springer us sep 2006 (25 risultati)

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Multimedia Database Retrieval: A Human-Centered Approach presents thelatest development in user-centered methods and the state-of-the-art invisual media retrieval. It includes discussion on perceptually inspirednon-linear paradigm in user-controlled interactive retrieval (UCIR)systems. It also features a coherent approach which focuses on specific topicswithin content/concept-based retrievals via audio-visual information modelingof multimedia.Highlights include:\*Exploring an adaptive machine that can learn from itsenvironment\*Optimizing the learning system by incorporating self-organizingadaptation into the retrieval process\*Demonstrating state-of-the-art applications within small,medium, and large databasesThe authors also include applications related to Digital AssetManagement (DAM), Computer Aided Referral (CAR) System, GeographicalDatabase Retrieval, retrieval of Art Documents, and Films and VideoRetrieval. Multimedia Database Retrieval: A Human-Centered Approach presents thefundamental and advanced aspects of these topics, as well as thephilosophical directions in the field. The methods detailed in thisbook possess broad applications which will advance the technology inthis fast developing topical area.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Recent theoretical and empirical studies have concluded that in order to be accurate, poverty and deprivation must be measured within a multidimensional framework that is consistent, efficient, and statistically robust.The fuzzy sets approach to poverty measurement was developed in the early 1990s and continues to be refined by scholars of economics and sociology who find the traditional 'monetary-only' indicators to be inadequate and arbitrary. This volume brings together advanced thinking on the multidimensional measurement of poverty, including the theoretical background, applications to cross-sections using contemporary European examples, and longitudinal aspects of multidimensional fuzzy poverty analysis that pay particular attention to the transitory, or impermanent, conditions that often occur during transitions to market economies.This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers and will be a useful text on poverty for advanced students in applied statistics, urban planning, economics, and sociology.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Embedded computing systems have started to carry out the key control functions in diverse domains such as telecommunications, automotive electronics, avionics and even complete industrial manufacturing lines. Traditionally, such embedded control systems have been implemented in a monolithic, centralized manner. However, distributed and parallel solutions have been steadily gaining popularity. In a distributed setup, the control task is carried out by a number of controllers distributed over the entire system and interconnected as a network by communication components such as field buses. More demanding local control applications require controllers based on parallel architectures or processors with dedicated co-processors. Distribution and parallelism in embedded system design increase the engineering challenges and demand new development methods and tools.From Model-Driven Design to Resource Management for Distributed Embedded Systems contains 16 original contributions as well as 12 invited papers by distinguished invited speakers. These papers were presented at the Working Conference on Distributed and Parallel Embedded Systems (DIPES 2006), which was held in October 2006 in Braga, Portugal, and sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).This volume covers the following very timely topics: model-driven design, test and evolution of embedded systems, timing analysis and predictability, scheduling, allocation, communication and resource management in distributed real-time systems.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - This book identifies rent-seeking behaviour as one of the main causes of poor economic performance, observed, among other places, in many countries of Africa. Rent-seeking describes the abiUty to capture incomes without producing output or making a productive contribution. Since rent-seekers are often an integral part of an ailing economy and resist the adoption of reforms, understanding and anticipating rent-seeking behaviour is crucial for designing more adequate and effective policy reforms. Following a comprehensive theoretical elaboration of the causes, properties and consequences of rents and rent-seeking strategies in the context of economic reforms and development cooperation, this book presents a detailed case study on rent-seeking within the civil service, parastatal sector and business com munity. It demonstrates how rent-seekers in Tanzania have systematically delayed or undermined reforms such as tax reforms, trade liberaHsation, privatisation or any reforms that aim to restrain corruption and embezzlement. The case study quantifies and evaluates the rent-seeking behaviour of more than 300 parastatal companies, considering their profits and losses, the quality and timeliness of their accounting and the magnitude of support they obtained from 16 different sources.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Odors in the Food Industry, the second volume of the ISEKI-Food book series, discusses the diverse questions raised by odors in the food industry and the closely related Volatile Organic Compounds. Topics range from perception of the issue to implementation of regulations, from prevention of the problems to their possible treatment, through specific case studies and analysis methods illustrating the different measurement technologies. The goal is to raise future industrial decision-makers' awareness in odors and air pollution problems and present the appropriate tools to better apprehend and manage odors problems, should they ever be confronted with this type of situation whether as a victim or as a liable actor.The ISEKI-Food book series is a collection where various aspects of food safety and environmental issues are introduced and reviewed by scientists specializing in the field. In all of the books a special emphasis is placed on including case studies applicable to each specific topic. The books are intended for graduate students and senior level undergraduate students as well as professionals and researchers interested in food safety and environmental issues applicable to food safety. 