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Chance Rules : An informal guide to probability, risk and statistics
This second edition of Chance Rules again recounts the story of chance through history and the various ways it impacts on our lives. Here you can read about the earliest gamblers who thought that the fall of the dice was controlled by the gods, as well as the modern geneticist and quantum theory researcher trying to integrate aspects of probability into their chosen speciality. Example included in the first addition such as the infamous Monty Hall problem, tossing coins, coincidences, horse racing, birthdays and babies remain, often with an expanded discussion, in this edition. Additional material in the second edition includes, a probabilistic explanation of why things were better when you were younger, consideration of whether you can use probability to prove the existence of God, how long you may have to wait to win the lottery, some court room dramas, predicting the future, and how evolution scores over creationism. Chance Rules lets you learn about probability without complex mathematics.
Challenges for Computational Intelligence
Computational Intelligence (CI) is used as a name to cover many existing branches of science, with artificial neural networks, fuzzy systems and evolutionary computation forming its core. In recent years CI has been extended by adding many other subdisciplines and it became quite obvious that this new field also requires a series of challenging problems that will give it a sense of direction. Without setting up clear goals and yardsticks to measure progress on the way many research efforts are wasted.The book written by top experts in CI provides such clear directions and the much-needed focus on the most important and challenging research issues, showing a roadmap how to achieve ambitious goals.
Cell Separation : Fundamentals, Analytical and Preparative Methods
This special volume on cell separations discusses fundamental and applied aspects of the analytical and preparative cell-separation technologies. The aim is to enlighten the reader with the new developments in cell-separation technologies and at the same time provide sufficient knowledge with other existing and more commonly used techniques. The volume is comprised of contributions from subject experts from both academia and industry, focuses on the research and commercial aspects of cell-separation technology, and provides readers with broader choice. Unlike protein separation, the major challenge in cell separation has been the recovery of the cells in viable form after they are bound to the separation matrix, as cells bind more strongly through multipoint attachment. This is an important focus of the present work and one we believe will provide new insight to researchers in this field
Broadband Fixed Wireless Access : A System Perspective
Broadband Fixed Wireless Access provides a systematic overview of the emerging WiMax technology, and much of the material is based on the practical experiences of the authors in building broadband wireless systems. This material will be of significant interest to network architects and developers of broadband fixed wireless access products. With the adoption of the IEEE 802.16 standard and the advent of next generation equipment, the WiMax technology has been growing in interest. The authors discuss applications at microwave frequencies between 2 and 11 GHz that could be attractive options for operators without an existing access infrastructure for reaching end users with broadband services. This introductory volume demystifies the technology and provides technical exposure to the various system trade-offs. Additionally.
Bird species : How they arise, modify and vanish
The average person can name more bird species than they think, but do we really know what a bird “species” is? This open access book takes up several fascinating aspects of bird life to elucidate this basic concept in biology. From genetic and physiological basics to the phenomena of bird song and bird migration, it analyzes various interactions of birds – with their environment and other birds. Lastly, it shows imminent threats to birds in the Anthropocene, the era of global human impact.This book brings together various disciplines involved in observing bird species come into existence, modify, and vanish. It is a rich resource for bird enthusiasts who want to understand various processes at the cutting edge of current research in more detail. At the same time it offers students the opportunity to see primarily unconnected, but booming big-data approaches such as genomics and biogeography meet in a topic of broad interest. Lastly, the book enables conservationists to better understand the uncertainties surrounding “species” as entities of protection.
Beauty’s Appeal : Measure and Excess
Beauty fulfils human existence. As it registers in our aesthetic experience, beauty enhances nature’s enchantment around us and our inward experience lifting our soul toward moral elevation. Carried by creative imagination (Imaginatio Creatrix), beauty participates in the moulding of the forms of the intellective constitution of the mind in tandem with praxis and seeks deeper enigmas of the real in the labyrinth of the cosmos. Yet with the evolution of human development and in technological inventions, beauty, while suffusing all modalities of experience, seems to undergo transformations and expansion. Are there perduring norms and modalities of beauty or are we carried along blindly by human development? Is there a measure intrinsic to our human ontopoietic unfolding and the growth of human life that we may follow instead of the whim of fancy and excess? The present collection of art-explorations seeks the elemental ties of Human Condition. Together, the authors aim to answer the questions posed above.
Balkan Sprachbund Morpho-Syntactic Features
This book discusses the morpho-syntactic Balkan Sprachbund features in nine languages in which they are most numerous. It contains a wealth of Balkan linguistic material, collected from both the existing literature sources and from the author’s own field work.
