springer nature apr 2015 (220 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -With current technology, a voyage to Mars and back will take threeyears. That¿s a lot of time for things to go wrong. But sooner or latera commercial enterprise will commit itself to sending humans to Mars.How will the astronauts survive Some things to consider are:ith current technology, a voyage to Mars and back will take threeyears. That¿s a lot of time for things to go wrong. But sooner or latera commercial enterprise will commit itself to sending humans to Mars.How will the astronauts survive Some things to consider are:¿ Who decides what medical resources are used for whom Who decides what medical resources are used for whom ¿ What is the relative weight of mission success and the health of thecrew What is the relative weight of mission success and the health of thecrew ¿ Do we allow crewmembers to sacrifi ce their lives for the good of themission Do we allow crewmembers to sacrifi ce their lives for the good of themission ¿ And what if a crewmember does perish Do we store the body forreturn to Earth or give the member a burial in space Questions like these, and hundreds of others, have been explored byscience fi ction, but scant attention has been paid by those designingmissions. Fortunately, the experience gained in polar exploration morethan 100 years ago provides crews and mission planners with a frameworkto deal with contingencies and it is this that forms the core of this book.Why the parallels between polar and space exploration Because polarexploration offers a better analogy for a Mars mission today than thoseinvoked by the space community. Although astronauts are routinelycompared to Lewis and Clark, Mars-bound astronauts will be closer in theirroles to polar explorers. And, as much as space has been described as aNew Frontier, Mars bears greater similarity to the polar regions, which iswhy so much can be learned from those who ventured there.And what if a crewmember does perish Do we store the body forreturn to Earth or givethe member a burial in space Questions like these, and hundreds of others, have been explored byscience fi ction, but scant attention has been paid by those designingmissions. Fortunately, the experience gained in polar exploration morethan 100 years ago provides crews and mission planners with a frameworkto deal with contingencies and it is this that forms the core of this book.Why the parallels between polar and space exploration Because polarexploration offers a better analogy for a Mars mission today than thoseinvoked by the space community. Although astronauts are routinelycompared to Lewis and Clark, Mars-bound astronauts will be closer in theirroles to polar explorers. And, as much as space has been described as aNew Frontier, Mars bears greater similarity to the polar regions, which iswhy so much can be learned from those who ventured there.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 192 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In this spellbindingaccount of an historic but troubled orbital mission, noted space historian Colin Burgess takes us back to an electrifying time in American history, when intrepid pioneers were launched atop notoriously unreliable rockets at the very dawn of human space exploration.A nation proudly and collectively came to a standstill on the day this mission flew; a day that will be forever enshrined in American spaceflight history. On the morning of February 20, 1962, following months of frustrating delays, a Marine Corps war hero and test pilot named John Glenn finally blazed a path into orbit aboard a compact capsule named Friendship 7.The book¿s tension-filled narrative faithfully unfolds through contemporary reports and the personal recollections of astronaut John Glenn, along with those closest to the Friendship 7 story, revealing previously unknown facts behind one of Americäs most ambitious and memorable pioneering space missions.Friendship 7.The book¿s tension-filled narrative faithfully unfolds through contemporary reports and the personal recollections of astronaut John Glenn, along with those closest to the Friendship 7 story, revealing previously unknown facts behind one of Americäs most ambitious and memorable pioneering space missions.Friendship 7 story, revealing previously unknown facts behind one of Americäs most ambitious and memorable pioneering space missions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book looks at the major policy challenges facing developing Asia and how the region sustains rapid economic growth to reduce multidimensional poverty through socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable measures. Asia is facing many challenges arising from population growth, rapid urbanization, provision of services, climate change and the need to redress declining growth after the global financial crisis. This book examines poverty and related issues and aims to advance the development of new tools and measurement of multidimensional poverty and poverty reduction policy analysis. The book covers a wide range of issues, including determinants and causes of poverty and its changes; consequences and impacts of poverty on human capital formation, growth and consumption; assessment of poverty strategies and policies; the role of government, NGOs and other institutions in poverty reduction; rural-urban migration and poverty; vulnerability to poverty; breakdown of poverty intochronic and transitory components; and a comparative study on poverty issues in Asia and other regions. The book will appeal to all those interested in economic development, resources, policies and economic welfare and growth.