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Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Following the development of gray-scale imaging, real-time scanning, Doppler examination, and high-frequency sonography, endosonography is one of the latest major breakthroughs in the history of diagnostic ultrasound. Although early attempts at inserting ultrasound transducers in natural cavities of the body can be traced back more than two decades, only in the past few years has technology allowed the development and commercialization of effective, easy-to-use endosono scopic probes. Because the transducer can be placed in direct contact with or close to lesions, high frequencies (up to ~2 MHz) can be used, yielding cross-sectional images of unsurpassed resolution. The availability of specially designed intracorporeal probes for specific natural cavities that are routinely explored by conventional (optical) endoscopy or palpation has significantly expanded the diagnostic applications of sonography. Transrectal and transvaginal examinations are now performed routinely in many institutions, and virtually all sonographic equipment manufac turers have in their line of products at least one endorectal and one endovaginal transducer. Most endosonoscopic probes connect to existing scanners, and for radiology departments, the invest ment for transrectal or transvaginal scanning will usually be limited to the purchase of the specific probe. In this book, clinical applications of endosonography (excluding transesophageal echocardio graphy) are covered by European and North American experts. Current equipment and techniques of examination are described in detail to help newcomers get started in the field of endosonography. 200 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Following the development of gray-scale imaging, real-time scanning, Doppler examination, and high-frequency sonography, endosonography is one of the latest major breakthroughs in the history of diagnostic ultrasound. Although early attempts at inserting ultrasound transducers in natural cavities of the body can be traced back more than two decades, only in the past few years has technology allowed the development and commercialization of effective, easy-to-use endosono scopic probes. Because the transducer can be placed in direct contact with or close to lesions, high frequencies (up to ~2 MHz) can be used, yielding cross-sectional images of unsurpassed resolution. The availability of specially designed intracorporeal probes for specific natural cavities that are routinely explored by conventional (optical) endoscopy or palpation has significantly expanded the diagnostic applications of sonography. Transrectal and transvaginal examinations are now performed routinely in many institutions, and virtually all sonographic equipment manufac turers have in their line of products at least one endorectal and one endovaginal transducer. Most endosonoscopic probes connect to existing scanners, and for radiology departments, the invest ment for transrectal or transvaginal scanning will usually be limited to the purchase of the specific probe. In this book, clinical applications of endosonography (excluding transesophageal echocardio graphy) are covered by European and North American experts. Current equipment and techniques of examination are described in detail to help newcomers get started in the field of endosonography. 200 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Most of the nuclear facilities built since the Second World War have ceased active operation and have been decommissioned. Some of the sites are heavily contaminated with radioactive substances. Correct and efficient action to mitigate the radiological consequences of such contamination will only be possible when the behaviour of radionuclides in the terrestrial environment is sufficiently well known. Yet radioecologists often find it difficult to study the transfer of radioactivity in agricultural land and semi-natural ecosystems, because of the complexity and diversity of such environments. The present book presents an analysis of all the factors that affect the behaviour of radionuclides as they move from their point of release through the environment and then enter the tissues of biota living in the ecosystems, in particular plants and animals consumed by humans.The course on which the book is based was held in a region that is heavily contaminated by radioactive discharges into the environment during nuclear weapons fabrication in the 1950s and '60s, and due to a severe accidental release following the explosion of a rad-waste tank in 1957. This allowed in situ training of the students.The book's main emphasis is on specific radioecological problems in severely contaminated areas in the former Soviet Union: the Southern Urals Trail, the rivers Techa-Isert-Tobol-Irtis-Ob, and the 30 km zone around Chernobyl. Systems examined include soils, arable and pasture land, forests, lakes and rivers. Special attention is paid to the effects of radiation on natural ecosystems: trees, soil-dwelling organisms, and aquatic organisms. Synergistic effects are also considered. Short, medium and long term countermeasures are discussed.