springer us springer us nov 2012 (Over 2,000 results)

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book is about compressing data to make digital systems work more effi ciently. According to the dictionary, when something is compressed, it is con densed, squeezed, constricted, or pressed together to fit into less space. Air is compressed for a variety of useful purposes. Businesses are downsized to make them more efficient. We pack our daily schedules tighter and tighter to accomplish more. Who has not crushed an empty soda can for recycling Many different things can be compressed, including the data in computers, communications links, consumer-electronics gear, and all sizes and shapes of digital systems. Are you curious about how data compression squeezes the 'air' out of digital bits Would you like to know where it is used and, increasingly, why the marketplace demands it be used Would you like to learn the right way to build data compres sion into your products Then, this book is for you. This exciting technology and its importance for current and future digital systems are explained in easy to understand terms. No previous knowledge of data compression is required because the necessary technical background is carefully developed. Neither is an extensive understanding of mathematics be cause there are few equations and important ideas are graphically illustrated. If you read any of the popular or professional monthly magazines that cover the latest advances in digital systems, your background is adequate. If you understand this preface, you are ready to tackle this book.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The need for writing a monograph on polymer blends and composites became apparent during presentation of material on this subject to our advanced polymers class. Although the flood of important research in this area in the past decade has resulted in many symposia, edited collections of papers, reviews, contributions to scientific journals, and patents, apparently no organized presentation in book form has been forthcoming. In a closely connected way, another strong impetus for writing this monograph arose out of our research programs in the Materials Research Center at Lehigh University. As part of this effort, we had naturally compiled hundreds of references and become acquainted with many leaders in the field of blend and composite research. Perhaps the most important concept stressed over and over again is that engineering materials are useful because of their complexity, not in spite of it. Blends and composites are toughened because many modes of resistance to failure are available. Although such multimechanism processes are diffi cult to describe with a unified theory. we have presented available develop ments in juxtaposition with the experimental portions. The arguments somewhat resemble the classical discussion of resonance in organic chemistry, where molecular structures increase in stability as more electronic configura tions become available.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -There are at least 48 identified prehistoric stone circles in Scotland. In truth, very little is known about the people who erected them, and ultimately about what the stone circles were for. Most stone circles are astronomically aligned, which has led to the modern debate about why the alignment was significant. The megaliths certainly represented an enormous co-operative effort, would at the very least have demonstrated power and wealth, and being set away from any dwellings probably served a ceremonial, or perhaps religious, purpose.Observations at the site of the stone circles, of solar, lunar, and stellar events, have already cast light on some of the questions about the construction and use of ancient megalithic observatories.In his capacity as manager of the Parks Department Astronomy Project, author Duncan Lunan designed and built the first astronomically aligned stone circle in Britain in over 3,000 years. 'The Stones and the Stars' examines the case for astronomical alignments of stone circles, and charts the development of a fascinating project with a strong scientific and historical background. The work was documented in detail by the artist and photographer Gavin Roberts, and this archive has been added to since - so an appropriate selection of illustrations will bring the project vividly to life.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book introduces the origins of important teachings that form the basis of medicine and related healing professions. Reinforcing the humanistic side of patient care, this book replicates the tips, anecdotes and aphorisms often related by mentors and educators to medical students, residents, and young physicians. This book provides numerous examples of best practices in the art of medicine, profiles of great healers throughout history and around the world, and stories sure to inspire any practicing healer, whether they are new to the calling or a seasoned veteran.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 200 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book explores how gender intersects with political violence, and particularly terrorism. We ask how gender relations and understandings of femininity and masculinity influence political violence, which includes politics related to terrorism, state terrorism, and genocide. We investigate how women cope with and influence the politics of terrorism and genocide. The book¿s goals are descriptive and analytical. We (1) describe in what ways women are present (and/or perceived as absent) in political contexts involving violence, and (2) analyze what gender assumptions, identities, and frames women face and themselves express and act upon regarding political violence encountered in their lives. The manuscript is divided into seven chapters: introduction, women as victims/survivors of violence, women as perpetrators of violence, women in social movements responding to violence, women politicians leading policy regarding violence, the public opinion of women and men concerning violence, and a conclusion. Each chapter explores the intersection between gender and terrorism through the lens of the chapter focus.