springer apr 1998 (76 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Designing Interactive Speech Systems describes the design and implementation of spoken language dialogue within the context of SLDS (spoken language dialogue systems) development. Using an applications-oriented SLDS developed through the Danish Dialogue project, the authors describe the complete process involved in designing such a system; and in doing so present several innovative practical tools, such as dialogue design guideline s, in-depth evaluation methodologies, and speech functionality analysis. The approach taken is firmly applications-oriented, describing the results of research applicable to industry and showing how the development of advanced applications drives research rather than the other way around. All those working on the research and development of spoken language services, especially in the area of telecommunications, will benefit from reading this book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 288 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This BriefBook is a much extended glossary or a much condensed handbook, depending on the way one looks at it. It deals with detectors in particle and nuclear physics experiments. The authors describe, in encyclopedic format, the physics, the application, and the analysis of data from these detectors. Ample reference is made to the published literature. An introduction for newcomers, a reference for scientists.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 148 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -George Collins¿ discovery of Cylindrical Algebraic Decomposition (CAD) as a method for Quantifier Elimination (QE) for the elementary theory of real closed fields brought a major breakthrough in automating mathematics with recent important applications in high-tech areas (e.g. robot motion), also stimulating fundamental research in computer algebra over the past three decades.This volume is a state-of-the-art collection of important papers on CAD and QE and on the related area of algorithmic aspects of real geometry. It contains papers from a symposium held in Linz in 1993, reprints of seminal papers from the area including Tarski¿s landmark paper as well as a survey outlining the developments in CAD based QE that have taken place in the last twenty years.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 456 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Environmental information systems (EIS) are concerned with the management of data about the soil, the water, the air, and the species in the world around us. This first textbook on the topic gives a conceptual framework for EIS by structuring the data flow into 4 phases: data capture, storage, analysis, and metadata management. This flow corresponds to a complex aggregation process gradually transforming the incoming raw data into concise documents suitable for high-level decision support. All relevant concepts are covered, including statistical classification, data fusion, uncertainty management, knowledge based systems, GIS, spatial databases, multidimensional access methods, object-oriented databases, simulation models, and Internet-based information management. Several case studies present EIS in practice.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 266 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -reason for delaying its study has to do with the question of mathematical maturity. \* No use is made here of trigonometric, logarithmic, or expo nential functions except in occasional optional material indicating how such functions can be handled. A perceptive remark made by George P6lya suggests how we can simultaneously learn mathematics and learn 'about' mathematics-i.e., about the nature of mathematics and how it is developed: If the learning of mathematics reflects to any degree the invention of mathematics, it must have a place for guessing, for plausible inference. The reader will find plenty of opportunity here for guessing. The early chapters go at a gentle pace and invite the reader to enter into the spirit of the investigation. Exercises asking the reader to 'make a guess' should be taken in this spirit-as simply an invitation to speculate about what is the likely truth in a given situation without feeling any pressure to guess 'correctly'. Readers will soon realize that a matter about which they are asked to guess will likely be a topic of serious discussion later on.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 428 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book is aimed at undergraduate students embarking on the first year of a modular mathematics degree course. It is a self-contained textbook making it ideally suited to distance learning and a useful reference source for courses with the traditional lecture/tutorial structure. The theoretical content is firmly based but the principal focus is on techniques and applications. The important aims and objectives are presented clearly and then reinforced using complete worked solutions within the text. There is a natural increase in difficulty and understanding as each chapter progresses, always building upon the basic elements. It is assumed that the reader has studied elementary calculus at Advanced level and is at least familiar with the concept of function and has been exposed to basic differentiation and integration techniques. Although these are covered in the book they are presented as a refresher course to jog the student's memory rather than to introduce the topic for the first time. The early chapters cover the topics of matrix algebra, vector algebra and com plex numbers in sufficient depth for the student to feel comfortable -when they reappear later in the book. Subsequent chapters then build upon the student's 'A' level knowledge in the area of real variable calculus, including partial differentiation and mUltiple inte grals. The concluding chapter on differential equations motivates the student's learning by consideration of applications taken from both physical and eco nomic contexts.