springer london springer london mär 2012 (80 results)

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Entropy Guided Transformation Learning: Algorithms and Applications (ETL) presents a machine learning algorithm for classification tasks. ETL generalizes Transformation Based Learning (TBL) by solving the TBL bottleneck: the construction of good template sets. ETL automatically generates templates using Decision Tree decomposition.The authors describe ETL Committee, an ensemble method that uses ETL as the base learner. Experimental results show that ETL Committee improves the effectiveness of ETL classifiers. The application of ETL is presented to four Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks: part-of-speech tagging, phrase chunking, named entity recognition and semantic role labeling. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that ETL is an effective way to learn accurate transformation rules, and shows better results than TBL with handcrafted templates for the four tasks. By avoiding the use of handcrafted templates, ETL enables the use of transformation rules to a greater range of tasks.Suitable for both advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, Entropy Guided Transformation Learning: Algorithms and Applications provides a comprehensive introduction to ETL and its NLP applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 92 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Ethnography is now a fundamental feature of design practice, taught in universities worldwide and practiced widely in commerce. Despite its rise to prominence a great many competing perspectives exist and there are few practical texts to support the development of competence. Doing Design Ethnography elaborates the ethnomethodological perspective on ethnography, a distinctive approach that provides canonical 'studies of work' in and for design. It provides an extensive treatment of the approach, with a particular slant on providing a pedagogical text that will support the development of competence for students, career researchers and design practitioners. It is organised around a complementary series of self-contained chapters, each of which address key features of doing the job of ethnography for purposes of system design. The book will be of broad appeal to students and practitioners in HCI, CSCW and software engineering, providing valuable insights as to how to conduct ethnography and relate it to design.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 216 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Software similarity and classification is an emerging topic with wide applications. It is applicable to the areas of malware detection, software theft detection, plagiarism detection, and software clone detection. Extracting program features, processing those features into suitable representations, and constructing distance metrics to define similarity and dissimilarity are the key methods to identify software variants, clones, derivatives, and classes of software. Software Similarity and Classification reviews the literature of those core concepts, in addition to relevant literature in each application and demonstrates that considering these applied problems as a similarity and classification problem enables techniques to be shared between areas. Additionally, the authors present in-depth case studies using the software similarity and classification techniques developed throughout the book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book sets out to illustrate the key steps in some of the commoner procedures in pulmonary and oesophageal surgery. Each chapter deals with one operation. It was always our intention that the emphasis should be on detailed illustrations of the various stages of each operation. The text is of secondary importance, serving to provide continuity and to guide the reader through the illustrations. The techniques outlined are those which have evolved in our practice over the years and are therefore the result of varied influences and personal experience. Where an individual surgeon's name is attached to an operative technique we make no claim to describe the procedure exactly as that surgeon would have performed it, and it would perhaps have been more accurate to describe the technique as being 'in the style of . '. We would wish to apologise in advance to any surgeon who feels that we have not accurately depicted his technique or have deviated from it in any important respect.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 172 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This two-volume textbook provides comprehensive coverage of partial differential equations, spanning elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic types in two and several variables.In this first volume, special emphasis is placed on geometric and complex variable methods involving integral representations. The following topics are treated:¿ integration and differentiation on manifolds¿ foundations of functional analysis¿ Brouwer's mapping degree¿ generalized analytic functions¿ potential theory and spherical harmonics¿ linear partial differential equationsThis new second edition of this volume has been thoroughly revised and a new section on the boundary behavior of Cauchy¿s integral has been added.The second volume will present functional analytic methods and applications to problems in differential geometry.This textbook will be of particular use to graduate and postgraduate students interested in this field and will be of interest to advanced undergraduate students. It may also be used for independent study.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 464 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -HIS BOOK CONTAINS a most comprehensive text that presents syntax-directed and compositional methods for the formal veri - T cation of programs. The approach is not language-bounded in the sense that it covers a large variety of programming models and features that appear in most modern programming languages. It covers the classes of - quential and parallel, deterministic and non-deterministic, distributed and object-oriented programs. For each of the classes it presents the various c- teria of correctness that are relevant for these classes, such as interference freedom, deadlock freedom, and appropriate notions of liveness for parallel programs. Also, special proof rules appropriate for each class of programs are presented. In spite of this diversity due to the rich program classes cons- ered, there exist a uniform underlying theory of veri cation which is synt- oriented and promotes compositional approaches to veri cation, leading to scalability of the methods. The text strikes the proper balance between mathematical rigor and - dactic introduction of increasingly complex rules in an incremental manner, adequately supported by state-of-the-art examples. As a result it can serve as a textbook for a variety of courses on di erent levels and varying durations. It can also serve as a reference book for researchers in the theory of veri - tion, in particular since it contains much material that never before appeared in book form. This is specially true for the treatment of object-oriented p- grams which is entirely novel and is strikingly elegant.