springer new york springer us okt 2013 (184 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿Incoming Asteroid!¿ is based on a project within ASTRA (the Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics) to provide scientific answers to the question ¿ what would we do if we knew there was going to be an asteroid impact in ten years¿ time or less Clearly there are many things humanity can do nothing about, for example an unseen object traveling towards us so fast that we have no time to prepare, or an object so large it may be unstoppable. A realistic hazard model was decided upon, and the scenario developed from that: an incoming object about 1 kilometer in diameter, in an orbit ranging from the outer rim of the Asteroid Belt to within that of Earth¿s.Three basic possibilities are considered in this book. The first is the deflection of the asteroid, using remote probes along with a number of possible technologies to change the asteroid¿s course. Second is the attempt of a manned mission, in order to plant a propulsion system on the asteroid to push it into a different orbit. Third is the nuclear option, a last-ditch attempt to break up and then disperse the asteroid using nuclear weapons. (A rather impractical combination of these second and third options were used as the plot of the popular 1998 Bruce Willis feature film, Armageddon.)Although the cost of developing the technology needed to protect the Earth would be substantial, there would certainly be spin-off benefits. These could eventually result in practical small-scale atomic energy sources, new propulsion systems that could make extraterrestrial mining within the solar system a possibility, and other as-yet unforeseen benefits.And finally, Incoming Asteroid! considers the political implications - how governments across the world should best react to the threat with a view to minimizing loss of life, and in the weeks running up to the possible impact, preventing panic in the population.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 408 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Amateur astronomers of all skill levels are always contemplating their next telescope, and this book points the way to the most suitable instruments. Similarly, those who are buying their first telescopes ¿ and these days not necessarily a low-cost one ¿ will be able to compare and contrast different types and manufacturers. This exciting and revised new guide provides an extensive overview of binoculars and telescopes. It includes detailed up-to-date information on sources, selection and use of virtually every major type, brand, and model on today¿s market, a truly invaluable treasure-trove of information and helpful advice for all amateur astronomers.Originally written in 2006, much of the first edition is inevitably now out of date, as equipment advances and manufacturers come and go. This second edition not only updates all the existing sections of ¿A Buyer¿s and User¿s Guide to Astronomical Telescopes and Binoculars¿ but adds two new ones: Astro-imaging and Professional-Amateur collaboration. Thanks to the rapid and amazing developments that have been made in digital cameras ¿ not those specialist cool-chip astronomical cameras, not even DSLRs, but regular general-purpose vacation cameras ¿ it is easily possible to image all sorts of astronomical objects and fields. Technical developments, including the Internet, have alsomade it possible for amateur astronomers to make a real contribution to science by working with professionals.Selecting the right device for a variety of purposes can be an overwhelming task in a market crowded with observing options, but this comprehensive guide clarifies the process. Anyone planning to purchase binoculars or telescopes for astronomy ¿ whether as a first instrument or as an upgrade to the next level ¿ will find this book a treasure-trove of information and advice.It also suppliesthe reader with many usefulhints and tips on using astronomical telescopes or binoculars toget the best possible results from your purchase.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The beginning astronomical observer passes through a series of stages. The initial stage is hugely exciting and gives the beginner a real buzz as he discovers some of the faint fuzzy objects, markings on the planets, rings around Saturn and the craters on the Moon. But as the novice observer progresses, he or she wants to know what more there is than looking at faint fuzzy blobs or indistinct planet markings. Many jump to the conclusion ¿ wrongly ¿ that they need to spend lots of money on expensive equipment to progress. ¿From Casual Stargazer to Amateur Astronomer¿ has been written specifically to address this group of budding stargazers.Astronomy is much more than a quick sightseeing tour. Patient observers who can develop their skills will start to appreciate what they are seeing, and will know exactly what to look out for on any particular night. And equally important, they will learn what not to expect to see. ¿From Casual Stargazer to Amateur Astronomer¿ is for those who want to develop observing skills beyond mere sightseeing, and learn some of the techniques used to carry out enjoyable ¿ and scientifically useful ¿ observations. It will also direct readers to make informed choices about what can be seen and when. This book is for anyone keen to develop their skills as an amateur astronomer.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 276 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Asset Price Response to New Information examines the effect of two types of psychological biases (namely, conservatism bias and representativeness heuristic) on the asset price reaction to new information. The author constructs various models of a competitive securities market or asecurity market allowing for strategic interaction among traders to prove rigorously that either conservatism or representativeness is capable of generating both asset price overreaction and underreaction to new information. The results shed some new insights on the phenomena of the asset price overreaction and underreaction to new information. In the literature, very little has been published in this area of behavioral finance. This volume will appeal to graduate-level students and researchers in finance, behavioral finance, and financial engineering.