Pattern Classification Using Ensemble Methods

In 1983, the first patient classification system to be used on a national basis, the Diagnosis Relate Groups (DRGs), was adopted as part of the Prospective Payment System in the United States. This system caught the attention of health policy makers in other countries, and a number of them began to implement similar approaches. What motivated them to adopt these systems? What similarities and differences were there among their experiences in implementing these systems? What can we learn about introducing change into national health systems by comparing their experiences? The Globalization of Managerial Innovation in Health Care answers these and other questions by examining patient classification systems in fifteen different countries throughout the world. The result is a remarkable collection of case studies of how change can be introduced effectively into national health systems as well as a careful synthesis of what can be learned from them.

If you're looking to understand photonic crystals, this systematic, rigorous, and pedagogical introduction is a must. Here you'll find intuitive analytical and semi-analytical models applied to complex and practically relevant photonic crystal structures. You will also be shown how to use various analytical methods borrowed from quantum mechanics, such as perturbation theory, asymptotic analysis, and group theory, to investigate many of the limiting properties of photonic crystals which are otherwise difficult to rationalize using only numerical simulations. An introductory review of nonlinear guiding in photonic lattices is also presented, as are the fabrication and application of photonic crystals. In addition, end-of-chapter exercise problems with detailed analytical and numerical solutions allow you to monitor your understanding of the material presented. This accessible text is ideal for researchers and graduate students studying photonic crystals in departments of electrical engi

In 1983, the first patient classification system to be used on a national basis, the Diagnosis Relate Groups (DRGs), was adopted as part of the Prospective Payment System in the United States. This system caught the attention of health policy makers in other countries, and a number of them began to implement similar approaches. What motivated them to adopt these systems? What similarities and differences were there among their experiences in implementing these systems? What can we learn about introducing change into national health systems by comparing their experiences? The Globalization of Managerial Innovation in Health Care answers these and other questions by examining patient classification systems in fifteen different countries throughout the world. The result is a remarkable collection of case studies of how change can be introduced effectively into national health systems as well as a careful synthesis of what can be learned from them.

Multiple-conclusion logic extends formal logic by allowing arguments to have a set of conclusions instead of a single one, the truth lying somewhere among the conclusions if all the premises are true. The extension opens up interesting possibilities based on the symmetry between premises and conclusions, and can also be used to throw fresh light on the conventional logic and its limitations. This is a sustained study of the subject and is certain to stimulate further research. Part I reworks the fundamental ideas of logic to take account of multiple conclusions, and investigates the connections between multiple - and single - conclusion calculi. Part II draws on graph theory to discuss the form and validity of arguments independently of particular logical systems. Part III contrasts the multiple - and the single - conclusion treatment of one and the same subject, using many-valued logic as the example; and Part IV shows how the methods of 'natural deduction' can be matched by direct pr

Categories, homological algebra, sheaves and their cohomology furnish useful methods for attacking problems in a variety of mathematical fields. This textbook provides an introduction to these methods, describing their elements and illustrating them by examples.

Incompressible computational fluid dynamics is an emerging and important discipline, with numerous applications in industry and science. Its methods employ rigourous mathematical analysis far beyond what is presently possible for compressible flows. Vortex methods, finite elements, and spectral methods are emphasised. Contributions from leading experts in the various sub-fields portray the wide-ranging nature of the subject. The book provides an entrée into the current research in the field. It can also serve as a source book for researchers and others who require information on methods and techniques.

The development of European archaeology as a scholarly discipline in the nineteenth century was closely connected with the appearance of systematic methods for dating archaeological materials and these methods evolved largely in Scandinavia. Professor Gräslund's book is the first in-depth study of what is now recognised as a crucial stage in the history of archaeology. Beginning with an analysis of the basic elements of archaeological dating systems, he traces the origin and subsequent development of these systems, examining in detail how they were built up and refined. The Three Age System, methods of dating by find associations and the applications of typology for relative dating are themes that receive particular attention. Individuals, however, are never lost from sight. Throughout the book the author seeks to assess the contribution of the often colourful personalities involved and the volume concludes with a valuable biographical appendix.

