Search results for ""Scientific Publishing""

Satyendra Nath Bose became a legendary figure of science in the 20th century in India with his revolutionary discovery on the nature of radiation. Despite the association with Einstein, however, little is known about him outside of India. This book highlights the remarkable intellect and the extraordinary personality of Bose set against the backdrop of a rich Bengali cultural tradition and British-Indian politics. Unlike other books covering the significance of Bose's discovery, this book describes his diverse scientific contributions to India's scientific community by bringing together selected articles and addresses by Bose as well as contributions from some well-known scientists on the many-faceted life of Bose, thus making it a truly unique volume.

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Edited by prominent obstetricians in KK Women's and Children's Hospital, the largest maternity hospital in Singapore with about 12,000 babies delivered each year, this book provides a comprehensive and informative look at pregnancy and childcare. It covers topics ranging from pre-pregnancy care, pregnancy care, and actual delivery to baby care. It also addresses common questions like, “What are the pre-pregnancy vaccinations that I need?”, “Is it safe to dye, re-bond or perm my hair when I am pregnant?”, and “Are Chinese herbs and TCM safe for pregnancy?” Written by a diverse team of contributors, this easy-to-read book (replete with illustrations) is highly recommended for the lay person and busy career mums-to-be who are preparing for the arrival of their newborns.

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This is a comprehensive introduction to Landau-Lifshitz equations and Landau-Lifshitz-Maxwell equations, beginning with the work by Yulin Zhou and Boling Guo in the early 1980s and including most of the work done by this Chinese group led by Zhou and Guo since. The book focuses on aspects such as the existence of weak solutions in multi dimensions, existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions in one dimension, relations with harmonic map heat flows, partial regularity and long time behaviors.The book is a valuable reference book for those who are interested in partial differential equations, geometric analysis and mathematical physics. It may also be used as an advanced textbook by graduate students in these fields.

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In the 1990s, Japanese companies experienced a deflationary recession called the “lost ten years”. To survive the recession, they looked for solutions in the kaikaku (innovative reforms) of business management, organizations and technology, whilst struggling to regain their global competitiveness. Successful companies all had one thing in common — they applied a new project management paradigm which this book refers to as Kaikaku Project Management (KPM).This book provides a comprehensive look at the features of KPM, including its emphasis on creativity and teamwork, its broader “open value system” as opposed to a “closed technical system”, its close links with corporate strategy and human resource development, and the support infrastructure needed for advancing KPM. Chapters cover both the theory and practice of KPM, citing cases of information and communications technology (ICT) and pharmaceutical companies, among others. KPM holds special relevance today as global competition is increasingly reducing the lifecycle of organizations. Managers will find in KPM not only a way to survive the shake-up, but also a framework of value creation for the next generation.

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The science of complex materials continues to engage researchers from a vast range of disciplines, including physics, mathematics, computational science, and virtually all domains of engineering.This volume presents a unique multidisciplinary panorama of the current research in complex materials. The contributions explore an array of problems reflecting recent developments in four main areas: characterization and modeling of disordered packings, micromechanics and continuum theory; discrete element method; statistical mechanics. The common theme is the quest to unravel the connection between the microscopic and macroscopic properties of complex materials.

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This book reviews the status of a very exciting field — neutrino oscillations — at a very important time. The fact that neutrinos have mass has only been proved in the last few years and the acceptance of that fact has opened up a whole new area of study to understand the fundamental parameters of the mixing matrix.The book summarizes the results from all the experiments which have played a role in the measurement of neutrino oscillations and briefly describes the scope of some new planned experiments. Contributions include a theoretical introduction by Stephen Parke from FNAL, as well as articles from all the major experimental groups who have been pivotal in uncovering the nature of the neutrino mass.

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This unique book extends mechatronics to spatially distributed systems. Issues regarding remote measurements and indirect monitoring and control of distributed systems is presented in the general framework of the recently developed ill-posed inverse problems. The book starts with an overview of the main results in the inverse problem theory and continues with the presentation of basic results in discrete inverse theory. The second part presents various forward and inverse problems resulting from modeling, monitoring and controlling mechanical, acoustic, fluid and thermal systems. Finally, indirect and remote monitoring and control issues are analyzed as cases of ill-posed inverse problems. Numerous numerical examples illustrate current approaches used for solving practical inverse problems.

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This is a companion to the book Introduction to Graph Theory (World Scientific, 2006). The student who has worked on the problems will find the solutions presented useful as a check and also as a model for rigorous mathematical writing. For ease of reference, each chapter recaps some of the important concepts and/or formulae from the earlier book.