'ISEKI-Food' is an acronym for 'Integrating Safety and Environmental Knowledge Into Food Studies'. Participants in the ISEKI-Food network, coordinated by Professor Cristina Silva at The Catholic University of Portugal, come from 29 countries in Europe and most of the institutes and universities involved with Food Science education at the university level in Europe are represented. Some international companies and non teaching institutions have also participated in the network. The main objectives of ISEKI-Food are to improve the harmonization of studies in food science and engineering in Europe and to develop and adapt food science curricula emphasizing the inclusion of safety and environmental topics.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Through the years, the principal message of the 'Human Choice and Computers' (HCC) tradition and its associated conferences has been: there are choices and alternatives. The special theme of HCC7 is Social Informatics, which includes in itself a promise of a less technically biased approach to informatics, whilst An Information Society for All adds the ethical aspects to it. When developing the infrastructure and applications in an information society, we should strive to afford people equal opportunities to information technologies. Professor Rob Kling introduced the name Social informatics in its widely known Computers and Controversy. He was director of the Center for Social Informatics at Indiana University, Bloomington. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2003 at age 58, leaving a rich heritage in the field. This HCC7 conference honours his work and memory, and it develops further the cultivation of Kling's legacy.In this volume, Social Informatics takes in two directions. The first part supports the readers in creating their interpretation of the meaning of Social Informatics. The second, more extensive, part develops an overview of various applications of Social Informatics. Researchers inspired by Social Informatics touch unbelievably many areas of human and social life.Ethics, culture, politics, and law are a few areas within the realm of Social Informatics. The conceptualisations of information societies and ICT policies expand the domain towards economic, organizational, and technical issues. Additionally, this volume further develops the successful applications that require valid concepts and methods. These aspects demonstrate the power of Rob Kling's legacy. Scientific knowledge is the most durable form of that heritage because it does not decrease when used; on the contrary, diligent applications bear multiple fruits to continue that legacy. Thank you,Rob!Jacques Berleur is at the University of Namur, Belgium. Markku I. Nurminen is at the University of Turku, Finland.John Impagliazzo is at Hofstra University, USA.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Collaborative networks in action Collaborative Networks (CN) is a fast developing area, as shown by the already large number of diverse real-world implemented cases and the dynamism of its related involved research community. Benefiting from contributions of multiple areas, namely computer science, computer engineering, communications and networking, management, economy, social sciences, law and ethics, etc. , the area of Collaborative Networks is being consolidated as a new scientific discipline of its own. . On one hand significant steps towards a stronger theoretical foundation for this new discipline are being taken. On the other hand, a growing number of application cases are being developed and applied in industry and services. A good collection of active and emerging VO Breeding Environments and Professional Virtual Communities can be found in various regions of the world. This phenomenon is particularly evident in Europe where considerable investments in collaborative networks have been made in many of its regions. Based on the experiences and lessons learned in many research projects and pilot cases developed during the last decade, a new emphasis is now being put on the development of holistic frameworks, combining business models, conceptual models, governance principles and methods, as well as supporting infrastructures and services. In fact, reaching the phase in which the computer and networking technologies provide a good starting basis for the establishment of collaborative platforms, the emphasis is now turning to the understanding of the collaboration promotion mechanisms and CN governance principles.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Over the last forty years, the field of public economics has emerged as a modern successor to public finance. It has gained importance on the research agenda of economists and in the curricula of economics depa- ments. It has become a diversified field, rich in theoretical developments and substantive applications. Beyond the traditional concerns with t- ation or public goods, a number of new concerns have entered the scene, concerning for instance public sector pricing, the management of public firms, social security or federalism. A comprehensive presentation of the field extends nowadays beyond the scope of textbooks and requires access to a growing specialised literature. The present volume, collecting 22 papers published by Henry Tulkens over the period 1978-2003, is offered as an illustration of these new developments. The illustration has three dimensions: approach, s- ject matters and methods. Coming from a single author, admittedly assisted by 18 co-authors, the different papers are illustrative of an underlying general approach, which I like to label ''operational public economics''. With these simple words, I mean an approach under which issues in public economics are formulated so as to capture essential elements of actual situations. Ty- cally, this leads to theoretical models more complex than standard te- book formulations. It is then up to the public economist to extend the theory as needed to fit the situation.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Writing the preface for a book feels good, because once you find yourself in a situation to write tiie preface, it usually means that you have already written the rest of the book. Writing this book was a real challenge. I would have probably never written it if there was not Stefan Voss from the University of Hamburg to propose me to write it - thanks Stefan! It may seem that it is not very difficult to describe the application of a relatively young technology, such as the Semantic Web, to the domain of education. It may seem that there is actually not much to write about that topic. But it just seems so. On the contrary, the greatest challenge in writing this book was the abundance of material and exciting ideas about how to apply Semantic Web technologies to education. I knew from the very beginning that I will have to select carefully from many theories, practices, evolving ideas and approaches, and important research efforts, in order to compose a coherent whole. Worse still, I also knew that I will have to leave out of the book many other results, initiatives, and ongoing projects that would certainly be worth describing under more relaxed constraints. Thus, the endeavor was exhausting. The Semantic Web is about how to deploy artificial intelligence concepts and techniques on the Web, in order to harness the Web and make it more useful, more user-centered, and more responsive to human interaction.