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The thirty-five chapters in this book are edited versions of papers presented at the Advanced Research Workshop, State Intervention on Behalf of Children and Youth, which took place in Maratea, Italy, February 20-24, 1989. The Workshop was attended by leading child welfare researchers from most of the Western countries. Represented were scholars and practitioners from disciplines as diverse as law, social work, neurology, economics, political science, education, psychology, and psychiatry. This variety of disciplines considerably enriched the discussions at the Workshop and is reflected in a set of interesting and, we believe, potentially useful research papers. This book is divided into four sections, each dealing with dominant themes of state intervention. The first section deals with research on organizing for state intervention and related ways of providing accountability. The second section deals with research on young persons in conflict with the law, the third with research on child abuse and the final section with research on children in care. Many of the matters addressed in these papers relate to more than one of the topical theme headings and, therefore, might well have been located in different sections of the volume. Each section is introduced by an introductory statement that provides an overview of the papers and issues addressed, and suggests an agenda of research work to be undertaken. These introductions are based largely on workshop discussions and do not necessarily represent the views of their identified authors.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -I. Livestock Systems and Nutrition.- The Contribution of Livestock Products to Human Dietary Needs with Special Reference to North Africa and West Asia.- The Importance of Barley in Food Production and Demand in West Asia and North Africa.- Research Strategies for Development: Improving Sheep and Goat Production in Developing Countries.- Increasing Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Mediterranean Basin.- A Comparison of Grazing and Browsing Ruminants in the Use of Feed Resources.- Improving Livestock Production from Straw-Based Diets.- II. Breeding.- Breeding Strategies for Small Ruminants in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas.- A Strategy for the Exploitation of Sheep Genotypes for Improved Flock Performance.- Sheep and Goats: Their Relative Potential for Milk and Meat Production in Semi-Arid Environments.- New Technologies for Animal Improvement and Developing Countries.- Selection for Lamb Growth in Libyan Barbary Sheep.- The Awassi Sheep Breeding Project in Syria.- Past Experiences of Sheep Improvement in Egypt and Future Directions.- Genetic Improvement of Sheep in Turkey.- Sheep Breeding in Jordan and a Proposed Awassi Breed Improvement Programme.- Genetic Improvement of Sheep in Cyprus by Selection and/or Crossbreeding.- III. Health.- Studying Husbandry and Health of Awassi Sheep in Bedouin Flocks: Evaluation of Methodology Using Initial Results.- Emerging Bacterial Diseases that can Affect Small Ruminant Production.- The Economic Significance and Control of Small Ruminant Viruses in North Africa and West Asia.- Controlling Livestock Diseases in the Tropics by Breeding: A Perspective.- Impact on Productivity and Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal and Lungworm Parasites in Sheep in Morocco.- Resistance of Sheep and Goats to Helminth Infections: A Genetic Basis.- The Potential Use of Vaccines or Genetically Resistant Animals in the Control of Helminthiasis.- Mechanisms of Immunity to Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Sheep.- Recommendations.- List of Authors and Participants.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The farming of deer as an alternative to traditional livestock enterprises is now firmly established and is expanding within several countries of the European Economic Community. However, the successful farming of deer requires the adoption of appropriate management schemes to accommodate the biological requirements of these animals. Much experience has now been gained and it is essential that this information becomes readily available througout the Community. In addition, as the volume of deer farming has increased a number of health problems have become recognised which present features distinct from other domestic ruminants. Although knowledge is still incomplete it would appear that deer may react to certain pathogens in a very different way to other domestic ruminants, presenting new problems of diagnosis and control. The rapid detection of these conditions and development of appropriate control strategies will be essential for the establishment of an economically viable deer farming industry in the Community. Much of the information on the management of farmed deer and their diseases is anecdotal and fragmented and the purpose of this meeting was to accelerate the dissemination of this knowledge between scientists in the Community committed to the development of this area of agricultural industry. The meeting, financed by the Commission of the European Communities from its budget for the Coordination of Agricultural Research in the Community was held in Scotland, on the 10th to 11th December, 1987.