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 528 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Introduced forty years ago, relational databases proved unusually succe- ful and durable. However, relational database systems were not designed for modern applications and computers. As a result, specialized database systems now proliferate trying to capture various pieces of the database market. Database research is pulled into di erent directions, and speci- ized database conferences are created. Yet the current chaos in databases is likely only temporary because every technology, including databases, becomes standardized over time. The history of databases shows periods of chaos followed by periods of dominant technologies. For example, in the early days of computing, users stored their data in text les in any format and organization they wanted. These early days were followed by information retrieval systems, which required some structure for text documents, such as a title, authors, and a publisher. The information retrieval systems were followed by database systems, which addedeven more structure to the data and made querying easier. In the late 1990s, the emergence of the Internet brought a period of relative chaos and interest in unstructured and ¿semistructured datä as it wasenvisionedthateverywebpagewouldbelikeapageinabook.However, with the growing maturity of the Internet, the interest in structured data was regained because the most popular websites are, in fact, based on databases. The question is not whether future data stores need structure but what structure they need.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 772 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Mathematical finance has grown into a huge area of research which requires a large number of sophisticated mathematical tools. This book simultaneously introduces the financial methodology and the relevant mathematical tools in a style that is mathematically rigorous and yet accessible to practitioners and mathematicians alike. It interlaces financial concepts such as arbitrage opportunities, admissible strategies, contingent claims, option pricing and default risk with the mathematical theory of Brownian motion, diffusion processes, and Lévy processes. The first half of the book is devoted to continuous path processes whereas the second half deals with discontinuous processes.The extensive bibliography comprises a wealth of important references and the author index enables readers quickly to locate where the reference is cited within the book, making this volume an invaluable tool both for students and for those at the forefront of research and practice.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 760 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -As I write, the financial systems of the world are collapsing with still no clear indication of what the consequences will be and which measures should be taken to avoid such a crisis in the future. There seems to be agreement though, that the financial instruments introduced in the past few decades entailed far too much complexity and uncertainty and that there was too little regulatory control over the use of these instruments. Management of uncertainty with the aim of achieving self-control is the core concern of this book. It was not written with a focus on financial systems, but many concepts developed in this book are applicable to this field as well. The - neric principles of reducing, maintaining or increasing uncertainties in view of the different contingencies an organization is faced with, the fundamental issue of how much control is possible and who should be in control, and the question of how much and what kind of regulation is necessary with the overall aim of finding an appropriate balance between system stability and flexibility are at the centre of heated debates on the future of finance.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 204 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Saturated Switching Systems treats the problem of actuator saturation, inherent in all dynamical systems by using two approaches:positive invariance in which the controller is designed to work within a region of non-saturating linear behaviour; andsaturation technique which allows saturation but guarantees asymptotic stability.The results obtained are extended from the linear systems in which they were first developed to switching systems with uncertainties, 2D switching systems, switching systems with Markovian jumping and switching systems of the Takagi-Sugeno type.The text represents a thoroughly referenced distillation of results obtained in this field during the last decade. The selected tool for analysis and design of stabilizing controllers is based on multiple Lyapunov functions and linear matrix inequalities. All the results are illustrated with numerical examples and figures many of them being modelled using MATLAB®.Saturated Switching Systems will be of interest to academic researchers in control systems and to professionals working in any of the many fields where systems are affected by saturation including: chemical and pharmaceutical batch processing, manufacturing (for example in steel rolling), air-traffic control, and the automotive and aerospace industries.