This book approaches the study of patterns by emphasising the processes responsible for them; it emphasises the logical format of process-to-pattern rather than the more wasteful pattern-to-process approach. The concern is primarily with two-dimensional surfaces, which is the way most maps are used for analysis. The material is organised into sections on process models responsible for point patterns, for line patterns and then for area patterns. It represents a synthesis of the work done on patterns in a number of fields and a large literature is reviewed in the process of the synthesis. In many respects this book represents a translation of complex mathematical materials into a readable and relatively simple verbal approach to the subject and thus brings the more sophisticated aspects to a larger number of students than has been done before. The reader need only have an elementary background in statistics. The basic probability theory required by the text is given in an appendix.

In order to accurately describe and diagnose psychiatric illness, practitioners require in-depth knowledge of the signs and symptoms of behavioral disorders. Descriptive Psychopathology provides a broad review of the psychopathology of psychiatric illness, beyond the limitations of the DSM and ICD criteria. Beginning with a discussion of the background to psychiatric classification, the authors explore the problems and limitations of current diagnostic systems. The following chapters then present the principles of psychiatric examination and diagnosis, described with accompanying patient vignettes and summary tables, and related to different diagnostic concerns. A thought-provoking conclusion proposes a restructuring of psychiatric classification based on the psychopathology literature and its validating data. Written for psychiatry and neurology residents, clinical psychologists, behavioral neurologists, clinical psychology students and psychiatric nurse practitioners, it is invaluabl

Multivariate methods are employed widely in the analysis of experimental data but are poorly understood by those users who are not statisticians. This is because of the wide divergence between the theory and practice of multivariate methods. This book provides concise yet thorough surveys of developments in multivariate statistical analysis and gives statistically sound coverage of the subject. The contributors are all experienced in the theory and practice of multivariate methods and their aim has been to emphasize the major features from the point of view of applicability and to indicate the limitations and conditions of the techniques. Professional statisticians wanting to improve their background in applicable methods, users of high-level statistical methods wanting to improve their background in fundamentals, and graduate students of statistics will all find this volume of value and use.

This book is concerned with the central act of Christian worship, call it Eucharist, Holy Communion, Liturgy, Last Supper or Mass. First it investigates in some detail the New Testament accounts of its institution at the Last Supper, dealing with the problems of scholarship involved. Professor Kilpatrick argues that Mark XIV and I Corinthians XI are basic, Mark being more archaic. Secondly, the book examines three themes of the Eucharist which are foreign to Western thinking of today: sacrifice, the sacred meal and the pattern of charter story and ritual. This pattern is common ground to anthropologists and biblical scholars. It is argued that the observance is not a Passover but a sacrifice in Biblical terms and certain features which we find in Biblical sacrifice have parallels in the religion of ancient Rome and Greece. The bearing of these conclusions on present-day liturgical revision is then discussed.

Financial Products provides a step-by-step guide to some of the most important ideas in financial mathematics. It describes and explains interest rates, discounting, arbitrage, risk neutral probabilities, forward contracts, futures, bonds, FRA and swaps. It shows how to construct both elementary and complex (Libor) zero curves. Options are described, illustrated and then priced using the Black Scholes formula and binomial trees. Finally, there is a chapter describing default probabilities, credit ratings and credit derivatives (CDS, TRS, CSO and CDO). An important feature of the book is that it explains this range of concepts and techniques in a way that can be understood by those with only a basic understanding of algebra. Many of the calculations are illustrated using Excel spreadsheets, as are some of the more complex algebraic processes. This accessible approach makes it an ideal introduction to financial products for undergraduates and those studying for professional financial qua

This publication takes a critical, evidence-based look at the efficacy of diagnostic tests which are increasingly being used to evaluate organ damage and dysfunction. The use of biomarkers is growing, with a steady stream of products being brought out by the pharmaceutical industry. Some of these assist in diagnosis, others provide a means of monitoring the state of progression of disease and the effectiveness of therapeutic options. However, in many cases the evidence which supports the use of these methods as opposed to traditional biochemical tests has not yet been demonstrated, and it is intended that this volume will help clarify the strengths and weaknesses of using these biomarkers across a wide range of applications and in the various organs of the body. This approach will provide pathologists, clinical biochemists and medical laboratory scientists with an invaluable overview of the diverse applications of biomarkers in medicine.