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware - Following an introductory overview, Hyperthermia In Cancer Treatment: A Primer comprehensively describes the biological reasons for associating hyperthermia with radiation and chemotherapy and the biological and clinical effects of hyperthermia on cancerous and normal tissues. The volume's 20 chapters are arranged in three principal parts: physical and methodological studies, biologic principles, and clinical studies.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book brings together the best thinking from both sides of the Atlantic to explore the issues surrounding soaring health care costs. It employs disciplinary perspectives from economics, ethics, philosophy, psychology, clinical practice, and epidemiology to explore various ways that value for patients have and can be determined. A major section of the book discusses problems that can reduce the value to patients of medical care. The volume is must read for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers who want to find in one place the state-of-the-art thinking and future directions of valuing medical care from the patient's perspective. 344 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Between Dirt and Discussion advocates recentering the materials that make archaeology archaeology, in the hope of reinvigorating dialogues about the historic past, and archaeological contributions to its understanding. The cases presented in this volume revisit old methods and previous scholarly approaches with new perspectives, and incorporate the newest technologies available for understanding the past. Using their own work as examples, the contributors explore the connections between methodology and interpretation. 252 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -As health care costs soar there is increasing interest in examining what society and, particularly, patients receive in return for these expenditures. Optimizing Health brings together the best thinking from both sides of the Atlantic to explore these issues. It employs disciplinary perspectives from economics, ethics, philosophy, psychology, clinical practice, and epidemiology to explore various ways that value for patients have and can be determined. It concludes with a discussion of changes required in practice, research, and health care systems to maximize the outcomes received from the provision of medical care services from the patient¿s perspective.The first section of the book provides theoretical perspectives from economics and systems thinking that help us to focus on how one might determine the value of medical care for patients. The next section considers the ethical and philosophical dilemmas that face developed countries in distributing medical care. How is justice served and evidence-based medicine employed to increase the value of medical care for patients The section on psychology deals with measuring outcomes from the patient¿s perspective and involving patients in medical decision making. Measuring quality of life and gaining valid quality of life information when patients cannot respond for themselves are important topics covered by these chapters. Other chapters consider ways that patients can become more involved in medical decision making with the expectation that this will increase the value of medical care for patients.A major section of the book about clinical practice discusses problems that can reduce the value to patients of medical care. These include overdiagnosis, aggressive treatments that do not result in better patient outcomes, findings that earlier diagnosis does not always result in better outcomes, and the extent of medical error in treatment.The final sections deal withcost-effectiveness analyses and applications of clinical epidemiology. The chapters include a number of original investigations and applications of new methodologies. All-in-all, the volume is must reading for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers who want to find in one place the state-of-the-art thinking and future directions of valuing medical care from the patient¿s perspective.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 336 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Interpretations of the past are under constant critical scrutiny in archaeology. In recent decades, theoretical views have profoundly changed the conceptions of both 'the past' and archaeologists' relationship to this object of study. However, our basic excavation and analytical methods have undergone little critical re-evaluation. Often archaeological discussions begin as if 'data' were already established, independent of the research designs and analytical choices that produce them. Interpretation often ends at the lectern, but it has many beginnings within the traditional archaeological process.Exploring how data is generated and interpreted by historical archaeologists, it is at the intersection of 'dirt and discussion'. The cases presented in this volume revisit old methods and previous scholarly approaches with new perspectives, along with incorporating the newest technologies available to understanding the past. Rethinking the classics and engaging with new modes of data creation also generate fresh theoretical approaches.Using their own work as examples, the contributors explore the connections between methodology and interpretation. Between Dirt and Discussion advocates recentering the materials that make archaeology archaeology, in the hopes of reinvigorating dialogues about the historic past, and archaeological contributions to its understanding.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book has been possible thanks to the research carried out in the field of the linearization techniques applied to digital communication systems, particularly to those with high spectral efficient modulation techniques. It merges in the need of developing frequency efficient modulations with widespread codification techniques. The book puts into practice the Feedforward linearization technique, aimed at improving either the linearity or efficiency parameters of power amplifiers. 