Pattern Classification Using Ensemble Methods

Robert Hogg (1817–97), son of a Scots nurseryman, was destined for a career in medicine, but abandoned his studies to pursue horticulture. Employed by a famous London tree nursery, he travelled widely in Britain and Europe to study gardening practice. This work, first published in 1851, was intended to encourage a taste for the 'most important, most instructive, and intellectual branch of horticultural science' - the cultivation of fruit. (The book is subtitled 'The Apple', as though further volumes on other fruit were intended, but none appeared, though Hogg did publish The Fruit Manual (also reissued in this series) in 1860.) It lists and gives detailed descriptions, including drawings, of 401 apples in cultivation in Great Britain, and a further 541 of which Hogg had no direct knowledge. He provides classification lists by fruit colour, shape, seasonality and region - a fascinating resource for the history of horticulture and of food.

Scientists need statistics. Increasingly this is accomplished using computational approaches. Freeing readers from the constraints, mysterious formulas and sophisticated mathematics of classical statistics, this book is ideal for researchers who want to take control of their own statistical arguments. It demonstrates how to use spreadsheet macros to calculate the probability distribution predicted for any statistic by any hypothesis. This enables readers to use anything that can be calculated (or observed) from their data as a test statistic and hypothesize any probabilistic mechanism that can generate data sets similar in structure to the one observed. A wide range of natural examples drawn from ecology, evolution, anthropology, palaeontology and related fields give valuable insights into the application of the described techniques, while complete example macros and useful procedures demonstrate the methods in action and provide starting points for readers to use or modify in their ow

Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–93) was a professor of anatomical pathology at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, and one of the founders of modern neurology. Numerous disorders are named after him, and he was one of the best known doctors in nineteenth-century France. He was the first to describe and name multiple sclerosis, and undertook crucial research into what became known as Parkinson's Disease. He also worked on hysteria, and was one of Freud's teachers. These two volumes of lectures on neurological illnesses, first published in Paris in 1872–3 and 1877, were based on extensive clinical studies at the Salpêtrière, and edited by Désiré Magloire Bourneville. Detailed analysis of symptoms, sometimes using photography, combined with post-mortem analyses, allowed Charcot to produce classic descriptions of different neurological disorders. Volume 2 includes methods of clinical observation, and notes on spinal compression, infantile paralysis, Ménière's Disease, and epilepsy caused by

Originating from a summer school taught by the authors, this concise treatment includes many of the main results in the area. An introductory chapter describes the fundamental results on linear algebraic groups, culminating in the classification of semisimple groups. The second chapter introduces more specialized topics in the subgroup structure of semisimple groups and describes the classification of the maximal subgroups of the simple algebraic groups. The authors then systematically develop the subgroup structure of finite groups of Lie type as a consequence of the structural results on algebraic groups. This approach will help students to understand the relationship between these two classes of groups. The book covers many topics that are central to the subject, but missing from existing textbooks. The authors provide numerous instructive exercises and examples for those who are learning the subject as well as more advanced topics for research students working in related areas.

Software product lines provide a systematic means of managing variability in a suite of products. They have many benefits but there are three major barriers that can prevent them from reaching their full potential. First, there is the challenge of scale: a large number of variants may exist in a product line context and the number of interrelationships and dependencies can rise exponentially. Second, variations tend to be systemic by nature in that they affect the whole architecture of the software product line. Third, software product lines often serve different business contexts, each with its own intricacies and complexities. The AMPLE (http://www.ample-project.net/) approach tackles these three challenges by combining advances in aspect-oriented software development and model-driven engineering. The full suite of methods and tools that constitute this approach are discussed in detail in this edited volume and illustrated using three real-world industrial case studies.

Presenting a coherent synthesis of lithosphere studies, this book covers a range of geophysical methods (seismic reflection, refraction, and receiver function methods; elastic and anelastic seismic tomography; electromagnetic and magnetotelluric methods; thermal, gravity and rheological models), complemented by petrologic and laboratory data on rock properties. It also provides a critical discussion of the uncertainties, assumptions, and resolution issues that are inherent in the different methods and models of the lithosphere. Multidisciplinary in scope, global in geographical extent, and covering a wide variety of tectonics settings across 3.5 billion years of Earth history, this book presents a comprehensive overview of lithospheric structure and evolution. It is a core reference for researchers and advanced students in geophysics, geodynamics, tectonics, petrology, and geochemistry, and for petroleum and mining industry professionals.