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -A Course on Borel sets provides a thorough introduction to Borel sets and measurable selections and acts as a stepping stone to descriptive set theory by presenting important techniques such as universal sets, prewellordering, scales, etc. It is well suited for graduate students exploring areas of mathematics for their research and for mathematicians requiring Borel sets and measurable selections in their work. It contains significant applications to other branches of mathematics and can serve as a self- contained reference accessible by mathematicians in many different disciplines. It is written in an easily understandable style and employs only naive set theory, general topology, analysis, and algebra. A large number of interesting exercises are given throughout the text.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -No applied mathematician can be properly trained without some basic un derstanding ofnumerical methods, Le., numerical analysis. And no scientist and engineer should be using a package program for numerical computa tions without understanding the program's purpose and its limitations. This book is an attempt to provide some of the required knowledge and understanding. It is written in a spirit that considers numerical analysis not merely as a tool for solving applied problems but also as a challenging and rewarding part of mathematics. The main goal is to provide insight into numerical analysis rather than merely to provide numerical recipes. The book evolved from the courses on numerical analysis I have taught since 1971 at the University ofGottingen and may be viewed as a successor of an earlier version jointly written with Bruno Brosowski [10] in 1974. It aims at presenting the basic ideas of numerical analysis in a style as concise as possible. Its volume is scaled to a one-yearcourse, i.e., a two-semester course, addressing second-yearstudents at a German university or advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate students at an American university.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 344 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Pontus Braunerhjelm and Karolina Ekholm Over recent decades, foreign direct investment (FDI) has become a major force in the global economy. The geographical pattern of capital formation, trade and technological spillovers across countries and regions, are to an in creasing extent determined by the strategies chosen by multinational firms (MNFs). Between 1982 and 1994, the rate of growth of the global FDI stock was more than twice that of gross fixed capital formation, the growth of sales by foreign affiliates of multinational firms well exceeded that of world exports, and, by 1994, the MNFs accounted for approximately 6 percent of world output (United Nations, 1997, pp. xv-xvi). The overall mechanisms behind this rapid internationalization in terms of multinational produc tion have been attributed to the dismantling of trade barriers and the deregulation of capital markets, together with the advances in information technology that have facilitated the coordination and monitoring of inter nationally dispersed production. This development carries two important implications: First, firms operate in markets characterized by much tougher competition than only a decade ago, and, second, countries and regions are involved in competition for production to a much larger extent than before. This book addresses questions related to the location and geographical dispersion of the activities by multinational firms, a topic which has be come of increasing concern to policy-makers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 244 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Quantum Mechanics and Relativity: Their Unification by Local Time . . . . . . . 39 Hitoshi Kitada 5.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 220 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -James Delle has solved a number of problems in Caribbean archaeology with An Archaeology of Social Space. He deals with most of the problems by using historical archaeology, and clearly implicates Ameri canist prehistorians. Although this book is about coffee plantations in the Blue Mountains area of Jamaica, it is actually about the whole Caribbean. Just as it is about all archaeology, not only historical archaeology, it is also a book about colonialism and national inde pendence and how these two enormous events happened in the context of eighteenth and nineteenth century capitalism. The first issue raised appears to be an academic topic that has come to be known as landscape archaeology. Landscape archaeology considers the planned spaces around living places. The topic is big, comprehensive, and new within historical archaeology. Its fundamen tal insight is that in the early modern and modern worlds everything within view could be made into money. Seeing occurs in space and from 1450, or a little before, everything that could be seen could, potentially, be measured. The measuring-and the accompanying culture of record ing called a scriptural economy-became a way of controlling people in space, for a profit. Dr. Delle thus explores maps, local philosophies of settlement, town dwelling, housing, and the actual condition of plantations and their buildings now, so as to describe coffee-Jamaica from 1790-1860.