Open Quantum Systems II : The Markovian Approach
These books present in a self-contained way the mathematical theories involved in the modeling of such phenomena. They describe physically relevant models, develop their mathematical analysis and derive their physical implications. Volume II is dedicated to the Markovian formalism of classical and quantum open systems. A complete exposition of noise theory, Markov processes and stochastic differential equations, both in the classical and the quantum context, is provided. These mathematical tools are put into perspective with physical motivations and applications.
Open and Distance Education in Australia, Europe and the Americas : National Perspectives in a Digital Age
This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US. It discusses how open and distance education is evolving in a digital age to reflect the needs and circumstances of national higher education systems in these countries, and explores the similarities and differences between the ways in which they are organized and structured. It is the first book to make such comparisons and draw conclusions about the nature of open and distance education in the context of various national higher education systems. In a digital era with growing use of online education as well as open and distance education.
Open and distance education in Asia, Africa and the Middle East : National perspectives in a digital age
This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: China, India, Russia, Turkey, South Africa and South Korea. It describes how open and distance education is evolving in a digital age to reflect the needs and circumstances of the national higher education systems in these countries. It also explores the similarities and differences between how their open and distance higher education systems are managed and structured. The book compare and draw conclusions about the nature of open and distance education in the context of various national higher education systems. In a digital era characterized by the growing use of online, open and distance education, this book will prove particularly valuable for policy-makers and senior administrators who want to learn about establishing or expanding open and distance education services. In addition, it offers a valuable reference guide for researchers, academics and students interested in understanding the different approaches to open and distance education.
Online Marketing
Provides a clear and practice-oriented overview of the basics of online marketing. Short learning units, clear didactic modules and the accompanying learning control ensure a sustainable transfer of knowledge. It is thus aimed at all those who deal with questions of online marketing in the context of their education and training (also as a minor subject) as well as their professional practice.
On the move to meaningful internet systems 2007 : OTM 2007 Workshops ; OTM Confederated International Workshops and Posters, AWeSOMe, CAMS, OTM Academy Doctoral Consortium, MONET, OnToContent, ORM, PerSys, PPN, RDDS, SSWS, and SWWS 2007, Vilamoura, Portugal, November 25-30, 2007,
it is clear that there is an acute and increasing need to address and discuss in an integrated forum the implied software and system issues as well as methodological, semantical, theoretical and application issues. As we all know, e-mail, the Internet, and even video conferences are not sufficient for effective and efficient scientific exchange. This is why the OnTheMove (OTM) Federated Conferences series has been created to cover the increasingly wide yet closely connected range of fundamental technologies such as data and Web Semantics.
On the move to meaningful internet systems 2007 : OTM 2007 Workshops ; OTM Confederated International Workshops and Posters, AWeSOMe, CAMS, OTM Academy Doctoral Consortium, MONET, On To Content, ORM, PerSys, PPN, RDDS, SSWS, and SWWS 2007, Vilamoura, Portugal, November 25-30, 2007, Proceedings, Part II
This two-volume set LNCS 4805/4806 constitutes the refereed proceedings of 10 international workshops and papers of the OTM Academy Doctoral Consortium held as part of OTM 2007 in Vilamoura, Portugal, in November 2007. The first volume begins with 23 additional revised short or poster papers of the OTM 2007 main conferences.