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Newer Edition Available: Group Theory for Physicists (2nd Edition)This textbook explains the fundamental concepts and techniques of group theory by making use of language familiar to physicists. Application methods to physics are emphasized. New materials drawn from the teaching and research experience of the author are included. This book can be used by graduate students and young researchers in physics, especially theoretical physics. It is also suitable for some graduate students in theoretical chemistry.

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A project on “Biomechanics at Micro- and Nanoscale Levels”, the title of this book, was approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan in 2003; and this four-year project is now being carried out by fourteen prominent Japanese researchers.At the 5th World Congress of Biomechanics held in Munich, Germany, from 29th July to 4th August, 2006, we organized the following sessions: Thread 3: Biomechanics at micro- and nanoscale levels — (1) cell mechanics; (2) molecular biomechanics; (3) mechanobiology at micro- and nanoscale levels; and (4) computational biomechanics. The present proceedings volume covers topics related to these sessions, and follows on from where the previous two volumes left off. This book is essential reading for those interested in understanding current trends of research in the area of biomechanics at micro- and nanoscale levels.

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This accessible book for beginners uses intuitive geometric concepts to create abstract algebraic theory with a special emphasis on geometric characterizations. The book applies known results to describe various geometries and their invariants, and presents problems concerned with linear algebra, such as in real and complex analysis, differential equations, differentiable manifolds, differential geometry, Markov chains and transformation groups. The clear and inductive approach makes this book unique among existing books on linear algebra both in presentation and in content.

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This book explores the potential and problems of bank safety and efficiency arising from the rapidly growing area of cross-border banking in the form of branches or subsidiaries with primarily only national prudential regulation. There are likely to be differences in the treatment of the same bank operating in different countries or of different banks from different home countries operating in the same country with respect to deposit insurance provisions, declaration of insolvency, resolution of insolvencies, and lender of last resort protection. The book identifies these protection problems and discusses possible solutions, such as greater cross-border cooperation, harmonization and organizations.The contributors to this book include experts from different countries and from a wide range of affiliations, including academia, regulators, practitioners, and international organizations.

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This is a fascinating and popular account of the very large and the very small, from the universe as a whole to subatomic physics. It includes qualitative explanations of quantum mechanics and relativity, the big bang with inflation, the synthesis of elements, atoms, nuclei, subnuclear physics, quarks, leptons, and other elementary particles. It also gives an account of dark matter and dark energy. In summary, it provides and overview of what we know about the universe and what it is made of, and also what we don't know.

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Whereas other fields continue to become more complex and specialized, physiology happily remains an area that can still be understood by thinking from first principles. However, given the increasing quantity of information available today, it is easy to become overly concerned with details and give in to the temptation to memorize rather than understand. In this concise book, the authors convey their enthusiasm for physiology and convincingly persuade the reader that with a sound understanding of principles, details often fall effortlessly into place. It is by no means an attempt to produce another comprehensive textbook. Instead, a broad overview of the subject is presented, covering areas that are not given the attention they deserve in other texts whilst purposely omitting those aspects where memorization is an unfortunate necessity.

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American foreign policy is a dynamic and often controversial field, and is currently a topic of deep interest given recent developments in the Middle East, North Korea and China. In order to understand where US foreign policy is headed, it is important to first examine where it came from. This book provides an analysis of the political, economic and military history of American foreign policy, with the aim of divulging important details that most people have either never learned or forgotten — hence the phrase “open secrets”. Covering events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the American Revolution, as well as American involvement in the Korean War and the collapse of Nationalist China, this fascinating book debunks a number of myths held by most people regarding US foreign policy, revealing some surprising conclusions.

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The Singapore Perspectives series is a yearly publication that provides critical analysis of emerging trends and issues Singapore faces in terms of social, economic and political development. It is a quick and essential reference for understanding the broad policy discussions that animate thought leaders, policy-makers and the public in the country during the immediate period or that are likely to do so in the short and medium term.This edition focuses on how Singapore will cope with the social impact of, first, the development of a dual economy and, second, the adoption of new communications technologies. There is a section on the political implications of an aggressive new policy to promote immigration as Singapore's response to the global competition for talent, and, finally, the future of regionalism and ASEAN.Co-published by the think-tank, the Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore, this is a useful publication for those with an interest in understanding the governance challenges facing a small, highly globalised economy and nation-state, or those who want a quick feel of the pulse of Singapore.

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The history of molecular biology in Germany is closely linked to the Institute of Genetics in Cologne, the first molecular biological Institute at a German university. Founded in 1959 by the émigré physicist and future Nobel laureate Max Delbrück, the Institute was the first in Germany to implement less hierarchical American organizational structures and research habits. The Institute had already gained an excellent international scientific reputation by the beginning of the 1960s.This volume comprises the recollections of scientists pertaining to the Institute's research, organization and other specificities. Articles by historians of science analyze the historical background and international framework of the Institute's foundations and genetic research. In addition, the scientists discuss contemporary questions of science policy with regard to teaching and the impact of the internal structures of scientific institutions on the quality of research.

