Springer aug 2006 (15 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) is taken annually by more than 7000 general surgery residents nationwide to ensure that specific learning objectives are being met in their training. Recent exams have emphasized basic science and Review of Surgery: Basic Science and Clinical Topics for ABSITE is written with that in mind. Each chapter is a short summary of a basic science or clinical topic and includes hundreds of related questions like those found on ABSITE. The book is targeted to trainees at various levels and also can be used to prepare for the qualifying (written) and certifying (oral) exams given by the American Board of Surgery upon completion of training. (This book will also serve as a supplemental review for non-U.S. trained surgeons seeking U.S. credentials to practice.).…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Pattern recognition has its origins in engineering, whereas machine learning grew out of computer science. However, these activities can be viewed as two facets of the same field, and together they have undergone substantial development over the past ten years. In particular, Bayesian methods have grown from a specialist niche to become mainstream, while graphical models have emerged as a general framework for describing and applying probabilistic models. Also, the practical applicability of Bayesian methods has been greatly enhanced through the development of a range of approximate inference algorithms such as variational Bayes and expectation pro- gation. Similarly, new models based on kernels have had significant impact on both algorithms and applications. This new textbook reacts these recent developments while providing a comprehensive introduction to the fields of pattern recognition and machine learning. It is aimed at advanced undergraduates or first year PhD students, as wellas researchers and practitioners, and assumes no previous knowledge of pattern recognition or - chine learning concepts. Knowledge of multivariate calculus and basic linear algebra is required, and some familiarity with probabilities would be helpful though not essential as the book includes a self-contained introduction to basic probability theory.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This textbook on models and modeling in mechanics introduces a new unifying approach to applied mechanics: through the concept of the open scheme, a step-by-step approach to modeling evolves. The unifying approach enables a very large scope on relatively few pages: the book treats theories of mass points and rigid bodies, continuum models of solids and fluids, as well as traditional engineering mechanics of beams, cables, pipe flow and wave propagation.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Molecular biology has driven a powerful reductionist, or 'molecule-c- tric,' approach to biological research in the last half of the 20th century. Red- tionism is the attempt to explain complex phenomena by defining the functional properties of the individual components of the system. Bloom (1) has referred to the post-genome sequencing era as the end of 'naïve reductionism. ' Red- tionist methods will continue to be an essential element of all biological research efforts, but 'naïve reductionism,' the belief that reductionism alone can lead to a complete understanding of living organisms, is not tenable. Organisms are clearly much more than the sum of their parts, and the behavior of complex physiological processes cannot be understood simply by knowing how the parts work in isolation. Systems biology has emerged in the wake of genome sequencing as the s- cessor to reductionism (2-5). The 'systems' of systems biology are defined over a wide span of complexity ranging from two macromolecules that interact to carry out a specific task to whole organisms. Systems biology is integrative and seeks to understand and predict the behavior or 'emergent' properties of complex, multicomponent biological processes. A systems-level characteri- tion of a biological process addresses the following three main questions: (1) What are the parts of the system (i. e.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - It is now 10 years since the first edition of YAC Protocols was published in 1996. YAC Protocols was first produced to address the huge demand within the research community for a lab-based text that described in detail the wide range of uses for large insert yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) DNA clones. In doing this, the original editor, David Markie, and the many different contri- tors who provided descriptions of the protocols they used and developed, did a magnificent job. Indeed many of the techniques described within the first e- tion require little change and have stood up admirably to the test of time. Since the first edition, the use of YACs has proved invaluable for addressing a wide range of new biological problems ranging from those of basic biochemistry to assisting in the mapping and sequencing of the human genome. The requirement for a second edition of YAC Protocols was prompted by a number of major advances in biology since the publication of the first edition. These advances have included the sequencing of the human genome, and the genomes of a wide variety of other organisms, and the increased use of transgenic animals for understanding the molecular basis of human and animal disease.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Size effects on material and structural behaviors are of great interest to physicists, material scientists, and engineers who need to understand and model the mechanical behavior of solids especially at micron- and nano-scales. This volume is a collection of twenty five written contributions by distinguished invited speakers from seven countries to the IUTAM Symposium on Size Effects on Material and Structural Behavior at Micron- and Nano-scales. It contains basic theoretical and experimental aspects of the recent advances in the mechanics research of various size effects. Main topics include: behaviors of materials and structures at micron- and nanometer-scales; physical bases of size effects; adaptive and multi-functional behaviors of materials at small scales; size effects in fracture and phase transformation of solids; multi-scale modeling and simulation; size effects in material instability and its propagation, etc. