springer us feb 1999 (62 risultati)

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Fundamentals of Information Systems contains articles from the 7th International Workshop on Foundations of Models and Languages for Data and Objects (FoMLaDO '98), which was held in Timmel, Germany. These articles capture various aspects of database and information systems theory: identification as a primitive of database models deontic action programs marked nulls in queries topological canonization in spatial databases complexity of search queries complexity of Web queries attribute grammars for structured document queries hybrid multi-level concurrency control efficient navigation in persistent object stores formal semantics of UML reengineering of object bases and integrity dependence . Fundamentals of Information Systems serves as an excellent reference, providing insight into some of the most challenging research issues in the field.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - 'AIDS is kind of like life, just speeded up. ' JavonP. ,heroinaddictwithAIDS, Bronx,NewYork, 1988 'Now I'm not so much scared of dying as scared of living. ' Mike D. , heroin addict with AIDS, New Haven, Connecticut, 1998 Within little more than a decade, AIDS has been tranformed from an untreatable, rapidly fatal illness, into a manageable, chronic disease. Most of this tranformation has occurred in the past five years, accelerated by the advent of protease inhibitors and the proven benefits of combination antiretroviral therapy and prophylaxis against opportunistic infections. For people living with HIV/AIDS, these developments have offered unprecedented hope, and also new challenges. As reflected in the quotes above, some of the anxieties and anticipation of premature dying have been replaced by the uncertainties involved in living with a long-term, unpredictable illness. The role of caregivers for people with HIV/AIDS has also changed radically over this time. Earlier in the epidemic, we learned to accompany patients through illness, to bear witness, to advocate, to address issues of death, dying, and - reavement. The arrival of more effective therapy has brought with it new capabi- ties, but also new complexities, raising difficult problems concerning access to care, adherence, and toxicity.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Decision Criteria and Optimal Inventory Processes provides a theoretical and practical introduction to decision criteria and inventory processes. Inventory theory is presented by focusing on the analysis and processes underlying decision criteria. Included are many state-of-the-art criterion models as background material. These models are extended to the authors' newly developed fuzzy criterion models which constitute a general framework for the study of stochastic inventory models with special focus on the real world inventory theoretic reservoir operations problems. The applications of fuzzy criterion dynamic programming models are illustrated by reservoir operations including the integrated network of reservoir operation and the open inventory network problems. An interesting feature of this book is the special attention it pays to the analysis of some theoretical and applied aspects of fuzzy criteria and dynamic fuzzy criterion models, thus opening up a new way of injecting the much-needed type of non-cost, intuitive, and easy-to-use methods into multi-stage inventory processes. This is accomplished by constructing and optimizing the fuzzy criterion models developed for inventory processes. Practitioners in operations research, management science, and engineering will find numerous new ideas and strategies for modeling real world multi- stage inventory problems, and researchers and applied mathematicians will find this work a stimulating and useful reference.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Partial Contents: Reliability Concepts; Device Reliability; Hazard Rates; Monitoring Reliability; Specific Device Information, and more. Appendixes. 60 illustrations.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - The Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center in coop eration with the Materials Science Group of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science of Syracuse University has been conducting the Annual Sagamore Army Materials Research Conference since 1954. The specific purpose of these conferences has been to bring together scientists and engineers from academic institutions, industry and government who are uniquely qualified to explore in depth a subject of importance to the Department of Defense, the Army and the scientific community. These proceedings entitled, FATIGUE - ENVIRONMENT AND TEMPER ATURE EFFECT, address the overview of temperature and environmental effects of fatigue, room temperature environmental effects, high temperature and environmental effect - mechanisms, high tempera ture and environmental effect - mechanisms, materials and design-engineering applications. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Messrs. Joseph Bernier and Dan McNaught of the Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center and Helen Brown DeMascio of Syracuse University throughout the stages of the conference planning and finally the publication of the book. The continued active interest and support of these conferences by Dr. E. Wright, Director of the Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center, is appreciated.