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Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The aim of the Handbook of Sociology of Education is to present the most theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous sociological analyses of schools to date. The authors are distinguished researchers in the field. Their contributions to the Handbook offer major theoretical perspec tives on the schooling process and describe significant empirical studies of schools and their effects on individuals and society. The research presented in the Handbook is built on three fundamental tenets of sociol ogy. First, the authors adopt the perspective that schools are a central institution in society. An understanding of the function of schooling in social life is enhanced by viewing schools as interrelated with other societal institutions. The study of how the context of schooling influ ences education processes is critical to an understanding of school outcomes. Rather than being determined solely by ascribed and achieved characteristics, an individual's cognitive and social development are influenced heavily by the structures and networks in which the individual is embedded. Communities, families, schools, and social groups are critical ele ments in the educative process. By viewing the school as a societal institution and highlighting the interaction between context and individual behavior, the Handbook chapters provide a broader and deeper understanding of the determinants of learning in contemporary society. The second sociological insight that guides the research in the Handbook is that the school is a social system.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 608 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Marketing management support systems are designed to make marketing managers more effective decision makers in this electronic era. Developments in information technology have caused a marketing data explosion, but have also provided a powerful set of tools that can transform this data into applicable marketing knowledge. Consequently, companies are making major investments in such marketing decision aids.This book is the first comprehensive, systematic textbook on marketing management support systems. The basic issue is the question of how to determine the most effective type of support for a given marketing decision maker in a particular decision situation.The book takes a demand-oriented approach. Decision aids for marketing managers can only be effective if they match with the thinking and reasoning process of the decision makers who use them. Consequently, the important questions addressed in this book are: how do marketing managers make decisions; how can marketing management support systems help to overcome several (cognitive) limitations of human decision makers; and what is the most appropriate type of management support system for assisting the problem-solving methods employed by a marketing decision-maker Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 360 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Is history more than (in Boswell's words) a `chronological series of remarkable events' Does it have a pattern Is it fraught with `meaning' Can we discern its trends What determines its course In short, can a substantial and coherent philosophy of history be devised that offers answers to these questions These issues, which have intrigued -and bedeviled - historians for centuries, are explored in this thoughtful book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 320 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Recently, a research program on the compliance costs and the economic effects of taxation in New Zealand was undertaken within the Inland Revenue Department. Taxation and the Limits of Government is an edited volume which presents the best of the papers that emerged from that research program. Topical coverage includes a brief history of reform in New Zealand, the effect of taxation on economic growth, the marginal cost of taxation, the employment effects of taxation, income distribution, the hidden economy and taxation, tax compliance, taxation and bankruptcy, and estimates of effective tax rates.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 324 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Sensory testing has been in existence ever since man started to use his senses to judge the quality and safety of drinking water and foodstuffs. With the onset of trading, there were several developments that led to more formalized testing, involving professional tasters and grading systems. Many of these grading systems are still in existence today and continue to serve a useful purpose, for example in assessing tea, coffee, and wines. However, there has also been a growing need for methods for well-repli cated, objective, unbiased sensory assessment, which can be applied rou tinely across a wide range of foods. Sensory analysis seeks to satisfy this need. Sensory analysis is not new to the food industry, but its application as a basic tool in food product development and quality control has not always been given the recognition and acceptance it deserves. This, we believe, is largely due to the lack of understanding about what sensory analysis can offer in product research, development, and marketing and a fear that the discipline is 'too scientific' to be practical. To some extent, sensory scien tists have perpetuated this fear by failing to recognize the industrial con straints to implementing sensory testing procedures. These Guidelines are an attempt to redress the balance.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Carpal-tunnel and other entrapment syndromes are perhaps the most common work-related injuries currently reported. With this book, Vladimir Golovchinsky presents the first evidence of double-crush syndrome as a subgroup of these.To date the existence of double-crush syndrome has been a matter of debate. Dr. Golovchinsky presents a statistical analysis of substantial clinical material, which finds a cause-and-effect relationship between cervical or lumbar radiculopathy and peripheral entrapment in corresponding nerves, thus proving the existence of double-crush syndrome.This book will be invaluable to physicians performing EMG-NCV testing and to other healthcare professionals who encounter peripheral entrapment syndromes in their practices.