Lectures in Astrobiology ; Vol. II
Based on material delivered at several summer schools, this book is the first comprehensive textbook at the graduate level encompassing all aspects associated with the emerging field of astrobiology. Volume II gathers another set of extensive lectures covering topics so diverse as the formation and the distribution of elements in the Universe, the concept of habitability from both the planetologists' and the biologists' point of view and artificial life. The contributions are held together by the common goal to understand better the origin of life, its evolution and possible existence outside the Earth's realm.
Learning from clusters : A critical assessment from an economic-geographical perspective
Edited volumes run the danger of being a hotchpotch of contributions on a wide variety of topics. Here, we have explicitly focused on a central theme in contemporary economic geography and regional science, namely the relationship between learning, innovation and clustering. Internationally renowned scientists made both theoretical and empirical contributions to this volume. We think this book constitutes a broad palette of contemporary thinking and research on the relationship between spatial concentration and innovation and hope it will play a significant role in future debates on this issue.
Learning Design : A Handbook on Modelling and Delivering Networked Education and Training
Put together contributions from members of the "Valkenburg Group", consisting of 33 experts deeply involved in e-learning and more specifically learning design. The result is a rich and lasting source of information for both e-learning course and tool developers, providing information about the specification itself, how to implement it in practice, what tools to use, and what pitfalls to avoid. The book not only reports first experiences, but also goes beyond the current state of the art by looking at future prospects and emerging applications.
Learning Classifier Systems ; 10th International Workshop, IWLCS 2006, Seattle, MA, USA, July 8, 2006 and 11th International Workshop, IWLCS 2007, London, UK, July 8, 2007, Revised Selected Papers
Constitutes the thoroughly refereed joint post-conference proceedings of two consecutive International Workshops on Learning Classifier Systems that took place in Seattle, WA, USA in July 2006, and in London, UK, in July 2007 - all hosted by the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, GECCO.The 14 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from the workshop contributions. The papers are organized in topical sections on knowledge representation, analysis of the system, mechanisms, new directions, as well as applications.
Learning About Particles - 50 Privileged Years
Embedded in an autobiographic framework, this book retraces vividly and in some depth the golden years of particle physics as witnessed by one of the scientists who made seminal contributions to the understanding of what is now known as the Standard Model of particle physics. Well beyond a survey of interest to historians of sciences and researchers in the field, this book is a must for all students and young researchers who have learned about the theoretical and experimental facts that make up the standard model through modern textbooks only. It will provide the interested reader with a first hand account and deeper understanding of the multilayered and sinuous development that finally led to the present architecture of this theory.
Leadership and Business Ethics ; 1st ed.
Seeks to contribute to a more adequate coalescence of ethics and business with innovative models for such coalescence, for the mutual benefit of business ethicists, professors teaching in the undergraduate and MBA classroom, corporate executives, and businesspeople. While each of the contributions in this collection is distinct, each invites us to examine our own mind sets about corporate responsibility and the future of free enterprise as Western multinational corporations expand into a global economy. This collection of essays helps to refocus our conceptual work about commerce and business practices in this new century of global enterprise.
Lead Markets for Environmental Innovations
Often, the leadership in technological development is accompanied by a leadership in environmental policy. The book provides an analysis of lead markets for innovations such as fuel cells, photovoltaics, and others. Contributions of innovation economics, policy analysis and environmental economics are assessed regarding their potential to explain the leadership of single countries. The book depicts the policy frameworks that are favourable to the creation of such lead markets on the basis of theoretical considerations and case studies. Finally, recommendations for R and D policies, environmental and industrial policies are derived.
Latinas/os in the United States : Changing the Face of América
This book also addresses important theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of Latinas/os and presents in-depth analyses (both quantitative and qualitative) of substantive issues relevant to this population, including migration, demographic patterns and processes, education, health, citizenship, political participation, religion, gender and sex roles, literary and cultural production, and the media. The authors seek to educate and increase awareness of the diversity that exists among the Latina/o population, and to carefully examine the social, economic, demographic, cultural, and political impacts and contributions that this growing population has had in the United States. The edited volume presents a holistic and multidisciplinary perspective of this group, and it critically documents how Latinas and Latinos have changed and will continue to change the face of América.
Lateral Alignment of Epitaxial Quantum Dots
Accurate positioning of self-organized nanostructures on a substrate surface can be regarded as the Achilles’ heel of nanotechnology. This perception also applies to self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots. This book describes the full range of possible strategies to laterally align self-assembled quantum dots on a substrate surface, starting from pure self-ordering mechanisms and culminating with forced alignment by lithographic positioning. The text addresses both short- and long-range ordering phenomena and paves the way for the future high integration of single quantum dot devices on a single chip. Contributions by the best-known experts in this field ensure that all relevant quantum-dot heterostructures are elucidated from diverse relevant perspectives.
Large-Scale Scientific Computing ; 6th International Conference, LSSC 2007, Sozopol, Bulgaria, June 5-9, 2007. Revised Papers
The 6th International Conference on Large-Scale Scienti?c Computations (LSSC 2007) was held in Sozopol, Bulgaria, June 5–9, 2007. The conference was organized by the Institute for Parallel Processing at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Ma- ematics). Partial support was also provided from project BIS-21++ funded by the European Commission in FP6 INCO via grant 016639/2005. The conference was devoted to the 60th anniversary of Richard E. Professor Ewing is internati- ally well known with his contributions in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, and large-scale scientific computations.