Using the latest methods in digital photography and image processing, The Cambridge Photographic Star Atlas presents the whole sky through large-scale photographic images with corresponding charts. Each double-page spread shows a section of the night sky and is accompanied by an inverted chart highlighting and naming double stars, variable stars, open clusters, galactic and planetary nebulae, globular clusters and galaxies. The 82 large-scale charts, with a scale of 1° per cm, identify over 1500 deep-sky objects and 2500 stars. Providing a giant mosaic of the entire sky, this unique atlas is unparalleled in detail and completeness, making it indispensable for visual observers and astrophotographers.

How did today's rich states first establish modern fiscal systems? To answer this question, Political Transformations and Public Finances by Mark Dincecco examines the evolution of political regimes and public finances in Europe over the long term. The book argues that the emergence of efficient fiscal institutions was the result of two fundamental political transformations that resolved long-standing problems of fiscal fragmentation and absolutism. States gained tax force through fiscal centralization and restricted ruler power through parliamentary limits, which enabled them to gather large tax revenues and channel funds toward public services with positive economic benefits. Using a novel combination of descriptive, case study and statistical methods, the book pursues this argument through a systematic investigation of a new panel database that spans eleven countries and four centuries. The book's findings are significant for our understanding of economic history and have important

In this 1970 study, Dr Clarke has collected together a relatively complete sample of the surviving culture of the Bell Beaker people, consisting mainly, though not entirely, of pottery, and has carefully redesigned the system of classification. This material has been subjected to detailed analysis from many different angles, and the evidence of each domain integrated to complete as coherent and accurate a model of this ancient social group as is possible. For convenience of handling, the work has been divided into two volumes. The first outlines the basis of classification and discusses the analysis of the material. The second volume contains line drawings of all known surviving complete examples of British Beaker pottery drawn at one-third size, detailed inventories of all known examples giving their finding-place, description, dimension and present whereabouts, and some plates to illustrate the quality of the material.

This work is a compilation of fundamental solutions (or Green's functions) for classical or canonical problems in elastodynamics presented with a common format and notation. These formulas describe the displacements and stresses elicited by dynamic sources in solid elastic media like full spaces, half-spaces, strata and plates in both two and three dimensions, using the three major coordinate systems (Cartesian, cylindrical and spherical), and also for transient and harmonic motions. Such formulas are useful for numerical methods and practical application to problems of wave propagation in elasticity, soil dynamics, earthquake engineering, mechanical vibration, or geophysics. These formulas were heretofore only found scattered throughout the literature. The solutions are tabulated without proof, but giving reference to appropriate modern papers and books containing full derivations. Most formulas in the book have been programmed and tested within the MATLAB environment. The program lis

Galen's treatises on the classification and causation of diseases and symptoms are an important component of his prodigious oeuvre, forming a bridge between his theoretical works and his practical, clinical writings. As such, they remained an integral component of the medical teaching curriculum well into the second millennium. This edition was originally published in 2006. In these four treatises (only one of which had been previously translated into English), Galen not only provides a framework for the exhaustive classification of diseases and their symptoms as a prelude to his analysis of their causation, but he also attempts to establish precise definitions of all the key terms involved. Unlike other of his works, these treatises are notably moderate in tone, taking into account different views on structure and causation in a relatively even-handed way. Nonetheless, they are a clear statement of the Dogmatic position on the theoretical foundations of medicine in his time.

This book is a comprehensive exposition of FET modeling, and is a must-have resource for seasoned professionals and new graduates in the RF and microwave power amplifier design and modeling community. In it, you will find descriptions of characterization and measurement techniques, analysis methods, and the simulator implementation, model verification and validation procedures that are needed to produce a transistor model that can be used with confidence by the circuit designer. Written by semiconductor industry professionals with many years' device modeling experience in LDMOS and III-V technologies, this was the first book to address the modeling requirements specific to high-power RF transistors. A technology-independent approach is described, addressing thermal effects, scaling issues, nonlinear modeling, and in-package matching networks. These are illustrated using the current market-leading high-power RF technology, LDMOS, as well as with III-V power devices.

Despite a decades-long debate, starting with the 'Tuna-Dolphin' disputes of the 1990s, questions on the status of national regulatory measures linked to processes and production methods in WTO law have yet remained unsolved. Likewise, labelling requirements relating to unincorporated aspects of a product's life cycle remain strongly contested. These ongoing disputes at the WTO as well as global social and environmental challenges related to economic activities show how topical and important the search for adequate answers still is. Processes and Production Methods (PPMs) in WTO Law identifies and comprehensively analyses the key legal problems concerning such measures, setting them in the context of the current debate and its economic and regulatory background. Christiane R. Conrad develops a new approach to this debate which draws on the objectives and established economic rationales of the WTO Agreements.