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 312 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -There has been a recent surge of new data on the subject of exercise and sport in type I diabetes, as well as great interest from the multidisciplinary healthcare teams looking after such patients. Providing advice and support to enable athletes to manage their diabetes during and after sport is an essential part of diabetes care.Type I Diabetes: Clinical Management of the Athlete outlines best practice and scientific progress in the management of people with type I diabetes who undertake a sport at any level. The book explores endocrine response to exercise, hypoglycemia and dietetics in the diabetic patient, and provides real-life examples of type I diabetes management at the professional athlete level. It is the first source of reference for specialists in diabetes when seeking advice on how to manage their patient and provides practical advice for equipping the type I diabetes patient with the ability to fulfill their sporting potential.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -As power systems develop to incorporate renewable energy sources, the delivery systems may be disrupted by the changes involved. The grid¿s technology and management must be developed to form Smart Grids between consumers, suppliers and producers. Conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Smart Grids considers the specific side effects related to electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by the application of these Smart Grids.Conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Smart Grids presents specific EMI conducted phenomena as well as effective methods to filter and handle them once identified. After introduction to Smart Grids, the following sections cover dedicated methods for EMI reduction and potential avenues for future development including chapters dedicated to:¿potential system services¿descriptions of the EMI spectra shaping methods¿methods of interference voltage compensation, and theoretical analysis of experimental results.By focusing on these key aspects, Conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Smart Grids provides a concise and comprehensive coverage of an extensive subject matter. It constitutes a key resource for any industry practitioners, researchers or system designers with interest in Smart Grids, particularly their electromagnetic compatibility in the conducted EMI frequency range.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 184 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The increased efficiency and quality constraints imposed on electrical energy systems have inspired a renewed research interest in the study of formal approaches to the analysis and control of power electronics converters. Switched systems represent a useful framework for modeling these converters and the peculiarities of their operating conditions and control goals justify the specific classification of ¿switched electronic systems¿. Indeed, idealized switched models of power converters introduce problems not commonly encountered when analyzing generic switched models or non-switched electrical networks. In that sense the analysis of switched electronic systems represents a source for new ideas and benchmarks for switched and hybrid systems generally. Dynamics and Control of Switched Electronic Systems draws on the expertise of an international group of expert contributors to give an overview of recent advances in the modeling, simulation and control of switched electronic systems. The reader is provided with a well-organized source of references and a mathematically-based report of the state of the art in analysis and design techniques for switched power converters. Intuitive language, realistic illustrative examples and numerical simulations help the reader to come to grips with the rigorous presentation of many promising directions of research such as: converter topologies and modulation techniques; continuous-time, discrete-time and hybrid models; modern control strategies for power converters; and challenges in numerical simulation. The guidance and information imparted in this text will be appreciated by engineers, and applied mathematicians working on system and circuit theory, control systems development, and electronic and energy conversion systems design.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 508 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book provides a comprehensive introduction to various mathematical approaches to achieving high-quality software. An introduction to mathematics that is essential for sound software engineering is provided as well as a discussion of various mathematical methods that are used both in academia and industry. The mathematical approaches considered include: Z specification language Vienna Development Methods (VDM) Irish school of VDM (VDM) approach of Dijkstra and Hoare classical engineering approach of Parnas Cleanroom approach developed at IBM software reliability, and unified modelling language (UML). Additionally, technology transfer of the mathematical methods to industry is considered. The book explains the main features of these approaches and applies mathematical methods to solve practical problems. Written with both student and professional in mind, this book assists the reader in applying mathematical methods to solve practical problems that are relevant to software engineers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -'Risks in Technological Systems' is an interdisciplinary university textbook and a book for the educated reader on the risks of today¿s society. In order to understand and analyze risks associated with the engineering systems on which modern society relies, other concerns have to be addressed, besides technical aspects. In contrast to many academic textbooks dealing with technological risks, this book has a unique interdisciplinary character that presents technological risks in their own context.Twenty-four scientists have come together to present their views on risks in technological systems. Their scientific disciplines cover not only engineering, economics and medicine, but also history, psychology, literature and philosophy. Taken together these contributions provide a broad, but accurate, interdisciplinary introduction to a field of increasing global interest, as well as rich opportunities to achieve in-depth knowledge of the subject.