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Until the early seventies, tautomeric i. e. fast and reversible rearrangement reactions accompanied by migrations of carbon-centered groups - were practi cally unknown. For a long time it was assumed that the family of tautomeric reactions was confined to proto tropic transformations only. However, the discovery in the fifties of the reversible metallotropic rearrangements showed the domain of migratory tautomerism to be substantially broader. The synthesis of the metallotropic compounds was based on the substitution of a proton in prototropic compounds by an organometallic group. This approach rarely proved fruitful when attempting to effect tautomeric rearrangements of organic and organometallic groups formed by the elements to the right of carbon in the Periodic Table. By contrast, a novel approach involving an analysis of the steric requirements inherent in the structure of the transition state of a reactive center and an examination of the stereodynamic possibilities has given rise to a target-oriented molecular design of compounds capable of rapid and reversible intramolecular migration of the type indicated. The implementation of this ap proach, which is the subject of the present book, has already led to the preparation of new tautomeric compounds in which such heavy organic migrants as acyl, aryl, sulfinyl, phosphoryl, arsinyl, and other groups migrate in molecules at a frequency 6 9 of 10 -10 S-I at ambient temperature, i. e. , at the rates comparable with protonic migrations.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Hungry Hollow is simply an ordinary creek winding through about a mile of ordinary forest and meadow somewhere east of the Rocky Mountains. But like all such places, it is also a vast and intricate web of life with extensions that reach around the planet, back into prehistoric time, and within to a teeming, bizarre microscopic world. In dozens of short, wonderfully imaginative chapters, A.K. Dewdney introduces us to the denizens of this world. We encounter a hackberry tree whose branches perfectly reproduce the taxonomic Tree of Life, learn how it would look and feel to shrink by stages to the size of an amoeba while swimming in a river, watch a toad win the lottery, and see the world of Hungry Hollow from the viewpoint of bears, earthworms, and even stones. This is an excursion into natural history like no other.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -From the editors of the wildly successful Beyond Calculation comes another exploration of the overwhelming impact of computers on our future. This time, the essays focus on the human impact of computer technology and culture: how computers will affect the ways we teach, learn, communicate, relate to each other, and live in the coming decades. The contributors, representing the best of many fields, include Secretary of Defense William Perry on how computers will affect warfare; Brian Ferrin on technology and storytelling; Patti Maes on intelligent agents; Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann on the quality of information; Eliot Soloway on the impact of computers on education; and many more. Like Beyond Calculation, praised by the New York Times for its 'astonishing intellectual reach,' this sequel engages readers with some of the most compelling and important issues of our time.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 220 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This lecture provides an introduction to cyber foraging, a topic that lies at the intersection of mobile and cloud computing. Cyber foraging dynamically augments the computing resources of mobile computers by opportunistically exploiting fixed computing infrastructure in the surrounding environment. In a cyber foraging system, applications functionality is dynamically partitioned between the mobile computer and infrastructure servers that store data and execute computation on behalf of mobile users. The location of application functionality changes in response to user mobility, platform characteristics, and variation in resources such as network bandwidth and CPU load. Cyber foraging also introduces a new, surrogate computing tier that lies between mobile users and cloud data centers. Surrogates are wired, infrastructure servers that offer much greater computing resources than those offered by small, battery-powered mobile devices. Surrogates are geographically distributed to be as close as possible to mobile computers so that they can provide substantially better response time to network requests than that provided by servers in cloud data centers. For instance, surrogates may be co-located with wireless hotspots in coffee shops, airport lounges, and other public locations. This lecture first describes how cyber foraging systems dynamically partition data and computation. It shows how dynamic partitioning can often yield better performance, energy efficiency, and application quality than static thin-client or thick-client approaches for dividing functionality between cloud and mobile computers. The lecture then describes the design of the surrogate computing tier. It shows how strong isolation can enable third-party computers to host computation and store data on behalf of nearby mobile devices. It then describes how surrogates can provide reasonable security and privacy guarantees to the mobile computers that use them. The lecture concludes with a discussion of data staging, in which surrogates temporarily store data in transit between cloud servers and mobile computers in order to improve transfer bandwidth and energy efficiency. Table of Contents: Introduction / Partitioning / Management / Security and Privacy / Data Staging / Challenges and OpportunitiesSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book links the challenges to which the electricity network is exposed with the range of new technology, methodologies and market mechanisms known under the name 'smart grid.' The main challenges will be described by the way in which they impact the electricity network: the introduction of renewable electricity production, energy efficiency, the introduction and further opening of the electricity market, increasing demands for reliability and voltage quality, and the growing need for more transport capacity in the grid. Three fundamentally different types of solutions are distinguished in this book: solutions only involving the electricity network (like HVDC and active distribution networks), solutions including the network users but under the control of the network operator (like requirements on production units and curtailment), and fully market-driven solutions (like demand response). An overview is given of the various solutions to the challenges that are possible with new technology; this includes some that are actively discussed elsewhere and others that are somewhat forgotten. Linking the different solutions with the needs of the electricity network, in the light of the various challenges, is a recurring theme in this book. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Challenges / Solutions in the Grid / Participation of Network Users / Market Incentives / Discussion / ConclusionsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 236 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This short book is for students, professors and professionals interested in signal processing of seismic data using MATLAB¿. The step-by-step demo of the full reflection seismic data processing workflow using a complete real seismic data set places itself as a very useful feature of the book. This is especially true when students are performing their projects, and when professors and researchers are testing their new developed algorithms in MATLAB¿ for processing seismic data. The book provides the basic seismic and signal processing theory required for each chapter and shows how to process the data from raw field records to a final image of the subsurface all using MATLAB¿. The MATLAB¿ codes and seismic data can be downloaded here.Table of Contents: Seismic Data Processing: A Quick Overview / Examination of A Real Seismic Data Set / Quality Control of Real Seismic Data / Seismic Noise Attenuation / Seismic Deconvolution / Carrying the Processing Forward / Static Corrections / Seismic Migration / Concluding RemarksSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Although the solar energy industry has experienced rapid growth recently, high-level management of photovoltaic (PV) arrays has remained an open problem. As sensing and monitoring technology continues to improve, there is an opportunity to deploy sensors in PV arrays in order to improve their management. In this book, we examine the potential role of sensing and monitoring technology in a PV context, focusing on the areas of fault detection, topology optimization, and performance evaluation/data visualization. First, several types of commonly occurring PV array faults are considered and detection algorithms are described. Next, the potential for dynamic optimization of an array's topology is discussed, with a focus on mitigation of fault conditions and optimization of power output under non-fault conditions. Finally, monitoring system design considerations such as type and accuracy of measurements, sampling rate, and communication protocols are considered. It is our hope that the benefits of monitoring presented here will be sufficient to offset the small additional cost of a sensing system, and that such systems will become common in the near future. Table of Contents: Introduction / Overview of Photovoltaics / Causes Performance Degradation and Outage / Fault Detection Methods / Array Topology Optimization / Monitoring of PV Systems / SummarySpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 96 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -For more than a century, oil has been the engine of growth for a society that delivers an unprecedented standard of living to many. We now take for granted that economic growth is good, necessary, and even inevitable, but also feel a sense of unease about the simultaneous growth of complexity in the processes and institutions that generate and manage that growth. As societies grow more complex through the bounty of cheap energy, they also confront problems that seem to increase in number and severity. In this era of fossil fuels, cheap energy and increasing complexity have been in a mutually-reinforcing spiral. The more energy we have and the more problems our societies confront, the more we grow complex and require still more energy. How did our demand for energy, our technological prowess, the resulting need for complex problem solving, and the end of easy oil conspire to make the Deepwater Horizon oil spill increasingly likely, if not inevitable This book explains the real causal factors leading up to the worst environmental catastrophe in U.S. history, a disaster from which it will take decades to recover.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In February 1996, a chess-playing computer known as Deep Blue made history by defeating the reigning world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, in a game played under match conditions. Kasparov went on to win the six-game match 4-2 and at the end of the match announced that he believed that chess computing had come of age. This book provides an enthralling account of the match and of the story that lies behind it: the evolution of chess-playing computers and the development of Deep Blue. The story of chess-playing computers goes back a long way and the author provides a whistlestop tour of the highlights of this history. As the development comes to its culmination in Philadelphia, we meet the Deep Blue team, Garry Kasparov and each of the historic six games is provided in full with a detailed commentary. Chess grandmaster Yasser Seirawan provided a lively commentary throughout the match and here provides a Foreword about the significance of this event.