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 328 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The second volume in the SIRCA book series investigates the impact of information society initiatives by extending the boundaries of academic research into the realm of practice. Global in scope, it includes contributions and research projects from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The international scholarly community has taken a variety of approaches to question the impact of information society initiatives on populations in the Global South. This book addresses two aspects¿ Impact of research: How is the research on ICTs in the Global South playing a role in creating an information society (e.g. policy formulation, media coverage, implementation in practice) and Research on impact: What is the evidence for the impact of ICTs on society (i.e. the objectives of socio-economic development). This volume brings together a multiplicity of voices and approaches from social scientific research to produce an engaging volume for a variety of stakeholders including academics, researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and those in the business and civil sectors of society.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 304 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book discusses the impact of spectral features extracted from frame level, glottal closure regions, and pitch-synchronous analysis on the performance of language identification systems. In addition to spectral features, the authors explore prosodic features such as intonation, rhythm, and stress features for discriminating the languages. They present how the proposed spectral and prosodic features capture the language specific information from two complementary aspects, showing how the development of language identification (LID) system using the combination of spectral and prosodic features will enhance the accuracy of identification as well as improve the robustness of the system. This book provides the methods to extract the spectral and prosodic features at various levels, and also suggests the appropriate models for developing robust LID systems according to specific spectral and prosodic features. Finally, the book discuss about various combinations of spectral and prosodic features, and the desired models to enhance the performance of LID systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 112 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book contains a detailed presentation of general principles of sensitivity analysis as well as their applications to sample cases of remote sensing experiments. An emphasis is made on applications of adjoint problems, because they are more efficient in many practical cases, although their formulation may seem counterintuitive to a beginner. Special attention is paid to forward problems based on higher-order partial differential equations, where a novel matrix operator approach to formulation of corresponding adjoint problems is presented.Sensitivity analysis (SA) serves for quantitative models of physical objects the same purpose, as differential calculus does for functions. SA provides derivatives of model output parameters (observables) with respect to input parameters. In remote sensing SA provides computer-efficient means to compute the jacobians, matrices of partial derivatives of observables with respect to the geophysical parameters of interest. The jacobians areused to solve corresponding inverse problems of remote sensing. They also play an important role already while designing the remote sensing experiment, where they are used to estimate the retrieval uncertainties of the geophysical parameters with given measurement errors of the instrument, thus providing means for formulations of corresponding requirements to the specific remote sensing instrument.If the quantitative models of geophysical objects can be formulated in an analytic form, then sensitivity analysis is reduced to differential calculus. But in most cases, the practical geophysical models used in remote sensing are based on numerical solutions of forward problems ¿ differential equations with initial and/or boundary conditions. As a result, these models cannot be formulated in an analytic form and this is where the methods of SA become indispensable.This book is intended for a wide audience. The beginners in remote sensing could use it as a single source, covering key issues of SA, from general principles, through formulation of corresponding linearized and adjoint problems, to practical applications to uncertainty analysis and inverse problems in remote sensing. The experts, already active in the field, may find useful the alternative formulations of some key issues of SA, for example, use of individual observables, instead of a widespread use of the cumulative cost function. The book also contains an overview of author¿s matrix operator approach to formulation of adjoint problems for forward problems based on the higher-order partial differential equations. This approach still awaits its publication in the periodic literature and thus may be of interest to readership across all levels of expertise.