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 360 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The Power Makers - the producers of our electricity - must meet the demands of their customers while also addressing the threat of climate change. There are widely differing views about solutions to electricity generation in an emission constrained world. Some see the problem as relatively straight forward, requiring deep cuts in emissions now by improving energy efficiency, energy conservation and using only renewable resources. Many electricity industry engineers and scientists see the problem as being much more involved.The Power Makers ¿ Challenge: and the need for Fission Energy looks at why using only conventional renewable energy sources is not quite as simple as it seems. Following a general introduction to electricity and its distribution, the author quantifies the reductions needed in greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector in the face of ever increasing world demands for electricity. It provides some much needed background on the many energy sources available for producing electricity and discusses their advantages and limitations to meet both the emission reduction challenge and electricity demand.By analyzing the three main groups of energy sources: renewable energy, fossil fuels and fission energy (nuclear power), readers can assess the ability of each group to meet the challenge of both reducing emissions and maintaining reliable supply at least cost. It is written for both non-technical and technical readers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 224 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Stochastic geometry is a relatively new branch of mathematics. Although its predecessors such as geometric probability date back to the 18th century, the formal concept of a random set was developed in the beginning of the 1970s. Theory of Random Sets presents a state of the art treatment of the modern theory, but it does not neglect to recall and build on the foundations laid by Matheron and others, including the vast advances in stochastic geometry, probability theory, set-valued analysis, and statistical inference of the 1990s.The book is entirely self-contained, systematic and exhaustive, with the full proofs that are necessary to gain insight. It shows the various interdisciplinary relationships of random set theory within other parts of mathematics, and at the same time, fixes terminology and notation that are often varying in the current literature to establish it as a natural part of modern probability theory, and to provide a platform for future development.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 504 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Silver has the lowest resistivity of all metals, which makes it an attractive interconnect material for higher current densities and faster switching speeds in integrated circuits. Over the past ten years, extensive research has been conducted to address the thermal and electrical stability, as well as processing issues which, to date, have prevented the implementation of silver as an interconnect metal. Silver Metallization: Stability and Reliability is the first book to discuss current knowledge of silver metallization and its potential as a favorable candidate for implementation as a future interconnect material for integrated circuit technology.Silver Metallization: Stability and Reliability provides detailed information on a wide range of experimental, characterization and analysis techniques. It also presents the novel approaches used to overcome the thermal and electrical stability issues associated with silver metallization. Readers will learn about the: - preparation and characterization of elemental silver thin films and silver-metal alloys; - formation of diffusion barriers and adhesion promoters; - evaluation of the thermal stability of silver under different annealing conditions; - evaluation of the electrical properties of silver thin films under various processing conditions; - methods of dry etching of silver lines and the integration of silver with low-k dielectric materials.As a valuable resource in this emerging field; Silver Metallization: Stability and Reliability will be very useful to students, scientists, engineers and technologists in the fields of integrated circuits and microelectronics research and development.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 136 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The scientific and clinical foundations of Radiation Therapy are cross-disciplinary. This book endeavours to bring together the physics, the radiobiology, the main clinical aspects as well as available clinical evidence behind Radiation Therapy, presenting mutual relationships between these disciplines and their role in the advancements of radiation oncology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 448 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The appendages at the end of our forelimbs tend to attract the evolutionary and clinical limelight, but our feet are as important as our hands for our survival and success as a species. We tend to take them for granted, yet the many millions of modern humans who run either competitively or for recreation, or who play sports such as soccer, tennis, and badminton, or who ride, or dance, or swim, or climb, or who stand and walk as part of their work, all depend on their feet. We submit them to unreasonable loads, and expect them to survive our pounding them on hard pavements. We also add insult to injury by squeezing them into fashionable but uncomfortable footwear which does not conform to the shape of the foot. All this means that many professionals make their living caring for our feet. Worldwide many hundreds of thousands of professional people spend most of their working life looking after the foot. They include orthopaedic surgeons, rheumatologists, diabetologists, orthotists and prosthetists, physical therapists, and podiatrists of whom there are at least 15,000 in the United States of America alone. In the English language there are two classic books about the foot, both by anatomists. In 1935 the American anatomist Dudley Morton wrote the first e- tion of The Human Foot, and in Great Britain Frederick Wood Jones¿ seminal book, Structure and Function as Seen in the Foot, was published in 1944.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 192 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book provides coverage of a broad range of topics in the eld of neurosurgery, 5 for residents and registrars in training and for recent graduates of training programs. 