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 80 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: 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 the crisis, the aftermath, future prospects, and policy implications for a regional cluster. This volume focuses on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, and Venezuela.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 168 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 512 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿This concise, truncated version of Nagy, Varghese and Agarwal's Practical Manual of In Vitro Fertilization is comprised of select clinical chapters for a portable, affordable and up-to-date resource. Gamete Assessment, Selection and Micromanipulation in ART covers a variety of topics, including: Human oocyte evaluation Sperm evaluation and selection Micromanipulators and micromanipulation Biopsy procedures on oocytes and embryos Molecular insights in IVFPractical for both clinicians and researchers alike, Gamete Assessment, Selection and Micromanipulation in ART brings together all of the need-to-know information about these important topics in reproductive medicine.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 420 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Topics in Matroid Theory provides a brief introduction to matroid theory with an emphasis on algorithmic consequences.Matroid theory is at the heart of combinatorial optimization and has attracted various pioneers such as Edmonds, Tutte, Cunningham and Lawler among others. Matroid theory encompasses matrices, graphs and other combinatorial entities under a common, solid algebraicframework, thereby providing the analytical tools to solve related difficult algorithmic problems. The monograph contains a rigorousaxiomatic definition of matroids along with other necessary concepts such as duality, minors, connectivity and representability asdemonstrated in matrices, graphs and transversals. The author also presents a deep decomposition result in matroid theory that providesa structural characterization of graphic matroids, and show how this can be extended to signed-graphic matroids, as well as the immediatealgorithmic consequences.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 144 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Thebook provides thefirst full length exploration of fuzzy computability. It describes the notion of fuzziness and present the foundation of computability theory.It thenpresents the various approaches to fuzzy computability. This text provides a glimpse into the different approaches in this area, whichis important for researchers in order to have a clear view of the field. Itcontains a detailed literature review and the author includesall proofs to make the presentation accessible. Ideas for future research and explorations are also provided. Students and researchers in computer science and mathematics will benefit from this work.¿Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 176 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿Transport Processes in Space Physics and Astrophysics¿ is aimed at graduate level students to provide the necessary mathematical and physics background to understand the transport of gases, charged particle gases, energetic charged particles, turbulence, and radiation in an astrophysical and space physics context. Subjects emphasized in the work include collisional and collisionless processes in gases (neutral or plasma), analogous processes in turbulence fields and radiation fields, and allows for a simplified treatment of the statistical description of the system. A systematic study that addresses the common tools at a graduate level allows students to progress to a point where they can begin their research in a variety of fields within space physics and astrophysics. This book is for graduate students who expect to complete their research in an area of plasma space physics or plasma astrophysics. By providing a broad synthesis in several areas of transport theory and modeling, the work also benefits researchers in related fields by providing an overview that currently does not exist.For numerous interesting and challenging space physics and astrophysics problems, there is a need to describe the ¿long-term¿ behavior of systems governed by macroscopic laws and microscopic randomness. A random event has an outcome that is uncertain and unpredictable, yet the collective behavior of a system can be governed by well defined mathematical and physical principles. Examples of physical problems include the behavior of gases in the presence of microscopic inter-particle collisions, the evolution of a gas of charged protons and electrons (a plasma), the collective propagation of solar energetic particles or cosmic rays in a magnetically turbulent medium, the collective behavior of dust in an accretion disk subject to coagulation and destruction, the evolution of low-frequency magnetic field turbulence in the inhomogeneous solar wind, or the transport of photosin a partially ionized interstellar medium. This book provides graduate students with a unified introduction to the physics of collective phenomena or transport processes for gases (charged and uncharged), fields, and photons in a space physics or astrophysics context.