This 1979 volume of the Handbook of Phycological Methods was the first compilation of biochemical and physiological procedures selected specifically for the experimental phycologist. Algae present unique problems to the researcher because of their diverse structure and composition, which differ significantly from those of other commonly used organisms. The book contains practical examples of processes such as photosynthesis, respiration and the transport and accumulation of ions presented by contributors who have applied these these techniques to algae. The methods are described in sufficient detail so that they may be used by technicians, graduate and undergraduate students, and non-specialists. Beginners and experts alike will appreciate the continuing value of this book.

Biological nitrogen fixation, the conversion of nitrogen from the atmosphere to ammonia, is the main process of nitrogen input to the earth today. There this nitrogen is indispensable for plant and animal production, and the maintenance of adequate protein standards. This 1976 volume provides information, presented at an international symposium in Edinburgh, on the free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and blue-green algae. In addition to information on the distribution of the nitrogenase enzyme within these groups, their role in the soil and in aquatic systems is considered, as are the methods of measuring nitrogen fixation. Particular attention is paid to the biochemistry of the process, much of which has been elucidated using free-living nitrogen-fixing organisms.

Although Stuart Cumberland (1857–1922) was renowned for his mind-reading skills, he was a staunch critic of related spiritualist practices. He claimed that many séances and other events that he had seen confirmed his suspicions that 'the chief basis of the movement was money-making'. So he decided to launch his own campaign to uncover the truth about the methods of spirit-mediums, and in this work, published in 1918, he explains many mediums' tricks, such as making tables move using special silk thread, not spiritual aid. He lectured about the subject in places ranging from Cambridge University to Lambeth Palace, and attributed his own success to his ability to read muscle movement, rather than any supernatural communication. Providing a fascinating picture of the changing spiritualist movement, this work illustrates the extent of the social and political influence of some spiritualists, but also how credibility about their practices was being challenged.

Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1792–1871) was an influential Scottish geologist best known for his classification of Palaeozoic rocks into the Silurian system. After early military experience in the Peninsular War, he resigned his commission; a chance meeting with Sir Humphrey Davy led him subsequently to pursue a scientific career. The Silurian System, published in 1839, was a highly influential study, which established the oldest contemporary classification of fossil-bearing strata. Murchison was appointed President of the Royal Geographical Society in 1843. These volumes, first published in 1875, use information taken from Murchison's private journals and correspondence. Archibald Geikie (1835–1924) provides a detailed account of his mentor's life and work in the context of geology as a developing science in the early nineteenth century, and provides a fascinating insight into the life and work of this eminent Victorian geologist. Volume 2 describes his later life, from 1843 to 1871.

This book explains how computer software is designed to perform the tasks required for sophisticated statistical analysis. For statisticians, it examines the nitty-gritty computational problems behind statistical methods. For mathematicians and computer scientists, it looks at the application of mathematical tools to statistical problems. The first half of the book offers a basic background in numerical analysis that emphasizes issues important to statisticians. The next several chapters cover a broad array of statistical tools, such as maximum likelihood and nonlinear regression. The author also treats the application of numerical tools; numerical integration and random number generation are explained in a unified manner reflecting complementary views of Monte Carlo methods. Each chapter contains exercises that range from simple questions to research problems. Most of the examples are accompanied by demonstration and source code available from the author's website. New in this second

This book is for anyone who has biomedical data and needs to identify variables that predict an outcome, for two-group outcomes such as tumor/not-tumor, survival/death, or response from treatment. Statistical learning machines are ideally suited to these types of prediction problems, especially if the variables being studied may not meet the assumptions of traditional techniques. Learning machines come from the world of probability and computer science but are not yet widely used in biomedical research. This introduction brings learning machine techniques to the biomedical world in an accessible way, explaining the underlying principles in nontechnical language and using extensive examples and figures. The authors connect these new methods to familiar techniques by showing how to use the learning machine models to generate smaller, more easily interpretable traditional models. Coverage includes single decision trees, multiple-tree techniques such as Random Forests™, neural nets, suppor