6 As neurosurgical training incorporates expertise from centers worldwide, there is a 7 need to have input from specialists in neurosurgery from various countries. This text 8 is a compilation by expert authors in the USA and the UK to provide information on 9 the basic knowledge and clinical management required for optimal care of neuro- 2011 surgical patients. 1 The text is an up-to-date synopsis of the eld of neurosurgery from American and 2 British perspectives, which covers the most common clinical conditions encountered 3 by neurosurgeons. The chapters are organized under broad topics, including inves- 4 tigative studies, perioperative care, the role of newer techniques and the management 5 of tumors, vascular and traumatic lesions. Additional topics are then covered, includ- 6 ing pediatrics, spine and peripheral nerve lesions, as well as functional neurosurgery 7 and infections. We anticipate that trainees will nd this information useful for certi - 8 cation examinations and recent graduates of neurosurgical training programs can 9 utilize this text as an update of the most important neurosurgical topics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 704 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This revised and updated text presents the computational and mathematical procedures underlying data collection, image reconstruction, and image display in computerized tomography. New topics: the fast calculation of a ray sum for a digitized picture, the task-oriented comparison of reconstruction algorithm performance, blob basis functions and the linogram method for image reconstruction. Features: Describes how projection data are obtained and the resulting reconstructions are used; Presents a comparative evaluation of reconstruction methods; Investigates reconstruction algorithms; Explores basis functions, functions to be optimized, norms, generalized inverses, least squares solutions, maximum entropy solutions, and most likely estimates; Discusses SNARK09, a large programming system for image reconstruction; Concludes each chapter with helpful Notes and References sections. An excellent guide for practitioners, it can also serve as a textbook for an introductory graduate course.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 312 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Engineering Decisions for Life Quality: How Safe is Safe Enough provides a foundation and a theoretical basis for managing risk to an acceptable level under the real-world constraint of limited resources. The focus is not on risks as such, but on what can be done to maximize the positive outcomes of risk in terms of improvements to the quality of life.The principal focus of Engineering Decisions for Life Quality: How Safe is Safe Enough is on the development of guidance for establishing rational standards of practice. Standards should meet the requirement of utilizing resources to achieve the maximum net overall benefit to society within society¿s capacity to commit such resources.The ideas discussed within this book will be of interest to engineers; advanced undergraduate and graduate students; public health officials; and risk specialists.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 208 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The financial results of any manufacturing company can be dramatically impacted by the repetitive decisions required to control a complex production network be it a network of machines in a factory; a network of factories in a company; or a network of companies in a supply chain. Decision Policies for Production Networks presents recent convergent research on developing policies for operating production networks including details of practical control and decision techniques which can be applied to improve the effectiveness and economic efficiency of production networks worldwide. Researchers and practitioners come together to explore a wide variety of approaches to a range of topics including:WIP and equipment management policiesMaterial release policiesMachine, factory, and supply chain network policies for delivery in the face of supply and demand variability, andConflicts between complex production network models and their controlling policies.Case studies and relevant mathematical techniques are included to support and explain techniques such as heuristics, global and hierarchical optimization, control theory and filtering approaches related to complex systems or traffic flows. Decision Policies for Production Networks acts as handbook for researchers and practitioners alike, providing findings and information which can be applied to develop methods and advance further research across production networks.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 316 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Industrial biorefineries have been identified as the most promising routes to the creation of a bio-based economy. Partial biorefineries already exist in some energy crop, forest-based, and lignocellulosic product facilities. Biorefineries: For Biomass Upgrading Facilities examines the variety of different technologies which integrated bio-based industries use to produce chemicals; biofuels; food and feed ingredients; biomaterials; and power from biomass raw materials. Conversion technologies are also covered, since biomass can be converted into useful biofuels and biochemicals via biomass upgrading and biorefinery technologies.Biorefineries: For Biomass Upgrading Facilities will prove a practical resource for chemical engineers, and fuel and environmental engineers. It will also be invaluable in academic fields, providing useful information for both researchers and students.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book aims at capitalizing and transmitting know-how about the design of Augmented Environments (AE) from some of the most prominent laboratories in the field worldwide. The authors belong to the RUFAE network (Research on User- Friendly Augmented Environments, founded in 2002) who meet in research seminars to share experience; Writing this book was perceived as an opportunity to look back over the last few years to sum up important findings; and formalize their approach and experience, which they never had the time or opportunity to do. Although the authors of this book have very different backgrounds, striking similarities emerge in their approach and design principles: never-endingness, activity-orientedness, continuous design, realism are some of the pillars of this approach; enabling to deal with the complex, heterogeneous, multi-user and mul- purpose constructions which AE designers have to face. The book illustrates how these principles enabled them to construct robust, ef- cient, and user-friendly Augmented Environments in spite of the many challenges to make these operational. We hope their experience will help the reader. Primary audience: Academics, Students and Professionals involved in the CHI, CSCW, Ubicomp, Cooperative Building communities. Computer Scientists int- ested by end-users and applications, Social Scientists operating in the IT domain, IT & Organization Consultants. Secondary audience: Developers of office and conferencing applications or middleware, Architects of office buildings, Space Planners, Designers; Facility Managers; IT, furniture & building Business Communities.