springer us springer us okt 1998 (158 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Just 12,000 years ago - at the height of the last Ice Age - saber-toothed tigers, giant ground sloths, camels, hippos and the great herds of proboscideans: giant mastodons and mammoths, extinct relatives of the elephant, roamed the land where skyscrapers now stand. Why are these splendid creatures no longer with us This compelling book explores the reasons for these extinctions and provides a tour of mass extinctions throughout earth's history, including the great comet crash that killed off the dinosaurs. Brilliantly written, The Call of Distant Mammoths is an engaging exploration of the history of life and the importance of humanity as an evolutionary force.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 264 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Egg and Ego is a lighthearted look at the nature of academic science. It is intended for anyone interested in biology but particularly for biology students who want to find out what is in store for them in the future. It starts with an account of one particular experiment, which is later opened out to introduce the excitement arising from recent progress in associated areas of biology. It then describes the everyday aspects of scientific work, ignored by philosophers of science. These range from cleaning up radioactive contamination, to how to fill in biohazard forms, to how newly appointed professors bargain for money. The 'Egg' of the title refers to the science of developmental biology, which is the specialty of the author, and which provides the material for many of the anecdotes. The 'Ego' relates to the vanity of the scientists themselves. Academic scientists have to struggle to maintain their research funding. To do this they must persuade other scientists that they are very good, and that means work at a good institution, publishing papers in the most fashionable journals and giving lectures at the most prestigious meetings. Success often goes to those with the largest egos and their style of operation is described in this book. The final chapter is about relations between science and the outside world in the shape of the media, illustrated by the remarkable 'case of the headless frog'. The author is a well-known scientist who has worked at both universities and research institutes. He has published over 100 scientific papers and an influential book about embryonic development: 'From Egg to Embryo'.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -From the author of the highly acclaimed 'A First Course in Real Analysis' comes a volume designed specifically for a short one- semester course in real analysis. Many students of mathematics and those students who intend to study any of the physical sciences and computer science need a text that presents the most important material in a brief and elementary fashion. The author has included such elementary topics as the real number system, the theory at the basis of elementary calculus, the topology of metric spaces and infinite series. There are proofs of the basic theorems on limits at a pace that is deliberate and detailed. There are illustrative examples throughout with over 45 figures.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 292 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The first edition aimed to give a geodesic path to the Fundamental Theorem of Galois Theory, and I still think its brevity is valuable. Alas, the book is now a bit longer, but I feel that the changes are worthwhile. I began by rewriting almost all the text, trying to make proofs clearer, and often giving more details than before. Since many students find the road to the Fundamental Theorem an intricate one, the book now begins with a short section on symmetry groups of polygons in the plane; an analogy of polygons and their symmetry groups with polynomials and their Galois groups can serve as a guide by helping readers organize the various definitions and constructions. The exposition has been reorganized so that the discussion of solvability by radicals now appears later; this makes the proof of the Abel-Ruffini theo rem easier to digest. I have also included several theorems not in the first edition. For example, the Casus Irreducibilis is now proved, in keeping with a historical interest lurking in these pages.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 176 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Integration theory and general topology form the core of this textbook for a first-year graduate course in real analysis. After the foundational material in the first chapter (construction of the reals, cardinal and ordinal numbers, Zorn's lemma and transfinite induction), measure, integral and topology are introduced and developed as recurrent themes of increasing depth. The treatment of integration theory is quite complete (including the convergence theorems, product measure, absolute continuity, the Radon-Nikodym theorem, and Lebesgue's theory of differentiation and primitive functions), while topology, predominantly metric, plays a supporting role. In the later chapters, integral and topology coalesce in topics such as function spaces, the Riesz representation theorem, existence theorems for an ordinary differential equation, and integral operators with continuous kernel function. In particular, the material on function spaces lays a firm foundation for the study of functional analysis.