This collection of articles, written by European, American and British scholars, clarifies problems of style and chronology in the music Schubert composed during the last decade of his life. Althought O. E. Deutsch's documentary biography and memoirs set new milestones in Schubert research, they left some problems of chronology unanswered. Some of the essays in this volume examine or re-examine these problems, using different methods. Robert Winter, in the longest essay, proposes numerous re-datings of works composed between 1822 and 1828 which result from a careful examination of types of paper and watermarks. Other contributors point out the limitations of applying stylistic criteria as the basis for the dating of individual works. The articles touch on all areas of Schubert's output, with the emphasis on his songs, theatre music, and orchestral and chamber works. Althought this book will be of primary interest to musicologists, and others interested in Schubert, the essays concerned

Financial Products provides a step-by-step guide to some of the most important ideas in financial mathematics. It describes and explains interest rates, discounting, arbitrage, risk neutral probabilities, forward contracts, futures, bonds, FRA and swaps. It shows how to construct both elementary and complex (Libor) zero curves. Options are described, illustrated and then priced using the Black Scholes formula and binomial trees. Finally, there is a chapter describing default probabilities, credit ratings and credit derivatives (CDS, TRS, CSO and CDO). An important feature of the book is that it explains this range of concepts and techniques in a way that can be understood by those with only a basic understanding of algebra. Many of the calculations are illustrated using Excel spreadsheets, as are some of the more complex algebraic processes. This accessible approach makes it an ideal introduction to financial products for undergraduates and those studying for professional financial qua

This collection of articles aims at revitalizing the study of kinship and exchange in a social network perspective. It brings together studies of empirical systems of marriage and descent with investigations of the flow of material resources in societies of Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. Restudies of classic ethnographic cases and fieldwork studies of kinship and exchange demonstrate how the social and material aspects of society are related, and address issues of concern to anthropology and the neighbouring disciplines of history, sociology and economics. This book marks the emergence of an era in the study of kinship and exchange using a productive combination of ethnographic substance with formal methods, one which leaves behind older structural-functionalist and culturalist assumptions.

Astronomy leads to an understanding of the history and nature of science, and attracts many young people to education in science and technology. But while in many countries astronomy is not part of the standard curriculum, many scientific and educational societies and government agencies have produced materials and educational resources in astronomy for all educational levels. This volume highlights the general strategies for effective teaching and introduces innovative points of view regarding methods of teaching and learning, particularly those using new technologies. Technology is used in astronomy both for obtaining observations and for teaching. The book also presents ideas for how astronomy can be connected to environmental issues and other topics of public interest. This valuable overview is based on papers and posters presented by many of the world's leading astronomy educators at a Special Session of the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Prague in 2006.

Using data drawn primarily from the American Southwest, Stephen Plog shows that there are basic problems with the methods archaeologists traditionally use to classify and analyse prehistoric pottery. Archaeologists have studied the painted designs and other stylistic (that is, non-functional) characteristics on different types of prehistoric artifacts in order to infer information about prehistoric social organization and cultural change. Such studies usually argue that the degree of similarity between the designs found on ceramic vessels at different prehistoric sites were occupied or from the amount of interaction between the people who occupied them. In Stylistic Variation in Prehistoric Ceramics, the author proposes that many factors, rather than just two, cause design or stylistic variation on artifacts. He demonstrates flaws in the logic and method of previous studies and suggests that the ways in which designs have been classified and understood are often inappropriate. Employin

This book treats the classical problem of gravitational physics within Einstein's theory of general relativity. It presents basic principles and equations needed to describe rotating fluid bodies, as well as black holes in equilibrium. It then goes on to deal with a number of analytically tractable limiting cases, placing particular emphasis on the rigidly rotating disc of dust. The book concludes by considering the general case using powerful numerical methods that are applied to various models, including the classical example of equilibrium figures of constant density. Researchers in general relativity, mathematical physics, and astrophysics will find this a valuable reference book on the topic. A related website containing codes for calculating various figures of equilibrium is available at www.cambridge.org/9781107407350.

The Tragedies of Ennius were theatrical adaptations of Attic originals. None has survived; but fragments of twenty-two of them can be found in the work of other writers. Dr Jocelyn prints all the identifiable fragments, substantial extracts from the works which quote them and, where necessary, a critical apparatus. The long introduction discusses the early history of Roman public spectacles; the physical conditions of the theatre in the third and second centuries; the effect these had on the poets who had to adapt the scripts of Attic tragedies; the general character of the Latin plays thus produced; and the fate of these scripts (particularly those of Ennius) in later antiquity. The commentary is both detailed and discursive. Besides glossing and interpreting in the usual way, it considers the problems of restoring individual fragments and of using these fragments to reconstruct both the plays from which they came and the Attic originals. It also elucidates the methods used by Ennius

This fourth volume of the Handbook of Phycological Methods, with its field-oriented perspective, is a comprehensive treatment of recently developed methodologies in the rapidly advancing field of marine benthic algal ecology. Both traditional and modern methods are presented along with the limitations of various projectspecific examples. References and discussions include how procedures may be adapted to suit different habitats, diverse algal systems, or other conditions. This book contains sufficient detail to be valuable to a wide audience, including both advanced and student researchers and educators throughout the academic and technical community.