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 144 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book seeks to provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the 1667 Dalmatia earthquake phenomenon on the basis of eyewitness testimony. At the same time, one of the distinctive features of this book is that the earthquake observations are treated and arranged in time and space so as to provide earthquake data on the macroseismic intensity, which might be used in seismic hazard and risk studies.On April 6, 1667 a devastating earthquake struck the southernmost region of Dalmatia (Croatia). Most of the affected area at that time belonged to the independent Republic of Ragusa, the capital of which was the town of Ragusa, today Dubrovnik. The 1667 earthquake left behind a lasting scar on the history and life of the Republic, as it was the catalyst of a serious financial crisis. Both the economic and more general consequences of this earthquake have been discussed in historiographical and seismological essays in late 20th-century works.This book seeks to provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the 1667 Dalmatia earthquake phenomenon on the basis of eyewitness testimony. At the same time, one of the distinctive features of this book is that the earthquake observations are treated and arranged in time and space so as to provide earthquake data on the macroseismic intensity, which might be used in seismic hazard and risk studies.The book is also intended as an extensive case history, which allows the author to include some guidelines on how to approach the study of a past earthquake and proceed to its full seismological interpretation. In this respect, a unique feature of the book is the comprehensive and detailed analysis of the original documentary sources in their proper context, effectively combining the interpretative approaches of history and seismology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This brief reports about safety protocols in the food producing industry. Hygiene, i.e., the prevention of contamination and microbial infections, is of greatest importance in the industry, as are disinfection techniques, to prevent or to fight microbial contaminations and infections, and practicalemerging concerns are centered around these fundamental concerns. The first part focuses on the attempts and possibilitiesto prevent microbial spreading. Part II discusses disinfection techniques and their risks, advantages and disadvantages. Current industry trends, such as the attempts to substitute chlorine in disinfection, are critically reviewed.In all, thisbrief volumediscusses decision procedures and strategies that are being applied to prevent, reduce and fight microbial spreading. In particular, material that comes into contact with the foods, has to fulfill strict requirements. This aspect is explained in detail, and how little details can have great effects. The brief deals with the important question: is disinfection more an ally or an enemy Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book is devoted to the problems that occur when attempting to understand and construct a concise representation of the original conditions, composition and dynamics of the evolution of the Earth-Moon system in the form in which it is seen today. This volumewill perhaps contribute to a better understanding of what is necessary to research the dynamics of the Solar system.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The book identifies the performance challenges concerning Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and analyzes their impact on the performance of routing protocols. It presents a thorough literature survey to identify the issues affecting routing protocol performance, as well as a mathematical model for calculating the end-to-end delays of the routing protocol ACQUIRE; a comparison of two routing protocols (ACQUIRE and DIRECTED DIFFUSION) is also provided for evaluation purposes. On the basis of the results and literature review, recommendations are made for better selection of protocols regarding the nature of the respective application and related challenges. In addition, this book covers a proposed simulator that integrates both RFID and WSN technologies. Therefore, the manuscript is divided in two major parts: an integrated architecture of smart nodes, and a power-optimized protocol for query and information interchange.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book provides an overview of the surface effects at the interface boundary of metal/sand moulds, and their influence on the surface quality, microstructure and mechanical and anticorrosive properties of high-quality cast iron. It explores utilitarian aspects of the production of high-quality cast iron castings, including thin-walled castings of high-quality cast iron alloys, and examines problems related to the determination of moulding sands and reclaim quality, and their influence on castings.Presenting new material, this book takes into account the influence of metal quality, pouring temperature, solidification time, the quality of moulding sand with the reclaim application, as well the binders of moulding sands, on the formation of the degenerated graphite near surface layers. It also employs the latest research methods, such as a wavelength-dispersive spectrometer (WDS) analysis and thermodynamic calculations, which were carried out on the reactions occurring in the study area.Providing a valuable resource to academics and researchers interested in materials science, metal casting and metallurgy, this book is also intended for metal industry professionals.