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In the `Preliminary Dissertation' of his Theodicy, Leibniz declares himself an apologist for the compatibilist doctrines of original sin, election and reprobation propounded by the theologians of the Augsburg Confession. According to those theologians, man's actions are determined but man retains the power to act otherwise and therefore is responsible for his actions. Savage argues that Leibniz, in formulating his apology, availed himself of both his doctrine of possible worlds and his finite-infinite analysis distinction (the latter being applied within the former). Savage challenges the dogma that Leibniz's metaphysical principles entail that individuals are powerless to act otherwise and that God cannot conceive of them acting otherwise. He argues that interpreters deduce the dogma from those principles with the aid of dubious extra-textual premises, for example, that a Leibnizian individual has only one complete concept or cannot be persons other than the person it actually is.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The analysis of the relationship between transport and environmental policy invites an interdisciplinary treatment and a variety of approaches, and rightly so. An important subset of the approaches used involves economic analysis. Economic approaches often consider pricing policies, attempting to evaluate their effectiveness in comparison with more traditional measures such as `command and control' regulation and directed technological innovation. Another important subset of approaches involves simulation modelling, where key relationships are presented mathematically so that their influence can be quantified and their interrelationships discerned precisely. This book treats the intersection of these two subsets: simulation models with a strong economic content. This intersection defines a broad but powerful way to study environment and transport. Its breadth is illustrated by the wide range of policies treated here, from carbon taxes to speed limits. Its power derives from the way insights into interrelated actions and the role of markets - the strong points of economic theory - are cast into a form suitable for making quantitative predictions about the results of policies.Case studies are used to show how simulation models can be designed and used to quantify the effectiveness of economic policies in terms of transport systems management and environmental protection, the emphasis being on the role of the markets in tracing the many effects that policies have, both anticipated and otherwise.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 244 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book contains 50 papers from among the 95 papers presented at the Seventh International Conference on Fibonacci Numbers and Their Applications which was held at the Institut Fiir Mathematik, Technische Universitiit Graz, Steyrergasse 30, A-SOlO Graz, Austria, from July 15 to July 19, 1996. These papers have been selected after a careful review by well known referees in the field, and they range from elementary number theory to probability and statistics. The Fibonacci numbers and recurrence relations are their unifying bond. It is anticipated that this book, like its six predecessors, will be useful to research workers and graduate students interested in the Fibonacci numbers and their applications. September 1, 1997 The Editors Gerald E. Bergum South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota, U. S. A. Alwyn F. Horadam University of New England Armidale, N. S. W. , Australia Andreas N. Philippou House of Representatives Nicosia, Cyprus xxvii THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEES LOCAL COMMITTEE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE Tichy, Robert, Chairman Horadam, A. F. (Australia), Co-Chair Prodinger, Helmut, Co-Chairman Philippou, A. N. (Cyprus), Co-Chair Grabner, Peter Bergurt:t, G. E. (U. S. A. ) Kirschenhofer, Peter Filipponi, P. (Italy) Harborth, H. (Germany) Horibe, Y. (Japan) Johnson, M. (U. S. A. ) Kiss, P. (Hungary) Phillips, G. M. (Scotland) Turner, J. (New Zealand) Waddill, M. E. (U. S. A. ) xxix LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THE CONFERENCE \*ADELBERG, ARNOLD, 'Higher Order Bernoulli Polynomials and Newton Polygons. ' AMMANN, ANDRE, 'Associated Fibonacci Sequences. ' \*ANDERSON, PETER G. , 'The Fibonacci Shuffle Tree.