The recent explosive growth of biological data has lead to a rapid increase in the number of molecular biology databases. Held in many different locations and often using varying interfaces and non-standard data formats, integrating and comparing data from these multiple databases can be difficult and time-consuming. This book provides an overview of the key tools currently available for large-scale comparisons of gene sequences and annotations, focusing on the databases and tools from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Ensembl, and the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Written specifically for biology and bioinformatics students and researchers, it aims to give an appreciation of the methods by which the browsers and their databases are constructed, enabling readers to determine which tool is the most appropriate for their requirements. Each chapter contains a summary and exercises to aid understanding and promote effective use of these important tool

The recent explosive growth of biological data has lead to a rapid increase in the number of molecular biology databases. Held in many different locations and often using varying interfaces and non-standard data formats, integrating and comparing data from these multiple databases can be difficult and time-consuming. This book provides an overview of the key tools currently available for large-scale comparisons of gene sequences and annotations, focusing on the databases and tools from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Ensembl, and the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Written specifically for biology and bioinformatics students and researchers, it aims to give an appreciation of the methods by which the browsers and their databases are constructed, enabling readers to determine which tool is the most appropriate for their requirements. Each chapter contains a summary and exercises to aid understanding and promote effective use of these important tool

Space-time coding is a technique that promises greatly improved performance in wireless networks by using multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver. Space-Time Block Coding for Wireless Communications, first published in 2003, is an introduction to the theory of this technology. The authors develop the topic using a unified framework and cover a variety of topics ranging from information theory to performance analysis and space-time coding methods for both flat and frequency-selective fading multiple-antenna channels. The authors concentrate on key principles rather than specific practical applications, and present the material in a concise and accessible manner. Their treatment reviews the fundamental aspects of multiple-input, multiple-output communication theory, and guides the reader through a number of topics at the forefront of research and development. The book includes homework exercises and is aimed at graduate students and researchers working on wireless communication

This book presents the salient features of the general theory of infinite electrical networks in a coherent exposition. Using the basic tools of functional analysis and graph theory, the author examines the fundamental developments in the field and discusses applications to other areas of mathematics. The first half of the book presents existence and uniqueness theorems for both infinite-power and finite-power voltage-current regimes, and the second half discusses methods for solving problems in infinite cascades and grids. A notable feature is the invention of transfinite networks, roughly analogous to Cantor's extension of the natural numbers to the transfinite ordinals. The last chapter is a survey of application to exterior problems of partial differential equations, random walks on infinite graphs, and networks of operators on Hilbert spaces.

Mental and physical disability, ubiquitous in texts of the Hebrew Bible, here receive a thorough treatment. Olyan seeks to reconstruct the Hebrew Bible's particular ideas of what is disabling and their potential social ramifications. Biblical representations of disability and biblical classification schemas - both explicit and implicit - are compared to those of the Hebrew Bible's larger ancient West Asian cultural context, and to those of the later Jewish biblical interpreters who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. This study will help the reader gain a deeper and more subtle understanding of the ways in which biblical writers constructed hierarchically significant difference and privileged certain groups (e.g. persons with 'whole' bodies) over others (e.g. persons with physical 'defects'). It also explores how ancient interpreters of the Hebrew Bible such as the Qumran sectarians reproduced and reconfigured earlier biblical notions of disability and earlier classification models for thei

This book presents and analyses vortex methods as a tool for the direct numerical simulation of incompressible viscous flows. Vortex methods have matured, offering an interesting alternative to finite difference and spectral methods for high-resolution numerical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations. Research in the numerical analysis aspects of vortex methods has provided a solid mathematical background for understanding the accuracy and stability of the method. At the same time vortex methods retain their appealing physical character that was the motivation for their introduction. Scientists working in the areas of numerical analysis and fluid mechanics will benefit from this book, which may serve both communities as both a reference monograph and a textbook for computational fluid dynamics courses.