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 496 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -There are good reasons to believe that nonstandard analysis, in some ver sion or other, will be the analysis of the future. KURT GODEL This book is a compilation and development of lecture notes written for a course on nonstandard analysis that I have now taught several times. Students taking the course have typically received previous introductions to standard real analysis and abstract algebra, but few have studied formal logic. Most of the notes have been used several times in class and revised in the light of that experience. The earlier chapters could be used as the basis of a course at the upper undergraduate level, but the work as a whole, including the later applications, may be more suited to a beginning graduate course. This prefacedescribes my motivationsand objectives in writingthe book. For the most part, these remarks are addressed to the potential instructor. Mathematical understanding develops by a mysterious interplay between intuitive insight and symbolic manipulation. Nonstandard analysis requires an enhanced sensitivity to the particular symbolic form that is used to ex press our intuitions, and so the subject poses some unique and challenging pedagogical issues. The most fundamental ofthese is how to turn the trans fer principle into a working tool of mathematical practice. I have found it vi Preface unproductive to try to give a proof of this principle by introducing the formal Tarskian semantics for first-order languages and working through the proofofLos's theorem.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 312 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Corruption has been part of our economic and political life since ancient times. During the past few years, there has been a resurgence of interest in understanding the impact that corruption has on our societies. The objective of this volume is to stimulate further studies on corruption by providing a review of existing work in this field and raising some questions that warrant further research. Contributors to this volume synthesize studies dealing with various aspects of corruption and present some new questions regarding the origin and impact of corruption. Accordingly, this volume has two aims. First, it attempts to bring together essential elements of different approaches that have been used to understand corruption. Second, many of the contributors in this volume propose a shift in the focus of studies on corruption away from bribery-type activities to corruption that results in distortion of economic policies.Economics of Corruption seeks to define and model corruption. The contributions in this volume examine the political economy of corruption - that is, why it continues to exist - as well as its consequences, and what measures, if any, can be brought to bear on this phenomenon.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 192 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In the 50 years that have passed since Alfred Latka's death in 1949 his position as the father of mathematical demography has been secure. With his first demographic papers in 1907 and 1911 (the latter co authored with F. R. Sharpe) he laid the foundations for stable population theory, and over the next decades both largely completed it and found convenient mathematical approximations that gave it practical applica tions. Since his time, the field has moved in several directions he did not foresee, but in the main it is still his. Despite Latka's stature, however, the reader still needs to hunt through the old journals to locate his principal works. As yet no exten sive collections of his papers are in print, and for his part he never as sembled his contributions into a single volume in English. He did so in French, in the two part Theorie Analytique des Associations Biologiques (1934, 1939). Drawing on his Elements of Physical Biology (1925) and most of his mathematical papers, Latka offered French readers insights into his biological thought and a concise and mathematically accessible summary of what he called recent contributions in demographic analy sis. We would be accurate in also calling it Latka's contributions in demographic analysis.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 256 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The last decade has experienced major societal challenges at the intersection of technological systems and policy making. Prevalent examples are the liberalization of energy and telecommunications markets, the public aversion towards nuclear power plants, the development of high-speed trains, the debates about global warming and sustainability, the development of intelligent vehicle systems, and the controversies concerning the location of waste depositories, airports, and energy systems. These challenges, coupled with the call from industry for a systems-engineering oriented approach to policy analysis, motivated Delft University of Technology to launch the first European School of Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis. and Management (SEPA). The purpose was to educate engineering oriented policy analysts in bridging the gap between engineering systems and policy decision making processes, both for the public and private sector. Up to now, more than 500 first-year students and 30 Ph.D. students have enrolled in the program. In 1993, I set up a class called Quantitative Methods for Problem Solving which had to address the most relevant issues in decision making for policy management, such as linear and non-linear optimization, multiattribute utility theory, multicriteria decision making, concepts from game theory, outranking relations, and probabilistic influence diagrams.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 376 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The last decade has experienced major societal challenges at the intersection of technological systems and policy making. Prevalent examples are the liberalization of energy and telecommunications markets, the public aversion towards nuclear power plants, the development of high-speed trains, the debates about global warming and sustainability, the development of intelligent vehicle systems, and the controversies concerning the location of waste depositories, airports, and energy systems. These challenges, coupled with the call from industry for a systems-engineering oriented approach to policy analysis, motivated Delft University of Technology to launch the first European School of Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis. and Management (SEPA). The purpose was to educate engineering oriented policy analysts in bridging the gap between engineering systems and policy decision making processes, both for the public and private sector. Up to now, more than 500 first-year students and 30 Ph.D. students have enrolled in the program. In 1993, I set up a class called Quantitative Methods for Problem Solving which had to address the most relevant issues in decision making for policy management, such as linear and non-linear optimization, multiattribute utility theory, multicriteria decision making, concepts from game theory, outranking relations, and probabilistic influence diagrams.