Asymptotics for Dissipative Nonlinear Equations
Many of problems of the natural sciences lead to nonlinear partial differential equations. However, only a few of them have succeeded in being solved explicitly. Therefore different methods of qualitative analysis such as the asymptotic methods play a very important role. This is the first book in the world literature giving a systematic development of a general asymptotic theory for nonlinear partial differential equations with dissipation. Many typical well-known equations are considered as examples, such as: nonlinear heat equation, KdVB equation, nonlinear damped wave equation, Landau-Ginzburg equation, Sobolev type equations, systems of equations of Boussinesq, Navier-Stokes and others.
Astrobiology : Future perspectives
Astrobiology, a new exciting interdisciplinary research field, seeks to unravel the origin and evolution of life wherever it might exist in the Universe. The current view of the origin of life on Earth is that it is strongly connected to the origin and evolution of our planet and, indeed, of the Universe as a whole. We are fortunate to be living in an era where centuries of speculation about the two ancient and fundamental problems: the origin of life and its prevalence in the Universe are being replaced by experimental science. The subject of Astrobiology can be approached from many different perspectives. This book is focused on abiogenic organic matter from the viewpoint of astronomy and planetary science and considers its potential relevance to the origins of life on Earth and elsewhere. Guided by the review papers in this book, the concluding chapter aims to identify key questions to motivate future research and stimulate astrobiological applications of current and future research facilities and space missions. Today’s rich array of new spacecraft, telescopes and dedicated scientists promises a steady flow of discoveries and insights that will ultimately lead us to the answers we seek.
Assessment of the fate and effects of toxic agents on water resources
Like all limited and vulnerable resources, water has become one of the potential targets of terrorists. Coastal lagoons are especially vulnerable as they are densely populated centers of commerce and/or tourism. This volume addresses the basic scientific concepts that must be integrated by decisionmakers to minimize damages and optimize recovery operations in the aftermath of such an attack. Scientists from many disciplines including water resource management, hydrodynamics, aquatic ecology and social science combine their expertise in an effort to assess and model emergency scenarios for coastal lagoon systems. This case study uses existing numerical models such as-EFCD, WASP and AQUATOX are used to demonstrate how to optimize rapid response and decision-making
Artificial neural networks in Vehicular Pollution Modelling
Artificial neural networks (ANNs), which are parallel computational models, comprising of interconnected adaptive processing units (neurons) have the capability to predict accurately the dispersive behavior of vehicular pollutants under complex environmental conditions. This book aims at describing step-by-step procedure for formulation and development of ANN based VP models considering meteorological and traffic parameters. The model predictions are compared with existing line source deterministic/statistical based models to establish the efficacy of the ANN technique in explaining frequent dispersion complexities in urban areas. The book is very useful for hardcore professionals and researchers working in problems associated with urban air pollution management and control.
Approximation of Additive Convolution-Like Operators : Real C*-Algebra Approach
Various aspects of numerical analysis for equations arising in boundary integral equation methods have been the subject of several books published in the last 15 years [95, 102, 183, 196, 198]. Prominent examples include various classes of o- dimensional singular integral equations or equations related to single and double layer potentials. Usually, a mathematically rigorous foundation and error analysis for the approximate solution of such equations is by no means an easy task. One reason is the fact that boundary integral operators generally are neither integral operatorsof the formidentity plus compact operatornor identity plus an operator with a small norm. Consequently, existing standard theories for the numerical analysis of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind are not applicable. In the last 15 years it became clear that the Banach algebra technique is a powerful tool to analyze the stability problem for relevant approximation methods [102, 103, 183, 189]. The starting point for this approach is the observation that the ? stability problem is an invertibility problem in a certain BanachorC -algebra. As a rule, this algebra is very complicated – and one has to ?nd relevant subalgebras to use such tools as local principles and representation theory.
Applied Fuzzy Arithmetic : An Introduction with Engineering Applications
Applied Fuzzy Arithmetic provides a well-structured compendium that offers both a deeper knowledge about the theory of fuzzy arithmetic and an extensive view on its applications in the engineering sciences, making it a resource for students, researchers, and practical engineers. The first part of the book gives an introduction to the theory of fuzzy arithmetic, which aims to present the subject in a well-organized and comprehensible form. The derivation of fuzzy arithmetic from the original fuzzy set theory and its evolution towards a successful implementation is presented with existing formulations of fuzzy arithmetic included and integrated in the overall context. The second part of the book presents a diversified exposition of the application of fuzzy arithmetic, addressing different areas of the engineering sciences, such as mechanical, geotechnical, biomedical, and control engineering.