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Biology of the Arterial Wall is intended as a general reference text concerned with the biology of the vascular cells and the blood vessel wall under physiological and pathological conditions. One of the major functions of the arteries is to maintain a continuous blood flow to the organs whatever the pressure conditions, thanks to the vasomotor tone of the smooth muscle cells. Great advances have been made over the last decade in the understanding of the endothelial cells as integrators and transducers of signals originating from the blood stream. The pluripotent control functions of the endothelial cells in the vessel wall are now well recognized. A review of endothelial functions and dysfunctions is presented. Cell biology and molecular genetic studies have now identified an array of molecules elaborated by endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells and by the blood-borne elements which interact with artery cells, defending the artery against injury and modulating evolving abnormal processes. Molecules which induce or inhibit endothelial and/or smooth muscle cells are currently under great scrutiny. Angiogenesis, which plays a major role in tumor growth, but may also be beneficial as a healing process in muscle ischemia, is discussed. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, has only recently been recognized as an essential process in blood vessel modeling and remodeling. An overview of apoptosis in the vascular system is presented. It is increasingly evident that the adjustments of the blood vessel wall are made in the presence of deforming disease processes such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. The second part of the book is concerned with the blood vessel wall in disease conditions. Several chapters review the role of the vessel and vascular cells in inflammation, and vascular remodeling during arterial hypertension and aging. One chapter is devoted to atherogenesis, atheroma and plaque instability, followed by the pathophysiology of post-angioplasty restenosis, which is a crucial issue in modern interventional cardiology.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Geographic information systems have developed rapidly in the past decade, and are now a major class of software, with applications that include infrastructure maintenance, resource management, agriculture, Earth science, and planning. But a lack of standards has led to a general inability for one GIS to interoperate with another. It is difficult for one GIS to share data with another, or for people trained on one system to adapt easily to the commands and user interface of another. Failure to interoperate is a problem at many levels, ranging from the purely technical to the semantic and the institutional. Interoperating Geographic Information Systems is about efforts to improve the ability of GISs to interoperate, and has been assembled through a collaboration between academic researchers and the software vendor community under the auspices of the US National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis and the Open GIS Consortium Inc. It includes chapters on the basic principles and the various conceptual frameworks that the research community has developed to think about the problem. Other chapters review a wide range of applications and the experiences of the authors in trying to achieve interoperability at a practical level. Interoperability opens enormous potential for new ways of using GIS and new mechanisms for exchanging data, and these are covered in chapters on information marketplaces, with special reference to geographic information. Institutional arrangements are also likely to be profoundly affected by the trend towards interoperable systems, and nowhere is the impact of interoperability more likely to cause fundamental change than in education, as educators address the needs of a new generation of GIS users with access to a new generation of tools. The book concludes with a series of chapters on education and institutional change. Interoperating Geographic Information Systems is suitable asa secondary text for graduate level courses in computer science, geography, spatial databases, and interoperability and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry, commerce and government.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - This book is timely and challenging. Within its pages are commentaries and opinions on the scientific background and explanatory ideas for a complex of symptoms and investigations known as syndrome X. The commonest cause by far of angina pectoris is coronary artery obstruction due to atheromatous lesions both within the wall of the artery and intruding into the lumen; in such patients it is expected that there maybe ST segment depression on atrial pacing or on an exercise test indicating myocardial ischemia. Syndrome X was a term first used in an editorial written by Kemp in 1973. He was referring to patients in group X in a paper from Arbogast and Bourassa. Patients in group X had three features, namely angina as judged on a clinical history, alterations of the ST segment on the electrocardiogram during atrial pacing and smooth unobstructed coronary arteries (presumed normal) as assessed by the technique of coronary angiography. The changes on the electrocardiogram, conventionally indicative of myocardial ischemia, could not be explained on the basis of any abnormality of the coronary arteries and Kemp named the complex of fmdings syndrome X because of this seeming paradox and the lack of a single explanation. In the last thirty-one years there has been substantial scientific interest in this syndrome giving rise to a large number of publications. The name syndrome X has led to considerable confusion. Physicians are familiar with the X chromosome and with X linked congenital disorders.