This book is for anyone who has biomedical data and needs to identify variables that predict an outcome, for two-group outcomes such as tumor/not-tumor, survival/death, or response from treatment. Statistical learning machines are ideally suited to these types of prediction problems, especially if the variables being studied may not meet the assumptions of traditional techniques. Learning machines come from the world of probability and computer science but are not yet widely used in biomedical research. This introduction brings learning machine techniques to the biomedical world in an accessible way, explaining the underlying principles in nontechnical language and using extensive examples and figures. The authors connect these new methods to familiar techniques by showing how to use the learning machine models to generate smaller, more easily interpretable traditional models. Coverage includes single decision trees, multiple-tree techniques such as Random Forests™, neural nets, suppor

This Student Solution Manual provides complete solutions to all the odd-numbered problems in Essential Mathematical Methods for the Physical Sciences. It takes students through each problem step-by-step, so they can clearly see how the solution is reached, and understand any mistakes in their own working. Students will learn by example how to select an appropriate method, improving their problem-solving skills.

A unique introduction to the design, analysis, and presentation of scientific projects, this is an essential textbook for undergraduate majors in science and mathematics. The textbook gives an overview of the main methods used in scientific research, including hypothesis testing, the measurement of functional relationships, and observational research. It describes important features of experimental design, such as the control of errors, instrument calibration, data analysis, laboratory safety, and the treatment of human subjects. Important concepts in statistics are discussed, focusing on standard error, the meaning of p values, and use of elementary statistical tests. The textbook introduces some of the main ideas in mathematical modeling, including order-of-magnitude analysis, function fitting, Fourier transforms, recursion relations, and difference approximations to differential equations. It also provides guidelines on accessing scientific literature, and preparing scientific paper

Written from an engineering standpoint, this book provides the theoretical background and physical insight needed to understand new and future developments in the modeling and design of n- and p-MOS nanoscale transistors. A wealth of applications, illustrations and examples connect the methods described to all the latest issues in nanoscale MOSFET design. Key areas covered include: • Transport in arbitrary crystal orientations and strain conditions, and new channel and gate stack materials • All the relevant transport regimes, ranging from low field mobility to quasi-ballistic transport, described using a single modeling framework • Predictive capabilities of device models, discussed with systematic comparisons to experimental results

The first textbook on mathematical methods focusing on techniques for optical science and engineering, this text is ideal for upper division undergraduate and graduate students in optical physics. Containing detailed sections on the basic theory, the textbook places strong emphasis on connecting the abstract mathematical concepts to the optical systems to which they are applied. It covers many topics which usually only appear in more specialized books, such as Zernike polynomials, wavelet and fractional Fourier transforms, vector spherical harmonics, the z-transform, and the angular spectrum representation. Most chapters end by showing how the techniques covered can be used to solve an optical problem. Essay problems based on research publications and numerous exercises help to further strengthen the connection between the theory and its applications.

John Locke (1632–1704) is widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment philosophers. This volume, edited by J. W. Adamson and published as a second edition in 1922, contains two of John Locke's essays concerning education; Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) and Of the Conduct of the Understanding (1706). Some Thoughts Concerning Education expands on Locke's pioneering theory of mind by explaining how to educate a child using three complementary methods: the development of a healthy body; the formation of a virtuous mind; and the pursuit of an academic curriculum including the emerging sciences, mathematics and languages. Of the Conduct of the Understanding continues the theme of the earlier essay by describing how to develop rational thought. For over a century after the publication of these essays, John Locke's views on education were considered authoritative, and his work was translated into almost all major European languages.

Franz Liszt's colleagues considered him to be one of the most accomplished and innovative practitioners in the field of musical reproduction, a reputation for which he is still admired today. Yet, while his transcriptions are widely performed, few studies have investigated the role that transcriptions played in Liszt's artistry, to say nothing of the impact they had on the music-making experience of his day. Using a host of interdisciplinary methods and primary source materials, this book provides a comprehensive survey of Liszt's lifelong involvement with the transcription, in which he assumed the roles of composer, collaborator, propagandist, commemorator, philosopher, and artist while simultaneously disseminating - often critically - the music of Beethoven, Berlioz, Schubert, Wagner, and other eighteenth- and nineteenth-century composers. By recognizing transcription as an extraordinarily flexible tool for Liszt and his contemporaries, Liszt as Transcriber provides numerous musical,

Looking at Greek Art by Mark D. Stansbury-O'Donnell offers a practical guide to the methods for approaching, analysing and contextualising an unfamiliar piece of Greek art. It demonstrates how objects are dated and assigned to an artist or region; how to interpret the subject matter and narrative; how to reconstruct the context for which an object was made, distributed and used; and how we can explore broader cultural perspectives by looking at questions of identity, gender and relationships to surrounding cultures. Each section focuses on different theoretical approaches, providing an overview of the theories, key terms and required evidence. Case studies serve to demonstrate each process and some key issues to consider when using a given approach. This book explores a variety of media, including terracotta, metalwork and jewellery, in addition to works found in major museum collections in the United States and Europe.