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 376 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The Allocation of Limited Entrepreneurial Attention examines the implications of allocating limited entrepreneurial attention among activities or projects. This book maintains that attention is simultaneously limited in that a decision maker can pay attention to only one thing at a time, and entrepreneurial in that it may be allocated to evaluating a potential new project for possible adoption. However, since the outcome of the allocation of attention is not certain, the number of projects among which attention can be allocated is stochastic and the maximum number of projects is endogenously determined by the optimal allocation of limited entrepreneurial attention and describes the implications of this analysis for a number of economic problems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 176 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Recent years have seen rapid strides in the level of sophistication of VLSI circuits. On the performance front, there is a vital need for techniques to design fast, low-power chips with minimum area for increasingly complex systems, while on the economic side there is the vastly increased pressure of time-to-market. These pressures have made the use of CAD tools mandatory in designing complex systems.Timing Analysis and Optimization of Sequential Circuits describes CAD algorithms for analyzing and optimizing the timing behavior of sequential circuits with special reference to performance parameters such as power and area. A unified approach to performance analysis and optimization of sequential circuits is presented. The state of the art in timing analysis and optimization techniques is described for circuits using edge-triggered or level-sensitive memory elements. Specific emphasis is placed on two methods that are true sequential timing optimizations techniques: retiming and clock skew optimization.Timing Analysis and Optimization of Sequential Circuits covers the following topics: Algorithms for sequential timing analysisFast algorithms for clock skew optimization and their applicationsEfficient techniques for retiming large sequential circuitsCoupling sequential and combinational optimizations.Timing Analysis and Optimization of Sequential Circuits is written for graduate students, researchers and professionals in the area of CAD for VLSI and VLSI circuit design.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -'Paradox' conjures up arrows and tortoises. But it has a speculative, gedanken ring: no one would dream of really conjuring up Achilles to confirm that he catches the tortoise. The paradox of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, however, is capable of empirical test. Attempted experimental resolutions have involved photons, but these are not detected often enough to settle the matter. Kaons are easier to detect and will soon be used to discriminate between quantum mechanics and local realism. The existence ofan objective physical reality,which had disappeared behind the impressive formalism of quantum mechanics, was originally intended to be the central issue of the paradox; locality, like the mathematics used, was just assumed to hold. Quantum mechanics, with its incompatible measurements, was born rather by chance in an atmosphere of great positivistic zeal, in which only the obviously measurable had scientific respectability. Speculation about occult 'unobservable' quantities was viewed as vacuous metaphysics, which should surely form no part of a mature scientific attitude. Soon the 'unmeasurable, ' once only disreputable, vanished altogether. One had first been told not to worry about it; then, as dogma got more carefully defined, one was assured that the unobserved was just not there. This made it easier not to think about it and to avoid hazardous metaphysical temptation.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 268 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Over the past two decades, technologies for microsystems fabrication have made considerable progress. This has made possible a large variety of new commercial devices ranging, for example, from integrated pressure and acceleration microsensors to active micromirror arrays for image projection. In the near future, there will be a number of new devices, which will be commercialized in many application areas.The field of microsystems is characterized by its wide diversity, which requires a multidisciplinary approach for design and processes as well as in application areas. Although there is a common technological background derived from integrated circuits, it is clear that microsystems will require additional application-specific technologies. Since most microsystem technologies are based on batch processing and dedicated to mass production, prototyping is likely to be an expensive and time-consuming step. It is recognized that standardization of the processes as well as of the design tools will definitely help reduce the entry cost of microsystems. This creates a very challenging situation for the design, modeling and simulation of microsystems.Methodology for the Modeling and Simulation of Microsystems is the first book to give an overview of the problems associated with modeling and simulation of microsystems. It introduces a new methodology, which is supported by several examples. It should provide a useful starting point for both scientists and engineers seeking background information for efficient design of microsystems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 168 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book concerns two major topics, smart antenna systems and wireless local-area-networks (LANs). For smart antenna systems, it d- cusses