A Brief History of Computing
This text provides a comprehensive introduction to the key topics in the history of computing, in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It covers the significant areas and events in the field.
A Biomass Future for the North American Great Plains : Toward Sustainable Land Use and Mitigation of Greenhouse Warming
The Great Plains of North America is a major global breadbasket but its agriculture is stressed by drought, heat spells, damaging winds, soil erosion and declining ground water resources. This book explores the possibility that the ecology and economy of the Plains region (and similar regions) would benefit from the introduction of perennial biomass crops. Biomass production and processing on the Plains (possibly aided by genetic engineering) would partially restore a perennial vegetative cover and create new employment opportunities. Biomass also offers a means of reducing fossil fuel use, providing fuel to local power plants and a feedstock for production of cellulosic ethanol, a gasoline substitute. Interest in biofuels is growing rapidly in public, political and business circles with rising fossil fuel prices and because of a growing recognition of the need for energy independence in petroleum importing countries.
A Benchmark Approach to Quantitative Finance
The general framework is used to provide an understanding of the nature of stochastic volatility. The book is intended for a wide audience that includes quantitative analysts, postgraduate students and practitioners in finance, economics and insurance. It aims to be a self-contained, accessible but mathematically rigorous introduction to quantitative finance for readers that have a reasonable mathematical or quantitative background. Finally, the book should stimulate interest in the benchmark approach by describing some of its power and wide applicability.
A beginner's guide to urban design and development : the ABC of quality, sustainable design
Provides invaluable guidance to all those with an interest in placemaking and the built environment, from those with no experience to those who have worked for many years in industry, illustrating key principles that will secure higher quality, more sustainable design in accessible, jargon-free language. Explains the design process in a straightforward way, exploring the different roles and highlighting the opportunities and limitations different agencies have to influence design over the various stages of the process. Examples from the UK and worldwide look at how the system operates and how best practice can make a real difference on the ground. Case studies examine situations where quality or sustainability fell short – and how this could have been avoided. This book also showcases a variety of evaluation tools, explaining how they operate, and giving guidance on how to create project-specific tools to drive schemes forward. With community empowerment at its core, the book explains technical language and shares bountiful knowledge to broaden place democracy and make influencing design accessible to many, not just a few.
A Beginner's Guide to Sketching Buildings & Landscapes : Perspective and Proportions for Drawing Architecture, Gardens and More! (With over 500 illustrations)
Provides dozens of examples showing you how to establish accurate perspective guidelines and proportions for your initial pencil sketches, setting your drawings up to succeed right from the start. If a sketch's perspective and proportions are correct, your finished work will look crisp and beautiful. If not, you'll have a frustrating time trying to correct the problems at a later stage--and the finished work will never look quite right. A Beginner's Guide to Sketching Buildings & Landscapes is here to help you avoid those frustrations and set up your composition for a finished piece that will make you proud. The detailed step-by-step lessons in this indispensable guide teach you how to: Establish a composition's point of view correctly / Locate the horizon line, dividing land and sky / Break down complicated scenes into simple component shapes / Create the right relationship between foreground and background / Express 3D imagery using 2-point and 3-point perspective
A basic guide to international business law
Gives students an understanding as well as practical knowledge of legal problems arising in the area of international business, and to equip them with the skills needed to prevent and tackle these problems. All chapters employ the same didactic structure. Introductory case studies, examples, annotated case law, glossaries, diagrams, summaries and exercises are all designed to familiarize students quickly with relevant aspects of international (business) law.
A Basic Course on Probability Theory
Develops the necessary background in probability theory underlying diverse treatments of stochastic processes and their wide-ranging applications. Theorems from analysis and measure theory used in the main text are provided in comprehensive appendices, along with their proofs, for ease of reference.
7th Asian-Pacific Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering : APCMBE 2008 22–25 April 2008 Beijing, China
Presents the proceedings of the 7th Asian-Pacific Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering (APCMBE 2008). Themed "Biomedical Engineering – Promoting Sustainable Development of Modern Medicine" the proceedings address a broad spectrum of topics from Bioengineering and Biomedicine.