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book describes a computational framework for real-time detection of psychological signals related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in online text-based posts, including blogs and web forums. Further, it explores how emerging computational techniques such as sentiment mining can be used in real-time to identify posts that contain PTSD-related signals, flag those posts, and bring them to the attention of psychologists, thus providing an automated flag and referral capability. The use of sentiment extraction technologies allows automatic in-depth analysis of opinions and emotions expressed by individuals in their online posts. By training these automated systems with input from academic and clinical experts, the systems can be refined so that the accuracy of their detection of possible PTSD signals is comparable to that of psychologists reading the same online posts. While a portion of the literature on this and related topics explores the correlation between text patterns in archived documents and PTSD, no literature to date describes a system performing real-time analysis. Our system allows analysts to quickly identify, review, and validate online posts which have been flagged as exhibiting signs or symptoms of PTSD and enables follow-up, thus allowing for the presentation of treatment options to the authors of those posts. We describe the ontology of PTSD-related terms (i.e., terms which signal PTSD and related conditions) that need to be tracked, the algorithms used for extraction of the intensity of these signals, and the training process used to fine-tune sentiment analysis algorithms. We then present the results of processing a validation data set, different from the training set, comparing the algorithmic output with opinions of clinical psychologists, and explain how the concept can be extended to detect signals of other psychological conditions. We present a sample system architecture and implementation which can be used to engage users and theirfamilies, either anonymously or eponymously, and use the sentiment extraction algorithms as an early screening tool to alert clinicians to participants who may require close monitoring or follow-up. Finally, we describe a user test conducted with users recruited from the Veteran population and present the results of the analyses on the data.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 92 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book addresses the need to improve TCP¿s performance inside data centers by providing solutions that are both practical and backward compatible with standard TCP versions. The authors approach this challenge first by deriving an analytical model for TCP¿s performance under typical data center workload traffic. They then discuss some solutions that are designed to improve TCP performance by either proactively detecting network congestion through probabilistic retransmission or by avoiding timeout penalty through dynamic resizing of TCP segments. Experimental results show that each of techniques discussed outperforms standard TCP inside a data center.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿A Concise Introduction to the Theory of Integration¿ was once a best-selling Birkhäuser title which published 3 editions. This manuscript is a substantial revision of the material. Chapter one now includes a section about the rate of convergence of Riemann sums. The second chapter now covers both Lebesgue and Bernoulli measures, whose relation to one another is discussed. The third chapter now includes a proof of Lebesgue's differential theorem for all monotone functions. This is a beautiful topic which is not often covered. The treatment of surface measure and the divergence theorem in the fifth chapter has been improved. Loose ends from the discussion of the Euler-MacLauren in Chapter I are tied together in Chapter seven. Chapter eight has been expanded to include a proof of Carathéory's method for constructing measures; his result is applied to the construction of Hausdorff measures. The new material is complemented by the addition of several new problems based on that material.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 256 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Prostagtandin Abstracts Volume II contains abstracts of the significant scientific Iiterature published in 1971, 1972, and 1973 on the role of prostaglandins in human reproduction. Of the more than 4000 articles which were published between 1971 and 1973 and deal with prostaglandins, endogenous and exogenous, in mal es and females, nearly 1100 involve human reproduction. Prostagtandin Abstracts, Volume I (Plenum Publishers, 1973) contains abstracts of all articles on prostaglandins published between 1906, when the action of these compounds was first noted, and 1970, when clinical research with these compounds was weil underway. Clinical use of prostaglandins during the 1960s proved safe but provided evidence of troublesome side effects. Du ring the 1970s, the development of new analogues, various protocols for international testing, and improved routes of administration indicates that prostaglandins still hold promise as a useful drug in the management of fertility. Research into potential contraceptive and other clinical uses of prostaglandins continues to be an exciting and expanding field of fundamental and clinical research. The citations and abstracts which are included in this volume have been selected and reproduced from POPINFORM, a computerized on-line information retrieval system which includes in its data base more than 25,000 documents on regulation of fertility. Also included as an Appendix is a bibliography (without abstracts) of 1971 -1973 material on aspects of prostaglandin research that do not involve reproduction. This bibliography was prepared by the Upjohn Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan and is printed here with permission.