the mechanics behind a smart antenna system, the setup of a smart antenna experimental testbed, and experimental and computer simulation results of various issues relating to smart antenna systems. For wireless LAN systems, it discusses the IEEE 802.11 worldwide wi- less LAN standard, the operation of a wireless LAN system, and some of the technical considerations that must be overcome by a wireless LAN system designer. These two topics are combined in the discussion of the Smart Wireless LAN (SWL) system, which was designed to achieve the benefits which smart antenna systems can provide for wireless LAN systems while still remaining compatible with the 802.11 wireless LAN standard. The design of SWL calls for the replacement of the conv- tional wireless LAN base station (which are called access points in the 802.11 documentation) with an SWL base station, while leaving the - dividual terminal operation as unchanged as possible.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 228 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -High-Frequency Characterization of Electronic Packaging will be of interest to researchers and designers of high-frequency electronic packaging. Understanding high-frequency behavior of packaging is of growing importance due to higher clock-speeds in computers and higher data transmission rates in broadband telecommunication systems. Basic knowledge of the high-frequency behavior of packaging and interconnects is, therefore, indispensable for the design of future telecommunication and computer systems.High-Frequency Characterization of Electronic Packaging gives the reader an insight into how high-frequency characterization of electronic packaging should be done and describes the problems that have to be tackled, especially in performing accurate measurements on modern IC-packages and in determination of circuit models.High-Frequency Characterization of Electronic Packaging is conceived as a comprehensive guide for the start of research and to help in performing high-frequency measurements. Important notions in high- frequency characterization such as S-parameters, calibration, probing, de-embedding and measurement-based modeling are explained. The described techniques are illustrated with several up-to-date examples.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 174 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Artificial neural networks have been recognized as a powerful tool to learn and reproduce systems in various fields of applications. Neural net works are inspired by the brain behavior and consist of one or several layers of neurons, or computing units, connected by links. Each artificial neuron receives an input value from the input layer or the neurons in the previ ous layer. Then it computes a scalar output from a linear combination of the received inputs using a given scalar function (the activation function), which is assumed the same for all neurons. One of the main properties of neural networks is their ability to learn from data. There are two types of learning: structural and parametric. Structural learning consists of learning the topology of the network, that is, the number of layers, the number of neurons in each layer, and what neurons are connected. This process is done by trial and error until a good fit to the data is obtained. Parametric learning consists of learning the weight values for a given topology of the network. Since the neural functions are given, this learning process is achieved by estimating the connection weights based on the given information. To this aim, an error function is minimized using several well known learning methods, such as the backpropagation algorithm. Unfortunately, for these methods: (a) The function resulting from the learning process has no physical or engineering interpretation. Thus, neural networks are seen as black boxes.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 326 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This volume is a collection of survey papers on recent developments in the fields of quasi-Monte Carlo methods and uniform random number generation. We will cover a broad spectrum of questions, from advanced metric number theory to pricing financial derivatives. The Monte Carlo method is one of the most important tools of system modeling. Deterministic algorithms, so-called uniform random number gen erators, are used to produce the input for the model systems on computers. Such generators are assessed by theoretical ('a priori') and by empirical tests. In the a priori analysis, we study figures of merit that measure the uniformity of certain high-dimensional 'random' point sets. The degree of uniformity is strongly related to the degree of correlations within the random numbers. The quasi-Monte Carlo approach aims at improving the rate of conver gence in the Monte Carlo method by number-theoretic techniques. It yields deterministic bounds for the approximation error. The main mathematical tool here are so-called low-discrepancy sequences. These 'quasi-random' points are produced by deterministic algorithms and should be as 'super' uniformly distributed as possible. Hence, both in uniform random number generation and in quasi-Monte Carlo methods, we study the uniformity of deterministically generated point sets in high dimensions. By a (common) abuse oflanguage, one speaks of random and quasi-random point sets. The central questions treated in this book are (i) how to generate, (ii) how to analyze, and (iii) how to apply such high-dimensional point sets.