The contributors include some of the most eminent specialists in the field of phycology. This volume focuses on cytological and developmental methods, each method already has been applied successfully to algae, and practical examples are given.

This text on contact topology is a comprehensive introduction to the subject, including recent striking applications in geometric and differential topology: Eliashberg's proof of Cerf's theorem via the classification of tight contact structures on the 3-sphere, and the Kronheimer-Mrowka proof of property P for knots via symplectic fillings of contact 3-manifolds. Starting with the basic differential topology of contact manifolds, all aspects of 3-dimensional contact manifolds are treated in this book. One notable feature is a detailed exposition of Eliashberg's classification of overtwisted contact structures. Later chapters also deal with higher-dimensional contact topology. Here the focus is on contact surgery, but other constructions of contact manifolds are described, such as open books or fibre connected sums. This book serves both as a self-contained introduction to the subject for advanced graduate students and as a reference for researchers.

Sporadic Groups is the first step in a programme to provide a uniform, self-contained treatment of the foundational material on the sporadic finite simple groups. The classification of the finite simple groups is one of the premier achievements of modern mathematics. The classification demonstrates that each finite simple group is either a finite analogue of a simple Lie group or one of 26 pathological sporadic groups. Sporadic Groups provides for the first time a self-contained treatment of the foundations of the theory of sporadic groups accessible to mathematicians with a basic background in finite groups such as in the author's text Finite Group Theory. Introductory material useful for studying the sporadics, such as a discussion of large extraspecial 2-subgroups and Tits' coset geometries, opens the book. A construction of the Mathieu groups as the automorphism groups of Steiner systems follows. The Golay and Todd modules, and the 2-local geometry for M24 are discussed. This is fo

This anthropological work of unusual historical depth describes the pattern of land tenure and resulting social structure in the Ceylonese village of Madagama. Dr Obeyesekere analyses the contemporary system in detail, and traces the evolution of every land holding and the correlated kinship pattern from the inception of the estate in 1790. The traditional cultivation and economy has been modified by land shortage, causing multiple division of shares, and by British rule which resulted in the introduction of Roman-Dutch law and the development of a cash economy. The practices of mortgaging and share speculation then became the basis of a new power structure derived from feudal norms of land ownership, and leading to radical reorganization of the traditional hamlet.

This book examines the relationship between classification and evolutionary theory, with reference to the competing schools of taxonomic thinking. Emphasis is placed on one of these schools, the transformed cladists, who have attempted to reject all evolutionary thinking in classification and to cast doubt on evolution in general. The author examines the limits to this line of thought from a philosophical and methodological perspective rather than from a biological viewpoint. He concludes that transformed cladistics does not achieve what it claims and that it either implicity assumes a Platonic World View, or is unintelligible without taking into account evolutionary processes - the very processes it claims to reject. Through this analysis the author attempts to formulate criteria, of an objective and consistent nature, that can be used to judge competing methodologies and theories without resorting to any particular theoretical standpoint for justification. Philosophers of science, zo

Observations of ocean circulation have increased as a result of international field programmes and of remote sensing systems on artificial earth satellites. Oceanographers are increasingly turning to inverse methods for combining these observations with numerical models of ocean circulation. Professor Bennett's work explores the potential for inverse theory, emphasizing possibilities rather than expedient or rudimentary applications. In addition to interpolating the data and adding realism to the model solutions, the methods can yield estimates for unobserved flow variables, forcing fields, and model parameters. Inverse formulations can resolve ill-posed modelling problems, lead to design criteria for oceanic observing systems, and enable the testing of models as scientific hypothesis. Exercises of varying difficulty rehearse technical skills and supplement the central theoretical development. Thus this book will be invaluable for environmental scientists and engineers, advanced underg

If you need to maximize efficiency in wireless network planning, an understanding of radio propagation issues is vital, and this 2007 reference guide is for you. Using real-world case studies, practical problems and minimum mathematics, the author explains simply and clearly how to predict signal strengths in a variety of situations. Fundamentals are explained in the context of their practical significance. Applications, including point-to-point radio links, broadcasting and earth-space communications, are thoroughly treated, and more sophisticated methods, which form the basis of software tools for both network planning and spectrum management, are also described. For a rapid understanding and insight into radio propagation, sufficient to enable you to undertake real-world engineering tasks, this concise book is invaluable for network planners, hardware designers, spectrum managers, senior technical managers and policy makers who are either new to radio propagation or who need a quick