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 468 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The need for a further edition of a book is gratifying for contributors and editor alike. When faced with the corresponding challenge to identify what has changed in one sector of a particular industry, however, initial enthusiasm frequently declines. Nowhere is this more evident than in this book on food flavourings, because the industry still remains the tantalising blend of art, science and technology that was alluded to in the first edition. Instrumentation and analytical skills can now identify flavour components down to nanogram and picogram concentrations and yet the skilled flavourist is often still able to defeat this scientific ability. Many parts of the food industry, and in particular the more traditional outlets such as baking and confectionery, use flavours and methods of application that have changed little in fifty years. At the other end of the spectrum, advanced synthetic chemistry methods and computer-controlled natural product processes can give the flavour industrya greater selection of higher quality materials than ever before. The industry itself has, in recent years, undergone many commercial changes, and in the U.K. some manufacturers' names known for a century or more have disappeared to become part of larger corporate entities. Flavours are for the first time controlled, albeit in a small way, by statute based on a European Directive.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 352 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book provides a unified IQ imbalance model and systematically reviews the existing estimation and compensation schemes. It covers the different assumptions and approaches that lead to many models of IQ imbalance. In wireless communication systems, the In-phase and Quadrature (IQ) modulator and demodulator are usually used as transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX), respectively. For Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) and Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) limited systems, such as multi-giga-hertz bandwidth millimeter-wave systems, using analog modulator and demodulator is still a low power and low cost solution. In these kind of systems, the IQ imbalance cannot be ignored.By explaining a variety of assumptions and models of IQ imbalance, the author provides a helpful resource for those who are new to this complex topic. The intended audience of this book is researchers working on the IQ imbalance as well as the system design engineers who use IQ imbalance in their systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Optimization Approaches for Solving String Selection Problemsprovides an overview of optimization methods for a wide class of genomics-related problems in relation to the string selection problems. This class of problems addresses the recognition of similar characteristics or differences within biological sequences. Specifically, this book considers a large class of problems, ranging from the closest string and substring problems, to the farthest string and substring problems, to the far from most string problem.Each problem includes a detailed description, highlighting both biological and mathematical features and presents state-of-the-art approaches.This Briefprovidesa quick introduction of optimization methods for string selection problems for young scientists and a detailed description of the mathematical and computational methods developed for experts in the field of optimization who want to deepen their understanding of the string selection problems.Researchers, practitionersand graduate students in the field of Computer Science, Operation Research, Mathematics, Computational Biology and Biomedicine will find this book useful.¿Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book discusses the history of thermal heat generators and focuses on the potential for these processes using micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) technology for this application. The main focus is on the capture of waste thermal energy for example from industrial processes, transport systems or the human body to generate useable electrical power. A wide range of technologies is discussed, including external combustion heat cycles at MEMS ( Brayton, Stirling and Rankine), Thermoacoustic, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), Multiferroics, Thermionics, Pyroelectric, Seebeck, Alkali Metal Thermal, Hydride Heat Engine, Johnson Thermo Electrochemical Converters, and the Johnson Electric Heat Pipe.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 80 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This SpringerBrief reviews the existing market-oriented strategies for economically managing resource allocation in distributed systems. It describes three new schemes that address cost-efficiency, user incentives, and allocation fairness with regard to different scheduling contexts. The first scheme, taking the Amazon EC2¿ market as a case of study, investigates the optimal resource rental planning models based on linear integer programming and stochastic optimization techniques. This model is useful to explore the interaction between the cloud infrastructure provider and the cloud resource customers. The second scheme targets a free-trade resource market, studying the interactions amongst multiple rational resource traders. Leveraging an optimization framework from AI, this scheme examines the spontaneous exchange of resources among multiple resource owners. Finally, the third scheme describes an experimental market-oriented resource sharing platform inspired by eBay's transaction model. The study presented in this book sheds light on economic models and their implication to the utility-oriented scheduling problems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 96 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The recent conflict in Iraq evolved from an insurgency against the interim U.S. led government (the Coalition Provisional Authority or CPA) into a sectarian civil war. Violence became widespread, especially in areas of Baghdad City such as Sadr City, Al Amiriyah, and Al Adhamiya. However, a number of multiethnic neighborhoods in Baghdad successfully prevented sectarian attitudes and behaviors from taking hold. Four communities stand out in their