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 524 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Much current research in computer science is concerned with two questions: is a program correct And how can we improve a correct program preserving correctness This latter question is known as the refinement of programs and the purpose of this book is to consider these questions in a formal setting. In fact, correctness turns out to be a special case of refinement and so the focus is on refinement. Although a reasonable background knowledge is assumed from mathematics and CS, the book is a self-contained introduction suitable for graduate students and researchers coming to this subject for the first time. There are numerous exercises provided of varying degrees of challenge.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 540 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This two-volume monograph obtains fundamental notions and results of the standard differential geometry of smooth (CINFINITY) manifolds, without using differential calculus. Here, the sheaf-theoretic character is emphasised. This has theoretical advantages such as greater perspective, clarity and unification, but also practical benefits ranging from elementary particle physics, via gauge theories and theoretical cosmology (`differential spaces'), to non-linear PDEs (generalised functions). Thus, more general applications, which are no longer `smooth' in the classical sense, can be coped with. The treatise might also be construed as a new systematic endeavour to confront the ever-increasing notion that the `world around us is far from being smooth enough'.Audience: This work is intended for postgraduate students and researchers whose work involves differential geometry, global analysis, analysis on manifolds, algebraic topology, sheaf theory, cohomology, functional analysis or abstract harmonic analysis.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 936 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Dating the Quaternary, which covers approximately the last 2 million years, has experienced considerable progress over the past few decades. On the one hand, this resulted from the necessity to obtain a valid age concept for this period which had seen tremendous environmental changes and the advent of the genus Homo. On the other hand, instrumental improvements, such as the introduction of highly sensitive analytical techniques, gave rise to physical and chemical innovations in the field of dating. This rapid methodological development is still in full progress. The broad spectrum of chronometric methods applicable to young rocks and artifacts also becomes increasingly intricate to the specialist. Hence, it is my goal to present a comprehensive, state-of-the-art sum mary of these methods. This book is essentially designed as an aid for scientists who feel a demand for dating tasks falling into this period, i. e., Quaternary geologists and archaeologists in the broadest sense. Since it has been developed from a course of lectures for students of geological and archaeological sciences, held at the University of Heidelberg, it certainly shall serve as an introduction for students of these disciplines.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 488 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -debating (and possibly ratifying) the Convention at the national level [13]. The Convention identified basic principles necessary for the applica tion of medicine and the life sciences. It set out to protect the dignity and identity of all human beings: ''The interests and welfare of the human being shall prevail over the sole interest of society or science' (art. 2). It also requests that appropriate measures be taken to provide equitable access to healthcare of appropriate quality. The principle of respecting the free and informed consent of the person is clearly stressed. The issue of interventions on persons unable to provide an informed consent has been controversial for a long time; in the first draft, the exact formulation of the relevant article remained open. Now it states that interventions may be carried out on persons with impaired decision-making capacities, but only for their benefit, and only if minimal risks and minimal burdens are imposed. Consensus apparently exists over a broad range of issues. Privacy and free access to information are defined as rights, in article 10. Discrimination against a person on the basis of his or her genetic heritage is prohibited. Sex selection in medically assisted procreation is prohibited (except to avoid serious hereditary, sex-related diseases). Financial gain from using the human body and its parts is explicitly prohibited. The more controversial issues in bioethics are not addressed in this Convention, however. An exception is research on embryos in vitro.