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The objective of this book is to help an individual (or a family) design a personal investment strategy. It explains how stock markets can be used to make a large fortune from a small investment. It also recommends an approach to increase a reasonable return on investment and explains the importance of investment alternatives.The book is based on the premise that the US stock market is not too high compared to the long-term value of its securities. It further assumes that readers are interested both in return likely to be earned on investment and the risk of not earning the return target.The focus on this book is on “personal” investing. It begins with three basic rules of investing and concludes with ten subordinate rules and other suggestions for investing.

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This volume provides students with the necessary tools to better understand the fields of neurobiological modeling, cluster analysis of proteins and genes. The theory is explained starting from the beginning and in the most elementary terms, there are many exercises solved and not useful for the understanding of the theory. The exercises are specially adapted for training and many useful Matlab programs are included, easily understood and generalizable to more complex situations. This self-contained text is particularly suitable for an undergraduate course of biology and biotechnology.New results are also provided for researchers such as the description and applications of the Kohonen neural networks to gene classification and protein classification with back propagation neutral networks.

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This book, a compilation of key speeches and articles by the late Mr S Rajaratnam, is a tribute to one of the founding fathers of Singapore. As the country's first foreign minister, he was pivotal in conceptualising and implementing its foreign policy. Present at the birth of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he was also instrumental in ensuring a constructive role for Singapore in regional cooperation. A staunch supporter of a multicultural society, Mr Rajaratnam envisioned the country as a cosmopolitan “global city”.The volume is divided into four thematic sections: foreign policy, ASEAN regionalism, multiculturalism, and Singapore's history — broadly encompassing Mr Rajaratnam's most important contributions to the making of modern Singapore. Also included are original research essays that reassess Mr Rajaratnam's contributions, written by senior staff of the new S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

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In Before It's Too Late: A Report to the Nation from the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (2000) in the US, the authors quote from James Stigler's conclusions from various videotape research studies of mathematics teaching: “The key to long-term improvement [in teaching] is to figure out how to generate, accumulate, and share professional knowledge”. Japanese Lesson Study has proved to be one successful means.This book supports the growing movement of lesson study to improve the quality of mathematics education from the original viewpoints of Japanese educators who have been engaging in lesson study in mathematics for professional development and curriculum implementation. This book also illustrates several projects related to lesson study in other countries.

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Focusing on the IT and high-tech electronic industries, this book provides an analysis of foreign small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Taiwan and Mainland China. A comparative analysis of Taiwan and Mainland China's business and investment environments is conducted, and several indices — knowledge capital, innovative ability, the utilization of information technology and social infrastructure — are used to evaluate the cross-strait competitive advantage. This important book helps readers understand the criteria involved in choosing an investment region, while increasing awareness of the particularities of conducting business in Asia.

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Integrating theory and practices of supply chain management, this book incorporates more than 15 years of supply chain and operations management research and industry consulting experience to both government and industry firms.The coverage focuses on how to build a competitive supply chain using viable management strategies, operational models, decision-making techniques, and information technology. It includes a core presentation on supply chain management and new initiatives such as e-commerce, collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR), data mining, knowledge management, and business intelligence.

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Shiing-Shen Chern (1911-2004) was one of the leading differential geometers of the twentieth century. In 1946, he founded the Mathematical Institute of Academia Sinica in Shanghai, which was later moved to Nanking. In 1981, he founded the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) at Berkeley and acted as the director until 1984. In 1985, he founded the Nankai Institute of Mathematics in Tianjin. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1975; the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 1984; and the Shaw Prize in mathematical sciences in 2004.Chern's works span all the classic fields of differential geometry: the Chern-Simons theory; the Chern-Weil theory, linking curvature invariants to characteristic classes; Chern classes; and other areas such as projective differential geometry and webs that are mathematically rich but currently have a lower profile. He also published work in integral geometry, value distribution theory of holomorphic functions, and minimal submanifolds.Inspired by Chern and his work, former colleagues, students and friends — themselves highly regarded mathematicians in their own right — come together to honor and celebrate Chern's huge contributions. The volume, organized by Phillip Griffiths of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), contains contributions by Michael Atiyah (University of Edinburgh), C-M Bai (Nankai), Robert Bryant (Duke University), Kung-Ching Chang (Peking University), Jeff Cheeger (New York University), Simon K Donaldson (Imperial College), Hélène Esnault (Universität Duisburg-Essen), Mo-Lin Ge (Nankai), Mark Green (University of California at Los Angeles), Phillip Griffiths (Institute for Advanced Study), F Reese Harvey (Rice University), Alain Hénaut (Université Bordeaux 1), Niky Kamran (McGill University), Bruce Kleiner (Yale), H Blaine Lawson, Jr (Suny at Stony Brook), Yiming Long (Nankai), Xiaonan Ma (UMR 7640 du CNRS), Luc Pirio (IRMAR, France), Graeme Segal (Oxford), Gang Tian (MIT), Jean-Marie Trepreau (Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu), Jeff Viaclovsky (MIT), Wei Wang (Nankai), Wentsun Wu (Chinese Academy of Sciences), C N Yang (Tsinghua), Tan Zhang (Murray State University), Weiping Zhang (Nankai) and others.