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 184 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This is one of the first books to draw together information and views about international control of food safety from around the world.Demands for safe food, against a background of increasing trade, are making international controls on food safety essential. Agreements on how to control the safety of food to meet these needs are now in place among the major trading blocks, particularly in Europe and in the USA, and more recently, in Australia. This book also describes progress in areas such as systematically reviewing risk from food; developing national infrastructures to enforce standards; and growing input from consumer groups and others, including economists, to the debate on how to set international food standards.Discussed in depth is the effort to achieve global standards for food safety under the auspices of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. There are chapters from world-leading experts on Codex, international control of radiological contamination, pesticides and veterinary drugs, and other chemical contaminants.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -It has been known for a long time that there is a close connection between stochastic processes and orthogonal polynomials. For example, N. Wiener [112] and K. Ito [56] knew that Hermite polynomials play an important role in the integration theory with respect to Brownian motion. In the 1950s D. G. Kendall [66], W. Ledermann and G. E. H. Reuter [67] [74], and S. Kar lin and J. L. McGregor [59] established another important connection. They expressed the transition probabilities of a birth and death process by means of a spectral representation, the so-called Karlin-McGregor representation, in terms of orthogonal polynomials. In the following years these relation ships were developed further. Many birth and death models were related to specific orthogonal polynomials. H. Ogura [87], in 1972, and D. D. En gel [45], in 1982, found an integral relation between the Poisson process and the Charlier polynomials. Some people clearly felt the potential im portance of orthogonal polynomials in probability theory. For example, P. Diaconis and S. Zabell [29] related Stein equations for some well-known distributions, including Pearson's class, with the corresponding orthogonal polynomials. The most important orthogonal polynomials are brought together in the so-called Askey scheme of orthogonal polynomials. This scheme classifies the hypergeometric orthogonal polynomials that satisfy some type of differ ential or difference equation and stresses the limit relations between them.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 184 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Youth have nearly always exhibited behaviors that frustrate adults. It can be diffi cult to understand why young people engage in risky or destructive behavior, and it is challenging to develop strategies to encourage more healthy and responsible behavior among our youth. However, it is helpful to realize that despite the fact that large numbers of youth engage in frightful and destructive behaviors for pe riods of time during adolescence and early adulthood, a large proportion of youth find a way not only to survive but also to bounce back and contribute significantly to the furtherance of human development. We are not the first generation of adults to experience the pain, fear, and frustration of dealing with our youth. More important, we recognize that we are not helpless when faced with the problems youth experience. While it is true that adolescents have always exhibited problem behaviors, a number of effective tools and approaches have always been at our disposal to assist with appropriate youth development. Of course, the most effective approaches require a tremendous amount of focused time and energy.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 128 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Is history more than (in Boswell's words) a `chronological series of remarkable events' Does it have a pattern Is it fraught with `meaning' Can we discern its trends What determines its course In short, can a substantial and coherent philosophy of history be devised that offers answers to these questions These issues, which have intrigued -and bedeviled - historians for centuries, are explored in this thoughtful book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 324 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Following substantial policy reforms in many countries, the past decade has been characterized by a remarkable increase of long-term private capital flows to the developing world. However, the bulk of these investments has concentrated on a few economies at the intermediate level of the international income distribution, while the large number of low-income countries has been mostly neglected by international investors. Starting from these observations, International Investment, Political Risk, and Growth analyzes the potential growth effects of liberalizing investment regimes in developing economies and offers an explanation for the apparent bias of private capital flows towards middle-income countries. It demonstrates that the removal of investment barriers may liberate an economy from a vicious circle of poverty, unproductive saving, and low growth, and presents a novel approach to analyzing the role of political risk as a major impediment to greater private capital inflows. Offering a combination of theoretical models and empirical analysis, and discussing both the historical evidence and the recent literature, this book contributes to a better understanding of the determinants and consequences of international investment in developing countries.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 220 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -For those of us involved in research on the neural mechanisms that relate tissue damage to pain. it is becoming more evident that the sensation of pain and suffering could be considered as part of a mechanism that involves not only sizeable areas in the brain but also simultaneous activations of the immune and the endocrine systems as well. A consensus is growing among specialists in the field that pain involves the sharing of molecular mechanisms between the nervous, immune and endocrine systems that can interact at peripheral and, ultimately, central levels. Furthermore, chronic pain could then be looked upon as a corollary of the imbalance in the cross talk between these systems, which could lead to new treatment strategies. The aim of this book is not to deal with acute pain that serves as an alarm signal, but to attempt to explain the molecular mechanisms of chronic pains considered as a multifactorial syndrome or disease.