Looking at Greek Art by Mark D. Stansbury-O'Donnell offers a practical guide to the methods for approaching, analysing and contextualising an unfamiliar piece of Greek art. It demonstrates how objects are dated and assigned to an artist or region; how to interpret the subject matter and narrative; how to reconstruct the context for which an object was made, distributed and used; and how we can explore broader cultural perspectives by looking at questions of identity, gender and relationships to surrounding cultures. Each section focuses on different theoretical approaches, providing an overview of the theories, key terms and required evidence. Case studies serve to demonstrate each process and some key issues to consider when using a given approach. This book explores a variety of media, including terracotta, metalwork and jewellery, in addition to works found in major museum collections in the United States and Europe.

This is a textbook and reference for readers interested in quasilinear control (QLC). QLC is a set of methods for performance analysis and design of linear plant or nonlinear instrumentation (LPNI) systems. The approach of QLC is based on the method of stochastic linearization, which reduces the nonlinearities of actuators and sensors to quasilinear gains. Unlike the usual - Jacobian linearization - stochastic linearization is global. Using this approximation, QLC extends most of the linear control theory techniques to LPNI systems. A bisection algorithm for solving these equations is provided. In addition, QLC includes new problems, specific for the LPNI scenario. Examples include Instrumented LQR/LQG, in which the controller is designed simultaneously with the actuator and sensor, and partial and complete performance recovery, in which the degradation of linear performance is either contained by selecting the right instrumentation or completely eliminated by the controller boosting.

Quantum field theory is the application of quantum mechanics to systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom. This 2007 textbook presents quantum field theoretical applications to systems out of equilibrium. It introduces the real-time approach to non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and the quantum field theory of non-equilibrium states in general. It offers two ways of learning how to study non-equilibrium states of many-body systems: the mathematical canonical way and an easy intuitive way using Feynman diagrams. The latter provides an easy introduction to the powerful functional methods of field theory, and the use of Feynman diagrams to study classical stochastic dynamics is considered in detail. The developed real-time technique is applied to study numerous phenomena in many-body systems. Complete with numerous exercises to aid self-study, this textbook is suitable for graduate students in statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics.

English has an interesting variety of noun phrases, which differ greatly in structure. Examples are 'binominal' (two-noun) phrases ('a beast of a party'); possessive constructions ('the author's opinion'); and discontinuous noun phrases ('the review [came out yesterday] of his book'). How are these different noun phrases structured? How do we produce and understand them? These questions are central to this study, which explores the interaction between the form of noun phrases, their meaning, and their use. It shows how, despite the need in linguistic analysis for strict categories, many linguistic constructions in fact defy straightforward classification - and concludes that in order to fully explain the internal structure of utterances, we must first consider the communicative, pragmatic and cognitive factors that come into play. Drawing on a range of authentic examples, this book sheds light not only on the noun phrase itself but also the nature of linguistic classification.

For nearly nineteen hundred years, few have questioned the single authorship of Luke and Acts. A careful reassessment of the internal and external evidence, however, reveals this assumption to be built on a shakier foundation than was previously thought. Patricia Walters's innovative study offers a statistical analysis of Luke and Acts, pointing to the existence of highly significant differences in their prose style. In particular, a comprehensive survey and re-examination of the two books' least contested authorial stratum - their seams and summaries - brings to light ancient prose compositional patterns that distinguish Luke and Acts beyond a reasonable doubt. Walters's application of statistical analysis is unique in biblical scholarship, and will provide impetus for using similar methods in other areas of the field. This book will therefore be of great interest to academic researchers and students of early Christianity, classical literature and rhetoric, and New Testament studies.

The first MATLAB-based numerical methods textbook for bioengineers that uniquely integrates modelling concepts with statistical analysis, while maintaining a focus on enabling the user to report the error or uncertainty in their result. Between traditional numerical method topics of linear modelling concepts, nonlinear root finding, and numerical integration, chapters on hypothesis testing, data regression and probability are interweaved. A unique feature of the book is the inclusion of examples from clinical trials and bioinformatics, which are not found in other numerical methods textbooks for engineers. With a wealth of biomedical engineering examples, case studies on topical biomedical research, and the inclusion of end of chapter problems, this is a perfect core text for a one-semester undergraduate course.

