الصفحة 2
الصفحة 2
Improving Healthcare : A Dose of Competition
Improving Healthcare: A Dose of Competition systematically examines the American health care system from a competition-oriented perspective. The volume surveys the performance of each major sector of the health care system, and identifies impediments to more effective competition. Improving Healthcare examines such issues as competition v. regulation, public and private sector approaches to health care financing, cross-subsidies, licensure, provider market concentration, financial and clinical integration, payment for performance, quality, pharmacy benefit managers, direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals, certificates of need, mandates, unionization, the significance of organizational status (nonprofit v. for-profit), and the role of antitrust and consumer protection in health care. It offers concrete recommendations to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the American health care marketplace.
Ifo Survey Data in Business Cycle and Monetary Policy Analysis
The business surveys of the Ifo Institute (short for Information and Forschung) are internationally renowned. Every month close to 7,000 enterprises are questioned on their short-term planning and their appraisals of the actual and future business situation. The confidence indicator frequently referred to as the Ifo Business Climate Index is derived from the responses to this Ifo Business Survey. While the Index attracts a lot of attention by practitioners (especially financial market analysts), the use and empirical exploitation of this and other components of Ifo business surveys is – amongst academics – still relatively scarce. The present volume, based on a conference entitled "The Academic Use of Ifo Survey Data", gives examples of timely research questions which can be addressed by qualitative survey data like the monthly Ifo Business Survey. It shows that this type of real-time data can be very informative when it comes to forecasting real economic activity or exploring monetary policy transmission.
How Data Quality Affects our Understanding of the Earnings Distribution
This book demonstrates how data quality issues affect all surveys and proposes methods that can be utilised to deal with the observable components of survey error in a statistically sound manner. This book begins by profiling the post-Apartheid period in South Africa's history when the sampling frame and survey methodology for household surveys was undergoing periodic changes due to the changing geopolitical landscape in the country. This book profiles how different components of error had disproportionate magnitudes in different survey years, including coverage error, sampling error, nonresponse error, measurement error, processing error and adjustment error.
Horizons of Combinatorics
Hungarian mathematics has always been known for discrete mathematics, including combinatorial number theory, set theory and recently random structures, combinatorial geometry as well. The recent volume contains high level surveys on these topics with authors mostly being invited speakers for the conference "Horizons of Combinatorics" held in Balatonalmadi, Hungary in 2006. The collection gives a very good overview of recent trends and results in a large part of combinatorics and related topics, and offers an interesting reading for experienced specialists as well as to young researchers and students.
Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Europe : Results from Graduates Surveys from Twelve Countries
The book indicates a noteworthy variety among economically advanced countries in the competences fostered by Higher Education and the emphasis placed either on laying a broad basis of knowledge or direct preparation for professional tasks. While universities in some countries are strongly involved in ensuring a rapid transition from study to employment, in other countries a long period after graduation is widespread for the search of a suitable career. Graduates from some countries appreciate their study experiences though they criticize a weak preparation for their subsequent assignments, while others less satisfied with higher education in their retrospective view note a satisfying preparation for the world of work. Study often turns out useful to lead to challenging tasks even though remuneration and status remain below expectations.
High-Energy-Density Physics : Fundamentals, Inertial Fusion, and Experimental Astrophysics
The raw numbers of high-energy-density physics are amazing: shock waves at hundreds of km/s (approaching a million km per hour), temperatures of millions of degrees, and pressures that exceed 100 million atmospheres. This book introduces the reader to the fundamental tools and discoveries of high-energy-density physics. It surveys the production of high-energy-density conditions, the fundamental plasma and hydrodynamic models that can describe them and the problem of scaling from the laboratory to the cosmos. Connections to astrophysics are discussed throughout. The book is intended to support coursework in high-energy-density physics, to meet the needs of new researchers in this field, and also to serve as a useful reference on the fundamentals. Specifically the book has been designed to enable academics in physics, astrophysics, applied physics and engineering departments to provide in a single-course introduction to fluid mechanics and radiative transfer, with dramatic applications in the field of high-energy-density systems.
Hemodynamical Flows : Modeling, Analysis and Simulation
This book surveys research results on the physical and mathematical modeling, as well as the numerical simulation of complex fluid and structural mechanical processes occurring in the human blood circulation system. Topics treated include continuum mechanical description; choice of suitable liquid and wall models; mathematical analysis of coupled models; numerical methods for flow simulation; parameter identification and model calibration; fluid-solid interaction; mathematical analysis of piping systems; particle transport in channels and pipes; artificial boundary conditions, and many more.
Handbook on Optimal Growth 1 : Discrete Time
The Handbook on Optimal Growth provides surveys of significant results of the theory of optimal growth, as well as the techniques of dynamic optimization theory on which they are based. Armed with the results and methods of this theory, a researcher will be in an advantageous position to apply these versatile methods of analysis to new issues in the area of dynamic economics.
Handbook on Information Technology in Finance
This Handbook contains surveys of state-of-the-art concepts, systems, applications, best practices as well as contemporary research in the intersection between IT and finance. Included are recent trends and challenges, IT systems and architectures in finance, essential developments and case studies on management information systems, service oriented architecture modelling, IT architectures for securities trading, IT-systems in banking, process-oriented systems in corporate treasuries, grid computing and networking. The IT applications in banking, trading and insurance cover risk management and controlling, financial portals, electronic payment and others. In addition, also finance-related IT applications in non-financial companies are considered. The concept-oriented part of the book focuses on IT methods in finance like financial models and modelling financial data, planning and processes, security, algorithms and complexity.