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The third edition of 1992 constituted a major reworking of the original text, and the preface to that edition still represents my position on the issues that stimulated me first to write. The present edition contains a number of minor modifications and corrections, but its principal innovation is the addition of material on dynamic programming, optimal allocation, option pricing and large deviations. These are substantial topics, but ones into which one can gain an insight with less labour than is generally thought. They all involve the expectation concept in an essential fashion, even the treatment of option pricing, which seems initially to forswear expectation in favour of an arbitrage criterion. I am grateful to readers and to Springer-Verlag for their continuing interest in the approach taken in this work. Peter Whittle Preface to the Third Edition This book is a complete revision of the earlier work Probability which appeared in 1970. While revised so radically and incorporatingso much new material as to amount to a new text, it preserves both the aim and the approach of the original. That aim was stated as the provision of a 'first text in probability, demanding a reasonable but not extensive knowledge of mathematics, and taking the reader to what one might describe as a good intermediate level' . In doing so it attempted to break away from stereotyped applications, and consider applications of a more novel and significant character.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 380 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Multi-Valued and Universal Binary Neurons deals with two new types of neurons: multi-valued neurons and universal binary neurons. These neurons are based on complex number arithmetic and are hence much more powerful than the typical neurons used in artificial neural networks. Therefore, networks with such neurons exhibit a broad functionality. They can not only realise threshold input/output maps but can also implement any arbitrary Boolean function. Two learning methods are presented whereby these networks can be trained easily. The broad applicability of these networks is proven by several case studies in different fields of application: image processing, edge detection, image enhancement, super resolution, pattern recognition, face recognition, and prediction. The book is hence partitioned into three almost equally sized parts: a mathematical study of the unique features of these new neurons, learning of networks of such neurons, and application of such neural networks. Most of this work was developed by the first two authors over a period of more than 10 years and was only available in the Russian literature. With this book we present the first comprehensive treatment of this important class of neural networks in the open Western literature.Multi-Valued and Universal Binary Neurons is intended for anyone with a scholarly interest in neural network theory, applications and learning. It will also be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the fields of image processing, pattern recognition, control and robotics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 280 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Nations around the world are experiencing a spectacular increase in longevity. Society as a whole is being challenged by issues arising from this revolution in longevity. Although the specter of the loneliness and existential suffering of older citizens is such that some people under the age of 65 find it difficult to conceive of a long-term future, persons over 85 have proven that aging does not necessarily preclude a healthy and productive life. Extraordinary progress in both curative and preventive medicine justifies optimism about the quality of life and state of well-being that can be enjoyed even in great old age. We should look to professionals in diverse fields to develop creative solutions to the inevitable issues that will arise with aging. Governments must prepare for the future health of their citizens by making long-term investments to educate all sectors of society in the value of good nutrition, exercise, and lifestyles that enhance well-being throughout life. Also, governments should realize that the main cause of health care expenditure is serious illness which occurs in persons of all ages, and not predominantly in older people. Early detection can help save lives, as well.Health and longevity of life will ultimately end as a political issue. What is needed is long-term government investments necessary for a viable health policy. The question arises: will world leaders be able to commit to such a policy Two major socioeconomic phenomena may have a regulating effect on this issue. The first is the emergence of pressure groups that have come into being in response to a particular health issue, such as AIDS. The second is the emergence of ethics committees in developed nations that deal solely with health issues.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 340 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Middleware Networks: Concept, Design and Deployment of Internet Infrastructure describes a framework for developing IP Service Platforms and emerging managed IP networks with a reference architecture from the AT&T Labs GeoPlex project. The main goal is to present basic principles that both the telecommunications industry and the Internet community can see as providing benefits for service-related network issues. As this is an emerging technology, the solutions presented are timely and significant.Middleware Networks: Concept, Design and Deployment of Internet Infrastructure illustrates the principles of middleware networks, including Application Program Interfaces (APIs), reference architecture, and a model implementation. Part I begins with fundamentals of transport, and quickly transitions to modern transport and technology. Part II elucidates essential requirements and unifying design principles for the Internet. These fundamental principles establish the basis for consistent behavior in view of the explosive growth underway in large-scale heterogeneous networks. Part III demonstrates and explains the resulting architecture and implementation. Particular emphasis is placed upon the control of resources and behavior. Reference is made to open APIs and sample deployments.Middleware Networks: Concept, Design and Deployment of Internet Infrastructure is intended for a technical audience consisting of students, researchers, network professionals, software developers, system architects and technically-oriented managers involved in the definition and deployment of modern Internet platforms or services. Although the book assumes a basic technical competency, as it does not provide remedial essentials, any practitioner will find this useful, particularly those requiring an overview of the newest software architectures in the field.