196 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The subject of sterilization of food in cans has been studied both experimentally and theoretically, but limited work has been undertaken to study the sterilization of food in pouches. This book examines the interaction between fluid mechanics, heat transfer and microbial inactivation during sterilization of food in pouches. Such interaction is complex and if ignored would lead to incorrect information not only on food sterility but also on food quality. 232 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The third edition of this established classic text reference builds upon the strengths of its very popular predecessors. Organized as a broadly useful textbook Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, 3rd edition maintains its emphasis on basics, while updating the examples to include recent results from the scientific literature. The third edition includes new chapters on single molecule detection, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, novel probes and radiative decay engineering. Includes a link to Springer Extras to download files reproducing all book artwork, for easy use in lecture slides. This is an essential volume for students, researchers, and industry professionals in biophysics, biochemistry, biotechnology, bioengineering, biology and medicine. 984 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Sterilization of canned food is a well-known technology that has been in practice for many decades. Food sterilization has been well studied in a large number of textbooks. This book is not about the science of sterilization or food safety but rather about the important interaction between uid mechanics, heat transfer, and microbial inactivation. Such interaction is complex and if ignored would lead to incorrect information not only on food sterility but also on food quality. The book is written by engineers for both food engineers and scientists. However, it may also be of interest to those working in computational uid dynamics (CFD). It presents an elementary treatment of the principles of heat transfer during thermal sterilization, and it contains suf cient material presented at a high level of mathematics. A background in the solution of ordinary and partial differential equations is helpful for proper understanding of the main chapters of this book. However, we have avoided going into a detailed numerical analysis of the nite volume method (FVM) of solutions used to solve the sets of equations. Some familiarity with uid dynamics and heat transfer will also be helpful but not essential. Inthisbook,conductionandconvectiveheattransferistreatedsuchthatthereaderisofferedthe insight that is gained from analytical solutions as well as the important tools of numerical analysis, which must be used in practice. Analysis of free convection is used to present a physical picture of the convection process.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 232 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book provides a lucid summary of behavioral, neural and endocrine regulation of immune responses and of the effects of immune system activity on neural and endocrine functions and behavior. The underlying premise is that the brain and immune system represent a single, integrated system of defense. The discussion includes such topics and stress induced modulation of innate resistance and adaptive immunity in influenza viral infections. 308 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This volume is a collection of a variety of brain proteins and peptides whose structures and functions are relatively well known. Each chapter provides a succinct and up-to-date summary of a protein or peptide as well as a review of the individual's contributions to the field. The volume explores the progress that has been made in the field over the past few years and provides insight into the field today. 696 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Focusing exclusively on Image-Based Rendering (IBR) this book examines the theory, practice, and applications associated with image-based rendering and modeling. Topics covered vary from IBR basic concepts and representations on the theory side to signal processing and data compression on the practical side. One of the only titles devoted exclusively to IBR this book is intended for researchers, professionals, and general readers interested in the topics of computer graphics, computer vision, image process, and video processing. With this book advanced-level students in EECS studying related disciplines will be able to seriously expand their knowledge about image-based rendering. 442 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Image-Based Rendering examines the theory, practice, and applications associated with image-based rendering and modeling. As leading researchers in the field, the authors combine their unique experiences in computer graphics, computer vision, and signal processing to address the multidisciplinary nature of IBR research. The topics covered vary from IBR basic concepts and representations on the theory side to signal processing and data compression on the practical side. Several IBR systems built to-date are examined. Rather than focusing on 3D modeling aspects, which have been extensively treated elsewhere in the vision literature, the book focuses primarily on IBR.One of the only titles devoted exclusively to IBR, this book is intended for researchers, professionals, and general readers interested in the topics of computer graphics, computer vision, image process, and video processing. Advanced-level students in EECS studying related disciplines will be able to seriously expand their knowledge about image-based rendering.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 442 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -This volume is a collection of a variety of brain proteins and peptides whose structures and functions are relatively well known. Each chapter provides a succinct and up-to-date summary of a protein or peptide as well as a review of the individual's contributions to the field. The volume explores the progress that has been made in the field over the past few years and provides insight into the field today.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 696 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of interactions between the brain and the immune system. This book provides a clearly written summary of behavioral, neural and endocrine regulation of immune responses and of the effects of immune system activity on neural and endocrine functions and behavior. The underlying premise is that the brain and immune system represent a single, integrated system of defense.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.