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 274 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Earthquakes and Atmospheric Hazards contains a selection of papers that were presented as part of the Sixth International Symposium on Natural and Man-Made Hazards (HAZARDS-96) held in Toronto, Canada during July, 1996. The Symposium was very timely, given the large number of natural disasters that have occurred in various parts of the world during the 1990s, the United Nations' International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). The human reaction to these disasters has varied widely from one event to the next and the economic and social costs have been immense with damage running into billions of dollars. Having in everyone's mind the Northridge, California (1994) and the Kobe, Japan (1995) earthquakes, the volcanoes in the Philippines, the cyclones and related storm surges in Bangladesh, and the floods in North America and Europe caused by heavy rains, the Symposium attracted more than one hundred papers covering various aspects of these events. The eleven papers included in this volume deal with the scientific and management issues of those earthquakes and atmospheric hazards that occurred during the late 1990s, with emphasis on the preparedness aspects. A summary report of the HAZARDS-96 Symposium and recommendations adopted by the participants is also included. Earthquakes and Atmospheric Hazards forms an excellent reference for scientists, students, engineers, the insurance industry, authorities specializing in public safety and natural hazards preparedness and mitigation plans.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The major purpose of this book is to contribute to better economic policy analysis through improvements in models studying the economic impacts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, and to show ways in which economic instruments can effectively be put to use to alleviate such problems. Global Environmental Economics is an integrated economic assessment of GHG emissions impacting economic growth and welfare change along major considerations of uncertainty, technological change and cooperation. A theoretical treatment of the issues is emphasized, using modern tools of economic theory and based on `simple' models that yield illustrative results in terms of `what-if' questions. With this focus the book distinguishes itself uniquely from other economic analytic approaches in the field that have appeared in the past few years. It focuses on the analysis, control and optimization of modelling forms rather than the collection and analysis of data. More concretely, the book searches for optimal fossil fuel use, research and technology policies rather than prediction of the future. The collection appeals to researchers interested in environmental economics, economic theory, and mathematical methods (in particular optimal-control theory) and economic growth.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Processing of Vocalization Signals in Neurons of the Inferior Colliculus and Medial Geniculate Body; J. Syka, et al. Coding of FM and AM Sounds at the Auditory Midbrain; P.W.F. Poon, et al. Inhibition and Inhibitory Plasticity in the Mammalian Auditory Midbrain; M.B. Calford, Y. Saalmann. Neuronal Periodicity Coding and Pitch Effects; G. Langner. Specialization's of the Auditory System for the Analysis of Natural Sounds; I. Nelken, et al. The Processing of Species-Specific Complex Sounds by the Ascending and Descending Auditory Systems; N. Suga, et al. A Connected Mandarin Speech Recognition System Using Dynamic Programming Bayesian Neural Networks; C.-C. Huang, et al. A computational Model of Birdsong Learning by Auditory Experience and Auditory Feedback; K. Doya, T.J. Sejnowski. On Recent Results in Modeling of Sensory Neurons; P. Lánsky. Interneurons Which Shape Response Properties in Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus; E.D. Young, I. Nelken. Behavioral and Physiological Studies of Sound Localization in the Cat; T.C.T. Yin, L.C. Populin. The Processing of Auditory Stimuli for Eye Movements in the Posterior Parietal Cortex of Monkeys; R.A. Andersen, et al. 9 Additional Chapters. Poster Abstracts of the Conference. Index.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Least squares estimation, when used appropriately, is a powerful research tool. A deeper understanding of the regression concepts is essential for achieving optimal benefits from a least squares analysis. This book builds on the fundamentals of statistical methods and provides appropriate concepts that will allow a scientist to use least squares as an effective research tool.Applied Regression Analysis is aimed at the scientist who wishes to gain a working knowledge of regression analysis. The basic purpose of this book is to develop an understanding of least squares and related statistical methods without becoming excessively mathematical. It is the outgrowth of more than 30 years of consulting experience with scientists and many years of teaching an applied regression course to graduate students. Applied Regression Analysis serves as an excellent text for a service course on regression for non-statisticians and as a reference for researchers. It also provides a bridge between a two-semester introduction to statistical methods and a thoeretical linear models course.Applied Regression Analysis emphasizes the concepts and the analysis of data sets. It provides a review of the key concepts in simple linear regression, matrix operations, and multiple regression. Methods and criteria for selecting regression variables and geometric interpretations are discussed. Polynomial, trigonometric, analysis of variance, nonlinear, time series, logistic, random effects, and mixed effects models are also discussed. Detailed case studies and exercises based on real data sets are used to reinforce the concepts. The data sets used in the book are available on the Internet.