On the move to meaningful internet systems 2005 : OTM 2005 Workshops ; OTM Confederated International Workshops and Posters, AWeSOMe, CAMS, GADA. MIOS+INTEROP, ORM, PhDS, SeBGIS. SWWS. and WOSE 2005, Agia Napa, Cyprus, October 31 - November 4, 2005, Proceedings
This book constitutes the joint refereed proceedings of nine international workshops held as part of OTM 2005 in Agia Napa, Cyprus in October/November 2005.The 145 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 268 submissions. Topics addressed are agents, Web services and ontologies merging (AWeSOMe 2005), context-aware mobile systems (CAMS 2005), grid computing and its application to data analysis (GADA 2005), inter-organizational systems and interoperability of enterprise software and applications (MIOS+INTEROP 2005), object-role modeling (ORM 2005), a PHD symposium (PhDS 2005), semantic-based geographical information systems (SeBGIS 2005), Web semantics (SWWS 2005), and ontologies, semantics and e-learning (WOSE 2005)
On the move to meaningful internet systems : OTM 2008 Workshops ; OTM Confederated International Workshops and Posters, ADI, AWeSoMe, COMBEK, EI2N, IWSSA, MONET, OnToContent + QSI, ORM, PerSys, RDDS, SEMELS, and SWWS 2008, Monterrey, Mexico, November 9-14, 2008. Proceedings
This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of 13 international workshops held as part of OTM 2008 in Monterrey, Mexico, in November 2008.The 106 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 171 submissions to the workshops. The volume starts with 19 additional revised poster papers of the OTM 2008 main conferences CoopIS and ODBASE. Topics of the workshop papers are ambient data integration (ADI 2008), agents and web services merging in distributed environment (AWeSoMe 2008), community-based evolution of knowledge-intensive systems (COMBEK 2008), enterprise integration, interoperability and networking (EI2N 2008), system/software architectures .
Official Statistics 4.0 : Verified Facts for People in the 21st Century
Explores official statistics and their social function in modern societies. Digitisation and globalisation are creating completely new opportunities and risks, a context in which facts (can) play an enormously important part if they are produced with a quality that makes them credible and purpose-specific. In order for this to actually happen, official statistics must continue to actively pursue the modernisation of their working methods.
Oceans and Health: Pathogens in the Marine Environment
The importance of combating infectious diseases has received international attention, p- viding the opportunity for a multidisciplinary approach that combines medicine with other scientist candtechnological capabilities,notably information technology,nanotechnology,and biotechnology. In fact, it has been predicted that the future will bring a merging of these te- nologies with the cognitive and behavioral sciences.. The connection between infectious diseases and the oceans provides a paradigm for this perspective. A stark global context indisputably frames all human health issues in the twenty century: the world wide movement of people and goods. Throughout the past half century, international travel has skyrocketed; there are more than 500 million international arrivals per year. The greatest increase has taken place since the mid-1990s. The world has become integrated and global; consequently, the notion that it is possible to successfully eradicate a disease from the face of the planet has become simplistic. Infectious disease is a moving target and climate shifts will affect any disease that has an environmentally sensitive stage or vector.
Object-Based Image Analysis : Spatial Concepts for Knowledge-Driven Remote Sensing Applications
This book discusses means, technologies and approaches related to the processing and analysis of multi-sensor, multi-resolution data with a focus on the generation, modelling and classification of objects. The applications also address the integration of Geographic Information and the concurrent developments of GIScience and vanquish limitations of pixelwise image processing by exploiting image information context-driven and "intelligently".
Nutrition in Kidney Disease
The field of kidney disease has evolved over the years to encompass a broad and sophisticated knowledge base. There has been a proliferation of scientific information and technical advances in the field. In Nutrition in Kidney Disease, the authors provide a comprehensive perspective of the emerging science in nutrition in kidney disease. This important book is written by a collaborative group of distinguished dietitians and physicians in the specialized field of kidney disease and clinical nutrition, who have devoted their careers to the care of patients with kidney disease. At the end of key chapters, case studies assess knowledge of the subject within the context of didactic curriculums.
Nutraceuticals and obesity strategies for weight management
his comprehensive volume explores the role that nutraceuticals can play in addressing obesity, shedding light on their potential as tools to promote sustainable weight management strategies as well as addressing associated health risks. Delving into the intricate interplay between nutrition, health, and obesity, the book provides a compelling account that illustrates how nutraceutical interventions can be incorporated into holistic obesity management strategies. It begins with an account of the mechanisms by which nutraceuticals function before featuring chapters on their efficacy and safety, how they can be integrated with other therapeutic interventions, and how they can be tailored for individuals with comorbidities. Offering a global perspective on the issue, there is also coverage of the various regulatory contexts in which nutraceuticals are sold and used.
Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations on Parallel Computers
The scientific fields of Ma- ematics and Physics provide a powerful vehicle for such descriptions in terms of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). Formulated as such equations, physical laws can become subject to computational and analytical studies. In the computational setting, the equations can be discreti ed for ef?cient solution on a computer, leading to valuable tools for simulation of natural and man-made processes. Numerical so- tion of PDE-based mathematical models has been an important research topic over centuries, and will remain so for centuries to come. In the context of computer-based simulations, the quality of the computed results is directly connected to the model’s complexity and the number of data points used for the computations. Therefore, computational scientists tend to ?ll even the largest and most powerful computers they can get access to, either by increasing the si e of the data sets, or by introducing new model terms that make the simulations more realistic, or a combination of both. Today, many important simulation problems can not be solved by one single computer, but calls for parallel computing.
Numerical partial differential equations for environmental scientists and engineers : A first practical course
This book concerns the practical solution of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). It reflects an interdisciplinary approach to problems occurring in natural environmental media: the hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and ionosphere. It assumes the reader has gained some intuitive knowledge of PDE solution properties and now wants to solve some for real, in the context of practical problems arising in real situations. The practical aspect of this book is the infused focus on computation. It presents two major discretization methods - Finite Difference and Finite Element. The blend of theory, analysis, and implementation practicality supports solving and understanding complicated problems. It is divided into three parts. Part I is an overview of Finite Difference Methods. Part II focuses on Finite Element Methods, including an FEM tutorial. Part III deals with Inverse Methods, introducing formal approaches to practical problems which are ill-posed.
Northeast Asia : Ripe for Integration?
Can regional mechanisms better institutionalize the increasing complexity of economic and security ties among the countries in Northeast Asia? As the international state system undergoes dramatic changes in both security and economic relations in the wake of the end of the Cold War, the Asian financial crisis, and the attack of 9/11, this question is now at the forefront of the minds of both academics and policymakers. Still, little research has been done to integrate the analysis of security and economic analysis of changes in the region within a broader context that will give us theoretically-informed policy insights. Against this backdrop, this book investigates the origins and evolution of Northeast Asia's new institutional architecture in trade, finance, and security from both a theoretical and empirical perspective.
Nordic consumer culture : State, market and consumers
Unpacking the complexities of Nordic consumer culture, this edited collection responds to the growing interest in regionalism within consumer research and marketing. By taking a closer look at the interaction between the state and the market in Nordic countries, The authors examine how consumer behaviour is impacted by the region’s unique context. Important elements of Nordic culture are explored, Such as its underlying element of mythology and the concept of ‘hygge,’ an object of global consumption.
Non-Native Language Teachers : Perceptions, Challenges and Contributions to the Profession
Now that non-natives are increasingly found teaching languages, and particularly English, both in ESL and EFL contexts, the identification of their specific contributions and their main strengths has become more relevant than ever.As a result, there has recently been a surge of interest in the role of non-native teachers but little empirical research has been published so far. This volume is particularly rich in providing different approaches to the study of non-native teachers: NNS teachers as seen by students, teachers, graduate supervisors, and by themselves. It also contributes little explored perspectives, like classroom discourse analysis, or a social-psychological framework to discuss conceptions of NNS teachers.
Nonlinear and Optimal Control Theory : Lectures given at the C.I.M.E. Summer School held in Cetraro, Italy June 19–29, 2004
The lectures gathered in this volume present some of the different aspects of Mathematical Control Theory. Adopting the point of view of Geometric Control Theory and of Nonlinear Control Theory, the lectures focus on some aspects of the Optimization and Control of nonlinear, not necessarily smooth, dynamical systems. Specifically, three of the five lectures discuss respectively: logic-based switching control, sliding mode control and the input to the state stability paradigm for the control and stability of nonlinear systems. The remaining two lectures are devoted to Optimal Control: one investigates the connections between Optimal Control Theory, Dynamical Systems and Differential Geometry, while the second presents a very general version, in a non-smooth context, of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle.
Non-Formal Education : Flexible Schooling or Participatory Education?
This is the first full study of non-formal education on an international scale since the 1980s. The book describes the emergence of the concept in the context of development and educational reform. It traces the debate about non-formal education from its origins in 1968 to the mid 1980s, and looks at the issues that this debate raised. It then describes a number of programmes in different parts of the world which call themselves ‘non-formal’, pointing out the wide range of different views about what is and what is not non-formal. Rogers asks whether we should drop the term altogether or try to reconceptualise it in terms of flexible schooling or participatory education.



