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the research covered, this volume will be of interest to engineers, scientists, researchers, and graduate students in the field of theoretical and applied mechanics, materials science as well as technology.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book provides substantial new results in a novel field of research examining the syntactic and semantic consequences of event structure. The studies of this volume examine the hypothesis that event structure correlates with word order, the presence or absence of the verbal particle, the [+/- specific] feature of the internal argument, aspect, focusing, negation, and negative quantification, among others. The results reported concern the telicising vs. perfectivizing role of the verbal particle; the syntactic and semantic differences of verbs denoting a delimited change, and those denoting creation or coming into being; evidence of viewpoint aspect in a language with no morphological viewpoint marking; the aspectual role of non-thematic objects; the source of the 'exhaustive identification' function of structural focus; the interaction of negation and aspect etc.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In Sub-Sahara Africa, the sector of informal micro-enterprises (IMEs) is already employing a large share of the labour force in both urban and rural areas. This study reviews the ways in which the owners and workers of IMEs have acquired their vocational and management skills. It reviews the contributions of all the different training providers, including public sector training institutes, private sector training providers, and training centres run by NGOs and other non-profit organizations. The study finds that informal apprenticeship training is by far the most common source of various skills - in some countries it is likely to be responsible for 80-90% of all ongoing training efforts. Informal apprenticeship training presents a number of important advantages. At the same time it has a number of limitations. The study concludes that there is a major challenge to improve the transfer of relevant skills to IME operators, both through pre-employment training and skills upgrading. In view of the scope of the challenge to provide hundreds of thousands IME owners and workers, as well as large numbers of out of school youths with relevant practical and management skills, it suggests to build upon the strengths of the existing practices of informal apprenticeship training and to remedy its weaknesses by involving professional training providers in upgrading its training organization and delivery, quality and efficiency, and final training outcomes. It reviews the results of a number of innovative interventions in different African countries that are working in this direction. Finally, the study suggests that there is an interesting potential in 'business-embedded training' provided by private companies as part of their regular business operations.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book is the second in a series covering best practices in community quality-of-life (QOL) indicators. The first was published in 2004. The editors are M. Joseph Sirgy, Don Rahtz and Dong-Jin Lee. Volume 1 is a compilation of cases of best work in community indicators research. The cases describe communities that have launched their own community indicators programs. Elements that are included in the descr- tions are the history of the community indicators work within the target region, the planning of community indicators, the actual indicators that were selected, the data collection process, the reporting of the results and the use of the indicators to guide community development decisions and public policy. The chapters in Volume 1 are: Chapter 1: Vital Signs: Quality-of-Life Indicators for Virginia's Technology Corridor by Terri Lynn Cornwell Chapter 2: The Sustainable Community Model Approach to the Development and Use of Multi-Dimensional Quality-of-Life Indicators by William T. Grunkemeyer and Myra L.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Advances in Information Technologies for Electromagnetics offers a broad panorama on recently achieved and potentially obtainable advances in electromagnetics with innovative IT technologies. Simple tutorial chapters introduce the reader to cutting edge technologies, such as parallel and distributed computing, object-oriented technologies, grid computing, semantic grids, agent based computing and service-oriented architectures. On such bases, a variety of EM applications is proposed: 1) parallel FDTD codes (both for antenna analysis and for metamaterial applications), 2) grid computing for computational EM (CEM) (with applications to antenna arrays, wireless and remote-sensing systems) 3) mobile agents for parametric CEM modeling 4) complex/hybrid EM software environments (with applications to planar circuits, quasi-optical systems.) 5) semantic grids for CAE of antennas arrays.This way the reader, after learning from very schematic tutorials the most relevant features of IT tools, has an immediate feeling of their impact on daily EM research. …

