date research developments and references on robust control and filtering of uncertain singular systems in a unified matrix inequality setting. It provides a coherent approach to studying control and filtering problems as extensions of state-space systems without the commonly used slow-fast decomposition. It contains valuable reference material for researchers wishing to explore the area of singular systems, and its contents are also suitable for a one-semester graduate course.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Thirty years ago, I first entered the dark realm of software engineering, through a prior interest in documentation. In those days, documentation pretty much meant functional specifications. The idea that stakeholders in a system (its implementers, its end-users, its maintainers, and so forth) might want something other than an alphabetic list of function definitions was just taking hold. There was an exciting (to me) vision of stakeholders accessing and contributing to explanations of how and why aspects of a system work as they do, tradeoff analysis of concomitant downsides, and perhaps even accounts of why other possible approaches were not followed. There were many challenges to overcome in achieving this vision. The most formidable is the belief that people do not like to create or use do- mentation. This negative image of documentation is (unfortunately) more than just the bias of a few incorrigible system developers. It is more like a deep truth about human information behavior, about how human beings construe and act towards information. Humans are, by default, active users of information; they want to try things out, and get things done. When documentation is interposed as a prerequisite between people and a desired activity, they try to skip through it, circumvent it, or undermine it. Desi- ing information to suit the needs and interests of its users is an abiding challenge, but we have come a long way from functional specifications as the only answer.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 456 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Proceedings of the Baroda Workshop on Nanomaterials, Magnetic Ions and Magnetic Semiconductors studied mostly by Hyperfine Interactions (IWNMS 2004), held in Baroda, India, 10-14 February, 2004.Researchers and graduate students interested in the application of hyperfine interaction techniques, mostly Mössbauer Effect and Perturbed Angular Correlations, to the fast developing fields of magnetic nanomaterials, magnetic ions and magnetic semiconductors will find this volume indispensable. The volume also addresses to the application of synchrotron radiation and ion beams to these systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 276 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This is the most comprehensive book on the basics, realization and applications of micromechanical photonics. Its purpose is to give the engineering student and the practical engineer a systematic introduction to optical MEMS (Micro electro mechanical systems) and micromechanical photonics. It does this not only through theoretical and experimental results, but also by describing various products and their fields of application.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 264 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Mobile devices allow users to access information resources and services over many different distribution channels ¿ anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Technical and usage characteristics of mobile systems are highly variable with respect to user capabilities and context characteristics, therefore an immense level of flexibility is required.Barbara Pernici - with contributions by the research groups involved in the project - presents here a framework for mobile information systems, focussing on quality of service and adaptability at all architectural levels, ranging from adaptive applications to e-services, middleware, and infrastructural elements, as it was developed in the 'Multichannel Adaptive Information Systems (MAIS)' project. The design models, methods, and tools developed in the project allow the realization of adaptive mobile information systems in a variety of different architectures.The book is divided into three parts: core technologies for mobile information systems (e.g., adaptive middleware and flexible e-services), enabling technologies (like data management on small devices or adaptive low-power hardware architectures or wireless networks), and methodological aspects of mobile information systems design (such as service profiling or user interface and e-service design for context-aware applications). It provides researchers in academia and industry with a comprehensive vision on innovative aspects which can be used as a basis for the development of new frameworks and applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 372 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -From environmental management to land planning and geo-marketing, the number of application domains that may greatly benefit from using data enriched with spatio-temporal features is expanding very rapidly. Unfortunately, development of new spatio-temporal applications is hampered by the lack of conceptual design methods suited to cope with the additional complexity of spatio-temporal data. This complexity is obviously due to the particular semantics of space and time, but also to the need for multiple representations of the same reality to address the diversity of requirements from highly heterogeneous user communities. Conceptual design methods are also needed to facilitate the exchange and reuse of existing data sets, a must in geographical data management due to the high collection costs of the