Animals in Our Midst : The Challenges of Co-existing with Animals in the Anthropocene
This book brings together authoritative voices in animal and environmental ethics, who address the many different facets of changing human-animal relationships in the Anthropocene. As we are living in complex times, the issue of how to establish meaningful relationships with other animals under Anthropocene conditions needs to be approached from a multitude of angles. This book offers the reader insight into the different discussions that exist around the topics of how we should understand animal agency, how we could take animal agency seriously in farms, urban areas and the wild, and what technologies are appropriate and morally desirable to use regarding animals. This book is of interest to both animal studies scholars and environmental ethics scholars, as well as to practitioners working with animals, such as wildlife managers, zookeepers, and conservation biologists.
Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that robs the minds of our elderly population. Approximately one in every eight adults over the age of 65 and nearly half of those over 85 are afflicted with this disease. The aging population in developed societies will impose an ever increasing socioeconomic threat in the future. Current medicines for AD patients are mainly symptomatic treatments and a huge unmet medical need exists to slow the progression of this disease. A great deal of research has been dedicated to understanding the pathogenesis of AD from which comes many ideas for intervening with its progression. Some of these ideas have been fast-tracked to clinical trials due to the availability of medicines with proven clinical efficacies for other diseases (e.g. atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosiglitazone and clioquinol) while others represent novel chemical entities (e.g. glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibitors).
Algorithms in Real Algebraic Geometry
The algorithmic problems of real algebraic geometry such as real root counting, deciding the existence of solutions of systems of polynomial equations and inequalities, finding global maxima or deciding whether two points belong in the same connected component of a semi-algebraic set appear frequently in many areas of science and engineering. In this first-ever graduate textbook on the algorithmic aspects of real algebraic geometry, the main ideas and techniques presented form a coherent and rich body of knowledge, linked to many areas of mathematics and computing.
Agent-Based Modeling Meets Gaming Simulation
Provides a good example of the diverse scope and standard of research achieved in simulation and gaming today. The theme of the special session at ISAGA2003 was Agent-Based Modeling Meets Gaming Simulation. Nowadays, agent-based simulation is becoming very popular for modeling and solving complex social phenomena. It is also used to arrive at practical solutions to social problems. At the same time, however, the validity of simulation does not exist in the magni?cence of the model. R. Axelrod stresses the simplicity of the agent-based simulation model through the “Keep it simple, stupid” (KISS) principle: As an ideal, simple modeling is essential.
Advances in verification of time Petri Nets and timed automata : A temporal logic approach
This monograph presents a comprehensive introduction to timed automata (TA) and time Petri nets (TPNs) which belong to the most widely used models of real-time systems. Some of the existing methods of translating time Petri nets to timed automata are presented, with a focus on the translations that correspond to the semantics of time Petri nets, associating clocks with various components of the nets. "Advances in Verification of Time Petri Nets and Timed Automata – A Temporal Logic Approach" introduces timed and untimed temporal specification languages and gives model abstraction methods based on state class approaches for TPNs and on partition refinement for TA. Moreover, the monograph presents a recent progress in the development of two model checking methods, based on either exploiting abstract state spaces or on application of SAT-based symbolic techniques.
Advances in Human-Robot Interaction
The book addresses key issues of human-robot interaction concerned with perception, modelling, control, planning and cognition, covering a wide spectrum of applications. This includes interaction and communication with robots in manufacturing environments and the collaboration and co-existence with assistive robots in domestic environments. Among the presented examples are a robotic bartender, a new programming paradigm for a cleaning robot, or an approach to interactive teaching of a robot assistant in manufacturing environment. This carefully edited book reports on contributions from leading German academic institutions and industrial companies brought together within MORPHA, a 4 year project on interaction and communication between humans and anthropomorphic robot assistants
Accessing and Sharing the Benefits of the Genomics Revolution
This edited volume explores the legal, economic and political context for the debate about intellectual property rights for traditional knowledge and genetic resources and critically analyses the theory and practice of access and benefits sharing efforts around the world. The book also investigates the current flashpoints—the David and Goliath battle between Monsanto and Percy Schmeiser over farmers’ rights; the dispute over coexistence of GM and organic production; and the ownership and control of human genetic materials stored in human gene banks around the world.