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Thanks to Einstein's relativity theories, our notions of space and time underwent profound revisions about a 100 years ago. The resulting interplay between geometry and physics has dominated all of fundamental physics since then. This volume contains contributions from leading researchers, worldwide, who have thought deeply about the nature and consequences of this interplay. The articles take a long-range view of the subject and distill the most important advances in broad terms, making them easily accessible to non-specialists. The first part is devoted to a summary of how relativity theories were born (J Stachel). The second part discusses the most dramatic ramifications of general relativity, such as black holes (P Chrusciel and R Price), space-time singularities (H Nicolai and A Rendall), gravitational waves (P Laguna and P Saulson), the large scale structure of the cosmos (T Padmanabhan); experimental status of this theory (C Will) as well as its practical application to the GPS system (N Ashby). The last part looks beyond Einstein and provides glimpses into what is in store for us in the 21st century. Contributions here include summaries of radical changes in the notions of space and time that are emerging from quantum field theory in curved space-times (Ford), string theory (T Banks), loop quantum gravity (A Ashtekar), quantum cosmology (M Bojowald), discrete approaches (Dowker, Gambini and Pullin) and twistor theory (R Penrose).

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Note: The three volumes are not sequential but rather independent of each other and largely self-contained.Basic Matters is a first introduction to quantum mechanics that does not assume any prior knowledge of the subject. The emphasis is on the general structure as the necessary foundation of any understanding. Starting from the simplest quantum phenomenon, the Stern-Gerlach experiment with its choice between two discrete outcomes, and ending with one-dimensional continuous systems, the physical concepts and notions as well as the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics are developed in successive, manageable steps. The presentation is modern inasmuch as the natural language of the trade - Dirac's kets and bras and so on - is introduced early, and the temporal evolution is dealt with in a picture-free manner, with Schrödinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion side by side and on equal footing.The reader of Simple Systems is not expected to be familiar with the material in Basic Matters, but should have the minimal knowledge of a standard brief introduction to quantum mechanics with its typical emphasis on one-dimensional position wave functions. The step to Dirac's more abstract and much more powerful formalism is taken immediately, followed by reviews of quantum kinematics and quantum dynamics. The important standard examples (force-free motion, constant force, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen-like atoms) are then treated in considerable detail, whereby a nonstandard perspective is offered wherever it is deemed feasible and useful. A final chapter is devoted to approximation methods, from the Hellmann-Feynman theorem to the WKB quantization rule.Perturbed Evolution has a closer link to Simple Systems than that volume has to Basic Matters, but any reader familiar with the subject matter of a solid introduction to quantum mechanics - such as Dirac's formalism of kets and bras, Schrödinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion, and the standard examples that can be treated exactly, with harmonic oscillators and hydrogen-like atoms among them - can cope with the somewhat advanced material of this volume. The basics of kinematics and dynamics are reviewed at the outset, including discussions of Bohr's principle of complementarity and Schwinger's quantum action principle. The Born series, the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, and Fermi's golden rule are recurring themes in the treatment of the central subject matter - the evolution in the presence of perturbing interactions for which there are no exact solutions as one has them for the standard examples in Simple Systems. The scattering by a localized potential is regarded as a perturbed evolution of a particular kind and is dealt with accordingly. The unique features of the scattering of indistinguishable quantum objects illustrate the nonclassical properties of bosons and fermions and prepare the groundwork for a discussion of multi-electron atoms.