data. Yet, current practice in areas like geographical information systems or moving objects databases does not include conceptual design methods very well, if at all.This book shows that a conceptual design approach for spatio-temporal databases is both feasible and easy to apprehend. While providing a firm basis through extensive discussion of traditional data modeling concepts, the major focus of the book is on modeling spatial and temporal information. Parent, Spaccapietra and Zimányi provide a detailed and comprehensive description of an approach that fills the gap between application conceptual requirements and system capabilities, covering both data modeling and data manipulation features. The ideas presented summarize several years of research on the characteristics and description of space, time, and perception. In addition to the authors' own data modeling approach, MADS (Modeling of Application Data with Spatio-temporal features), the book also surveys alternative data models and approaches (from industry and academia) that target support of spatio-temporal modeling.The reader will acquire intimate knowledge of both thetraditional and innovative features that form a consistent data modeling approach. Visual notations and examples are employed extensively to illustrate the use of the various constructs. Therefore, this book is of major importance and interest to advanced professionals, researchers, and graduate or post-graduate students in the areas of spatio-temporal databases and geographical information systems.'For anyone thinking of doing research in this field, or who is developing a system based on spatio-temporal data, this text is essential reading.' (Mike Worboys, U Maine, Orono, ME, USA)'The high-level semantic model presented and validated in this book provides essential guidance to researchers and implementers when improving the capabilities of data systems to serve the actual needs of applications and their users in the temporal and spatial domains that are so prevalent today.' (Gio Wiederhold, Stanford U, CA, USA)Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 484 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This volume offers insight in the identification and selection procedure of marine protected areas in the German exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the North - and Baltic Seas. EU Member States are obliged to establish a coherent network of protected areas, consisting of sites identified under the EC Habitats and Birds Directives. The goal of this Natura 2000 network is the conservation of biodiversity on land and in the sea. To fill important gaps in knowledge regarding the presence, abundance, and distribution of certain species and habitats in the German North- and Baltic Seas, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) initiated a detailed research programme, involving researchers from many renowned German marine research institutes. This book contains the main results of the different projects under this research programme, which formed the basis for the identification and selection of the Natura 2000 sites. Information is given on two NATURA 2000 habitats (sandbanks and reefs), and benthic species, fish, birds and marine mammals, as well as on legal aspects and implementation procedures. Last but not least the book introduces the current status of NATURA 2000 in the German EEZ. Target audience are not only scientists, but also policymakers, environmental organisations and other stakeholders, and the book includes many illustrations.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Micrometeorites played an essential role in the formation of the atmosphere of the Early Earth and also served as a significant source of activation for organic prebiotic chemistry on mineral surfaces. The present book gives a coherent account of this scenario, embedding the more specific results within a broader framework that considers the creation and evolution of the Early Earth. It thus addresses students and nonspecialist researchers in the fields of planetary atmospheres, biogeophysics and astrobiology. The experienced researcher will find this volume to be a modern and compact reference, as well as a source of material for lectures in this field.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In the last decade extra-galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) have gained increasing importance. Improved observational capabilities have allowed fainter and fainter PNe to be studied in galaxies well beyond the Milky Way. Planetary nebulae can be detected to at least 30Mpc. They are found in galaxies of all types and also between the galaxies in nearby galaxy clusters. They are valuable as probes, both for providing the velocity of their host stars and also the evolutionary status and relation to the stellar population from which they formed.This book contains the proceedings of a workshop held at ESO headquarters in Garching in 2004, the first meeting devoted entirely to Extra-galactic Planetary Nebulae. A wide range of topics is covered, from stellar and nebular astrophysics to galactic dynamics and galaxy clusters, making this volume a unique and timely reference of broad astrophysical interest. 