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 682 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book outlines a scientific approach to understanding and treating children and adolescents who display a severe pattern of aggressive antisocial behavior. Unlike other works which tend to focus exclusively on research data or practical guidelines for treatment approaches, this valuable reference integrates both of these aspects, providing clear guidelines for intervention based on the most current research. Outstanding features include 23 tables and figures, and two chapters detailing a comprehensive approach to treatment tailored to the needs of the individual child or adolescent.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The cutting-edge Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man IX brings together contributions from internationally recognized researchers in the fields of molecular genetics, biochemical pharmacology, biochemistry, developmental biology, immunology, and epidemiology. This research has been crucial for the develoment of potent anticancer and antiviral drugs. A sampling of topics includes -- gout -- adenosine -- inborn errors of purine and pyrimidine metabolism -- mutations -- effects of hypoxia, free radicals, or reperfusion injury -- hot research areas, and -- cell differentiation and malignancies.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Ideas linked to rational choice theory started to appear frequently in the economics literature in the 1960s and 1970s, but the attention given to rationality widened to include commentators presenting far-reaching appraisals and critiques. The literature grew to a steady flow and spanned diverse areas of thought including socialist and `rational-choice Marxist' assessments, and other approaches including institutional, sociological, psychological, ethical, choice-theoretical, strategic, and game-theoretical treatments of rationality. This diversity of literature led to the creation of this volume. What does rationality mean Was there some common core of meaning that held all of these seemingly disparate developments together, or were there discernable schools of thought with peculiarities that set them clearly apart from one another The essays in this volume illustrate that diversity, and despite the variety of approaches there remains a common core of meaning that accommodates not so much a radically different set of concepts of rationality as a highly variegated array of methods and approaches to this subject. Contributors address topics of their choice on the concept of rationality in economics, and the selection of these contributors is meant to represent a variety of backgrounds and approaches.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Applied Stochastic Models and Control for Finance and Insurance presents at an introductory level some essential stochastic models applied in economics, finance and insurance. Markov chains, random walks, stochastic differential equations and other stochastic processes are used throughout the book and systematically applied to economic and financial applications. In addition, a dynamic programming framework is used to deal with some basic optimization problems.The book begins by introducing problems of economics, finance and insurance which involve time, uncertainty and risk. A number of cases are treated in detail, spanning risk management, volatility, memory, the time structure of preferences, interest rates and yields, etc. The second and third chapters provide an introduction to stochastic models and their application. Stochastic differential equations and stochastic calculus are presented in an intuitive manner, and numerous applications and exercises are used to facilitate their understanding and their use in Chapter 3. A number of other processes which are increasingly used in finance and insurance are introduced in Chapter 4. In the fifth chapter, ARCH and GARCH models are presented and their application to modeling volatility is emphasized. An outline of decision-making procedures is presented in Chapter 6. Furthermore, we also introduce the essentials of stochastic dynamic programming and control, and provide first steps for the student who seeks to apply these techniques. Finally, in Chapter 7, numerical techniques and approximations to stochastic processes are examined.This book can be used in business, economics, financial engineering and decision sciences schools for second year Master's students, as well as in a number of courses widely given in departments of statistics, systems and decision sciences.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This volume is a collection of papers concerning the biology of large branchiopod crustaceans: Anostraca, Conchostraca, and Notostraca. Many of the individual papers were first presented at the Third International Large Branchiopod Symposium (ILBS-3) held at the University of San Diego, CA, USA, July 15-18, 1996. Contributions on additional topics from participants at the symposium, and from colleagues not able to join us in San Diego, are also included. In addition, there is a supplement to the 1995 `Checklist of the Anostraca'.The theme of the ILBS-3 was `understanding and conserving large branchiopod diversity'. Researchers from around the world presented papers on a variety of topics related to conservation of large branchiopods, with contributions ranging from alpha-taxonomy and zoogeography to community structure and studies of ecology and evolution. One important issue developed in many of the papers in this volume is the need to advance our understanding of basic aspects of branchiopod biology throughout the world in order to enhance our efforts to conserve them. Although we have made important strides in understanding the biology of large branchiopods, we have, with few notable exceptions, made little progress in assuring the conservation of their diversity. We hope this volume will supply the reader with new ideas, and generate enthusiasm for research and public education efforts on behalf of branchiopod conservation.