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Note: The three volumes are not sequential but rather independent of each other and largely self-contained.Basic Matters is a first introduction to quantum mechanics that does not assume any prior knowledge of the subject. The emphasis is on the general structure as the necessary foundation of any understanding. Starting from the simplest quantum phenomenon, the Stern-Gerlach experiment with its choice between two discrete outcomes, and ending with one-dimensional continuous systems, the physical concepts and notions as well as the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics are developed in successive, manageable steps. The presentation is modern inasmuch as the natural language of the trade - Dirac's kets and bras and so on - is introduced early, and the temporal evolution is dealt with in a picture-free manner, with Schrödinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion side by side and on equal footing.The reader of Simple Systems is not expected to be familiar with the material in Basic Matters, but should have the minimal knowledge of a standard brief introduction to quantum mechanics with its typical emphasis on one-dimensional position wave functions. The step to Dirac's more abstract and much more powerful formalism is taken immediately, followed by reviews of quantum kinematics and quantum dynamics. The important standard examples (force-free motion, constant force, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen-like atoms) are then treated in considerable detail, whereby a nonstandard perspective is offered wherever it is deemed feasible and useful. A final chapter is devoted to approximation methods, from the Hellmann-Feynman theorem to the WKB quantization rule.Perturbed Evolution has a closer link to Simple Systems than that volume has to Basic Matters, but any reader familiar with the subject matter of a solid introduction to quantum mechanics - such as Dirac's formalism of kets and bras, Schrödinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion, and the standard examples that can be treated exactly, with harmonic oscillators and hydrogen-like atoms among them - can cope with the somewhat advanced material of this volume. The basics of kinematics and dynamics are reviewed at the outset, including discussions of Bohr's principle of complementarity and Schwinger's quantum action principle. The Born series, the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, and Fermi's golden rule are recurring themes in the treatment of the central subject matter - the evolution in the presence of perturbing interactions for which there are no exact solutions as one has them for the standard examples in Simple Systems. The scattering by a localized potential is regarded as a perturbed evolution of a particular kind and is dealt with accordingly. The unique features of the scattering of indistinguishable quantum objects illustrate the nonclassical properties of bosons and fermions and prepare the groundwork for a discussion of multi-electron atoms.

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After decades of research activity, Chinese spoken language processing (CSLP) has advanced considerably both in practical technology and theoretical discovery. In this book, the editors provide both an introduction to the field as well as unique research problems with their solutions in various areas of CSLP. The contributions represent pioneering efforts ranging from CSLP principles to technologies and applications, with each chapter encapsulating a single problem and its solutions.A commemorative volume for the 10th anniversary of the international symposium on CSLP in Singapore, this is a valuable reference for established researchers and an excellent introduction for those interested in the area of CSLP.

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To truly understand the current interest in the development of Islamic banking and finance in South-East Asia and how it is different from the conventional banking system, one must first understand the religious relationship originating from the Qur'an, and then trace the historical geographic and political developments of Islam over recent centuries. Only on this basis can the reader, without prejudice or cynicism, begin to appreciate Shari'ah law and Islamic jurisprudence. With this platform established in the first part of the book, readers are invited to learn about the financial products and services offered, understand the challenges in their development, and ultimately recognize the significant opportunities that Islamic banking and finance can provide both Muslims and non-Muslims.This second edition contains updates of statistics and dates with regards to the development of Islamic banking in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. In particular, the chapter on Singapore details significant developments such as the direction which major banks are taking towards Islamic banking and the increase in Islamic banking products being offered.Although written by a non-Muslim author, this highly-regarded book is being translated into Arabic by a leading Islamic university in the Middle East.

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New Edition: Field Theory (3rd Edition)This unique book describes quantum field theory completely within the context of path integrals. With its utility in a variety of fields in physics, the subject matter is primarily developed within the context of quantum mechanics before going into specialized areas.Adding new material keenly requested by readers, this second edition is an important expansion of the popular first edition. Two extra chapters cover path integral quantization of gauge theories and anomalies, and a new section extends the supersymmetry chapter, where singular potentials in supersymmetric systems are described.

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This book contains Volume 7 of the Journal of Graph Algorithms and Applications (JGAA). JGAA is a peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to the publication of high-quality research papers on the analysis, design, implementation, and applications of graph algorithms. Areas of interest include computational biology, computational geometry, computer graphics, computer-aided design, computer and interconnection networks, constraint systems, databases, graph drawing, graph embedding and layout, knowledge representation, multimedia, software engineering, telecommunications networks, user interfaces and visualization, and VLSI circuit design.Graph Algorithms and Applications 4 presents contributions from prominent authors and includes selected papers from (a) the Seventh International Workshop on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2001) and (b) the 2001 Symposium on Graph Drawing (GD 2001). All papers in the book have extensive diagrams and offer a unique treatment of graph algorithms focusing on the important applications.