self-organization to prevent the escalation of violence. This book looks at what makes these communities different from other areas within Baghdad. In-depth interviews in Sunni-dominant, Shia-dominant and Mixed neighborhoods generated a few key insights about conflict-resilience, or the capacity to prevent structural changes associated with conflict escalation. Key factors turned out to be the organization of non-sectarian self-defense groups, place attachment, collective efficacy, active intervention to de-escalate tensions, and also the presence of local religious leaders who forbid sectarian attacks. The continuity or strength of interpersonal relationships supported by the integrated physical structure of these neighborhoods and internal versus tribal conflict resolution mechanisms played a role as well. This volume examines the characteristics of the communities that have successfully prevented the rise of violence, and how they are able to maintain qualities of resilience to violent conflict.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 168 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿Understanding Theology and Homosexuality in African-American Communities focuses specifically on helping mental professionals understand the scriptural and historical bases for thenegative stance of some African American churches towards same-sex relations, and how that understanding is relevant within the context of mental health care.It provides a summary of the relevant professional literature and examples from clinical practice and/or research. ThisBrief isa basic reference for social workers, psychologists, counselors and other mental health professionals engaged in direct practice with African American clients and families.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 124 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book covers the use and development of software for astronomy. It describes the control systems used to point the telescope and operate its cameras and spectrographs, as well as the web-based tools used to plan those observations. In addition, the book also covers the analysis and archiving of astronomical data once it has been acquired. Readers will learn about existing software tools and packages, develop their own software tools, and analyze real data sets.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 112 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book introduces readers to Next Generation Sequencing applications in medical genetics. The authors discuss the direct application of next-generation sequencing to medicine, specifically, laboratory medicine or molecular diagnostics. The first part of the book contains chapters on sanger sequencing, NGS technologies, targeted-amplification and capture, and exome sequencing. The second part of the book focuses on genetic disorders diagnoses by NGS, prenatal diagnosis, muscular dystrophies, mitochondrial disorders diagnosis, and challenges in molecular diagnosis. Recent developments and potential future trends in NGS sequencing applications are highlighted, as well.¿Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿Mean field games and Mean field type control introduce new problems in Control Theory. The terminology ¿games¿ may be confusing. In fact they are control problems, in the sense that one is interested in a single decision maker, whom we can call the representative agent. However, these problems are not standard, since both the evolution of the state and the objective functional is influenced but terms which are not directly related to the state or the control of the decision maker. They are however, indirectly related to him, in the sense that they model a very large community of agents similar to the representative agent. All the agents behave similarly and impact the representative agent. However, because of the large number an aggregation effect takes place. The interesting consequence is that the impact of the community can be modeled by a mean field term, but when this is done, the problem is reduced to a control problem.¿Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 140 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿Ricci Flow for Shape Analysis and Surface Registration introduces the beautiful and profound Ricci flow theory in a discrete setting. By using basic tools in linear algebra and multivariate calculus, readers can deduce all the major theorems in surface¿ Ricci flow by themselves. The authors adapt the Ricci flow theory to practical computational algorithms, apply Ricci flow for shape analysis and surface registration, and demonstrate the power of Ricci flow in many applications in medical imaging, computer graphics, computer vision and wireless sensor network. Due to minimal pre-requisites, this book is accessible to engineers and medical experts, including educators, researchers, students and industry engineers who have an interest in solving real problems related to shape analysis and surface registration.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 152 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book describes EnvStats, a new comprehensive R package for environmental statistics and the successor to the S-PLUS module EnvironmentalStats for S-PLUS (first released in 1997). EnvStats and R provide an open-source set of powerful functions for performing graphical and statistical analyses of environmental data, bringing major environmental statistical methods found in the literature and regulatory guidance documents into one statistical package, along with an extensive hypertext help system that explains what these methods do, how to use these methods, and where to find them in the environmental statistics literature. EnvStats also includes numerous built-in data sets from regulatory guidance documents and the environmental statistics literature.This book shows how to use EnvStats and R to easily:\* graphically display environmental data\* plot probability distributions\* estimate distribution