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 172 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book charts new territory both theoretically and methodologically. Drawing on MacDougall¿s notion of social aesthetics, it explores the sensory dimensions of privilege through a global ethnography of elite schools. The various contributors to the volume draw on a range of theoretical perspectives from Lefebvre, Benjamin, Bourdieu, Appadurai, Kress and van Leeuwen to both broaden and critique MacDougall¿s original concept. They argue that within these elite schools there is a relationship between their ¿complex sensory and aesthetic environments¿ and the construction of privilege within and beyond the school gates.Understanding the importance of the visual to ethnography, the social aesthetics of these elite schools are captured through the inclusion of a series of visual essays that complement the written accounts of the aesthetics of privilege. The collection also includes a series of vignettes that further explore the sensory dimension of these aesthetics: touch, taste¿though metaphorically understood¿ sight and sound. These varying formats illustrate the aesthetic nature of social relations and the various ways in which class permeates the senses. The images from across the different schools and their surroundings immerse the reader in these worlds and provide poignant ethnographic data of the forces of globalisation within the context of elite schooling.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 224 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book analyzes the effects of power generated by renewable energy sources, renewable energy production technologies, energy efficiency, and market regulation of carbon emissions. It elaborates on how these parameters have direct and indirect effects on carbon emission reduction, such as the results of an environmental tax that could directly reduce carbon emissions by decreasing fossil fuel consumption or by stimulating energy savings through technological innovation, as well as how renewable energy sources can affect both economic growth and the environment. In addition to a detailed analysis of the interrelationships between renewable energy consumption, production technology, and market regulation, The Development of Renewable Energy Sources and its Significance for the Environment proposes a model for measuring the effectiveness and results of the interaction between these links. Furthermore, a structure for a marketplace of renewable energy sources is put forward, as well as an outline of the requirements that must be met in order for this market to function. Suitable policy recommendations to enhance the market for renewable energies are also provided.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 196 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The five-volume set LNCS 9003--9007 constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 12th Asian Conference on Computer Vision, ACCV 2014, held in Singapore, Singapore, in November 2014.The total of 227 contributions presented in these volumes was carefully reviewed and selected from 814 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on recognition; 3D vision; low-level vision and features; segmentation; face and gesture, tracking; stereo, physics, video and events; and poster sessions 1-3.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 704 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The book, belonging to the series ¿Studies in Theoretical and Applied Statistics¿ Selected Papers from the Statistical Societies¿, presents a peer-reviewed selection of contributions on relevant topics organized by the editors on the occasion of the SIS 2013 Statistical Conference 'Advances in Latent Variables. Methods, Models and Applications', held at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Brescia from June 19 to 21, 2013.The focus of the book is on advances in statistical methods for analyses with latent variables. In fact, in recent years, there has been increasing interest in this broad research area from both a theoretical and an applied point of view, as the statistical latent variable approach allows the effective modeling of complex real-life phenomena in a wide range of research fields.A major goal of the volume is to bring together articles written by statisticians from different research fields, which present different approaches and experiences related to the analysis of unobservable variables and the study of the relationships between them.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The book contains an analysis of theoretical dependences, bottlenecks and limiting factors of a new technology used in both Consteel and shaft furnaces operating with flat bath. Performances obtained and potentialities of these furnaces are examined. Based on this analysis, a steel melting aggregate of the new type ¿ fuel arc furnace FAF has been developed and offered. In comparison with the best modern electric arc furnaces of identical capacity the productivity of FAF is higher by 36% and electrical energy consumption is lower by a factor of 1.8. Environment characteristics are considerably improved.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 144 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book offers readers a primer on the theory and applications of Ordinary Differential Equations. The style used is simple, yet thoroughand rigorous. Each chapterends witha broad set of exercises thatrange fromthe routineto the more challenging and thought-provoking. Solutions to selected exercises can be found at the end of the book. The book contains many interestingexamples on topicssuch as electriccircuits, the pendulum equation, the logistic equation, the Lotka-Volterra system, the Laplace Transform, etc., which introduce students to a number of interestingaspects of the theory and applications. The work is mainly intended for students of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science and otherareas of the natural and social sciences that use ordinary differential equations, and who have a firm grasp of Calculus and a minimalunderstanding of the basic concepts used in Linear Algebra. It also studies a few more advanced topics, such as Stability Theory and Boundary Value Problems, which may be suitable for more advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate students. The second edition has been revised to correct minor errata, and features a number of carefully selected new exercises, together with more detailed explanations of some of the topics.A complete Solutions Manual, containing solutions to all the exercises published in the book, is available. Instructors who wish to adopt the book may request the manual by writing directly to one of the authors.