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Chance : The life of games and the game of life
With its many easy-to-follow mathematical examples, this book takes the reader on an almost chronological trip through the fascinating and amazing laws of chance, omnipresent in the natural world and in our daily lives. Along the route many fascinating topics are discussed, such as: challenging probability paradoxes; "paranormal" coincidences; game odds; causes and effects; interpretation of opinion polls; winning chances as a game proceeds; the nature of randomness; entropy and randomness; randomness in life; algorithmic complexity and the undecidability of randomness; possibilities and limitations of learning the laws of a Universe immersed in chance events. This charming book will inform and entertain the scientist and non-scientist alike.
Bioinformatics Using Computational Intelligence Paradigms
Bioinformatics as well as Computational Intelligence are undoubtedly remarkably fast growing fields of research and real-world applications with enormous potential for current and future developments. "Bioinformatics using Computational Intelligence Paradigms" contains recent theoretical approaches and guiding applications of biologically inspired information processing systems(Computational Intelligence) against the background of bioinformatics. This carefully edited monograph combines the latest results of Bioinformatics and Computational Intelligence and offers a promising cross-fertilisation and interdisciplinary work between these growing fields.
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.
Attitudes, beliefs, motivation and identity in mathematics education : An overview of the field and future directions
Records the state of the art in research on mathematics-related affect. It discusses the concepts and theories of mathematics-related affect along the lines of three dimensions. The first dimension identifies three broad categories of affect: motivation, emotions, and beliefs. The book contains one chapter on motivation, including discussions on how emotions and beliefs relate to motivation. There are two chapters that focus on beliefs and a chapter on attitude which cross-cuts through all these categories. The second dimension covers a rapidly fluctuating state to a more stable trait. All chapters in the book focus on trait-type affect and the chapter on motivation discusses both these dimensions. The third dimension regards the three main levels of theorizing: physiological (embodied), psychological (individual) and social. All chapters reflect that mathematics-related affect has mainly been studied using psychological
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.
An Introduction to Infinite-Dimensional Analysis
In this revised and extended version of his course notes from a 1-year course at Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, the author provides an introduction – for an audience knowing basic functional analysis and measure theory but not necessarily probability theory – to analysis in a separable Hilbert space of infinite dimension.Starting from the definition of Gaussian measures in Hilbert spaces, concepts such as the Cameron-Martin formula, Brownian motion and Wiener integral are introduced in a simple way. These concepts are then used to illustrate some basic stochastic dynamical systems (including dissipative nonlinearities) and Markov semi-groups, paying special attention to their long-time behavior: ergodicity, invariant measure. Here fundamental results like the theorems of Prokhorov, Von Neumann, Krylov-Bogoliubov and Khas'minski are proved. The last chapter is devoted to gradient systems and their asymptotic behavior.
An Introduction to Ethics in Robotics and AI
This book provides an introduction into the ethics of robots and artificial intelligence. The book was written with university students, policy makers, and professionals in mind but should be accessible for most adults. The book is meant to provide balanced and, at times, conflicting viewpoints as to the benefits and deficits of AI through the lens of ethics. As discussed in the chapters that follow, ethical questions are often not cut and dry. Nations, communities, and individuals may have unique and important perspectives on these topics that should be heard and considered. While the voices that compose this book are our own, we have attempted to represent the views of the broader AI, robotics, and ethics communities.
An Energy Analysis of Household Consumption : Changing Patterns of Direct and Indirect Use in India
The book presents a novel socio-economic approach to analysing the - ergy system and energy consumption in India from a household persp- tive. In doing so, it views households as the ultimate end-consumers and estimates and analyses the direct and indirect energy requirements of household consumption, both at an aggregate national level as well as at a disaggregate household level. In addition, the work incorporates two c- cial aspects often ignored by many energy studies that are characteristic of most developing countries, namely the importance of non-commercial sources of biomass energy in the energy systems of these countries, and the enormous diversity and inequity in the patterns of energy access and use across households with different lifestyles and levels of well being.
Altering nature ; Vol.2 : Religion, Biotechnology, and Public Policy
The two volumes of Altering Nature consider the complex ways that concepts of 'nature' and 'the natural' are understood and the relevance of those understandings to discussions of biotechnology.Volume Two, Religion, Biotechnology, and Public Policy, reviews recent religious and ethical analyses of four specific areas of biotechnology: assisted reproduction, genetic therapy and enhancement, human-machine incorporation, and biodiversity. It identifies and explores the richer normative themes that inform particular debates and suggests ways that policy choices in biotechnology may be illuminated by devoting greater attention to religious perspectives.
Algebraic Groups and Lie Groups with Few Factors
Algebraic groups are treated in this volume from a group theoretical point of view and the obtained results are compared with the analogous issues in the theory of Lie groups. The main body of the text is devoted to a classification of algebraic groups and Lie groups having only few subgroups or few factor groups of different type. In particular, the diversity of the nature of algebraic groups over fields of positive characteristic and over fields of characteristic zero is emphasized. This is revealed by the plethora of three-dimensional unipotent algebraic groups over a perfect field of positive characteristic, as well as, by many concrete examples which cover an area systematically. In the final section, algebraic groups and Lie groups having many closed normal subgroups are determined.
Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XVII
This volume contains the papers and posters presented at the 27 NATO/CCMS International Technical Meeting on Air Pollution Modeling and Its Application held in Banff, Canada, 24-29 October 2004. The key topics at this ITM included: Role of Atmospheric Models in Air Pollution Policy and Abatement Strategies; Integrated Regional Modeling; Effects of Climate Change on Air Quality; Aerosols as Atmospheric Contaminants; New Developments; and Model Assessment and Verification. 104 participants from North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia attended th the 27 ITM.
Advancing Quality of Life in a Turbulent World
Environmental issues continued to loom large in the last decade of the twentieth century,especially environmental problems related to rising levels of CO emissions and 2 other greenhouse gases on the planet’s average temperatures and, subsequently, storm patterns. Floods and droughts, in combination with unseasonably high and low temperatures became the norm rather than the exception for large expanses of Africa,Asia and Oceania. Even large areas of Europe and NorthAmerica were s- jected to recurrent floods and droughts and experienced unseasonable extremes of hot and cold temperatures associated with man-made intrusions into the natural environment. And, still, a global plan of action to haltman-related patterns of def- estation, desertification, and over-fishing of the seas has yet to come into being. At the same time, the number of regional conflicts and civil wars increased and, with them, the lives of many women, children, old people and other n- combatants were lost in these conflicts.
Advances in the Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide : International Approaches to Reduce Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As is now generally accepted mankind’s burning of fossil fuels has resulted in the mass transfer of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, a modification of the delicately-balanced global carbon cycle, and a measurable change in world-wide temperatures and climate. Although not the most powerful greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO) drives climate 2 change due to the enormous volumes of this gas pumped into the atmosphere every day. Produced in almost equal parts by the transportation, industrial and energy-generating sectors, atmospheric CO concentrations have 2 increased by about 50% over the last 300 years, and according to some sources are predicted to increase by up to 200% over pre-industrial levels during the next 100 years. If we are to reverse this trend, in order to prevent significant environmental change in the future, action must be taken immediately.
Advances in Distribution Theory, Order Statistics, and Inference
Barry Arnold has made fundamental contributions to many different areas of statistics, including distribution theory, Bayesian inference, multivariate analysis, bounds and orderings, and characterization problems. Organized to honor Arnold’s significant contributions to the field, this volume is an outgrowth of the "International Conference on Distribution Theory, Order Statistics, and Inference," held at the University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.Several distinguished and active researchers highlight some of the recent developments in statistical distribution theory, order statistics and their properties, as well as inferential methods associated with them. Applications to survival analysis, reliability, quality control, and environmental problems are emphasized.
Advanced Linear Algebra
The first part of the book contains a careful but rapid discussion of the basics of linear algebra, including vector spaces, linear transformations, quotient spaces, and isomorphism theorems. The author then proceeds to modules, emphasizing a comparison with vector spaces. A thorough discussion of inner product spaces, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and finite dimensional spectral theory follows, culminating in the finite dimensional spectral theorem for normal operators. The second part of the book is a collection of topics, including metric vector spaces, metric spaces, Hilbert spaces, tensor products, and affine geometry. The last chapter discusses the umbral calculus, an area of modern algebra with many important applications.
Advanced Air and Noise Pollution Control ; Vol.2
Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Volume 2, leading pollution control educators and practicing professionals describe how various combinations of different cutting-edge process systems can be arranged to solve air, noise, and thermal pollution problems. Each chapter discusses in detail a variety of process combinations, along with technical and economic evaluations, and presents explanations of the principles behind the designs, as well as numerous variant designs useful to practicing engineers. The emphasis throughout is on developing the necessary engineering solutions from fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The authors also include extensive references, cost data, design methods, guidance on the installation and operation of various air pollution control process equipment and systems, and Best Available Technologies (BAT) for air, thermal, and noise pollution control. A companion volume, Air Pollution Control Engineering: Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Volume 1 critically surveys the principles and practices involved in basic air pollution control processes.
Adaptive Techniques for Mixed Signal System on Chip
Adaptive Techniques for Mixed Signal Sytem on Chip discusses the concept of adaptation in the context of analog and mixed signal design along with different adaptive architectures used to control any system parameter. The first part of the book gives an overview of the different elements that are normally used in adaptive designs including tunable elements as well as voltage, current, and time references with an emphasis on the circuit design of specific blocks such as voltage-controlled transconductors, offset comparators, and a novel technique for accurate implementation of on chip resistors. While the first part of the book addresses adaptive techniques at the circuit and block levels, the second part discusses adaptive equalization architectures employed to minimize the impact of ISI (Intersymbol Interference) on the quality of received data in high-speed wire line transceivers. It presents the implementation of a 125Mbps transceiver operating over a variable length of Category 5 (CAT-5) Ethernet cable as an example of adaptive equalizers.
A History of Parametric Statistical Inference from Bernoulli to Fischer, 1713-1935
This is a history of parametric statistical inference, written by one of the most important historians of statistics of the 20th century, Anders Hald. This book can be viewed as a follow-up to his two most recent books, although this current text is much more streamlined and contains new analysis of many ideas and developments. And unlike his other books, which were encyclopedic by nature, this book can be used for a course on the topic, the only prerequisites being a basic course in probability and statistics.
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.