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 136 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the biggest event of worldwide proportion was the 2008 global financial crisis, which was caused primarily by ineffective governance, failed surveillance systems, and implementation flaws. While fiscal and monetary policies succeeded in pulling many countries out of a financial freefall, most economies have performed beneath pre-recession levels as governments continued to struggle with their finances.Examining the financial crisis from the viewpoint of intangible assets provides a different perspective from traditional economic approaches. National Intellectual Capital (NIC), comprised mainly of human capital, market capital, process capital, renewal capital, and financial capital, is a valuable intangible asset and a key source of national competitive advantage in today¿s knowledge economy. The authors¿pioneers in the field¿present extensive data and a rigorous conceptual framework to analyze the connections between the global financial crisis and NIC development. Covering the period from 2005 to 2010 across 48 countries, the authors establish a positive correlation between NIC and GDP per capita and consider the impact of NIC investment for short-term recovery and long-term risk control and strategy formulation.Each volume in a series of SpringerBriefs on NIC and the financial crisis provides in-depth coverage of the impact of thecrisis, the aftermath, future prospects, and policy implications for a regional cluster. This volume focuses on China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 124 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -. . . . . . . . . . . 165 P. Ramond Migdalism Revisited: Calculating the Bound States of Quantum Chromodynamics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Paul M. Fishbane The U{l) Problem and Anomalous Ward Identities. . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Pran Nath and R.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 324 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Today environmental problems of unprecedented magnitude confront planet earth. The sobering fact is that a whole range of human activities is affecting our global environment as profoundly as the billions of years of evolution that preceded our tenure on Earth. Tl:e pressure on vital natural resources in the developing world and elsewhere is intense, and the destruction of tropical forests, wildlife habitat, and other irreplaceable resources, is alarming. Climate change, ozone depletion, loss of genetic diversity, and marine pollution are critical global environmental concerns. Their cumulative impact threatens to destroy the planet's natural resources. The need to address this situation is urgent. More than at any previous moment in history, nature and ecological systems are in human hands, dependent on human efforts. The earth is an interconnected and interdependent global ecosystem, and change in one part of the system often causes unexpected change in other parts. Atmospheric, oceanic, wetland, terrestrial and other ecological systems have a finite capacity to absorb the environmental degradation caused by human behavior. The need for an environmentally sound, sustainable economy to ease this degradation is evident and urgent. Policies designed to stimulate economic development by foregoing pollution controls both destroy the long-term economy and ravage the environment. Over the years, we have sometimes drawn artificial distinctions between the health of individuals and the health of ecosystems. But in the real world, those distinctions do not exist.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 868 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The phenomenonofspontaneous ordering in semiconductoralloys, which can be categorized as a self-organized process, is observed to occur sponta neously during epitaxial growth of certain ternary alloy semiconductors and results in a modification of their structural, electronic, and optical properties. There has been a great dealofinterest in learning how to control this phenome non so that it may be used for tailoring desirable electronic and optical properties. There has been even greater interest in exploiting the phenomenon for its unique ability in providing an experimental environment of controlled alloy statistical fluctuations. As such, itimpacts areasofsemiconductorscience and technology related to the materials science ofepitaxial growth, statistical mechanics, and electronic structure of alloys and electronic and photonic devices. During the past two decades, significant progress has been made toward understanding the mechanisms that drive this phenomenon and the changes in physical properties that result from it. A variety of experimental techniques have been used to probe the phenomenon and several attempts made atproviding theoretical models both for the ordering mechanisms as well as electronic structure changes. The various chapters of this book provide a detailed account of these efforts during the past decade. The first chapter provides an elaborate account of the phenomenon, with an excellent perspective of the structural and elec tronic modifications itinduces.