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 404 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In the forty years since melatonin's isolation and characterization, a large and multifaceted database has accrued. This book documents the diverse research contributions of most of the major laboratories in the field of melatonin research, as presented in a special conference to mark the 40 year anniversary of the isolation and chemical identification of this hormone. In addition, many chapters by younger scientists provide an exciting glimpse of where melatonin research is heading in the future.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 492 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -A biosensor is a device in which a bioactive layer lies in direct contact with a transducer whose responses to change in the bioactive layer generate eloctronic signals for interpretation. The bioactive layer may consist of membrane-bound enzymes, anti-bodies, or receptors. The potential of this blend of electronics and biotechnology includes the direct assay of clinically important substrates (e.g. blood glucose) and of substances too unstable for storage or whose concentrations fluctuate rapidly. Written by the leading researchers in the field, this book reflects the most current developments in successfully constructing a biosensor. Major applications are in the fields of pharmacology, molecular biology, virology and electronics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 388 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -A modern, comprehensive compilation of more than 7,000 entries covering themes, concepts, and discoveries in archaeology written in nontechnical language and tailored to meet the needs of professionals, students and general readers. The main subject areas include artifacts; branches of archaeology, chronology; culture; features; flora and fauna; geography; geology; language; people; related fields; sites; structures; techniques and methods; terms and theories; and tools.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 724 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -John F. Kerry United States Senator If we are to reinvigorate and reinforce civic participation in this country at a time when our society is increasingly fragmented and highly technologically based, we must find a way to unite distinct communities, such as universities, regional and non-profit organizations, and families. We must find ways to link academicians, students, teachers, and professionals with the reality of events and circumstances so that theories and ideas mightily pursued within the 'ivory tower' are connected to social reality and useful. As the editors and contributors in this volume point out, the way to bridge theory/practice divide is not merely to interpret and report on circumstances of the real-world; but rather, to deconstruct the separate and distinct communities that exist within our society and actively engage other communities to realize a continuum of mutual understanding, collaboration, and action. It is crucial to include our nation's public schools in this new approach of social inquiry and social action. Improving and creating educational opportunity for all children in the United States has been an ongoing critical federal issue. We know that when children achieve in school they have a much greater chance of living healthy, productive adult lives that will benefit themselves and society, and we know that increasing the base of stakeholders in children's education yields those positive results.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 324 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The inter-comparison of specific skills as represented by performance on neu- psychological tests is at the heart of the neuropsychological assessment process. However, there is a tendency to regard the interpretation of single tests as a process that is independent of performance on other tests, with integration of test information representing a summary of these individual test performances. As neuropsychology has become increasingly sophisticated, it has been recognized that many factors influence the performance on any given test. The meaning of the same score may vary considerably from one person to another, depending on his or her performance on other neuropsychological tests. Thus, a low score on the Halstead Category Test may indeed reflect frontal lobe damage, but only if we first rule out the influence of visual-spatial problems, emotionality, attentional issues, motivation, fatigue, and comprehension of the instructions. Simplistic interpre- tions that assume a common interpretation based on a specific score will inva- ably lead to errors in interpretation and conclusions. The purpose of this book is to provide each test that is described with a compendium of the possible interpretations that can be used with a variety of common tests that are often included in a neuropsychological test battery. The first chapter discusses some of the pitfalls and cautions when comparing the tests, while the second chapter examines administrative and scoring issues that may be unclear or unavailable for a given test.