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This compact reference makes the case for a middle ground between clinical and actuarial methods in predicting future violence, domestic violence, and sexual offending. It critiques widely used measures such as the PCL-R, VRAG, SORAG, and Static-99 in terms of clarity of scoring, need for clinical interpretation, and potential weight in assessing individuals. Appropriate standards of practice are illustrated--and questioned--based on significant legal cases, among them Tarasoff v.Regents of the State of California and Lipari v. Sears, that have long defined the field. This expert coverage helps make sense of the pertinent issues and controversies surrounding risk assessment as it provides readers with invaluable information in these and other key areas:The history of violence prediction.Commonly used assessment instruments with their strengths and limitations.Psychological risk factors, both actual and questionable.Clinical lessons learned from instructive court cases, from Tarasoff forward.Implications for treatment providers.How more specialized risk assessment measures may be developed.Risk Assessment offers its readers--professionals working with sex offenders as well as those working with the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and Sex Offender Appraisal Guide--new possibilities for rethinking the assessment strategies of their trade toward predicting and preventing violent criminal incidents.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 72 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This textbook explores the different aspects of data mining from the fundamentals to the complex data types and their applications, capturing the wide diversity of problem domains for data mining issues. It goes beyond the traditional focus on data mining problems to introduce advanced data types such as text, time series, discrete sequences, spatial data, graph data, and social networks. Until now, no single book has addressed all these topics in a comprehensive and integrated way. The chapters of this book fall into one of three categories: Fundamental chapters: Data mining has four main problems, which correspond to clustering, classification, association pattern mining, and outlier analysis. These chapters comprehensively discuss a wide variety of methods for these problems.Domain chapters: These chapters discuss the specific methods used for different domains of data such as text data, time-series data, sequence data, graph data, and spatial data.Application chapters: These chapters study important applications such as stream mining, Web mining, ranking, recommendations, social networks, and privacy preservation. The domain chapters also have an applied flavor.Appropriate for both introductory and advanced data mining courses, Data Mining: The Textbook balances mathematical details and intuition. It contains the necessary mathematical details for professors and researchers, but it is presented in a simple and intuitive style to improve accessibility for students and industrial practitioners (including those with a limited mathematical background). Numerous illustrations, examples, and exercises are included, with an emphasis on semantically interpretable examples.Praise for Data Mining: The Textbook¿As I read through this book, I have already decided to use it in my classes. This is a book written by an outstanding researcher who has made fundamental contributions to data mining, in a way that is both accessible and up to date. The book is complete with theory and practical use cases. It¿s a must-have for students and professors alike!' -- Qiang Yang, Chair of Computer Science and Engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology'This is the most amazing and comprehensive text book on data mining. It covers not only the fundamental problems, such as clustering, classification, outliers and frequent patterns, and different data types, including text, time series, sequences, spatial data and graphs, but also various applications, such as recommenders, Web, social network and privacy. It is a great book for graduate students and researchers as well as practitioners.' -- Philip S. Yu, UIC Distinguished Professor and Wexler Chair in Information Technology at University of Illinois at ChicagoSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 764 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -There is increasing interest in using ultrasound for assessment of pelvic floor disorders such as voiding dysfunction , pelvic organ prolapse and faecal incontinence. Ultrasound can also be a useful imaging modality for urodynamics and pelvic floor physiotherapy. Whilst ultrasound equipment is widely available around the world many clinicians may not have access to structured training in the technique of pelvic floor imaging and interpretation of images in the context of pelvic floor dysfunction. This book aims to provide the reader with the knowledge and skills to start utilising ultrasound imaging in assessment of pelvic floor disorders. The authors comprise the three surgical disciplines (urology, colorectal surgery and gynaecology) who commonly manage pelvic floor problems and have subspecialty expertise in pelvic floor imaging. They have conducted workshops in Australia, Asia, UK and USA and are advocates for clinican-performed ultrasound.