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 500 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -On the understanding that few people ever read the preface to any book and also on the understanding that even those few people who do read the preface realize that virtually nothing of any substance is ever said, I shall write at such length as will be proportional to my expected readership. The meetings of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue provide a forum for discussion amongst scientists who, although being from very diverse and specialized backgrounds, have tissue oxygenation as a unifying theme of interest. The wide variety of research material presented in this volume and the multiplicity of the experimental techniques described, should serve as an adequate gauge to the range of expertise and knowledge of the society's members. Such diversity should also stress the importance of the need for multidisciplinary approaches to complex biological problems. In attempting a fundamental characterization of a biological process such as tissue oxygenation, the application of very many separate research skills are necessary, such as mathematics, engi neering, biophysics, biochemistry, physiology, histology and clini cal medicine. The success of the ISOTT has - and we hope - will con tinue to be causing a combination of individuals to direct their specialized knowledge to the many facets of a single proces- tissue oxygenation.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 960 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The study of gouty arthritis has provided a common meeting ground for the research interests of both the basic scientist and the clinician. The interest of the chemist in gout began 1776 with the isolation of uric acid from a concretion of the urinary tract by the Swedish chemist SCHEELE. The same substance was subsequently extracted from a gouty tophus by the British chemist WOLLASTONE in 1797 and a half century later the cause of the deposits of sodium urate In such tophi was traced to a hyperuricemia in the serum of gouty patients by the British physician Alfred Baring GARROD who had also received training in the chemical laboratory and was therefore a fore-runner of many of today's clinician-investigators. The recent surge of progress in understanding of some of the causes of gout in terms of specific enzyme defects marks the entrance of the biochemist into this field of investigation. The identification of the first primary defect of purine metabolism associated with over-production of uric acid, a severe or partial deficiency of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phospho ribosyl transferase was achieved less than a decade ago. The knowledge of the mechanism of purine over-production that it generated led shortly to the identification of families carrying a dominantly (possibly X-linked) inherited increase in the activity of the enzyme phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase as a cause of purine over-production. Yet this is only a start as these two types of enzyme defects account for less than five per cent of gouty patients.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 396 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Jan van Schilfgaarde, USDA Agricultural Research Service and National Research Council Committee on Irrigation-Induced Water Quality Problems In 1982, a startling discovery was made. Many waterbirds in Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge were dying or suffering reproductive failure. Located in the San Joaquin Valley (Valley) of California, the Kesterson Reservoir (Kesterson) was used to store agricultural drainage water and it was soon determined that the probable cause of the damage to wildlife was high concen trations of selenium, derived from the water and water organisms in the reservoir. This discovery drastically changed numerous aspects of water management in California, and especially affected irrigated agriculture. In fact, the repercussions spilled over to much of the Western United States. For a century, water development for irrigation has been a religiously pursued means for economic development of the West. The primary objective of the Reclamation Act of 1902 was, purportedly, the development ofirrigation water to support family farms which, in turn, would enhance the regional economy (Worster, 1985).Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 996 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This volume examines a timely problem in solid state physics, the condensation of ex citons in semiconductors. The papers in this volume describe a new approach to the study of exciton condensation based on microwave-frequency conductivity and the breakdown of an ex citon gas in a microwave field, an effect discovered by the authors. These methods have been used in extensive studies of germanium and have produced important new data about the con densation process. In addition to the experimental data, a theory is presented for the micro wave breakdown of excitons in the presence of electron-hole droplets. Also included are three articles devoted to the experimental aspects of low-temperature semiconductor research. This volume will interest scientists and engineers involved with research in solid state physics. CONTENTS Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 A. A. Manenkov Microwave Studies of Exciton Condensation in Ge. ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ 3 G. N. Mikhailova Microwave Breakdown of Excitons and the Kinetics of Free Carriers and Excitons in Germanium in the Presence of Electron-Hole Drops. ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ 37 A. A. Manenkov, V. A. Milyaev, G. N. Mikhailova, V. A. Sanina, and A. S.