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The recent boom in the mobile telecommunication market has trapped the interest of almost all electronic and communication companies worldwide. New applications arise every day, more and more countries are covered by digital cellular systems and the competition between the several providers has caused prices to drop rapidly. The creation of this essentially new market would not have been possible without the ap pearance of smalI, low-power, high-performant and certainly low-cost mobile termi nals. The evolution in microelectronics has played a dominant role in this by creating digital signal processing (DSP) chips with more and more computing power and com bining the discrete components of the RF front-end on a few ICs. This work is situated in this last area, i. e. the study of the full integration of the RF transceiver on a single die. Furthermore, in order to be compatible with the digital processing technology, a standard CMOS process without tuning, trimming or post-processing steps must be used. This should flatten the road towards the ultimate goal: the single chip mobile phone. The local oscillator (LO) frequency synthesizer poses some major problems for integration and is the subject of this work. The first, and also the largest, part of this text discusses the design of the Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO). The general phase noise theory of LC-oscillators is pre sented, and the concept of effective resistance and capacitance is introduced to char acterize and compare the performance of different LC-tanks.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 278 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The condition of prolonged obstructive jaundice with patent bile ducts was first described in 1851 by Addison and Gull of Guy's Hospital, London. The term primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) was defined in 1950 by Ahrens and colleagues of the Rockefeller Institute, New York. The condition was considered rare but this changed in 1965 with the discovery of a definitive diagnostic serum mitochondrial antibody test and the recognition that a raised serum alkaline phosphatase value, often discovered incidentally, could be a diagnostic pointer. If the diagnosis is made earlier, the end stages are rarely reached as death is replaced by liver transplantation. On November 6th 1997, in Chicago, an International Faculty discussed in depth the clinical features, pathogenesis and treatment of PBC, no longer considered a rare disease. The course of PBC is long, but some 18 years after the discovery of a positive mitochondrial antibody test in a symptom free patient with normal serum biochemistry, 83% will have developed abnormal tests and 76% will be symptomatic. Identification of those who will progress rapidly is difficult. The serum antimitochondrial profile may be useful but this is a very specialist technique. Mathematical prognostic models are useful in therapeutic trials and in the selection and timing of patients for liver transplantation but have limited value in individual patients. An increasing serum bilirubin level remains the most important indicator of rapid progression. Its value however can be negated by the use of ursodeoxycholic acid which has a bilirubin-lowering effect.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 188 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book is aimed at those using colour image processing or researching new applications or techniques of colour image processing. It has been clear for some time that there is a need for a text dedicated to colour. We foresee a great increase in the use of colour over the coming years, both in research and in industrial and commercial applications. We are sure this book will prove a useful reference text on the subject for practicing engineers and scientists, for researchers, and for students at doctoral and, perhaps masters, level. It is not intended as an introductory text on image processing, rather it assumes that the reader is already familiar with basic image processing concepts such as image representation in digital form, linear and non-linear filtering, trans forms, edge detection and segmentation, and so on, and has some experience with using, at the least, monochrome equipment. There are many books cov ering these topics and some of them are referenced in the text, where appro priate. The book covers a restricted, but nevertheless, a very important, subset of image processing concerned with natural colour (that is colour as per ceived by the human visual system). This is an important field because it shares much technology and basic theory with colour television and video equipment, the market for which is worldwide and very large; and with the growing field of multimedia, including the use of colour images on the Inter net. 484 pp. Englisch.