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Initially stimulated by a scholarly workshop convened in Singapore in late 2004, and written over the subsequent 18 months, this volume considers the potentially lethal pattern of infectious disease emergence in Asia. It studies linkages to changes in patterns of human activity, including but not limited to shifts in the distribution and concentration of human settlements and the patterns of movement within and between them. It explores the causes and consequences of infectious agents in the region historically and examines such newly emergent natural biological threats as SARS and avian influenza.Drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives, the book contains analyses rooted in the social, physical and biological sciences as well as works which span these fields. Among the issues considered are the ways in which changes in our natural and built environment, social and economic pressures, shifting policies and patterns of collaboration in responding to disease impact upon our approach to and success in containing serious threats.Infection control has moved beyond the province of clinical experts, epidemiologists and microbiologists, into the mathematics of epidemic prevention and control, as well as the overall physical and human ecology and historical contexts of emerging infections. Not only does such a broad approach enable appreciation of complex forces driving growing epidemic risks in Asia today, it also reveals the importance and relevance of population dynamics, as well as the global urgency of alleviating unsatisfactory health conditions in Asia. The topic and the broad approach has international appeal beyond the region as many of these forces operate throughout the world.

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The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the hub of global geo-political, geo-economic and geo-strategic significance in the post-Cold War period. The rise of China and the resurgence of India will be the hallmark for the next 50 years. How this surge in power is accommodated by the incumbent powers like the United States and Japan, and how the new regional powers like China and India manage the power politics that emerge will be the key determinants of regional stability.This volume examines the national maritime doctrines as well as the nuclear weapons developments at sea of the four major powers in the Asia-Pacific, namely, China, India, Japan and the United States, to see if the evolving dynamic is a cooperative or a competitive one. In particular, the volume looks at the evolving paradigms of maritime transformation in strategy and technology; the emergent new maritime doctrines and evolving force postures in the naval orders of battle; the role and operations of nuclear navies in the Asia-Pacific; and the implications and impact of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and sea-based missile defence responses in the region.

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This book describes, using first-person accounts, the history of the development in the Soviet Union and, later, in Russia of an extremely important technical field and how that history was influenced by WWI, WWII, and the Cold War, by government bureaucracy, in both positive and negative ways, by the economic collapse of the Soviet Union, and most importantly, by the dedicated efforts of vast numbers of individuals, including some of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century. It will make fascinating reading for engineers and scientists who were engaged in similar work in the West, for historians of the Cold War and of the Soviet Union, and for present day researchers who need to learn about Russian scientific contributions.Because of its importance to national security, much of the research and development effort in underwater acoustics was classified during the Cold War, both in the Soviet Union and the United States. This book presents the first declassified accounts of the development of numerous hydroacoustic systems by individuals having first-hand knowledge of the development efforts.

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This practical guide provides a simple, useful reference to commonly raised questions about medical student assessment.The first part of the book provides succinct information on the general aspects of assessment such as purpose and principles of assessment; technical terms such as validity, reliability, and utility of assessment instruments; and how to choose assessment instruments for a given purpose.Individual assessment instruments are treated in the second part of the guide. The authors focus on about 20 selected assessment instruments currently in use or promising new instruments that are likely to get increased acceptance in future. For each instrument a general description is given, followed by discussion on its uses, limitations, psychometric characteristics, and recommendations for medical teachers.The reference section contains highly selective and well-researched resources, annotated and classified according to their usefulness. Many of these resources are available free on the Internet.

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The continual explosion of information technology and the need for better data collection and management methods has made data mining an even more relevant topic of study. Books on data mining tend to be either broad and introductory or focus on some very specific technical aspect of the field.This book is a series of seventeen edited “student-authored lectures” which explore in depth the core of data mining (classification, clustering and association rules) by offering overviews that include both analysis and insight.The initial chapters lay a framework of data mining techniques by explaining some of the basics such as applications of Bayes Theorem, similarity measures, and decision trees. Before focusing on the pillars of classification, clustering and association rules, the book also considers alternative candidates such as point estimation and genetic algorithms.The book's discussion of classification includes an introduction to decision tree algorithms, rule-based algorithms (a popular alternative to decision trees) and distance-based algorithms. Five of the lecture-chapters are devoted to the concept of clustering or unsupervised classification. The functionality of hierarchical and partitional clustering algorithms is also covered as well as the efficient and scalable clustering algorithms used in large databases. The concept of association rules in terms of basic algorithms, parallel and distributive algorithms and advanced measures that help determine the value of association rules are discussed. The final chapter discusses algorithms for spatial data mining.