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 164 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Focusing on glaciation and speleogenesis in the region of New York and New England, this book serves as an example of a karst region that has experienced large-scale continental glaciation. It reviews the literature on the controls of glaciation on karst development, exploring examples from the marbles of the Adirondacks, New England and eastern New York, the Ordovician strata of northern New York and the Siluro-Devonian strata of central New York. Each of these areas is examined in detail, demonstrating the evolution of thought on glaciated karst through case studies of individual caves as well as larger cave systems. Additionally, this book describes the geology and glaciation, the evolution of karst landscapes from pre-glacial times to the present and human interaction with the caves in the region.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 160 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book offers a broad perspective on important topics in earthquake geotechnical engineering and gives specialists and those that are involved with research and application a more comprehensive understanding about the various topics. Consisting of eighteen chapters written by authors from the most seismic active regions of the world, such as USA, Japan, Canada, Chile, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Taiwan, and Turkey, the book reflects different views concerning how to assess and minimize earthquake damage. The authors, a prominent group of specialists in the field of earthquake geotechnical engineering, are the invited lecturers of the International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering from Case History to Practice in the honour of Professor Kenji Ishihara held in Istanbul, Turkey during 17-19 June 2013.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 496 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book covers a wide spectrum of systems such as linear and nonlinear multivariable systems as well as control problems such as disturbance, uncertainty and time-delays. The purpose of this book is to provide researchers and practitioners a manual for the design and application of advanced discrete-time controllers.The book presents six different control approaches depending on the type of system and control problem. The first and second approaches are based on Sliding Mode control (SMC) theory and are intended for linear systems with exogenous disturbances. The third and fourth approaches are based on adaptive control theory and are aimed at linear/nonlinear systems with periodically varying parametric uncertainty or systems with input delay. The fifth approach is based on Iterative learning control (ILC) theory and is aimed at uncertain linear/nonlinear systems with repeatable tasks and the final approach is based on fuzzy logic control (FLC) and is intended for highly uncertain systems with heuristic control knowledge. Detailed numerical examples are providedineach chaptertoillustrate the design procedure for each control method.A number of practical control applications are also presentedto showtheproblem solving process and effectiveness withthe advanced discrete-time control approaches introduced in this book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 236 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In this book, recent developments in our understanding of fundamental vortex ring and jet dynamics will be discussed, with a view to shed light upon their near-field behaviour which underpins much of their far-field characteristics. The chapters provide up-to-date research findings by their respective experts and seek to link near-field flow physics of vortex ring and jet flows with end-applications in mind. Over the past decade, our knowledge on vortex ring and jet flows has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to increasing use of high-fidelity, high-accuracy experimental techniques and numerical simulations. As such, we now have a much better appreciation and understanding on the initiation and near-field developments of vortex ring and jet flows under many varied initial and boundary conditions. Chapter 1 outlines the vortex ring pinch-off phenomenon and how it relates to the initial stages of jet formations and subsequent jet behaviour, while Chapter 2 takes a closer look at the behaviour resulting from vortex ring impingement upon solid boundaries and how the use of a porous surface alters the impingement process. Chapters 3 and 4 focus upon the formation of synthetic jets from vortex ring structures experimentally and numerically, the challenges in understanding the relationships between their generation parameters and how they can be utilized in flow separation control problems. Chapter 5 looks at the use of imposing selected nozzle trailing-edge modifications to effect changes upon the near-field dynamics associated with circular, noncircular and coaxial jets, with a view to control their mixing behaviour. And last but not least, Chapter 6 details the use of unique impinging jet configurations and how they may lend themselves towards greater understanding and operating efficacies