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The articles in this book constitute the proceedings papers from the IFIP WG 8.2 Working Conference, 'IS2000: The Social and Organizational Perspective on Research and Practice in Information Technology,' held June 1 0-12, 2000, in Aalborg, Denmark. The focus of the conference, and therefore this book, is on the basic aim of the working group, namely, the investigation of the interrelationships among four major components: information systems (IS), information technology (IT), organizations, and society. This basic social and organizational perspective on research and practice in information technology may have evolved substantially since the founding ofthe group, for example, increasing the emphasis on IS development. The plan for the conference was partially rooted in the early WG 8.2 traditions, in which working conferences were substantially composed of invited papers. For IS2000, roughly half of the paper presentations were planned to be invited; the remaining half were planned to be double-blind refereed in response to a 'Call For Papers.' Invited papers were single-blind reviewed in order to provide the authors with pre-publication feedback and comments, along with the opportunity to revise their papers prior to its final incorporation in this book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 548 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval (CIIR) was formed in the Computer Science Department ofthe University ofMassachusetts, Amherst in 1992. The core support for the Center came from a National Science Foun- tion State/Industry/University Cooperative Research Center(S/IUCRC) grant, although there had been a sizeable information retrieval (IR) research group for over 10 years prior to that grant. Thebasic goal ofthese Centers is to combine basic research, applied research, and technology transfer. The CIIR has been successful in each of these areas, in that it has produced over 270 research papers, has been involved in many successful government and industry collaborations, and has had a significant role in high-visibility Internet sites and start-ups. As a result of these efforts, the CIIR has become known internationally as one of the leading research groups in the area of information retrieval. The CIIR focuses on research that results in more effective and efficient access and discovery in large, heterogeneous, distributed, text and multimedia databases. The scope of the work that is done in the CIIR is broad and goes significantly beyond ¿traditional¿ areas of information retrieval such as retrieval models, cross-lingual search, and automatic query expansion. The research includes both low-level systems issues such as the design of protocols and architectures for distributed search, as well as more human-centered topics such as user interface design, visualization and data mining with text, and multimedia retrieval.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 326 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Membrane fusion and targeting processes are tightly regulated and coordinated. Dozens of proteins, originating from both the cytoplasm and membranes are involved. The discovery of homologous proteins from yeast to neurons validates a unified view.Although much is known about the interfering proteins, the events occurring when two lipid bilayers actually fuse are less clear. It should be remembered that lipid bilayers behave like soap-bubbles fusing when meeting each other. In this respect interfering proteins should be considered as preventing undesirable and unnecessary fusion and eventually directing the biological membrane fusion process (when, where, how, and overcoming the activation energy).In this latest volume in the renowned Subcellular Biochemistry series, some aspects of fusion of biological membranes as well as related problems are presented. Although not complete, there is a lot of recent information including on virus-induced membrane fusion. The contributors of the chapters are all among the researchers who performed many of the pioneering studies in the field.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 560 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The molecular basis for atrial fibrillation continues to be largely unknown, and therapy remains unchanged, aimed at controlling the heart rate and preventing systemic emboli with anticoagulation. Familial atrial fibrillation is more common than previously suspected. While atrial fibrillation is commonly associated with acquired heart disease, a significant proportion of individuals have early onset without other forms of heart disease, referred to as 'lone' atrial fibrillators. It is also well recognized that atrial fibrillation occurs on a reversible or functional basis, without associated structural heart disease, such as with hyperthyroidism or of atrial fibrillation following surgery. It remains to be determined what percentage in these individuals is familial or due to a genetic predisposition. Mapping the locus for familial atrial fibrillation is the first step towards the identification of the gene. Isolation of the gene and subsequent identification of the responsible molecular genetic defect should provide a point of entry into the mechanism responsible for the familial form and the common acquired forms of the disease and eventually provide more effective therapy. We know that the ionic currents responsible for the action potential of the atrium is due to multiple channel proteins as is electrical conduction throughout the atria. Analogous to the ongoing genetic studies in patients with familial long QT syndrome, it is highly likely that defects in each of these channel proteins will be manifested in familial atrial fibrillation.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 396 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Data Mining in Finance presents a comprehensive overview of major algorithmic approaches to predictive data mining, including statistical, neural networks, ruled-based, decision-tree, and fuzzy-logic methods, and then examines the suitability of these approaches to financial data mining. The book focuses specifically on relational data mining (RDM), which is a learning method able to learn more expressive rules than other symbolic approaches. RDM is thus better suited for financial mining, because it is able to make greater use of underlying domain knowledge. Relational data mining also has a better ability to explain the discovered rules - an ability critical for avoiding spurious patterns which inevitably arise when the number of variables examined is very large. The earlier algorithms for relational data mining, also known as inductive logic programming (ILP), suffer from a relative computational inefficiency and have rather limited tools for processing numerical data.Data Mining in Finance introduces a new approach, combining relational data mining with the analysis of statistical significance of discovered rules. This reduces the search space and speeds up the algorithms. The book also presents interactive and fuzzy-logic tools for `mining' the knowledge from the experts, further reducing the search space.Data Mining in Finance contains a number of practical examples of forecasting S&P 500, exchange rates, stock directions, and rating stocks for portfolio, allowing interested readers to start building their own models. This book is an excellent reference for researchers and professionals in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining, knowledge