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 348 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Dynamic Neural Field Theory for Motion Perception provides a new theoretical framework that permits a systematic analysis of the dynamic properties of motion perception.This framework uses dynamic neural fields as a key mathematical concept. The author demonstrates how neural fields can be applied for the analysis of perceptual phenomena and its underlying neural processes. Also, similar principles form a basis for the design of computer vision systems as well as the design of artificially behaving systems. The book discusses in detail the application of this theoretical approach to motion perception and will be of great interest to researchers in vision science, psychophysics, and biological visual systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Many important reference works in Banach space theory have appeared since Banach's 'Théorie des Opérations Linéaires', the impetus for the development of much of the modern theory in this field. While these works are classical starting points for the graduate student wishing to do research in Banach space theory, they can be formidable reading for the student who has just completed a course in measure theory and integration that introduces the L_p spaces and would like to know more about Banach spaces in general. The purpose of this book is to bridge this gap and provide an introduction to the basic theory of Banach spaces and functional analysis. It prepares students for further study of both the classical works and current research. It is accessible to students who understand the basic properties of L_p spaces but have not had a course in functional analysis. The book is sprinkled liberally with examples, historical notes, and references to original sources. Over 450 exercises provide supplementary examples and counterexamples and give students practice in the use of the results developed in the text.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 624 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -A gentle introduction to the highly sophisticated world of discrete mathematics, Mathematical Problems and Proofs presents topics ranging from elementary definitions and theorems to advanced topics -- such as cardinal numbers, generating functions, properties of Fibonacci numbers, and Euclidean algorithm. This excellent primer illustrates more than 150 solutions and proofs, thoroughly explained in clear language. The generous historical references and anecdotes interspersed throughout the text create interesting intermissions that will fuel readers' eagerness to inquire further about the topics and some of our greatest mathematicians. The author guides readers through the process of solving enigmatic proofs and problems, and assists them in making the transition from problem solving to theorem proving.At once a requisite text and an enjoyable read, Mathematical Problems and Proofs is an excellent entrée to discrete mathematics for advanced students interested in mathematics, engineering, and science.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This volume contains a series of papers originally presented at the symposium on Water Soluble Polymers: Solution Properties and Applications, sponsored by the Division of Colloids and Surface Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. The symposium took place in Las Vegas City, Nevada on 9 to 11th September, 1997 at the 214th American Chemical Society National Meeting. Recognized experts in their - spective fields were invited to speak. There was a strong attendance from academia, g- ernment, and industrial research centers. The purpose of the symposium was to present and discuss recent developments in the solution properties of water soluble polymers and their applications in aqueous systems. Water soluble polymers find applications in a number of fields of which the following may be worth mentioning: cosmetics, detergent, oral care, industrial water treatment, g- thermal, wastewater treatment, water purification and reuse, pulp and paper production, sugar refining, and many more. Moreover, water soluble polymers play vital role in the oil industry, especially in enhanced oil recovery. Water soluble polymers are also used in ag- culture and controlled release pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, a fundamental kno- edge of solution properties of these polymers is essential for most industrial scientists. An understanding of the basic phenomena involved in the application of these polymers, such as adsorption and interaction with different substrates (i. e. , tooth enamel, hair, reverse - mosis membrane, heat exchanger surfaces, etc. ) is of vital importance in developing high performance formulations for achieving optimum efficiency of the system.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 280 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Microcantilevers for Atomic Force Microscope Data Storage describes a research collaboration between IBM Almaden and Stanford University in which a new mass data storage technology was evaluated. This technology is based on the use of heated cantilevers to form submicron indentations on a polycarbonate surface, and piezoresistive cantilevers to read those indentations.Microcantilevers for Atomic Force Microscope Data Storage describes how silicon micromachined cantilevers can be used for high-density topographic data storage on a simple substrate such as polycarbonate. The cantilevers can be made to incorporate resistive heaters (for thermal writing) or piezoresistive deflection sensors (for data readback).The primary audience for Microcantilevers for Atomic Force Microscope Data Storage is industrial and academic workers in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) area. It will also be of interest to researchers in the data storage industry who are investigating future storage technologies.