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Software architecture is a primary factor in the creation and evolution of virtually all products involving software. It is a topic of major interest in the research community where pronusmg formalisms, processes, and technologies are under development. Architecture is also of major interest in industry because it is recognized as a significant leverage point for manipulating such basic development factors as cost, quality, and interval. Its importance is attested to by the fact that there are several international workshop series as well as major conference sessions devoted to it. The First Working IFIP Conference on Software Architecture (WICSAl) provided a focused and dedicated forum for the international software architecture community to unify and coordinate its effort to advance the state of practice and research. WICSA 1 was organized to facilitate information exchange between practising software architects and software architecture researchers. The conference was held in San Antonio, Texas, USA, from February 22nd to February 24th, 1999; it was the initiating event for the new IFIP TC-2 Working Group on Software Architecture. This proceedings document contains the papers accepted for the conference. The papers in this volume comprise both experience reports and technical papers. The proceedings reflect the structure of the conference and are divided into six sections corresponding to the working groups established for the conference.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The first comprehensive overview of this topic that balances clinical and research considerations, Adherence to Pediatric Medical Regimens reviews the prevalence and potentially serious consequences of poor adherence to medical regimens for children and adolescents. This original text examines in detail the nature of adherence problems, reasons for nonadherence, strategies for assessing and improving adherence to both acute and chronic disease regimens, and published research. The author provides protocols for adherenceenhancement and applies adherence theories to specific clinical cases. 194 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The first edition of this book was very well received by the various groups (lecturers, students, researchers and industrialists) interested in the scientific and techno logical aspects of cheese. The initial printing was sold out faster than anticipated and created an opportunity to revise and extend tht; baok. The second edition retains all 21 subjects from the first edition, generally revised by the same authors and in some cases expanded considerably. In addition, 10 new chapters have been added: Cheese: Methods of chemical analysis; Biochemistry of cheese ripening; Water activity and the composition of cheese; Growth and survival of pathogenic and other undesirable microorganisms in cheese; Mem brane processes in cheese technology, in Volume 1 and North-European varieties; Cheeses of the former USSR; Mozzarella and Pizza cheese; Acid-coagulated cheeses and Cheeses from sheep's and goats' milk in Volume 2. These new chapters were included mainly to fill perceived deficiencies in the first edition. The book provides an in-depth coverage of the principal scientific and techno logical aspects of cheese. While it is intended primarily for lecturers, senior students and researchers, production management and quality control personnel should find it to be a very valuable reference book. Although cheese production has become increasingly scientific in recent years, the quality of the final product is still not totally predictable. It is not claimed that this book will provide all the answers for the cheese scientist/technologist but it does provide the most com prehensive compendium of scientific knowledge on cheese available. 592 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -As law is instituted by society to serve society, there can be no question that psychology plays an important and inevitable role in the legal process, clarifying or complicating legal issues. In this enlightening text, Roesch, Hart, Ogloff, and the contributors review all the key areas of the use of psychological expertise in civil, criminal, and family law. An impressive selection of academic scholars and legal professionals discusses the contributions that psychology brings to the legal arena. Topics examined in this insightful text include: juries and the current empirical literature witnesses and the validity of reports preventing mistaken convictions in eyewitness identification trials forensic assessment and treatment predicting violence in mentally and personality disordered individuals employment and discrimination new `best interests' standards for children in courts education and training in psychology and law, and ethical and legal contours of forensic psychology. The volume also features a noteworthy appendix on specialty guidelines for forensic psychologists. Psychology and Law collects a range of expert testimony in its thorough examination of the legal process, affording readers a unique survey of contemporary knowledge. 484 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -From Damon Runyan's colorful tough guys in black shirts and white ties to recent media coverage of John Gotti, the `dapper don', public depictions of racketeers in the United States have drawn attention away from the true nature of organized crime and its extensive penetrations into mainstream business. The Upperworld and the Underworld: Case Studies of Racketeering and Business Infiltrations in the United States strips away the romantic patina and reveals the significant impact of racketeering on vital segments of American industry.In this informative study Robert Kelly explores two fundamental questions: `Why is organized crime a serious problem in some businesses and industries, and not in others ' and `What are the consequences of racketeering activities for labor organizations and businesses tainted by a criminal presence ' He examines the blurred demarcation between the legitimate and illegitimate sectors of society and explains the reasons for this occurrence. In the process, Kelly provides a distinct vantage point for understanding organized crime, not just as an `outlaw fringe' preying on society, but as a disturbingly integral element of our social and economic structure. Moreover, he confirms a widely held thesis that organized crime is not merely parasitic but an institutional component of American society.The Upperworld and the Underworld affords a fascinating view of the current state of organized crime in the United States and the rise of nontraditional criminal organizations in new immigrant communities. The volume is an essential resource for students and scholars concerned with issues of crime and its effects on the economy. 