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -here exists a gap in the present literature on quantum mechanics T and its application to solids. It has been difficult to find an intro ductory textbook which could take a student from the elementary quan tum mechanical ideas of the single-particle Schrodinger equations, through the formalism and new physical concepts of many-body theory, to the level where the student would be equipped to read the scientific literature and specialized books on specific topics. The present book, which I believe fills this gap, grew out of two courses which I have given for a number of years at the University of Cambridge: 'Advanced Quan tum Mechanics,' covering the quantization of fields, representations, and creation and annihilation operators, and 'Many Body Theory,' on the application of quantum field theory to solids. The first course is a final-year undergraduate physics course while the second is a joint first and fourth-year undergraduate math year postgraduate physics course ematics course. In an American context this would closely correspond to a graduate course at the masters level. In writing this book I have tried to stress the physical aspects of the mathematics preferring where possible to introduce a technique by using a simple illustrative example rather than develop a purely formal treat ment. In order to do this I have assumed a certain familiarity with solid state physics on the level of a normal undergraduate course, but the book should also be useful to those without such a background.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 344 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Explorees the cultural origins and psychological aspects of body identity disorders. Discusses the influence of contemporary virtual and cyberspace imagery on self-image. Draws on author¿s professional experience largely dedicated to exploring disorders wherein body identity is the chosen field for communication and exchange. Re-examines such illnesses as anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, and othersSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 188 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The need for writing a monograph on polymer blends and composites became apparent during presentation of material on this subject to our advanced polymers class. Although the flood of important research in this area in the past decade has resulted in many symposia, edited collections of papers, reviews, contributions to scientific journals, and patents, apparently no organized presentation in book form has been forthcoming. In a closely connected way, another strong impetus for writing this monograph arose out of our research programs in the Materials Research Center at Lehigh University. As part of this effort, we had naturally compiled hundreds of references and become acquainted with many leaders in the field of blend and composite research. Perhaps the most important concept stressed over and over again is that engineering materials are useful because of their complexity, not in spite of it. Blends and composites are toughened because many modes of resistance to failure are available. Although such multimechanism processes are diffi cult to describe with a unified theory. we have presented available develop ments in juxtaposition with the experimental portions. The arguments somewhat resemble the classical discussion of resonance in organic chemistry, where molecular structures increase in stability as more electronic configura tions become available.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 532 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the biggest event of worldwide proportion was the 2008 global financial crisis, which was caused primarily by ineffective governance, failed surveillance systems, and implementation flaws. While fiscal and monetary policies succeeded in pulling many countries out of a financial freefall, most economies have performed beneath pre-recession levels as governments continued to struggle with their finances.Examining the financial crisis from the viewpoint of intangible assets provides a different perspective from traditional economic approaches. National Intellectual Capital (NIC), comprised mainly of human capital, market capital, process capital, renewal capital, and financial capital, is a valuable intangible asset and a key source of national competitive advantage in today¿s knowledge economy. The authors¿pioneers in the field¿present extensive data and a rigorous conceptual framework to analyze the connections between the global financial crisis and NIC development. Covering the period from 2005 to 2010 across 48 countries, the authors establish a positive correlation between NIC and GDP per capita and consider the impact of NIC investment for short-term recovery and long-term risk control and strategy formulation.Each volume in a series of SpringerBriefs on NIC and the financial crisis provides in-depth coverage of the impact of thecrisis, the aftermath, future prospects, and policy implications for a regional cluster. This volume focuses on Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 124 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book seeks to answer ¿why, when and how are real options used in strategic technology venturing ¿ This work tests for the role of real options in decision making involving three types of firms in decreasing order of technology-dependence ¿ technology-driven (TD) (where the profit is fully dependent on new technology creation and leveraging), technology-based (TB) (where the profit is enabled and supported by technology) and technology-neutral (TN) (where the profit is almost independent of technology). It also deals with strategic and non-strategic types of decisions driven by real options.This analysis shows that an environment presenting co-opetitive (simultaneous competition and collaboration) conditions triggers the use of real options (why), that serve to transform the position, posture and propensity of businesses to innovate and thus they co-evolve (when) into more effective and efficient forms of businesses (co-specialization) (how). The authors demonstrate that embracing risk and uncertainty can increase levels and probability of new venture formation. However, their simulation also shows that it should be adapted to the risk profile of the firm and that timing is also a factor to be considered. Although engaging the concepts of real options, this analysis does not focus on a specific investment valuation methodology, but highlights the relationship between knowledge and risk and rather addresses the management of mindsets, as moving towards a systematic conceptualization of real options represents a different paradigm in decision making.