Elsevier bv apr 2002 (6 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - One of the earliest dreams of the fledgling field of artificial intelligence (AI) was to build computer programs that could play games as well as or better than the best human players. Despite early optimism in the field, the challenge proved to be surprisingly difficult. However, the 1990s saw amazing progress. Computers are now better than humans in checkers, Othello and Scrabble; are at least as good as the best humans in backgammon and chess; and are rapidly improving at hex, go, poker, and shogi. This book documents the progress made in computers playing games and puzzles. The book is the definitive source for material of high-performance game-playing programs.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This Proceedings contains the papers presented at the eighth in IFAC's conference series on Supplementary Ways for Improving International Stability. This conference, entitled 'Social Stability: The Challenge of Technology Development', was held in Vienna, Austria, on 27-29 September 2001.The papers included in this Proceedings volume cover a very broad field of interest, and include topics such as social aspects of technology transfer, managing the introduction of technological change, ethical aspects, technology and environmental stability and anticipating secondary and tertiary effects of technological development.Technological development has caused profound changes to social stability. Regions that had stable populations for centuries have experienced enormous population growth, leading to the formation of sometimes unmanageable megaplex cities, as well as bringing about macroscopic environmental change. The papers in this Proceedings offer insights into ways to mitigate the unwanted side-effects of rapid development, and methodologies for appropriate ways of managing the introduction of technologies which will alter social stability.This conference was dedicated to Professor Harold Chestnut, the first president of IFAC, who died in August 2001. Professor Chestnut was among the pioneers of social stability ideas within IFAC and formed the technical committee which organises this conference series. …

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This is the first book to provide assessments of multidecadal changes in resources and environments of the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of the North Atlantic. Using the case study method, researchers examine the forces driving the changes and actions underway aimed at turning the corner from declining trends in biomass yields, toward recovery of depleted species populations and improvements in ecosystem integrity.Recently a distinguished group of 24 scientists argued eloquently that a new Sustainability Science was emerging that was focused on 'meeting fundamental human needs while preserving the life support systems of planet Earth'. The contributions contained in this volume are at the cutting edge of Sustainability Science and the results presented by the contributors are pertinent to one of the core questions: 'How are long-term trends in environment and development, including consumption and population, reshaping nature-society interactions in ways relevant to sustainability ' (Science Vol. 292, 27 April 2001). The case studies demonstrate the utility of an ecosystem-based approach to the assessment and management of biomass yields and species sustainability.Movements toward ecosystem-based management have emerged from the case studies on the initiation of recoveries of several depleted groundfish stocks of the US Northeast Shelf LME; the collapse of the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelf cod; the assessment of physical and biological changes on the Scotian Shelf, West Greenland Shelf, Iceland Shelf LME, and the Faroe Plateau, the North Sea, and the Barents Sea LMEs. Uncertainties, with regard to environmental and human-generated forcing, are addressed in assessment of the states of the Iberian Coastal and Biscay-Celtic LMEs, and in broad-scale studies of the influences at the base of the food chain of climatic variability on the productivity and biodiversity of plankton communities of the North Atlantic. The volume concludes with an insightful perspective on the approaches used and the results reported by the eminent marine scientist and former President of ICES, Professor Gotthilf Hempel.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In industrialised countries, musculo-skeletrical disorders of the upper limbs represent one of the commonest work-related diseases. All working activities habitually requiring repetitive upper limb movements and exertions represent a potential risk for these disorders under certain conditions. This practical manual provides a clear and detailed solution to the problem of assessing and consequently managing these risks in conformity with European Union legislation covering the safety and protection of workers' health. The book contains many tables, diagrams and schedules, enhancing its practical value. The methods it proposes for analyzing and designing or redesigning jobs and tasks do not require sophisticated equipment and are largely based on situations encountered in large manufacturing factories. Since risk analysis also concerns how jobs and tasks are organized, many concepts and terms are defined that prevention experts can share with those responsible for planning and organizing manufacturing activities on the shop floor.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book provides a comprehensive exposition of the use of set-theoretic methods in abelian group theory, module theory, and homological algebra, including applications to Whitehead's Problem, the structure of Ext and the existence of almost-free modules over non-perfect rings. This second edition is completely revised and udated to include major developments in the decade since the first edition. Among these are applications to cotorsion theories and covers, including a proof of the Flat Cover Conjecture, as well as the use of Shelah's pcf theory to constuct almost free groups. As with the first edition, the book is largely self-contained, and designed to be accessible to both graduate students and researchers in both algebra and logic. They will find there an introduction to powerful techniques which they may find useful in their own work.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Techniques of solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are constantly being extended to a more diverse range of materials, pressing into service an ever-expanding range of nuclides including some previously considered too intractable to provide usable results. At the same time, new developments in both hardware and software are being introduced and refined. This book covers the most important of these new developments.With sections addressed to non-specialist researchers (providing accessible answers to the most common questions about the theory and practice of NMR asked by novices) as well as a more specialised and up-to-date treatment of the most important areas of inorganic materials research to which NMR has application, this book should be useful to NMR users whatever their level of expertise and whatever inorganic materials they wish to study.…