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Bringing Scanning Probe Microscopy Up to Speed introduces the principles of scanning probe systems with particular emphasis on techniques for increasing speed. The authors include useful information on the characteristics and limitations of current state-of-the-art machines as well as the properties of the systems that will follow in the future. The basic approach is two-fold. First, fast scanning systems for single probes are treated and, second, systems with multiple probes operating in parallel are presented.The key components of the SPM are the mechanical microcantilever with integrated tip and the systems used to measure its deflection. In essence, the entire apparatus is devoted to moving the tip over a surface with a well-controlled force. The mechanical response of the actuator that governs the force is of the utmost importance since it determines the scanning speed. The mechanical response relates directly to the size of the actuator; smaller is faster. Traditional scanning probe microscopes rely on piezoelectric tubes of centimeter size to move the probe. In future scanning probe systems, the large actuators will be replaced with cantilevers where the actuators are integrated on the beam. These will be combined in arrays of multiple cantilevers with MEMS as the key technology for the fabrication process.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 176 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In Controversy, Trevor Palmer fully documents how traditional gradualistic views of biological and geographic evolution are giving way to a catastrophism that credits cataclysmic events, such as meteorite impacts, for the rapid bursts and abrupt transitions observed in the fossil record. According to the catastrophists, new species do not evolve gradually; they proliferate following sudden mass extinctions. Placing this major change of perspective within the context of a range of ancient debates, Palmer discusses such topics as the history of the solar system, present-day extraterrestrial threats to earth, hominid evolution, and the fossil record. 476 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -From Damon Runyan's colorful tough guys in black shirts and white ties to recent media coverage of John Gotti, the `dapper don', public depictions of racketeers in the United States have drawn attention away from the true nature of organized crime and its extensive penetrations into mainstream business. The Upperworld and the Underworld: Case Studies of Racketeering and Business Infiltrations in the United States strips away the romantic patina and reveals the significant impact of racketeering on vital segments of American industry. In this informative study Robert Kelly explores two fundamental questions: `Why is organized crime a serious problem in some businesses and industries, and not in others ' and `What are the consequences of racketeering activities for labor organizations and businesses tainted by a criminal presence ' He examines the blurred demarcation between the legitimate and illegitimate sectors of society and explains the reasons for this occurrence. In the process, Kelly provides a distinct vantage point for understanding organized crime, not just as an `outlaw fringe' preying on society, but as a disturbingly integral element of our social and economic structure. Moreover, he confirms a widely held thesis that organized crime is not merely parasitic but an institutional component of American society. The Upperworld and the Underworld affords a fascinating view of the current state of organized crime in the United States and the rise of nontraditional criminal organizations in new immigrant communities. The volume is an essential resource for students and scholars concerned with issues of crime and its effects on the economy. 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -It is difficult to think of an example of an advancement in the biological sciences that has had an impact on society similar to that of the new genetics. Recent developments in biotechnology have occasioned much discussion among academics, professionals, and lay people alike. In particular, many questions and concerns have arisen over the acquisi tion, access, and control of genetic information. There are several reasons why the new genetics has commanded such widespread attention, and why it is now the subject of con siderable debate. Special reference is given in this volume to the implications of genetic information for five different subject areas: eugenics, the insurance industry, the commer cialisation of genetic testing, strategies for raising public awareness, and the value of theo retical ethical and sociological frameworks in the debate. This diverse collection of papers attempts to address and critically discuss issues surrounding the control of, and access to, genetic information from ethical, medical, legal, and theoretical points of view. The first and shortest section of the book attempts to address concerns over the eugenic potential of new biotechnologies. It also provides a historical context for the de bate, for controversy over the subject of eugenics predates the current debate over genetic information by a considerable length of time. Indeed, by the time the first patent was is sued for Chakrabarty's strain of oil eating bacteria in the early 1970s, the term eugenics had already acquired strong pejorative connotations. 