3-D seismic data have become the key tool used in the petroleum industry to understand the subsurface. In addition to providing excellent structural images, the dense sampling of a 3-D survey makes it possible to map reservoir quality and the distribution of oil and gas. Topics covered in this book include basic structural interpretation and map-making; the use of 3-D visualisation methods; interpretation of seismic amplitudes, including their relation to rock and fluid properties; and the generation and use of AVO and acoustic impedance datasets. This new paperback edition includes an extra appendix presenting new material on novel acquisition design, pore pressure prediction from seismic velocity, elastic impedance inversion, and time lapse seismics. Written by professional geophysicists with many years' experience in the oil industry, the book is indispensable for geoscientists using 3-D seismic data, including graduate students and new entrants into the petroleum industry.

A study of the system of political stratification and the pattern of political alliances in rural Western Maharashtra. Based on fieldwork in a large village, a nearby market town and taluka headquarters, and political institutions in the surrounding countryside, the first half of the book is a full examination of the phenomenon of regional dominance originally described by Adrian Mayer. The second part is a detailed study of the pattern of political alliances from village to district level. Dr Carter's central concern is with the manner in which the pattern of political alliances is shaped by political stratification. Tracing the relationships between these alliances and such factors as political stratification, political arenas, caste, class, and kinship, Dr Carter demonstrates that much Indian political behaviour which has been regarded as irrational or as a sign of an immature, tradition-bound and unstable system may be understood more usefully as a rational response to the conditio

This book studies the formation of complex societies in prehistoric China during the Neolithic and early state periods, c. 7000–1500 BC. Archaeological materials are interpreted through anthropological perspectives, using systematic analytic methods in settlement and burial patterns. Both agency and process are considered in the development of chiefdoms and in the emergence of early states in the Yellow River region. Interrelationships between factors such as mortuary practice, craft specialization, ritual activities, warfare, exchange of elite goods, climatic fluctuations, and environmental changes are emphasized. This study offers a critical evaluation of current archaeological data from Chinese sources, and argues that, although some general tendencies are noted, social changes were affected by multiple factors in no pre-determined sequence. In this most comprehensive study to date, Li Liu attempts to reconstruct developmental trajectories toward early states in Chinese civilization

Systematic Conservation Planning provides a clear, comprehensive guide to the process of deriving a conservation area network for regions, which will best represent the biodiversity of regions in the most cost-effective way. The measurement of biodiversity, design of field sampling strategies, alongside different data treatment methods are detailed helping to provide a conceptual framework for identifying conservation area networks, underpinned by the concept of complementarity. Setting conservation targets and then multi-criteria analyses, using complementarity but bringing in other criteria reflecting competing uses of land or water, to show how conservation area networks can achieve conservation targets in ways that also allow for the production of food, fiber and shelter are also discussed. Providing a clear procedure for identifying conservation priority areas underpinned by cutting edge science, this book will be of interest to graduate students, academics, planners and decision

Systematic Conservation Planning provides a clear, comprehensive guide to the process of deriving a conservation area network for regions, which will best represent the biodiversity of regions in the most cost-effective way. The measurement of biodiversity, design of field sampling strategies, alongside different data treatment methods are detailed helping to provide a conceptual framework for identifying conservation area networks, underpinned by the concept of complementarity. Setting conservation targets and then multi-criteria analyses, using complementarity but bringing in other criteria reflecting competing uses of land or water, to show how conservation area networks can achieve conservation targets in ways that also allow for the production of food, fiber and shelter are also discussed. Providing a clear procedure for identifying conservation priority areas underpinned by cutting edge science, this book will be of interest to graduate students, academics, planners and decision

IAU Symposium 240, held in conjunction with the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, highlights the latest advances in the field of binary and multiple stars, and was the first major meeting in recent years bringing together members of both the 'wide' and 'close' binary communities. Topics discussed ranged from common proper motion pairs and other 'fragile' binaries to contact binaries and star/brown-dwarf/planet systems, exploring the numerous interests common to all binary star researchers. Highlights included talks on observing binaries using high angular and spectral resolution techniques, the impacts of new and planned large-scale surveys, recent models for binary evolution, new methods for analyzing cataclysmic pairs and disentangling spectra, surveys of extragalactic eclipsing binaries, Doppler tomography and imaging, and binaries as probes of the Galaxy's chemical and dynamical evolution. This volume will be an important reference source for binary sta