388 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Thisbookaddressesnumericalfull-wavemethodsfortheanalysisanddesignof antennas and microwave structures. In the last decades these numerical me- ods that are used to calculate approximate solutions of Maxwell¿s equations have evolved from pure academic disciplines to powerful and user-friendly - gineering software tools. Meanwhile numerous commercial software packages exist that are widely used in the RF engineering community. Developments in thesoftwareaccompaniedbyprogressincomputertechnologyallownowadays many practical problems to be solved on standard PC systems. The text is written with di erent groups of readers in mind. First it - dresses RF engineers who embark on numerical modeling using commercial eld solvers. Second it addresses graduate students taking practical courses in electromagnetic eld simulation. Both groups need a basic understanding of the mathematical background and both groups need a practical introduction tocommercialEMmodelingsoftwaretomaketheir rstsimulationexperience a success. There are numerous books on the market that deal with mathematical details of di erent numerical methods for the calculation of electromagnetic elds. For engineers who want to know what these methods can do for them and how to use the software tools, these theoretical books are too far away from daily work. On the other hand, there are tutorials and manuals that provide information on how to use speci c software packages. These tutorials focusonthehandlingandspecialfeaturesofthesoftwareandmethodsapplied therein. However, the theoretical background and broader scope is generally neglected.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book describes the most recent developments in operative dentistry and is aimed at senior students and general dental practitioners. It describes techniques in a manner applicable to everyday practice. It has color illustrations and describes contemporary developments in operative dentistry. Recent developments in caries detection techniques and treatment are covered, as well as the use of the latest composite and porcelain restorative materials.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 136 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The problem of e cient or optimal allocation of resources is a fundamental concern of economic analysis. The theory of optimal economic growth can be viewedasanaspectofthiscentraltheme,whichemphasizesingeneraltheissues arising in the allocation of resources over an in nite time horizon, and in p- ticular the consumption-investment decision process in models in which there is no natural ¿terminal date¿. This broad scope of ¿optimal growth theory¿ is one which has evolved over time, as economists have discovered new interp- tations of its central results, as well as new applications of its basic methods. The purpose of this handbook is to provide surveys of some signi cant results of the theory of optimal growth,as well as the techniques of dynamic optimi- tion theory on which they are based. Armed with the results and methods of this theory, a researcher should be in an advantageous position to apply these versatile methods of analysis to new issues in the area of dynamic economics, as well as to contribute to the further development of the mathematical te- niques of optimization over time. The survey included in this volume all have as a common starting point the seminal contribution of Frank Ramsey (1928).Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 500 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Increasing awareness of the deleterious effects of toxic components in antifouling coatings has raised interest in the potential for nontoxic alternatives. This book examines how marine organisms from bacteria to invertebrates and plants use chemicals to communicate and defend themselves. Chemicals that prevent colonisation of living surfaces are particularly pertinent to antifouling technology and may inspire new solutions. The challenge is to identify such compounds, identify the means for sustainable production and incorporate them into coatings to give long-term antifouling efficacy. 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Contact mechanics was and is an important branch in mechanics which covers a broad field of theoretical, numerical and experimental investigations. In this carefully edited book the reader will obtain a state-of-the-art overview on formulation, mathematical analysis and numerical solution procedures of contact problems. The contributions collected in this volume summarize the lectures presented during the 4th Contact Mechanics Interantional symposium (CMIS) held in Hannover, Germany, 2005, by leading scientists in the area of contact mechanics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 412 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Julian Schwinger was already the world¿s leading nuclear theorist when he joined the Radiation Laboratory at MIT in 1943, at the ripe age of 25. Just 2 years earlier he had joined the faculty at Purdue, after a postdoc with OppenheimerinBerkeley,andgraduatestudyatColumbia. Anearlysemester at Wisconsin had con rmed his penchant to work at night, so as not to have to interact with Breit and Wigner there. He was to perfect his iconoclastic 1 habits in his more than 2 years at the Rad Lab. Despite its deliberately misleading name, the Rad Lab was not involved in nuclear physics, which was imagined then by the educated public as a esoteric science without possible military application. Rather, the subject at hand was the perfection of radar, the beaming and re ection of microwaves which had already saved Britain from the German onslaught. Here was a technology which won the war, rather than one that prematurely ended it, at a still incalculable cost. It was partly for that reason that Schwinger joined this e ort, rather than what might have appeared to be the more natural project for his awesome talents, the development of nuclear weapons at Los Alamos. He had got a bit of a taste of that at the ¿Metallurgical Laboratory¿ in Chicago, and did not much like it. Perhaps more important for his decision to go to and stay at MIT during the war was its less regimented and isolated environment.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 612 pp. Englisch.