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 174 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Memory Issues in Embedded Systems-On-Chip: Optimizations and Explorations is designed for different groups in the embedded systems-on-chip arena.First, it is designed for researchers and graduate students who wish to understand the research issues involved in memory system optimization and exploration for embedded systems-on-chip.Second, it is intended for designers of embedded systems who are migrating from a traditional micro-controllers centered, board-based design methodology to newer design methodologies using IP blocks for processor-core-based embedded systems-on-chip.Also, since Memory Issues in Embedded Systems-on-Chip: Optimization and Explorations illustrates a methodology for optimizing and exploring the memory configuration of embedded systems-on-chip, it is intended for managers and system designers who may be interested in the emerging capabilities of embedded systems-on-chip design methodologies for memory-intensive applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 210 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -BURTON G. MALKIEL Chemical Bank Chairman's Professor of Economics Princeton University Central bankers have often believed that they are the Rodney Dangerfields of public officials-they seldom receive respect from the public or from elected officials. Particularly in the days of high infla tion and substantial unemployment, they were held responsible for everything that ailed the world's economies. And monetarists often suggested that nations would be far better off if central bankers were replaced by robots who would do nothing more than ensure that the money supply was increased at a fixed percent each year. Our views have changed considerably over the past two decades. The main reason is that, thanks in substantial part to the efforts of central bankers, inflation has generally been contained. With the re duction in inflation and the recent relative stability of price levels in most developed nations, risk premiums have tended to decline sharply. Moreover, unemployment rates, at least in the Western Hemisphere, have decreased substantially. Finally, even many economists who con sider themselves monetarists now tend to be less certain of the stabil ity of the link between the money supply and economic activity. Thus, there is greater appreciation of the critical role of judgment in the conduct of monetary policy and a general belief that the judgments central bankers have made have generally been sound.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 270 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -CAD Management: The Definitive Guide to Systems Set-Up, Maintenance and Efficiency is designed as a useful handbook covering both management and technical issues. This is a book that no A/E firm should be without.CAD Management: The Definitive Guide to Systems Set-Up, Maintenance and Efficiency covers a wide range of topics pertaining to CAD, including: CAD software set-up CAD management CAD printing and plotting A brief guide to AutoCAD How CAD relates to the rest of the office CAD disaster handling Stress management in a CAD environmentThese topics are the basic ones which need to be covered for effective management of CAD resources. By examining all the ways CAD should be managed and all the related areas it affects, and how to improve efficiency, this book provides a complete guide to CAD management. CAD Management: The Definitive Guide to Systems Set-Up, Maintenance and Efficiency is designed to be a non-intimidating companion for CAD professionals and related staff.Distinctive features: thoroughly illustrated to demonstrate key conceptsdescribes a sample day in the life of a CAD managerfeatures CAD training and orientation programs for different office staffdemonstrates the ways CAD can be marketed and creates an understanding of how CAD connects back to all facets of A/E business.explains ways to reduce stress in the workplace.From the Foreword` . man develops modern technology, modern technology influences man. An architectural or engineering office supporting a CAD department is deeply influenced by this relatively new technology and cannot be successful in its use unless organizationally and individually ready to be influenced; just as modems and word processing have revolutionized verbal communication in the A/E environment, CAD is in the process of revolutionizing both small and large scale visual communication.May the reader of this useful book learn to make the best use of one of the most rewarding visual techniques developed to date.'Mario Salvadori (late), Hon. ASCE, Hon. AIA; Honorary Chairman of the Board, Weidlinger Associates Inc., Consulting Engineers; Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Columbia UniversitySpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 268 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a signal-processing method to extract independent sources given only observed data that are mixtures of the unknown sources. Recently, blind source separation by ICA has received considerable attention because of its potential signal-processing applications such as speech enhancement systems, telecommunications, medical signal-processing and several data mining issues.This book presents theories and applications of ICA and includes invaluable examples of several real-world applications. Based on theories in probabilistic models, information theory and artificial neural networks, several unsupervised learning algorithms are presented that can perform ICA. The seemingly different theories such as infomax, maximum likelihood estimation, negentropy maximization, nonlinear PCA, Bussgang algorithm and cumulant-based methods are reviewed and put in an information theoretic framework to unify several lines of ICA research. An algorithm is presented that is able to blindly separate mixed signals with sub- and super-Gaussian source distributions. The learning algorithms can be extended to filter systems, which allows the separation of voices recorded in a real environment (cocktail party problem).The ICA algorithm has been successfully applied to many biomedical signal-processing problems such as the analysis of electroencephalographic data and functional magnetic resonance imaging data. ICA applied to images results in independent image components that can be used as features in pattern classification problems such as visual lip-reading and face recognition systems. The ICA algorithm can furthermore be embedded in an expectation maximization framework for unsupervised classification.Independent Component Analysis: Theory and Applications is the first book to successfully address this fairly new and generally applicable method of blind source separation. It is essential reading for researchers and practitioners with an interest in ICA.