in heat transfer problems. This book will be useful to postgraduate students and researchers alike who wish to get up to speed regarding the latest developments in vortex ring and jet flow behaviour and how their interesting flow dynamics may be put into good use in their intended applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents recent advances in robot control theory on task space sensory feedback control of robot manipulators. By using sensory feedback information, the robot control systems are robust to various uncertainties in modelling and calibration errors of the sensors. Several sensory task space control methods that do not require exact knowledge of either kinematics or dynamics of robots, are presented. Some useful methods such as approximate Jacobian control, adaptive Jacobian control, region control and multiple task space regional feedback are included. These formulations and methods give robots a high degree of flexibility in dealing with unforeseen changes and uncertainties in its kinematics and dynamics, which is similar to human reaching movements and tool manipulation. It also leads to the solution of several long-standing problems and open issues in robot control, such as force control with constraint uncertainty, control of multi-fingered robot hand with uncertain contact points, singularity issue of Jacobian matrix, global task-space control, which are also presented in this book. The target audience for this book includes scientists, engineers and practitioners involved in the field of robot control theory.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 232 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book delivers a deep insight into thermal polymer degradation features and put a particular emphasis on blends, composites and nanocomposites. It examines the thermal stability and the mechanism of degrading for every class of polymer substances and studies the effect on reinforcement to all classes. The book further explores the thermal stability when nano particles are added and summarizes the latest studies and application relevant results. This book offers a valuable reference source to graduate and post graduate students, engineering students, research scholars and polymer engineers from industry.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents a paradigm for designing new generation resilient and evolving computer systems, including their key concepts, elements of supportive theory, methods of analysis and synthesis of ICT with new properties of evolving functioning, as well asimplementation schemes and their prototyping. The book explains why new ICT applications require a complete redesign of computer systems to address challenges of extreme reliability, high performance, and power efficiency. The authors present a comprehensive treatment for designing the next generation of computers, especially addressing safety critical, autonomous, real time, military, banking, and wearable health care systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 276 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents the state-of-the-art techniques and recent research progress on Ear Biometrics. Among the various physiological traits, the reasons for the ear to gain much attention in recent years are many folds. It has been found to be a reliable biometrics for human verification and identification. Ears are remarkably consistent and unlike face, it does not change shape with different expressions or age, and remain fixed in the middle of the side of the head against a predictable background. The book contains figures, tables and plots to illustrate the techniques in an easy and lucid manner. The book also provides an extensive literature on the subject, where readers have the benefit of receiving all the relevant material at one place in a very comprehensive manner. This book caters students, academics, researchers, practitioners who are interested in the field of Ear Biometrics and its applications in face recognition and security.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 132 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This clinical manual argues for using neurotherapy to enhance mental health and medical practice across settings and specialties. The text takes readers through the tools and methods of neurotherapy: the ClinicalQ for intake assessment, a stimulated EEG modality called braindriving, and neurofeedback protocols to retrain brain function. Case studies demonstrate neurotherapy as an efficient component in treating brain-related and mind/body conditions and symptoms, from ADHD, sleep disturbances, and depression to fibromyalgia and seizures. Its methods allow clinicians to find deviations in brain function that fall through the diagnostic cracks and choose therapeutic interventions best suited to clients based on reliable data.Included in the coverage:Treating the condition instead of the diagnosis.Case examples illustrating how to conduct the ClinicalQ, interpret results, and convey them to clients.Sample protocols of braindriving and neurofeedback.Using therapeutic harmonics to advance neurotherapy.Age-appropriate neurotherapy for children and seniors.Brainwave diagrams, data tables, client forms, and other helpful tools and visuals.Adding Neurotherapy to Your Practice will interest psychologists, physicians, psychiatrists, chiropractors, and social workers. This stimulating presentation emphasizes the individuality of every client, and the abundant healing capacity of the brain.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 204 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 136 pp. Englisch.