discovery, and applied mathematics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 328 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Software Engineering with OBJ: Algebraic Specification in Action is a comprehensive introduction to OBJ, the most widely used algebraic specification system. As a formal specification language, OBJ makes specifications and designs more precise and easier to read, as well as making maintenance easier and more accurate. OBJ differs from most other specification languages not just in having a formal semantics, but in being executable, either through symbolic execution with term rewriting, or more generally through theorem proving. One problem with specifications is that they are often wrong. OBJ can help validate specifications by executing test cases, and by proving properties.As well as providing a detailed introduction to the language and the OBJ system that implements it, Software Engineering with OBJ: Algebraic Specification in Action provides case studies by leading practitioners in the field, in areas such as computer graphics standards, hardware design, and parallel computation. The case studies demonstrate that OBJ can be used in a wide variety of ways to achieve a wide variety of practical aims in the system development process. The papers on various OBJ systems also demonstrate that the language is relatively easy to understand, implement, and use, and that it supports formal reasoning in a straightforward but powerful way.Software Engineering with OBJ: Algebraic Specification in Action will be of interest to students and teachers in the areas of data types, programming languages, semantics, theorem proving, and algebra, as well as to researchers and practitioners in software engineering.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 444 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The Internet and the World Wide Web are deeply affecting the way things are traditionally done. E-commerce is changing businesses; the stock market is accessible to individuals; digitized journals, up-to-date databases, and newsgroups are changing the lives of researchers. Is it reasonable to think that learning will remain unaffected Nevertheless, universities, with their blend of teaching and research, have much to offer to those who wish to learn more than simple skills: judgment, initiative, and fair competition for research positions. Over the years, universities have acquired invaluable resources in the form of laboratories and libraries with specially trained staff. How can they evolve to take advantage of the many possibilities of the Internet and broadband communication Many institutions of higher education are trying to integrate new information and communications technologies into current curricula or to develop new learning paradigms for learning. Because it is still so early in the game they are eager to compare their efforts and results to the achievements of others and are willing to learn from them. The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is a multi national federation of professional and technical organizations, founded in 1960 under the auspices of UNESCO, whose mission is to assist in the development, exploitation, and application of Information Technology for the benefit of all peoples. Given this scope of activity, IFIP seemed the appropriate body to give an international dimension to such a forum.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 294 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Linguistic Geometry: From Search to Construction is the first book of its kind. Linguistic Geometry (LG) is an approach to the construction of mathematical models for large-scale multi-agent systems. A number of such systems, including air/space combat, robotic manufacturing, software re-engineering and Internet cyberwar, can be modeled as abstract board games. These are games with moves that can be represented by the movement of abstract pieces over locations on an abstract board. The purpose of LG is to provide strategies to guide the games' participants to their goals. Traditionally, discovering such strategies required searches in giant game trees. These searches are often beyond the capacity of modern and even conceivable future computers.LG dramatically reduces the size of the search trees, making the problems computationally tractable. LG provides a formalization and abstraction of search heuristics used by advanced experts including chess grandmasters. Essentially, these heuristics replace search with the construction of strategies. To formalize the heuristics, LG employs the theory of formal languages (i.e. formal linguistics), as well as certain geometric structures over an abstract board. The new formal strategies solve problems from different domains far beyond the areas envisioned by the experts. For a number of these domains, Linguistic Geometry yields optimal solutions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 420 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -During the last three decades, interest has increased significantly in the representation and manipulation of imprecision and uncertainty. Perhaps the most important technique in this area concerns fuzzy logic or the logic of fuzziness initiated by L. A. Zadeh in 1965. Since then, fuzzy logic has been incorporated into many areas of fundamental science and into the applied sciences. More importantly, it has been successful in the areas of expert systems and fuzzy control. The main body of this book consists of so-called IF-THEN rules, on which experts express their knowledge with respect to a certain domain of expertise. Fuzzy IF-THEN Rules in Computational Intelligence: Theory and Applications brings together contributions from leading global specialists who work in the domain of representation and processing of IF-THEN rules. This work gives special attention to fuzzy IF-THEN rules as they are being applied in computational intelligence. Included are theoretical developments and applications related to IF-THEN problems of propositional calculus, fuzzy predicate calculus, implementations of the generalized Modus Ponens, approximate reasoning, data mining and data transformation, techniques for complexity reduction, fuzzy linguistic modeling, large-scale application of fuzzy control, intelligent robotic control, and numerous other systems and practical applications. This book is an essential resource for engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists working in fuzzy sets, soft computing, and of course, computational intelligence. 340 pp. Englisch.