352 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Design of Low-Voltage Low-Power CMOS Delta-Sigma A/D Converters investigates the feasibility of designing Delta-Sigma Analog to Digital Converters for very low supply voltage (lower than 1.5V) and low power operation in standard CMOS processes. The chosen technique of implementation is the Switched Opamp Technique which provides Switched Capacitor operation at low supply voltage without the need to apply voltage multipliers or low VtMOST devices. A method of implementing the classic single loop and cascaded Delta-Sigma modulator topologies with half delay integrators is presented. Those topologies are studied in order to find the parameters that maximise the performance in terms of peak SNR. Based on a linear model, the performance degradations of higher order single loop and cascaded modulators, compared to a hypothetical ideal modulator, are quantified. An overview of low voltage Switched Capacitor design techniques, such as the use of voltage multipliers, low VtMOST devices and the Switched Opamp Technique, is given. An in-depth discussion of the present status of the Switched Opamp Technique covers the single-ended Original Switched Opamp Technique, the Modified Switched Opamp Technique, which allows lower supply voltage operation, and differential implementation including common mode control techniques. The restrictions imposed on the analog circuits by low supply voltage operation are investigated. Several low voltage circuit building blocks, some of which are new, are discussed. A new low voltage class AB OTA, especially suited for differential Switched Opamp applications, together with a common mode feedback amplifier and a comparator are presented and analyzed. As part of a systematic top-down design approach, the non-ideal charge transfer of the Switched Opamp integrator cell is modeled, based upon several models of the main opamp non-ideal characteristics. Behavioral simulations carried out with these models yield the required opamp specifications that ensure that the intended performance is met in an implementation. A power consumption analysis is performed. The influence of all design parameters, especially the low power supply voltage, is highlighted. Design guidelines towards low power operation are distilled. Two implementations are presented together with measurement results. The first one is a single-ended implementation of a Delta-Sigma ADC operating with 1.5V supply voltage and consuming 100 &mgr;W for a 74 dB dynamic range in a 3.4 kHz bandwidth. The second implementation is differential and operates with 900 mV. It achieves 77 dB dynamic range in 16 kHz bandwidth and consumes 40 &mgr;W. Design of Low-Voltage Low-Power CMOS Delta-Sigma A/D Converters is essential reading for analog design engineers and researchers. 192 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Bringing Scanning Probe Microscopy Up to Speed introduces the principles of scanning probe systems with particular emphasis on techniques for increasing speed. The authors include useful information on the characteristics and limitations of current state-of-the-art machines as well as the properties of the systems that will follow in the future. The basic approach is two-fold. First, fast scanning systems for single probes are treated and, second, systems with multiple probes operating in parallel are presented. The key components of the SPM are the mechanical microcantilever with integrated tip and the systems used to measure its deflection. In essence, the entire apparatus is devoted to moving the tip over a surface with a well-controlled force. The mechanical response of the actuator that governs the force is of the utmost importance since it determines the scanning speed. The mechanical response relates directly to the size of the actuator; smaller is faster. Traditional scanning probe microscopes rely on piezoelectric tubes of centimeter size to move the probe. In future scanning probe systems, the large actuators will be replaced with cantilevers where the actuators are integrated on the beam. These will be combined in arrays of multiple cantilevers with MEMS as the key technology for the fabrication process. 196 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Direct Digital Control Systems: Application Commissioning offers an insightful examination of the critical role of the DDC system in the commissioning process. Included is solid coverage of microprocessor-based control systems combined with the protocols and procedures needed to effectively integrate DDC system validation into systems commissioning. This field handbook is an everyday reference on Direct Digital Control for commissioning personnel. Whether designer, contractor, air balancer, technician, vendor, commissioning agent, owner, operator or student, increasing one's knowledge of DDC control systems will directly improve project performance. 268 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Switching Theory for Logic Synthesis covers the basic topics of switching theory and logic synthesis in fourteen chapters. Chapters 1 through 5 provide the mathematical foundation. Chapters 6 through 8 include an introduction to sequential circuits, optimization of sequential machines and asynchronous sequential circuits. Chapters 9 through 14 are the main feature of the book. These chapters introduce and explain various topics that make up the subject of logic synthesis: multi-valued input two-valued output function, logic design for PLDs/FPGAs, EXOR-based design, and complexity theories of logic networks. An appendix providing a history of switching theory is included. The reference list consists of over four hundred entries. Switching Theory for Logic Synthesis is based on the author's lectures at Kyushu Institute of Technology as well as seminars for CAD engineers from various Japanese technology companies. Switching Theory for Logic Synthesis will be of interest to CAD professionals and students at the advanced level. It is also useful as a textbook, as each chapter contains examples, illustrations, and exercises. 