Handbook on Architectures of Information Systems
This book is the first volume of a running series under the title Inter- tional Handbooks on Information Systems. The series is edited by Peter Bernus, Jacek Blazewicz, Günter Schmidt and Mike Shaw. One objective is to give state of the art surveys on selected topics of information systems theory and applications. To this end, a distinguished international group of academics and practitioners are invited to provide a reference source not only for problem solvers in business, industry, and government but also for professional researchers and graduate students.
Handbook of public finance
The Handbook of Public Finance provides a definitive source, reference, and text for the field of public finance. In 18 chapters it surveys the state of the art - the tradition and breadth of the field but also its current status and recent developments. The Handbook's intellectual foundation and orientation is truly multidisciplinary. Throughout its examination of the standard material of public finance, it explores the connections between that material and such neighboring fields as political science, sociology, law, and public administration.
Handbook of Life Course Health Development
Synthesizes and analyzes the growing knowledge base on life course health development (LCHD) from the prenatal period through emerging adulthood, with implications for clinical practice and public health. It presents LCHD as an innovative field with a sound theoretical framework for understanding wellness and disease from a lifespan perspective, replacing previous medical, biopsychosocial, and early genomic models of health. Interdisciplinary chapters discuss major health concerns (diabetes, obesity), important less-studied conditions (hearing, kidney health), and large-scale issues (nutrition, adversity) from a lifespan viewpoint. In addition, chapters address methodological approaches and challenges by analyzing existing measures, studies, and surveys. The book concludes with the editors’ research agenda that proposes priorities for future LCHD research and its application to health care practice and health policy.
Handbook of consumer finance research
Debt consolidation…pension givebacks…Social Security under siege…bankruptcies and foreclosures…Americans’ financial lives are fraught with issues, challenges, and potential threats, in record numbers. The Handbook of Consumer Finance Research surveys the social aspects of consumer behavior, offering latest data and original research on current consumer needs as well as identifying emerging areas of research. This accessible volume (which can be read without advanced training in the field) starts with current concepts of risk tolerance, consumer socialization, and financial well-being, and moves on to salient data on specific settings and populations
Groups of Galaxies in the Nearby Universe ; Proceedings of the ESO Workshop held at Santiago de Chile, December 5 - 9, 2005
In the cosmological context, groups trace large-scale structures better than clusters, and the evolution of groups and clusters appears to be related. All these aspects of research on groups of galaxies are summarized in this book.
Global Aspects of Complex Geometry
This collection of surveys present an overview of recent developments in Complex Geometry. Topics range from curve and surface theory through special varieties in higher dimensions, moduli theory, Kähler geometry, and group actions to Hodge theory and characteristic p-geometry.
Geological atlas of Africa : With notes on stratigraphy, tectonics, economic geology, geohazards, geosites and geoscientific education of each country
T is atlas is intended primarily for anybody who is in-some background for the arrangement of how the terested in basic geology of Africa. Its originality lies atlas was done. T e second chapter is devoted to the in the fact that the regional geology of each African history of geological mapping in Africa, necessary nation or territory is reviewed country-wise by maps for a fuller appreciation of why this work in Africa is and text, a view normally not presented in textbooks worth doing. Chapter 3 provides an executive s- of regional geology. It is my belief, that there has long mary on the stratigraphy and tectonics of Africa as a been a need in universities and geological surveys, whole, i. e. in the context of no political boundaries.
Genders in the Life Course : Demographic Issues
Treats the topic of gender and demographic behaviour during the life course in a comprehensive fashion. It covers a lot of ground, from the age at first intercourse over union formation and dissolution, fertility, migration, ageing, to excess male mortality, comparing genders behaviour and its determinants. It reports new findings of empirical research, mostly based on data from a number of European countries, making a good use of the Family and Fertility surveys and other international data base.
Galaxy Formation
This second edition of Galaxy Formation is an up-to-date text on astrophysical cosmology, expounding the structure of the classical cosmological models from a contemporary viewpoint. This forms the background to a detailed study of the origin of structure and galaxies in the Universe. The derivations of many of the most important results are derived by simple physical arguments which illuminate the results of more advanced treatments. A very wide range of observational data is brought to bear upon these problems, including the most recent results from WMAP, the Hubble Space Telescope, galaxy surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, studies of Type 1a supernovae, and many other observations.
Galaxies in the Local Vol.
Studies of Nearby Galaxies are currently the focus of many observations and numerical simulations. This book presents an overview of the galaxies within the Local Volume (D < 10 Mpc), including the Local Group (D < 1 Mpc) and our closest neighbours, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. Presented are the latest results from radio, infrared and optical surveys as well as detailed multi-wavelength studies of individual galaxies. Accurate distances are now available for the majority of Local Volume galaxies providing a true 3-dimensional view of their distribution and flow pattern as well as their star formation.
Fuzzy Logic : A Spectrum of Theoretical & Practical Issues
This book exclusively surveys the active on-going research of the current maturity of fuzzy logic over the last four decades. Many world leaders of fuzzy logic have enthusiastically contributed their best research results into five theoretical, philosophical and fundamental sub areas and nine distinctive applications, including two PhD dissertations from two world class universities dealing with cutting-edge research areas of bioinformatics and geological science. Beyond the scope of survey and collection of the book, one important spin off is the emerging and recognition of a major scientific paradigm shift from the conventional mathematics to the mathematics of uncertainty, which arguably holds the key to solving very difficult and complex problems in biological and social sciences alike. The book, loaded with historical perspective, creative thinking, critical reviewing, and uniquely constructed strategy for future growth of this dynamic research area, is an invaluable resource for active researchers at all levels, university administrators, foundation directors, funding agency program chiefs, research & development planners and technological assessors.