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 340 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Every amateur astronomer has at least heard of the many different catalogs of deep-sky objects; the mostwell knownare the Messier, the Caldwell, the Herschel, and the NGC. All of these catalogs are, in general, readily available, but very few amateur observers are in a position to choose the best catalog for their particular deep-sky observing program, know how to use the catalog, or evenrealize just how many there are out there!The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to the Deep-sky Catalogs is a singlecompilation of the historical and modern astronomical deep-sky catalogs.It discusses their origins, compares what's in them, explains how to interpret the data they contain, and even outlines how readers can create suitable 'custom' catalogs for their own use. The last section provides a set of three deep-sky catalogs created by the author, for observers of different levels of experience, from newcomer to expert.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 392 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This volume, like the others, not only focuses upon the individual missions within the decade but also upon key challenges facing human space exploration at specific points within those years - from the problems of simply breathing and eating in space to the challenges of venturing outside in a pressurized spacesuit, the development of newer and better space toilets, and the difficulties of locomotion on the Moon. The Eighties was a time when traveling into space far more commonplace. Examining in detail the American and Soviet fronts, Ben Evans gives a comprehensive analysis of the varying fortunes of the U.S. space shuttle in the Eighties, including its early test flights and commercial flights, its problems, the 51L tragedy and its aftermath, and the resumption of operations with STS-26. The U.S. story ends with STS-37 in April 1991. In the Soviet sphere, two pivotal space station efforts - Salyut 7 and its succesor, Mir - are considered, showing how they were alike and different.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 496 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Cardiac tissue engineering aims at repairing damaged heart muscle and producing human cardiac tissues for application in drug toxicity studies. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the cardiac tissue engineering strategies, including presenting and discussing the various concepts in use, research directions and applications. Essential basic information on the major components in cardiac tissue engineering, namely cell sources and biomaterials, is firstly presented to the readers, followed by a detailed description of their implementation in different strategies, broadly divided to cellular and acellular ones. In cellular approaches, the biomaterials are used to increase cell retention after implantation or as scaffolds when bioengineering the cardiac patch, in vitro. In acellular approaches, the biomaterials are used as ECM replacement for damaged cardiac ECM after MI, or, in combination with growth factors, the biomaterials assume an additional function as a depot for prolonged factor activity for the effective recruitment of repairing cells. The book also presents technological innovations aimed to improve the quality of the cardiac patches, such as bioreactor applications, stimulation patterns and prevascularization.This book could be of interest not only from an educational perspective (i.e. for graduate students), but also for researchers and medical professionals, to offer them fresh views on novel and powerful treatment strategies. We hope that the reader will find a broad spectrum of ideas and possibilities described in this book both interesting and convincing.Table of Contents: Introduction / The Heart: Structure, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Regeneration / Cell Sources for Cardiac Tissue Engineering / Biomaterials: Polymers, Scaffolds, and Basic Design Criteria / Biomaterials as Vehicles for Stem Cell Delivery and Retention in the Infarct / Bioengineering of Cardiac Patches, In Vitro / Perfusion Bioreactors and Stimulation Patterns in Cardiac Tissue Engineering / Vascularization of Cardiac Patches / Acellular Biomaterials for Cardiac Repair / Biomaterial-based Controlled Delivery of Bioactive Molecules for Myocardial RegenerationSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 204 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This is awide-ranging and persuasive book written by an undisputed expert. Beginning with a broad history of the Universe, Earth, Life, and Man, it considers the origins and rise of science and technology, before moving on to discuss the present state of the world and its/our possible futures. Humans on Earth then addresses the main challenges for social and economic development in the 21st century in the context of global change. It presents a detailed but non-technical analysis of questions relating to climate change, our dependence on fossil fuels, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, desertification, and air, water, soil, and ocean pollution, as well as problems related to overpopulation, poverty, social and economic inequalities, and conflict potential. The three main, but largely mutually exclusive, discourses on human development and the environment are described and discussed. The main emphasis is on the risks and uncertainties of the short-term future ¿ the next 50 to 100 years ¿ with regard to environmental degradation and the sustainability of our growth paradigm.'