380 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The contributions in this volume were first presented at a symposium organized by the editors and held at the 214th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Las Vegas in September, 1997. The symposium was sponsored by the ACS Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and covered recent developments of interest in food analysis. Many changes have occurred since the standard textbooks on food analysis were published: E. coli 0 157:H7 has leaped into prominence, requiring new and rapid methods of detection; MALDI-MS was developed and used in food analysis for the first time; elec tron microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and electrorheology have been applied to cheese, bread, meat, and chocolate, new methods for monitoring and predicting shelf life have been introduced; new techniques for determining the composition of food have evolved. This book includes many emerging approaches which food scientists may find useful and probably will not find in a textbook. The editors thank the authors whose work is presented in these chapters, the Divi sion of Agricultural and Food Chemistry for agreeing to hold the symposium, and our edi tors at Kluwer Academic I Plenum Publishers whose assistance made our task easier. Michael H. Tunick Samuel A. Palumbo Pina M. Fratamico v CONTENTS Physical Properties I. Transmission Electron Microscopic Imaging of Casein Submicelle Distribution in Mozzarella Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael H. Tunick, Peter H. Cooke, Edyth L. Malin, Philip W. Smith, and V. H. Holsinger 9 2. Confocal Microscopy of Bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Experiments showinga rapid and reversible change ofcolor s eem likemagic and are always fascinating. The process involved, photochromism, has a few real and many potential applications. Photochromic glasses thatdarken int he s unlight (protecting eyes from excessive light intensity) and bleach ind im lighta re today a part ofe v eryday life. Organic photochromic compounds in plastic ophthalmic lenses, more comfortable to wear, are now competing with silversalts in glasses, despite the longer lifetime oft he inorganic system. This successful commercial application has given a new impetus to research in the general field of photo chromism, which had its most recent revival in the early eighties. The storyo forganic photochromism with its ups anddowns, from the breakthroughs oft he pioneering periodi n the fifties, through the hardtimes dueto the drawbacks of photodegradation, tot he recent successes is in many ways a saga. The upsurges in this domain were marked by an increasing flow of articles in scientific journals andt he publication of several books (in 1971, 1990, and 1992) that have collectedt he important accumulatedknowledge. Over this period, a considerable number ofpatents have been issued. International meetings have accompanied this activity, the most recent being held in 1993 (ISOP 93 atLes Embiez Island, France) and in 1996 (ISOP 96 inClearwater, Florida). Remark ably, these meetings had good representation from both academia and industry. The next ISOP is planned for 1999 in Fukuoka, Japan. 500 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Social Networks, Drug Injectors' Lives, and HIV/AIDS recognizes HIV as a socially structured disease - its transmission usually requires intimate contact between individuals - and shows how social networks shape high-risk behaviors and the spread of HIV. The authors recount the groundbreaking use of social network methods, ethnographic direct-observation techniques, and in-depth interviews in their study of a drug-using community in Brooklyn, New York. They provide a detailed documentary of the lives of community members. They describe drug-use, the affects of poverty and homelessness, the acquisition of money and drugs, and social relationships within the group. Social Networks, Drug Injectors' Lives, and HIV/AIDS shows that social networks and contexts are of crucial importance in understanding and fighting the AIDS epidemic. These findings should revitalize prevention efforts and reshape social policy. 300 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -CMOS Current Amplifiers presents design strategies for high performance current amplifiers based on CMOS technology. After an introduction to various architectures of operational amplifiers, the operating principles of the current amplifier are outlined. This book provides the reader with simple and compact design equations for use in a pencil and paper design and the following simulation step. Chapter 1 introduces the general aspects of current amplifiers. After a preliminary classification of operational amplifiers, ideal blocks and models are discussed for different architectures and a first high-level comparison is made between traditional amplifiers and current amplifiers. Analysis and examples of basic circuits, as well as signal processing applications involving current amplifiers, are also given. Non-idealities and second- order effects causing limitations in performance are then discussed and evaluated. Chapter 2 focuses on low-drive current amplifiers. Several design examples for current conveyors and class A current amplifiers are discussed in detail and design equations are presented for the main performance parameters, which allows a good trade-off between requirements. High-performance solutions for high bandwidth and low voltage capability are also considered, and, finally, current comparators with progressively enhanced performance are reported and analyzed critically. Chapter 3 deals with current amplifiers for off-chip loads. Several class AB current-mode output stages are discussed and design strategies which improve performance are presented. A detailed analysis of non-ideal effect is carried out with particular emphasis on linearity. Design examples are given and circuit arrangements for further developments are included. CMOS Current Amplifiers serves as an excellent reference for researchers and professionals of analog IC design, and may also be used as an advanced text on current amplifiers. 