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 140 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The publication aims to familiarize students of public policy with the precautionary principle, which plays a vital role in the European Union¿s approach toward regulating risks. The precautionary principle contends that policy makers should refrain from actions having a suspected risk of causing harm to the public and/or the environment. However, the precautionary principle only provides guidance to policy makers but does not prescribe specific policy responses. Therefore, there should be variation in the way the principle is applied. Furthermore, precautionary measures are, in principle, of a provisional nature, suggesting that they are likely to be subject to changes over time. This book is thus interested in shedding light on how the precautionary principle is put into practice and to what extent precautionary measures become modified. Empirically, it focuses on how the EU has regulated the use of growth hormones in meat production, the cultivation of genetically modified corn and the use of Stevia-based sweeteners in foods and beverages. The main theoretical argument advanced by this study is that the way in which the original regulatory standards were formulated affects whether and how they are changed. By placing particular emphasis on the relevance of scientific evidence for the (re-)definition of precautionary measures, the book is expected to appeal to both academics and practitioners.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -We are in an era where developments in both technology and musical stylehave coalesced to produce the greatest period of change in the music industry since the inventionof recorded sound. Globalization, the Internet, and digital technology are now opening up possibilities for more artists to be innovative and financially successful. But new music requires new ways of doing business. For more artists to be better off requires new business models to replace those that dominated the 20th century. Integrating insights from economics, management, and intellectual property law, the author explores the dynamics of entrepreneurship and innovation in the music industry, and offers such provocative assessments as these: The Beatles might never have broken up if they had the kind of two-tier contracts ¿ as band members and as solo artists ¿ that are common in the music industry today. Buddy Holly would likely have avoided his tragic death in a plane crash at age 22 if his 1959 tour had been sponsored by a company like Coca Cola because today¿s corporatized tours are vastly better financed and organized than the haphazard efforts of the 1950s. The economic value of albums by the likes of Elvis and Michael Jackson has risen significantly since their deaths ¿ the ironic byproduct of the way their behavior tarnished their own brands while they were alive. Diana Ross might never have quit The Supremes if she had known that one-third of the artists in the 1960s who quit the group had charting careers ofonly one year. Thomas Edison¿s invention of the phonograph led to the modern record industry, but he is really the godfather of computer programs like Garageband which have created home recording studios.The collapse of the Soviet Union threatened the sound of rock and roll but an American entrepreneur saved the day.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 148 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Although catfish have been farmed for about 30 years and catfish farm ing is the most successful aquacultural enterprise in the United States, there are those who contend that catfish farming is still as much of an 'art' as it is a science. This position is difficult to refute completely, particularly considering that some practices used in catfish farming ap pear to have little scientific basis. Skill coupled with a small dose of mysticism certainly playa role in the culture of catfish, and the catfish producer is faced with the unenviable task of rearing an animal in an environment that requires considerable management. Certain aspects may still be an 'art' because research and technical information needed to support the industry have lagged behind industry growth; however, the basic principles underlying catfish farming are based on sound scientific evidence whose foundation was laid in the 1950s by work conducted at state and federal fish hatcheries in the southeastern and midwestern United States. Since that time, several university and government laboratories have expanded the scientific base for catfish farming. As a result, considerable information is available, but it is gen erally fragmented and exists in a multitude of diverse scientific and trade journals. The material is often too technical or abstract to be com prehensible to fish culturists and personnel in allied industries. This book fits the definition of the term handbook in the sense that it is intended as a book of instruction or guidance as well as a reference.