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Oversampling techniques based on sigma-delta modulation are widely used to implement the analog/digital interfaces in CMOS VLSI technologies. This approach is relatively insensitive to imperfections in the manufacturing process and offers numerous advantages for the realization of high-resolution analog-to-digital (A/D) converters in the low-voltage environment that is increasingly demanded by advanced VLSI technologies and by portable electronic systems. In The Design of Low-Voltage, Low-Power Sigma-Delta Modulators, an analysis of power dissipation in sigma-delta modulators is presented, and a low-voltage implementation of a digital-audio performance A/D converter based on the results of this analysis is described.Although significant power savings can typically be achieved in digital circuits by reducing the power supply voltage, the power dissipation in analog circuits actually tends to increase with decreasing supply voltages. Oversampling architectures are a potentially power-efficient means of implementing high-resolution A/D converters because they reduce the number and complexity of the analog circuits in comparison with Nyquist-rate converters. In fact, it is shown that the power dissipation of a sigma-delta modulator can approach that of a single integrator with the resolution and bandwidth required for a given application. In this research the influence of various parameters on the power dissipation of the modulator has been evaluated and strategies for the design of a power-efficient implementation have been identified.The Design of Low-Voltage, Low-Power Sigma-Delta Modulators begins with an overview of A/D conversion, emphasizing sigma-delta modulators. It includes a detailed analysis of noise in sigma-delta modulators, analyzes power dissipation in integrator circuits, and addresses practical issues in the circuit design and testing of a high-resolution modulator.The Design of Low-Voltage, Low-Power Sigma-Delta Modulators will be of interest to practicing engineers and researchers in the areas of mixed-signal and analog integrated circuit design.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 210 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Many real-time systems rely on static scheduling algorithms. This includes cyclic scheduling, rate monotonic scheduling and fixed schedules created by off-line scheduling techniques such as dynamic programming, heuristic search, and simulated annealing. However, for many real-time systems, static scheduling algorithms are quite restrictive and inflexible. For example, highly automated agile manufacturing, command, control and communications, and distributed real-time multimedia applications all operate over long lifetimes and in highly non-deterministic environments. Dynamic real-time scheduling algorithms are more appropriate for these systems and are used in such systems. Many of these algorithms are based on earliest deadline first (EDF) policies. There exists a wealth of literature on EDF-based scheduling with many extensions to deal with sophisticated issues such as precedence constraints, resource requirements, system overload, multi-processors, and distributed systems.Deadline Scheduling for Real-Time Systems: EDF and Related Algorithms aims at collecting a significant body of knowledge on EDF scheduling for real-time systems, but it does not try to be all-inclusive (the literature is too extensive). The book primarily presents the algorithms and associated analysis, but guidelines, rules, and implementation considerations are also discussed, especially for the more complicated situations where mathematical analysis is difficult.In general, it is very difficult to codify and taxonomize scheduling knowledge because there are many performance metrics, task characteristics, and system configurations. Also, adding to the complexity is the fact that a variety of algorithms have been designed for different combinations of these considerations. In spite of the recent advances there are still gaps in the solution space and there is a need to integrate the available solutions. For example, a list of issues to consider includes: preemptive versus non-preemptive tasksuni-processors versus multi-processorsusing EDF at dispatch time versus EDF-based planningprecedence constraints among tasksresource constraintsperiodic versus aperiodic versus sporadic tasksscheduling during overloadfault tolerance requirements, andproviding guarantees and levels of guarantees (meeting quality of service requirements).Deadline Scheduling for Real-Time Systems: EDF and Related Algorithms should be of interest to researchers, real-time system designers, and instructors and students, either as a focussed course on deadline-based scheduling for real-time systems, or, more likely, as part of a more general course on real-time computing. The book serves as an invaluable reference in this fast-moving field.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 294 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -It is difficult to imagine modem technology without small particles, 1-1000 nm in size, because virtually every industry depends in some way on the use of such materials. Catalysts, printing inks, paper, dyes and pigments, many medicinal products, adsorbents, thickening agents, some adhesives, clays, and hundreds of other diverse products are based on or involve small particles in a very fundamental way. In some cases finely divided materials occur naturally or are merely a convenient form for using a material. In most cases small particles play a special role in technology because in effect they constitute a different state of matter because of the basic fact that the surface of a material is different from the interior by virtue of the unsaturated bonding interactions of the outermost layers of atoms at the surface of a solid. Whereas in a macroscale particle these differences are often insignificant, as the 9 surface area per unit mass becomes larger by a factor of as much as 10 , physical and chemical effects such as adsorption become so pronounced as to make the finely divided form of the bulk material into essentially a different material usually one that has no macroscale counterpart.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 556 pp. Englisch.