Large-Scale Knowledge Resources. Construction and Application ; 3rd International Conference on Large-Scale Knowledge Resources, LKR 2008, Tokyo, Japan, March 3-5, 2008. Proceedings
At the start of the 21st century,we are now well on the way to wards aknowled- intensive society, in which knowledge plays ever more important roles. Thus, research interest should inevitably shift from information to knowledge, with the problems of building, organizing, maintaining and utilizing knowledge - coming centralissues in a wide varietyof felds. The 21stCentury COE program “Framework for Systematization and Application of Large-scale Knowledge - sources (COE-LKR)” conducted by the Tokyo Institute of Technology is one of several early attempts worldwide to address these important issues. Inspired by this project, LKR2008 aimed at bringing together diverse contributions in cognitive science, computer science, education and linguistics to explore design, construction, extension, maintenance, validation and application of knowledge.
Landslides from Massive Rock Slope Failure
Amongst the thematic topics discussed are global frequency, impacts on society, analysis of initial rock slope failure, monitoring of rock slope movement, analysis and modeling of post-failure behaviour, volcanic landslides, and influences of massive rock slope failure on the geomorphological evolution of mountain regions. Regional contributions include reports on rockslides and rock avalanches in Norway, western Canada, the Andes of Argentina, the Karakoram Himalaya, the European Alps, the Appennines, and the mountains of Central Asia.
Landslides : Risk Analysis and Sustainable Disaster Management
Based on contributions to the first General Assembly of the International Consortium on Landslides, this reference and status report emphasizes the mechanisms of different types of landslides, landslide risk analysis, and sustainable disaster management. It comprises the achievements of the ICL over the past three years, since the Kyoto assembly. It consists of three parts: research results of the International Programme on Landslides (IPL); contributions on landslide risk analysis; and articles on sustainable disaster management. The contributions reflect a wide range of topics and concerns, randing from field studies, identification of objects of cultural heritage at landslide risk, as well as landslide countermeasures.
La lombalgie en 2007 : Aspects pratiques = Low back pain in 2007 : Practical aspects
Low back pain is one of the main reasons for consultation, whether in general or specialized medicine. It poses a real public health problem. This "back pain", which can despair patients and doctors by its sometimes rebellious character, explains the multiplicity of examinations sometimes practiced and the treatments implemented. This work is a collection of the most recent developments in terms of physiopathological knowledge of disc involvement, clinical examination and the place of surgery and in particular disc prostheses. An update concerns the indications and contributions of additional examinations; some formidable diagnostic traps are mentioned. Medical treatments such as infiltrations, manipulations, the benefit of restraints and the provision of acupuncture are being developed. Also discussed are the latest scientific data on isokinetic evaluation and retraining, as well as the role of sports activity as a factor in the prevention or aggravation of low back pain. Finally, the medico-legal aspect is dealt with in the context of work accidents, and the assessment after trauma. This book is the result of the collaboration and experience of undisputed specialists in this field.
L’osservazione delle stelle variabili = The observation of variable stars
The observation of variable stars is one of the main contributions that amateur astronomers can offer to science and this book provides all the information necessary to pursue it profitably. In the first part the different classes of variables are presented in detail, with examples, light curves and physical descriptions. The second section, on the other hand, covers all the practical aspects of observation: from preparation and planning, to observation techniques, up to the management and processing of data.
Knowledge-Based Virtual Education : User-Centred Paradigms
The book covers a multitude of important issues on the subject of "Innovations in Knowledge-Based Virtual Education ", aiming at researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and government. The carefully selected contributions report on research, development and real-world experiences of virtual education.
Knowledge Management and Management Learning : Extending the Horizons of Knowledge-Based Management
The book begins with an extended introduction and theoretical framework. Contributing authors have written chapters that add to both the framework and the practical consequences of knowledge management. These chapters suggest many lessons learned that will find considerable use in practice. Some of these chapters include an investigation of the "do’s and don’ts" virtual learning based on real-life cases, the use of design teams for group learning, the role of language and the creation of common ground between company and client, culture as a dynamic and non-linear constructed concept, innovation and knowledge management and more. The book offers an exceptional range of contributions within a developing paradigm. Within this context, the book illustrates why and how of knowledge management is important for companies.
Knowledge for Governance
Focuses on theoretical and empirical intersections between governance, knowledge and space from an interdisciplinary perspective. The contributions elucidate how knowledge is a prerequisite as well as a driver of governance efficacy, and conversely, how governance affects the creation and use of knowledge and innovation in geographical context.
Knowledge and Reality : Essays in Honor of Alvin Plantinga
Comprises essays presented to Alvin Plantinga on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Plantinga is one of the leading figures in Anglo-American metaphysics, epistemology and philosophy of religion; his work in these areas has been the focus of wide scholarly attention. This collection of essays, all of which were written specifically for this volume in honor of Plantinga’s 70th birthday, ranges broadly over topics in metaphysics and epistemology and includes contributions by some of the best philosophers writing today. The volume will be of particular interest to metaphysicians, epistemologists, philosophers of religion and theologians as it includes important recent work by some of the leading thinkers in these fields.
Knowledge and Information Visualization : Searching for Synergies
The basic ideas underlying knowledge visualization and information vi- alization are outlined. In a short preview of the contributions of this volume, the idea behind each approach and its contribution to the goals of the book are outlined. 2 The Basic Concepts of the Book Three basic concepts are the focus of this book: "data", "information", and "kno- edge". There have been numerous attempts to define the terms "data", "information", and "knowledge", among them, the OTEC Homepage "Data, Information, Kno- edge, and Wisdom" (Bellinger, Castro, & Mills, see http://www.syste- thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm): Data are raw. They are symbols or isolated and non-interpreted facts. Data rep- sent a fact or statement of event without any relation to other data. Data simply exists and has no significance beyond its existence (in and of itself). It can exist in any form, usable or not. It does not have meaning of itself.



