parameters and construct confidence intervals on the original scale for commonly used distributions such as the lognormal and gamma, as well as do this nonparametrically\* estimate and construct confidence intervals for distribution percentiles or do this nonparametrically (e.g., to compare to an environmental protection standard)\* perform and plot the results of goodness-of-fit tests\* compute optimal Box-Cox data transformations\* compute prediction limits and simultaneous prediction limits (e.g., to assess compliance at multiple sites for multiple constituents)\* perform nonparametric estimation and test for seasonal trend (even in the presence of correlated observations)\* perform power and sample size computations and create companion plots for sampling designs based on confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, prediction intervals, and tolerance intervals\* deal with non-detect (censored) data\* perform Monte Carlo simulation and probabilistic risk assessment\* reproduce specific examples in EPA guidance documentsEnvStats combined with other R packages (e.g., for spatial analysis) provides the environmental scientist, statistician, researcher, and technician with tools to ¿get the job done!¿Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The first comprehensive presentation of an explicitly transgender theory. This theory goes beyond feminist and queer theory by incorporating the idea of fluid embodiment and lived experience in conceptualizing gender and sexual identity. Beyond developing a formulation of transgender theory that incorporates the socially constructed, embodied, and self-constructed aspects of identity in the narrative of lived experiences, the authors discuss the implications of this ¿trans-identity theory¿ for theory, research, and practice.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 256 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Sporting contests have provided mass entertainment throughout history, and today generate revenues of approximately $200 billion annually in the US alone. Like in the entertainment industry, the modern sports industry¿s revenues are based on the entertainment value of output and more entertaining sporting contests imply greater game-day attendance, television revenues and sales of merchandise. Research by economists has attempted to understand and explain behavior as it relates to sporting contests, showing that standard microeconomic theory used to explain consumer and producer behavior can also be applied to the behavior of fans, team owners, league executives and players. One commonality among many ancient and modern sports is the existence of violence and aggression in contests. Compare, for example, a modern NASCAR race with a Roman chariot race: Only the technology has changed. From the perspective of an economist, violence in sporting contests is an outcome of the forces of supply and demand, and the phenomenon exists because fans respond to it. Spectator preferences for violence bid up the monetary return to this behavior, and the rational response is a more violent or aggressive output.The optimum level of violent or aggressive play in sporting contests is an empirical issue and this book contains chapters on violence and aggression in sports, concentrating on the reasons for the existence and persistence of such behavior. Following a chapter devoted to the history of violence and aggression in sports, subsequent chapters are designed to cover the breadth of international professional sports including American football, soccer, ice hockey, basketball, baseball, auto racing, and fighting sports. Each chapter will contain econometric analysis of violence and aggressiveplay in a given sport. The individual chapters will examine whether or not a given sports league or governing body should intervene to reduce violence, and where intervention is warranted, extent of appropriate interventions is evaluated. In addition to academics and students concerned with the economics and history of sport, the book¿s emphasis on policies at the league and governing-body levels means this book will also be of interest representatives of those institutions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book provides the most current thinking on effective interventions in the lives of criminal offenders. Original articles by leading criminologists provide in-depth analyses of ¿turning points¿ in the desistance process experienced by criminal offenders. An understanding of the sources of turning points (or interventions) across the life course is vital to assessing their impact on criminal behavior. Three sources of interventions in criminal careers are identified in the literature: structural location, human agency and situated choice. Structural location refers to the social place occupied by an individual in the social structure: including marital and occupational status, education and income, and so on. Human agency means the active will of an individual to change his or her behavior, that is, the decision to stop engaging in criminal activities. In addition, situated choice coordinates the offender¿s willingness to end a life of crime with the social structural supports that increase the odds of criminal desistance.This comprehensive book considers all three sources of turning points¿structural location, human agency, and situated choice¿across the life course of criminal offenders. The book also provides a section on cross-cultural perspectives on the effectiveness of interventions in the careers of criminal offenders.The policy implications of each intervention are considered in individual chapters. In addition, the authors suggest a research agenda to further the understanding of the interplay among the key interventions across the life course. This book will be of interest to researchers studying criminology from a life course perspective, as well as crime prevention, and public policy.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 168 pp. Englisch.