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The owl is a magical creature: it exudes an ambivalent fascination that can trigger completely antithetical responses. On the one hand, there is something unsettling about the owl's soundless flight, eerie call, and nocturnal activity that can result in its demonization as a messenger of darkness. On the other hand, however, its masklike visage and seemingly penetrating gaze prove - thralling, and this may have contributed to the deification of the owl as the companion spirit of an omniscient mother earth. In addition, the highly s- cialized captor of prey aroused the competitive envy of hunting parties, even provoking a bit of resentment when they lost out to owls in their hunt for small game. Moreover, the excrement and pellets (hairballs) they deposited in barns and church towers contributed to their reputation as undesirables or even pests. With the overcoming of superstition and suspicion, our relati- ship with these creatures of the night has now become one of unreserved - miration. They grant us insights into the rich diversity of adaptation to n- turnal hunting as well as into sound inventories, brooding biology, and ne- ling development. In a complete transformation of what was once a symbol of fear and hatred, charismatic owls now enjoy an almost singular popularity in large parts of the population.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book provides the blueprint of a thinking machine.While most of the current works in Artificial Intelligence (AI) focus on individual aspects of intelligence and cognition, the project described in this book, Non-Axiomatic Reasoning System (NARS), is designed and developed to attack the AI problem as a whole.This project is based on the belief that what we call 'intelligence' can be understood and reproduced as 'the capability of a system to adapt to its environment while working with insufficient knowledge and resources'. According to this idea, a novel reasoning system is designed, which challenges all the dominating theories in how such a system should be built. The system carries out reasoning, learning, categorizing, planning, decision making, etc., as different facets of the same underlying process. This theory also provides unified solutions to many problems in AI, logic, psychology, and philosophy.This book is the most comprehensive description of this decades-long project, including its philosophical foundation, methodological consideration, conceptual design details, its implications in the related fields, as well as its similarities and differences to many related works in cognitive sciences.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Heterogeneous Enantioselective Hydrogenation: Theory and Practice reviews the development of enantioselective hydrogenation reaction catalysts. It looks at the first relatively ineffective catalysts right through to modern highly effective enantioselective catalytic systems, comparable in their efficiency to chiral metal complexes and enzymatic systems. The book begins with a summary of the first work on heterogeneous metal catalysts, which showed only the principal possibilities of enantioselective reactions. It then elaborates on metal catalysts which have enantioselectivities close to 100%. Finally, the practical utilization of chiral catalytic systems in processes of hydrogenation is described. The alpha- and beta-hydroxy carboxylic acid esters produced are precursors for manufacturing many synthones used for medicines as well as for monomers used for biodegradable polyesters, both of which have important practical applications. The volume summarizes more than 800 scientific papers in the field of enantioselective catalytic hydrogenation reactions, mainly those using heterogeneous metal catalysts. It provides detailed explanations of special techniques for the preparation of effective dissymmetric catalysts which provide highly efficient catalytic systems.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book covers cell-cell channels at all levels of biological organization. The purpose of this book is to document that cells are not physically separated and fully autonomous units of biological life as stated by the currently valid Cell Theory. If not the cell then some lower level unit must fulfill this role. The book deals also with the identity of this elusive unit of biological life.…

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Optical Switching is the most comprehensive and up to date reference book on its subject. After three decades of research and development efforts, optical switching has started to be deployed in cutting-edge networking initiatives. The optical devices, optical networks, and telecommunications/data networking communities are in need of a reference book that compiles diverse optical switching research, from device technologies to system and network architectures, into one properly structured volume. This book provides such a service to these communities. The book is structured into three parts. The first part provides the foundation for understanding the potential role of optical switching in communication networks. The second part is focused on optical switching technologies and on devices based upon them. Theories, operation principles, and fabrication techniques are discussed. The third part covers optical-switching fabrics, systems, and networks. Applications of optical switching in communication networks are discussed, involving optical circuit, packet, and burst switching. The chapters are self-contained with minimum overlap. They bring together academic and industrial contributions, analytical and descriptive treatments, and cover theories, experimentation, and practice. The material has been carefully coordinated to form a homogeneous manuscript having a progressive and logical development of ideas and concepts. The book embraces a number of distinctive innovations. Old and new terminologies are investigated, clarified, redefined where necessary, and used consistently throughout the entire volume. The treatment of the subject is original, not only in terms of comprehensive coverage, but also in terms of structure and organization. Twenty-four authors contributed the fourteen chapters of this book, including the Editor Tarek S. El-Bawab who authored four chapters. …