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Chickens cannot be bought in Vietnam restaurants for love or money. New reports are emerging every week of the global reach of avian influenza in birds. Africa and Europe are now affected by what was thought to be an Asian poultry disease. Governments worldwide are stockpiling antiviral drugs and forming rationing plans. Citizens are concerned that they will not be in “the list” of those who will receive these wonder drugs. Reports are emerging of antiviral drug resistance as the influenza virus mutates.What is the influenza virus? Why are people so worried about pandemic influenza? What is a pandemic? Will it really happen? What is the real situation of avian influenza in humans in Asia? What are governments in the region doing to control the epidemic in birds? Are we overreacting to a couple of hundred cases in humans across Asia and Europe? What if there is no pandemic?In this timely book, a group of experts from across Asia come together to answer these and other issues. While there are many questions which can never be answered, here for the first time is a series of scholarly articles written for the layperson by scientists and clinicians addressing the issues surrounding avian influenza and global pandemic influenza in humans.

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Note: The three volumes are not sequential but rather independent of each other and largely self-contained.Basic Matters is a first introduction to quantum mechanics that does not assume any prior knowledge of the subject. The emphasis is on the general structure as the necessary foundation of any understanding. Starting from the simplest quantum phenomenon, the Stern-Gerlach experiment with its choice between two discrete outcomes, and ending with one-dimensional continuous systems, the physical concepts and notions as well as the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics are developed in successive, manageable steps. The presentation is modern inasmuch as the natural language of the trade - Dirac's kets and bras and so on - is introduced early, and the temporal evolution is dealt with in a picture-free manner, with Schrödinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion side by side and on equal footing.The reader of Simple Systems is not expected to be familiar with the material in Basic Matters, but should have the minimal knowledge of a standard brief introduction to quantum mechanics with its typical emphasis on one-dimensional position wave functions. The step to Dirac's more abstract and much more powerful formalism is taken immediately, followed by reviews of quantum kinematics and quantum dynamics. The important standard examples (force-free motion, constant force, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen-like atoms) are then treated in considerable detail, whereby a nonstandard perspective is offered wherever it is deemed feasible and useful. A final chapter is devoted to approximation methods, from the Hellmann-Feynman theorem to the WKB quantization rule.Perturbed Evolution has a closer link to Simple Systems than that volume has to Basic Matters, but any reader familiar with the subject matter of a solid introduction to quantum mechanics - such as Dirac's formalism of kets and bras, Schrödinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion, and the standard examples that can be treated exactly, with harmonic oscillators and hydrogen-like atoms among them - can cope with the somewhat advanced material of this volume. The basics of kinematics and dynamics are reviewed at the outset, including discussions of Bohr's principle of complementarity and Schwinger's quantum action principle. The Born series, the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, and Fermi's golden rule are recurring themes in the treatment of the central subject matter - the evolution in the presence of perturbing interactions for which there are no exact solutions as one has them for the standard examples in Simple Systems. The scattering by a localized potential is regarded as a perturbed evolution of a particular kind and is dealt with accordingly. The unique features of the scattering of indistinguishable quantum objects illustrate the nonclassical properties of bosons and fermions and prepare the groundwork for a discussion of multi-electron atoms.

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After a consideration of basic quantum mechanics, this introduction aims at a side by side treatment of fundamental applications of the Schrödinger equation on the one hand and the applications of the path integral on the other. Different from traditional texts and using a systematic perturbation method, the solution of Schrödinger equations includes also those with anharmonic oscillator potentials, periodic potentials, screened Coulomb potentials and a typical singular potential, as well as the investigation of the large order behavior of the perturbation series. On the path integral side, after introduction of the basic ideas, the expansion around classical configurations in Euclidean time, such as instantons, is considered, and the method is applied in particular to anharmonic oscillator and periodic potentials. Numerous other aspects are treated on the way, thus providing the reader an instructive overview over diverse quantum mechanical phenomena, e.g. many other potentials, Green's functions, comparison with WKB, calculation of lifetimes and sojourn times, derivation of generating functions, the Coulomb problem in various coordinates, etc. All calculations are given in detail, so that the reader can follow every step.

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This unique book offers a timely and insightful look into China's present energy situation and the emerging challenges of balancing energy supply and demand over the forthcoming decades. It presents a holistic analysis of the growing pressures on the energy system as a result of the country's dynamic socio-economic progress.The volume considers current hot topics and will be useful as a reference for those aspiring to understand more about what is happening in China's energy sector today.

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The dynamics of complex systems can clarify the creation of structures in Nature. This creation is driven by the collective interaction of constitutive elements of the system. Such interactions are frequently nonlinear and are directly responsible for the lack of prediction in the evolution process. The self-organization accompanying these processes occurs all around us and is constantly being rediscovered, under the guise of a new jargon, in apparently unrelated disciplines.This volume offers unique perspectives on aspects of fractals and complexity and, through the examination of complementary techniques, provides a unifying thread in this multidisciplinary endeavor. Do nonlinear interactions play a role in the complexity management of socio-econo-political systems? Is it possible to extract the global properties of genetic regulatory networks without knowing the details of individual genes? What can one learn by transplanting the self-organization effects known in laser processes to the study of emotions? What can the change in the level of complexity tell us about the physiological state of the organism? The reader will enjoy finding the answers to these questions and many more in this book.