. a sweeping, thoughtful view of the role of humans in shaping our modern world.'Paul Epstein, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical SchoolSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 428 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The subject of this book is the physics of vortices. A detailed analysis of the dynamics of vortices will be presented. The important topics of vorticity and molecular spin will be dealt with, including the electromagnetic analogy and quantization in superfluids. The effect of molecular spin on the dynamics of molecular nano-confined fluids using the extended Navier-Stokes equations will also be covered ¿especially important to the theory and applicability of nanofluidics and associated devices. The nanoscale boundary layer and nanoscale vortex core are regions of intense vorticity (molecular spin). It will be shown, based on molecular kinetic theory and thermodynamics, that the macroscopic (solid body) rotation must be accompanied by internal rotation of the molecules. Electric polarization of the internal molecular rotations about the local rotation axis ¿the Barnett effect ¿ occurs. In such a spin aligned system, major changes in the physical properties of the fluid result.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 144 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In this work, we provide a treatment of the relationship between two models that have been widely used in the implementation of autonomous agents: the Belief DesireIntention (BDI) model and Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). We start with an informal description of the relationship, identifying the common features of the two approaches and the differences between them. Then we hone our understanding of these differences through an empirical analysis of the performance of both models on the TileWorld testbed. This allows us to show that even though the MDP model displays consistently better behavior than the BDI model for small worlds, this is not the case when the world becomes large and the MDP model cannot be solved exactly. Finally we present a theoretical analysis of the relationship between the two approaches, identifying mappings that allow us to extract a set of intentions from a policy (a solution to an MDP), and to extract a policy from a set of intentions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 72 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The Illusion of Reality was conceived during my tenure as director of the newly established Division of Information Science and Technology at the National Science Foundation in 1979-1981 as a partial response to the need for a textbook for students, both in and out of government, that would pro vide a comprehensive view of information science as a fundamental constitu ent of other more established disciplines with a unity and coherence distinct from computer science, cognitive science, and library science although it is related to all of them. Driven by the advances of information technology, the perception of information science has progressed rapidly: today it seems well understood that information processing biological organisms and informa tion processing electronic machines have something basic in common that may subsume the theory of computation, as well as fundamental parts of physics. This book is primarily intended as a text for an advanced undergraduate or a graduate introduction to information science. The multidisciplinary nature of the subject has naturally led to the inclusion of a considerable amount of background material in various fields. The reader is likely to fmd the treat ment relatively oversimplified in fields with which he is familiar and, perhaps, somewhat heavier sailing in less familiar waters. The theme of common principles among seemingly unrelated applications provides the connective tissue for the diverse topics covered in the text and, I hope, justifies the variable level of presentation. Some of the material appears here for the first time.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 352 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -1 IN ODYSSEUS'S WAKE 1 1 LOGOS 13 3 THE NEW LABYRINTH 47 4 THE SKEIN OF ARIADNE 65 S 'HEAR YE, CRETANS AND GREEKS!' 93 6 THE BATTLE OF NAXOS 119 7 RAPANUI 139 8 TALKI NG BOARDS OF TH E PACI FIC 153 9 ATOP TERE VAKA 167 10 'ALL THE BIRDS . ' 187 11 SURFING THE RONGORONGO 205 Suggested Reading 223 Index 227 A 'glyph' (short for hieroglyph) is a sign in a script. And a 'breaker' is a person who cracks a script's code. A 'glyph breaker' is then a decipherer, someone who lets us read the unreadable, that linguistic magician who gives voice to the mute past. Until 1984 no one had been able to read Crete's 3600-year old Phaistos Disk, Europe's earliest literature and greatest written enigma. Until 1994 no one could make sense of Easter Island's mysterious Iongorongo writing, Oceania's only script predating the twentieth century. No one had ever deciphered two wholly different historical scripts before. Until now. This is the true story of these two achievements.