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 468 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Decentralism of political power to regions and local government occurs worldwide in response to demands from the periphery. Such devolution of power raises a number of problems - political, financial, and legal. By gathering together important papers from a series of workshops sponsored by the SNS Constitutional Project and the Center for European Integration Studies, this volume presents a number of these problems from a truly interdisciplinary perspective.The authors believe that fiscal federalism, while originating in formally federal states, is relevant also to the analysis of state-local relationships in unitary states with some degree of regional or local authority. Among the topics they cover are the division of responsibilities and powers of taxation, bailouts, systems of equalization, and state grants, as well as problems related to democracy and citizens' rights. While the book's primary focus is Nordic, its international perspective is enhanced by contributions from Europe, Canada, and the U.S.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 196 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 324 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This book grew from small beginnings as I began to find unexpected patterns emerging from the data in the literature. The more I thought about the way in which primate social systems worked, the more interesting things turned out to be. I am conscious that, at times, this has introduced a certain amount of complexity into the text. I make no apologies for that: what we are dealing with is a complex subject, the product of evolutionary forces interacting with very sophisticated minds. None the less, I have done my best to explain every thing as clearly as I can in order to make the book accessible to as wide an audience as possible. I have laid a heavy emphasis in this book on the use of simple graphical and mathematical models. Their sophistication, however, is not great and does not assume more than a knowledge of elementary probability theory. Since their role will inevitably be misunderstood, I take this opportunity to stress that their function is essentially heuristic rather than explanatory: they are designed to focus our attention on the key issues so as to point out the directions for further research. A model is only as good as the questions it prompts us to ask. For those whose natural inclination is to dismiss modelling out of hand, I can only point to the precision that their use can offer us in terms of hypothesis-testing.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 384 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -This meeting was held commemorating Dr. Kito's 10th Anniversary as Professor of the Third Department of Internal Medicine, Hiroshima University School of Medicine. Dr. Kito was born in 1927 in Nagoya, graduated from Tokyo University School of Medicine and received his M. D. in 1951. He spent his first academic years as a research associate (1952 - 1968) at the Third Department of Internal Medi cine, Tokyo University School of Medicine. During this period he studied for one year (1952 - 1953) at Illinois University School of Medicine, and acquired his Ph. D. in 1959. In 1968 he became Instructor and in 1971 he was appointed as Assistant Professor of Tokyo Women's Medical College. In 1973, he became Professor of the Third Department of Internal Medicine, Hiroshima University School of Medicine. Dr. Kito is a clinician but he is always enthusiastic about basic medicine. His major research field concerns neurotrans mitters and their receptors in the central nervous system. He prefers a combination of neurotransmitter immunohistochemistry and receptor autoradiography as research techniques. He is also engaged in biochemical studies on amyloid proteins. When the Eighth Inter national Congress of Pharmacology was held in Tokyo in 1981, Dr. Segawa, Dr. Yamamura, and Dr. Kuriyama organized a Satellite Symposium on Neurotransmitter Receptors in Hiroshima. Dr. Kito attended this meeting and was deeply impressed by the active presentations and discussions. In order to make some contribution to the progress of neuro sciences, Dr.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 312 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -The Cargese Summer Institute 1975 on Weak and EZeotromagnetio Interaotions at High Energies was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (M. LEVY et J. L. BASDEVANT)~ the KathoZieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. GASTMANS) and the Universite CathoZique de Louvain (D. SPEISER~ J. WEYERS) who made in 1973 the first oon taots with some Zeoturers~ who~ on the advioe of NATO joined their efforts and worked in oommon. It was the 16th Summer Institute rd heZd at Cargese and the 3 one organized by the two departments of TheoreticaZ Physios at Leuven and Louvain-Za-Neuve. When the two groups decided (independentZy) on the subjeot of the sohooZ~ they oouZd not know how Zuoky their ohoioe eventuaZZy wouZd turn out to be : rareZy has it being possibZe to present an audienoe with suoh a great number of new and deoisive disooveries who are Zikely to stimuZate the imagination of theoreticians and the researoh projeots of experimentaZists aZike. Suoh were the decisive oonfirmation of the neutraZ ourrents~ the di-muon events~ the sZowZy deoaying new partioZes~ eto. The organizers were grate JUZ indeed that they oouZd find physioists from aZmost alZ great oenters of high energy physios Who had themseZves participated in these disooveries. AZthough the theorists oouZd not matoh during the Zast two years the speotaouZar suooess of their experimentaZ ooZZeagues~ there has been enough important program~ especiaZZy in fieZd theory : renormaZization of gauge theories~ the mechanism disoovered by R. BROUT et aZ. ~ eto.