180 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Performance Evaluation, Prediction and Visualization in Parallel Systems presents a comprehensive and systematic discussion of theoretics, methods, techniques and tools for performance evaluation, prediction and visualization of parallel systems. Chapter 1 gives a short overview of performance degradation of parallel systems, and presents a general discussion on the importance of performance evaluation, prediction and visualization of parallel systems. Chapter 2 analyzes and defines several kinds of serial and parallel runtime, points out some of the weaknesses of parallel speedup metrics, and discusses how to improve and generalize them. Chapter 3 describes formal definitions of scalability, addresses the basic metrics affecting the scalability of parallel systems, discusses scalability of parallel systems from three aspects: parallel architecture, parallel algorithm and parallel algorithm-architecture combinations, and analyzes the relations of scalability and speedup. Chapter 4 discusses the methodology of performance measurement, describes the benchmark- oriented performance test and analysis and how to measure speedup and scalability in practice. Chapter 5 analyzes the difficulties in performance prediction, discusses application-oriented and architecture-oriented performance prediction and how to predict speedup and scalability in practice. Chapter 6 discusses performance visualization techniques and tools for parallel systems from three stages: performance data collection, performance data filtering and performance data visualization, and classifies the existing performance visualization tools. Chapter 7 describes parallel compiling-based, search-based and knowledge-based performance debugging, which assists programmers to optimize the strategy or algorithm in their parallel programs, and presents visual programming-based performance debugging to help programmers identify the location and cause of the performanceproblem. It also provides concrete suggestions on how to modify their parallel program to improve the performance. Chapter 8 gives an overview of current interconnection networks for parallel systems, analyzes the scalability of interconnection networks, and discusses how to measure and improve network performances.Performance Evaluation, Prediction and Visualization in Parallel Systems serves as an excellent reference for researchers, and may be used as a text for advanced courses on the topic.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Sequence-specific DNA binding ligands, amongst which triple helix forming oligonucleotides are the most efficient as yet, represent promising tools in a number of fields. One of their most promising applications is as antiviral tools: they can specifically target a viral gene, even if it is integrated into the host genome, and be used to specifically inactivate the viral gene or even destroy the cells harboring this gene. However, from science fiction to science there remains a gap; and we are at the moment on the threshold of this fascinating field. Triple Helix Forming Oligonucleotides considers the different aspects of the design and improvement, current or future, of these molecules and their structural analysis, as well as their applications, with special emphasis on the attempts to obtain biological effects of these potentially important tools. What emerges is that the current state of the research is encouraging, and that these molecules are already useful in some biotechnology applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 324 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Fulfilling the Export Potential of Small and Medium Firms addresses the question, `How can economic policy contribute to a strong export performance by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries ' In today's increasingly integrated world economy, such a performance can make a significant difference to the growth, employment creation and income distribution of many developing countries. The study uses information from specifically designed surveys of SME exporters in Japan, Indonesia, Korea and Colombia, together with a range of evidence from other sources, to ascertain what types of support within the areas of technology, marketing and finance are most useful to SME exporters and how such support can best be provided to them. The quality of the support systems is found to vary widely among the four countries. Finally, a number of policy conclusions are put forward.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Emerging Competition in Postal and Delivery Services brings together practitioners, postal administrators, the courier industry, regulators, academic economists and lawyers to examine important policy and regulatory issues facing the postal and delivery industries. This volume reviews such topics as cost and productivity analysis, universal service and entry, demand analysis and the structure of postal payment system, price regulation and competition.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 380 pp. Englisch.