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Evidence-based Clinical Practice (EBCP) is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use ofcurrent best external evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.In neurology, practice has shifted from a rich, descriptive discipline to one of increasingly diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.Providing a comprehensive review of the current best evidence, Neurology: An Evidence-Based Approach presents this type of evidence in a concise, user-friendly and easily accessible manner. The three co-editors of this important volume are linked in their passion for evidence-based clinical practice in the clinical neurological sciences, connected to a common historical origin at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), London, Ontario Canada and influenced directly by Evidence-Based Medicine teachings of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Cananda. The book is organized in three sections: Basics of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice, with an introduction to the topic, a chapter on the evolution of the hierarchy of evidence, and another chapter on guidelines for rating the quality of evidence and grading the strength of recommendation. The second section, Neurological Diseases, provides an illuminating overview of evidence-based care in ten of the most common areas in neurologic practice. The final, third section provides an outstanding roadmap for teaching evidence-based neurology with a chapter on the Evidence-Based Curriculum. A superb contribution to the literature, Neurology: An Evidence-Based Approach offers a well designed, well written, practical reference for all providers and researchers interested in the evidence-based practice of neurology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 384 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The two-volume set LNCS 6978 + LNCS 6979 constitutes the proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing, ICIAP 2011, held in Ravenna, Italy, in September 2011.The total of 121 papers presented was carefully reviewed and selected from 175 submissions. The papers are divided into 10 oral sessions, comprising 44 papers, and three post sessions, comprising 77 papers. They deal with the following topics: image analysis and representation; image segmentation; pattern analysis and classification; forensics, security and document analysis; video analysis and processing; biometry; shape analysis; low-level color image processing and its applications; medical imaging; image analysis and pattern recognition; image and video analysis and processing and its applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 740 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book is an enhanced version of an earlier Russian edition. Besides thorough revisions, more emphasis was put on reordering the topics according to a category-theoretical view. This allows the mathematical results to be stated, proved, and understood in a much easier and elegant way.From the reviews of the Russian edition:'The main accent is shifted to the application. . .in geometrical optics, thermostatics and control theory, and not to the Hamiltonian mechanics only. . . . To make the book fairly self-contained, full details of basic definitions and all proofs are included. In this way, the majority of the text can be read without the prerequisite of a course in geometry. The excellent collection of examples illustrates the relatively hard and highly abstract mathematical theory and its hidden difficulties. . .The book can rise real interest for specialists . . . . The . . . book is a significant input in the modern symplectic geometry and its applications.'(Andrey Tsiganov, St. Petersburg State University)Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 272 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Minimally Invasive Surgery in Orthopedics: The Upper Extremity Handbook contains all of the valuable chapters from Section 1 of Scuderi and Tria's 2010 hardcover reference. Newly available in an affordable softcover format, this book covers minimally invasive procedures and techniques for the shoulder, elbow, wrist and other topicsapplicable tothe upper extremity. The book is fully illustrated with more than one hundred pictures and clearly written for ease of understanding. Surgeons, residents, and fellows alike will find this thorough and focused handbook invaluable.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the Third International Conference, eHealth 2010, held in Casablanca, Morocco, in December 2010. The 30 revised full papers presented along with 12 papers from 2 collocated workshops were carefully reviewed and selected from 70 submissions in total and cover a wide range of topics including web intelligence, privacy, trust and security, ontologies and knowledge management, eLearning and education, Web 2.0 and online communications of practice, and performance monitoring and evaluation frameworks for healthcare. 356 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the Second International ICST Conference on e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries, AFRICOM 2010, held in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2010. The 13 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected and cover a wide range of topics such as wireless network technologies, E-governance, as well as ICT for development and ICT business models and open-access. 152 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security, SAFECOMP 2011, held in Naples, Italy, in September 2011.The 34 full papers presented together were carefully reviewed and selected from 100 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on RAM evaluation, complex systems dependability, formal verification, risk and hazard analysis, cybersecurity and optimization methods.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 496 pp. Englisch.