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This book is an introduction to quantum mechanics and mathematics that leads to the solution of the Schrodinger equation. It can be read and understood by undergraduates without sacrificing the mathematical details necessary for a complete solution giving the shapes of molecular orbitals seen in every chemistry text. Readers are introduced to many mathematical topics new to the undergraduate curriculum, such as basic representation theory, Schur's lemma, and the Legendre polynomials.

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This volume is the first attempt to systematically analyze issues and challenges confronting the Taiwan Strait after the March 2004 election. The volume focuses on internal politics on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and their impact on cross-Strait ties, and international responses. It also reflects different perspectives, namely, China, the United States, Singapore and Taiwan. Consolidating these perspectives, the volume suggests directions for continued research on a potentially volatile area where many view as the world's next “hot spot”.

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Have you ever wondered what a term in international economics means? This useful reference book offers a glossary of terms in both international trade and international finance, with emphasis on economic issues. It is intended for students getting their first exposure to international economics, although advanced students will also find it useful for some of the more obscure terms that they have forgotten or never encountered.Besides an extensive glossary of terms, there is a picture gallery of diagrams used to explain key concepts such as the Edgeworth Production Box and the Offer Curve Diagram in international economics. This section is followed by several lists of terms that occur a lot in international economics, grouped by subject to help users find terms that they cannot recall.Prior to the bibliography is a section on the origins of terms in international economics which records what the author has been able to learn about the origins of some of the terms used in international economics. This is a must-have portable glossary in international trade and international economics!

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Time and matter are the most fundamental concepts in physics and in any science-based description of the world around us. Quantum theory has, however, revealed many novel insights into these concepts in non-relativistic, relativistic and cosmological contexts. The implications of these novel perspectives have been realized and, in particular, probed experimentally only recently.In the papers in this proceedings, these issues are discussed in a truly interdisciplinary fashion from philosophical and historical perspectives. The leading contributors, including Nobel laureates T W Hänsch and G t' Hooft, address both experimental and theoretical issues.

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This book is the first monograph devoted exclusively to strange nonchaotic attractors (SNA), recently discovered objects with a special kind of dynamical behavior between order and chaos in dissipative nonlinear systems under quasiperiodic driving. A historical review of the discovery and study of SNA, mathematical and physically-motivated examples, and a review of known experimental studies of SNA are presented. The main focus is on the theoretical analysis of strange nonchaotic behavior by means of different tools of nonlinear dynamics and statistical physics (bifurcation analysis, Lyapunov exponents, correlations and spectra, renormalization group). The relations of the subject to other fields of physics such as quantum chaos and solid state physics are also discussed.

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Have you ever wondered what a term in international economics means? This useful reference book offers a glossary of terms in both international trade and international finance, with emphasis on economic issues. It is intended for students getting their first exposure to international economics, although advanced students will also find it useful for some of the more obscure terms that they have forgotten or never encountered.Besides an extensive glossary of terms, there is a picture gallery of diagrams used to explain key concepts such as the Edgeworth Production Box and the Offer Curve Diagram in international economics. This section is followed by several lists of terms that occur a lot in international economics, grouped by subject to help users find terms that they cannot recall.Prior to the bibliography is a section on the origins of terms in international economics which records what the author has been able to learn about the origins of some of the terms used in international economics. This is a must-have portable glossary in international trade and international economics!

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A valuable introduction for newcomers as well as an important reference and source of inspiration for established researchers, this book provides an up-to-date summary of central topics in the field of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and dynamical systems theory.Understanding macroscopic properties of matter starting from microscopic chaos in the equations of motion of single atoms or molecules is a key problem in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. Of particular interest both for theory and applications are transport processes such as diffusion, reaction, conduction and viscosity.Recent advances towards a deterministic theory of nonequilibrium statistical physics are summarized: Both Hamiltonian dynamical systems under nonequilibrium boundary conditions and non-Hamiltonian modelings of nonequilibrium steady states by using thermal reservoirs are considered. The surprising new results include transport coefficients that are fractal functions of control parameters, fundamental relations between transport coefficients and chaos quantities, and an understanding of nonequilibrium entropy production in terms of fractal measures and attractors.The theory is particularly useful for the description of many-particle systems with properties in-between conventional thermodynamics and nonlinear science, as they are frequently encountered on nanoscales.

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