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 336 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The demand for renewable energies from biomass is growing steadily as policies are enacted to encourage such development and as industry increasingly sees an opportunity to develop bio-energy enterprises. Recent policy changes in the EU, USA and other countries are spurring interest in the cultivation of energy crops such as switchgrass. Switchgrass has gained and early lead in the race to find a biomass feedstock for energy production (and for the almost requisite need for bio-based products from such feedstocks). Switchgrass: A Valuable Biomass Crop for Energy provides a comprehensive guide to the biology, physiology, breeding, culture and conversion of switchgrass as well as highlighting various environmental, economic and social benefits.Considering this potential energy source, Switchgrass: A Valuable Biomass Crop for Energy brings together chapters from a range of experts in the field, including a foreword from Kenneth P. Vogel, to collect and present the environmental benefits and characteristics of this a crop with the potential to mitigate the risks of global warming by replacing fossil fuels.Including clear figures and tables to support discussions, Switchgrass: A Valuable Biomass Crop for Energy provides a solid reference for anyone with interest or investment in the development of bioenergy; researchers, policy makers and stakeholders will find this a key resource.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 220 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Composite decisions consist of subdecisions and correspond to a composite system. This approach extends the traditional paradigm of decision making of Herbert A. Simon, i.e. choice of the best alternative(s), and realizes a two-stage solving scheme: (a) selection of alternatives as the best subdecisions/local decisions and (b) composition of these local decisions into a composite global decision, accounting for the quality of the local decisions and their compatibility.This book describes an approach based on systems engineering and considered modular design of composite decisions. It describes basic systems approaches and examines basic ¿technological¿ problems for composite systems (with applied examples), including: modular hierarchical design; multistage design and planning; redesign/improvement/adaptation; evaluation; and, combinatorial evolution/development.Applied researchers, students, and practitioners will find this book of value. It will also interest mathematicians, computer scientists, economists and social engineers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 272 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Legged robots have proven to be a promising locomotion system, capable of performing tasks that conventional vehicles cannot perform. Even more exc- ing is the fact that this is a rapidly developing eld of study for researchers from a variety of disciplines. Over the past three decades, legged locomotion technology has been developed all over the world, resulting in the invention of many important new machines and methods. However, only a few books have been published on the subject of multi-legged robots. The main objective of this book was to explore some of the major issues that the authors have been analyzing over the past ten years. A second objective was to write a book that only encompasses quadruped locomotion, the rst specialized book on this topic. The book is divided into two parts: Walking Measurements and Algorithms, and Control Techniques. The rst part is devoted exclusively to the theoretical aspects of quadrupeds. The rst chapter is an introduction to the historic development of multi-legged robots, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages, main features, and potential and actual applications, as well as discussing basic concepts and the trade-o between quadrupeds and hexapods. Finally, new and traditional stability measurements and gait g- eration algorithms for quadrupeds are explained. The second part of the book deals with general design and control algorithms (kinematics and dynamics) and techniques aimed at improving the main features of robots, such as speed and ground detection, interfaces,etc.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -We think we have scientific knowledge when we know the cause. (Aristotle, Posterior Analytics Book II, Part 11) About 12 years ago, when I was a graduate student, many people were concerned about my Ph. D. topic ¿ investigating the effect of the complexity of procedu- lized tasks on the performance of human operators working in nuclear power plants. Although they agreed with the fact that procedures (especially emergency operating procedures) play a crucial role in securing the safety of nuclear power plants, it was amazing that most of them pointed out a very similar issue: ¿I cannot understand why operating personnel see any difficulty (or complexity) in condu- ing procedures, because all that they have to do is to follow a simple IF-THEN- ELSE rule as written. ¿ Actually, this issue is closely related to one of the main questions I was recently asked, such as ¿Don¿t you think your work is too acad- ic to apply to actual procedures ¿ or ¿I guess we don¿t need to consider the c- plexity of procedures, because we can develop a good procedure using many pr- tical procedure writers¿ guidelines. Then what is the real contribution of your work ¿ I absolutely agree with the latter comment. Yes, we can develop a good pro- dure with the support of many practical and excellent guidelines.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 216 pp. Englisch.