Originally published in 1997, The Political Economy of Property Rights reports on comparative research into the transformation of property rights in post-communist countries and China. Two important theoretical questions unify the contributions: what aspects of political systems give credibility to systems of property rights? What can be learned from the transformation of property rights in post-communist countries about the large-scale change of economic institutions? The contributors consider the credibility of property rights as arising from the strategic interaction of political and economic actors, and they apply this perspective and test its implications using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. Overall, the volume demonstrates the value of coordinated cross-national research by area specialists sharing a common focus on questions of political economy.

Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book covers the key aspects of the modern quantum theory of solids, including up-to-date ideas such as quantum fluctuations and strong electron correlations. It presents in the main concepts of the modern quantum theory of solids, as well as a general description of the essential theoretical methods required when working with these systems. Diverse topics such as general theory of phase transitions, harmonic and anharmonic lattices, Bose condensation and superfluidity, modern aspects of magnetism including resonating valence bonds, electrons in metals, and strong electron correlations are treated using unifying concepts of order and elementary excitations. The main theoretical tools used to treat these problems are introduced and explained in a simple way, and their applications are demonstrated through concrete examples.

Frederick Orpen Bower (1855–1948) was a renowned botanist best known for his research on the origins and evolution of ferns. Appointed Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow in 1885, he became a leading figure in the development of modern botany and the emerging field of paleobotany, devising the interpolation theory of the life cycle in land plants. First published between 1923 and 1928 as part of the Cambridge Botanical Handbook series, The Ferns was the first systematic classification of ferns according to anatomical, morphological and developmental features. In this three-volume work Bower analyses the major areas of comparison between different species, describes primitive and fossil ferns and compares these species to present-day fern species, providing a comprehensive description of the order. Volume 2 describes, analyses and classifies primitive and fossil ferns.

Frederick Orpen Bower (1855–1948) was a renowned botanist best known for his research on the origins and evolution of ferns. Appointed Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow in 1885, he became a leading figure in the development of modern botany and the emerging field of paleobotany, devising the interpolation theory of the life cycle in land plants. First published between 1923 and 1928 as part of the Cambridge Botanical Handbook series, The Ferns was the first systematic classification of ferns according to anatomical, morphological and developmental features. In this three-volume work Bower analyses the major areas of comparison between different species, describes primitive and fossil ferns and compares these species to present-day fern species, providing a comprehensive description of the order. Volume 3 describes, analyses and classifies extant species of ferns.

This 2004 book is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to machine vision. It provides all the necessary theoretical tools and shows how they are applied in actual image processing and machine vision systems. A key feature is the inclusion of many programming exercises that give insights into the development of practical image processing algorithms. The authors begin with a review of mathematical principles and go on to discuss key issues in image processing such as the description and characterization of images, edge detection, restoration and feature extraction, segmentation, texture and shape. They also discuss image matching, statistical pattern recognition, clustering, and syntactic pattern recognition. Important applications are described, including optical character recognition and automatic target recognition. Software and data used in the book can be found at www.cambridge.org/9780521830461. A useful reference for practitioners, the book is aimed at graduate students in

Written as both a textbook and a handy reference, this text deliberately avoids complex mathematics assuming only basic familiarity with geodynamic theory and calculus. Here, the authors have brought together the key numerical techniques for geodynamic modeling, demonstrations of how to solve problems including lithospheric deformation, mantle convection and the geodynamo. Building from a discussion of the fundamental principles of mathematical and numerical modeling, the text moves into critical examinations of each of the different techniques before concluding with a detailed analysis of specific geodynamic applications. Key differences between methods and their respective limitations are also discussed - showing readers when and how to apply a particular method in order to produce the most accurate results. This is an essential text for advanced courses on numerical and computational modeling in geodynamics and geophysics, and an invaluable resource for researchers looking to master

This 2006 book presents a systematic introduction to the theory of parametric stability of structures under both deterministic and stochastic loadings. A comprehensive range of theories are presented and various application problems are formulated and solved, often using more than one approach. Investigation of an elastic system's dynamic stability frequently leads to the study of dynamic behaviour of the solutions of parametrically excited systems. Parametric instability or resonance is more dangerous than ordinary resonance as it is characterised by exponential growth of the response amplitudes even in the presence of damping. The emphasis in this book is on the applications and various analytical and numerical methods for solving engineering problems. The materials presented are as self-contained as possible, with all of the important steps of analysis provided in order to make the book suitable as a graduate-level textbook and especially for self-study.