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 472 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Putting history on the agenda.- Factors associated with the use of dependence producing drugs.- Non-pharmacological factors.- Pharmacological factors.- Cultural factors.- Psychosocial factors of alcoholism.- Clinical research on dependence producing drugs.- Perspectives in pharmacological research on drug dependence.- Current patterns of abuse of dependence producing drugs.- Patterns of drug abuse in France.- Patterns of drug abuse in Sweden.- Patterns of drug abuse in the United Kingdom.- Patterns of drug abuse in Iran.- Patterns of drug abuse in India.- Patterns of drug abuse in South East Asia.- Dependence producing drugs and the traffic safety.- Some research approaches and strategies.- Preventive approaches to drug dependence.- Legal approaches.- International aspects of drug control.- Educational approaches.- Community approaches.- Medical approaches.- The establishment of a community based treatment programme.- Summary and Conclusion.- Annex.- The control of dependence producing drugs ¿ principles and trends of National legislation ¿ Dr. J. de Moerloose.- Drug abuse ¿ the International point of view ¿ Dr. V. Kusevic.- List of participants.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -¿Emotion Recognition Using Speech Features¿ provides coverage of emotion-specific features present in speech. The author also discusses suitable models for capturing emotion-specific information for distinguishing different emotions. The content of this book is important for designing and developing natural and sophisticated speech systems.In this Brief, Drs. Rao and Koolagudi lead a discussion of how emotion-specific information is embedded in speech and how to acquire emotion-specific knowledge using appropriate statistical models. Additionally, the authors provide information about exploiting multiple evidences derived from various features and models. The acquired emotion-specific knowledge is useful for synthesizing emotions. Features includes discussion of:¿ Global and local prosodic features at syllable, word and phrase levels, helpful for capturing emotion-discriminative information;¿ Exploiting complementary evidences obtained from excitation sources, vocal tract systems and prosodic features in order to enhance the emotion recognition performance;¿ Proposed multi-stage and hybrid models for improving the emotion recognition performance.This brief is for researchers working in areas related to speech-based products such as mobile phone manufacturing companies, automobile companies, and entertainment products as well as researchers involved in basic and applied speech processing research.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 136 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -For the last half of the 20th century cobalt-60 units were the mainstay of radiation treatments for cancer. This book describes the development of the first cobalt -60 unit in the United States and the man behind it, Leonard Grimmett. Conceptually conceived before World War II it only became possible because of the development of nuclear reactors during the war. The initial idea was to replace the radium in the contemporary units of the time with cobalt-60, but with the realization that the reactors could produce much more cobalt-60 than originally thought the design of the cobalt-60 unit was drastically changed to take advantage that the application of the inverse square law to cancer radiation treatments would make.Although Grimmett conceived of and published his ideas first, the Canadians built the first units because of the capability of their reactor to produce more suitable cobalt-60 sources.The story tells how Grimmett and the other people involved came together at thetime that the U S Atomic Energy Agency was pushing the use of radioactivity in medicine. But Grimmett died suddenly before his unit could be built and very little information about him was known until recently when various documents have come to light, allowing the full story to be told.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 176 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -Stem cells are the building blocks for all other cells in an organism. The human body has about 200 different types of cells and any of those cells can be produced by a stem cell. This fact emphasizes the significance of stem cells in transplantational medicine, regenerative therapy and bioengineering. Whether embryonic or adult, these cells can be used for the successful treatment of a wide range of diseases that were not treatable before, such as osteogenesis imperfecta in children, different forms of leukemias, acute myocardial infarction, some neural damages and diseases, etc.Bioengineering, e.g. successful manipulation of these cells with multipotential capacity of differentiation toward appropriate patterns and precise quantity, are the prerequisites for successful outcome and treatment. By combining in vivo and in vitro techniques, it is now possible to manage the wide spectrum of tissue damages and organ diseases. Although the stem-cell therapy is not a response to all the questions, it provides more and more answers every day.Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering is a concise review on the functional, phenotypic, regenerative, transplantational and curative aspects of a stem cell¿s entity. It is critical and encouraging at the same time, providing truthful and appropriate samples from the practice and research that can lead toward optimal use of this immense source of adjuvant and curative therapy in human pathology. Written by a clinician and a researcher, who are currently teaching what they are doing, it is recommended as a teaching tool along with an original textbook.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 168 pp. Englisch.