70 Years of Levothyroxine
Presents the history, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of levothyroxine, discussing its role in the thyroid pathophysiology of patients of various ages and during pregnancy. It also describes the influence of levothyroxine on heart, bone and in cancer. When it was first synthesized in 1949, levothyroxine represented a significant advance in the treatment of hypothyroidism, providing a safe and effective treatment option for millions of hypothyroid patients around the globe. This synthetic form of thyroxine is now one of the most prescribed drugs in the world. Levothyroxine was first introduced by Merck KGaA,Darmstadt, Germany, in 1972, and since then the company has remained actively engaged in research on this mainstay of hypothyroidism treatment.
6G Mobile Wireless Networks
Specifically, this book covers the following topics: 6G Use Cases, Requirements, Metrics and Enabling Technologies, PHY Technologies for 6G Wireless, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface for 6G Wireless Networks, Millimeter-wave and Terahertz Spectrum for 6G Wireless, Challenges in Transport Layer for Tbit/s Communications, High-capacity Backhaul Connectivity for 6G Wireless, Cloud Native Approach for 6G Wireless Networks, Machine Type Communications in 6G, Edge Intelligence and Pervasive AI in 6G, Blockchain: Foundations and Role in 6G, Role of Open-source Platforms in 6G, and Quantum Computing and 6G Wireless.
501 Math Word Problems
Contains only word problems - the kinds you encounter at school and on high stakes tests. Gaining familiarity with this specific question type is a proven technique for increasing test scores. The Skill Builder in Focus method provides the targeted practice on these questions necessary to attain higher scores. Questions are divided into six chapters: algebra, geometry, fractions, percents, decimals, and miscellaneous math. Within each chapter, questions move from easy to advanced, giving test-takers the opportunity to gain confidence in each math area. Each chapter contains questions, answers, and detailed explanations to reinforce learning and understanding. Diagrams and useful terminology help clarify math rules for effective studying and retention.
50 Years of EU Economic Dynamics : Integration, Financial Markets and Innovations
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the European Union experts present their analyses of historical developments and new economic challenges for the EU. After a reflection on historical dynamics, the contributors point out the dramatic economic shifts between Europe, Asia and the US. Representatives from major central banks (including the ECB), other leading banks, and academia analyze the dynamics of the Eurozone and financial market integration in the context of globalization and economic growth. Furthermore, the authors discuss the challenges of information and communication technologies by means of various country analyses. Moreover, the Schumpeterian prospects for Europe and the Lisbon Agenda, the long-term challenges of EU pension reforms, emission trading systems in the EU, and options for a new EU constitution are highlighted. At the bottom line of this EU analysis are major implications for investors, managers, policy-makers and the public at large in both the EU and the global economy.
50 Years of Artificial Intelligence : Essays Dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of Artificial Intelligence
This Festschrift volume, published in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Artificial Intelligence, includes 34 refereed papers written by leading researchers in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The papers were carefully selected from the invited lectures given at the 50th Anniversary Summit of AI, held at the Centro Stefano Franscini, Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland, July 9-14, 2006. The summit provided a venue for discussions on a broad range of topics.
4th Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Biomedical Engineering 2008 ; BIOMED 2008 25–28 June 2008 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The topics covered in the conference proceedings include: Artificial organs, bioengineering education, bionanotechnology, biosignal processing, bioinformatics, biomaterials, biomechanics, biomedical imaging, biomedical instrumentation, bioMEMS, clinical engineering, prosthetics.
40 Puzzles and Problems in Probability and Mathematical Statistics
"40 Puzzles and Problems in Probability and Mathematical Statistics" is intended to teach the reader to think probabilistically by solving challenging, non-standard probability problems. The motivation for this clearly written collection lies in the belief that challenging problems help to develop, and to sharpen, our probabilistic intuition much better than plain-style deductions from abstract concepts. The selected problems fall into two broad categories. Problems related to probability theory come first, followed by problems related to the application of probability to the field of mathematical statistics. All problems seek to convey a non-standard aspect or an approach which is not immediately obvious.
3rd Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Biomedical Engineering 2006 ; Biomed 2006, 11-14 December 2006, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Biomedical Engineering (Biomed 2006) was held from 11 to 14 December 2006 at the Palace of the Golden Horses, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This international conference was jointly organised by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Malaya, Malaysia; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Inje University, Korea; and Malaysian Society of Medical and Biological Engineering. The papers presented at Biomed 2006 cover the following areas: artificial intelligence, biological effects of non-ionising electromagnetic fields, biomaterials, biomechanics, biomedical sensors, biomedical signal analysis, biotechnology, clinical engineering, human performance engineering, imaging, medical informatics, medical instruments and devices, physiological modelling, simulation, and control, prostheses and artificial organs, regulations and organisations, rehabilitation engineering, telemedicine, tissue engineering, and virtual reality in medicine.
3D-Position Tracking and Control for All-Terrain Robots
Rough terrain robotics is a fast evolving field of research and a lot of effort is deployed towards enabling a greater level of autonomy for outdoor vehicles. This book demonstrates how the accuracy of 3D position tracking can be improved by considering rover locomotion in rough terrain as a holistic problem. In this work, a mechanical structure allowing smooth motion across obstacles with limited wheel slip is used. In particular, it enables the use of odometry and inertial sensors to improve the position estimation in rough terrain. A method for computing 3D motion increments based on the wheel encoders and chassis state sensors is developed. The algorithm runs online and can be adapted to any kind of passive wheeled rover. Finally, sensor fusion using 3D-Odometry, inertial sensors and visual motion estimation based on stereovision is presented. The experimental results demonstrate how each sensor contributes to increase the accuracy and robustness of the 3D position estimation.
3D-groundwater modeling with PMWIN : A simulation system for modeling groundwater flow and transport processes
Along with a companion full-version software (PMWIN), this text offers an integrated simulation system. PMWIN comes with a professional graphical user-interface, supported models and programs and several other useful modeling tools. The graphical user-interface allows one to create and simulate models.
3-D Structural Geology : A Practical Guide to Quantitative Surface and Subsurface Map Interpretation
This book provides an overview of techniques for constructing structural interpretations in 2-D, 2½-D and 3-D environments; for interpolating - tween and extrapolating beyond the control points; and for validating the final int- pretation. The underlying philosophy is that structures are three-dimensional solid bodies and that data from throughout the structure, whether in 2-D or 3-D format, should be integrated into an internally consistent 3-D interpretation. It is assumed that most users of this book will do their work on a computer. C- sequently, the book provides quantitative structural methods and techniques that are designed for use with spreadsheets, mapping software, and three-dimensional c- puter-graphics programs. The book is also intended to provide the background for understanding what interpretive software, for example, a computer contouring p- gram, does automatically. Most techniques are presented in both a traditional format appropriate for paper, pencil, and a pocket calculator, and in quantitative format for use with spreadsheets and computer-graphics or computer-aided-design programs.
3-D Shape Estimation and Image Restoration : Exploiting Defocus and Motion-Blur
Images contain information about the spatial properties of the scene they depict. When coupled with suitable assumptions, images can be used to infer three-dimensional information. This useful volume concentrates on motion blur and defocus, which can be exploited to infer the 3-D structure of a scene—as well as its radiance properties—and which in turn can be used to generate novel images with better quality. 3-D Shape Estimation and Image Restoration presents a coherent framework for the analysis and design of algorithms to estimate 3-D shape from defocused and motion blurred images, and to eliminate defocus and motion blur to yield "restored" images. It provides a collection of algorithms that are optimal with respect to the chosen model and estimation criterion.



















