Modeling and Using Context

The phenomenon of caste has probably aroused more controversy than any other aspect of Indian life and thought. Susan Bayly's cogent and sophisticated analysis explores the emergence of the ideas, experiences and practices which gave rise to the so-called 'caste society' from the pre-colonial period to the end of the twentieth century. Using an historical and anthropological approach, she frames her analysis within the context of India's dynamic economic and social order, interpreting caste not as an essence of Indian culture and civilization, but rather as a contingent and variable response to the changes that occurred in the subcontinent's political landscape through the colonial conquest. The idea of caste in relation to Western and Indian 'orientalist' thought is also explored.

Although many of the models commonly used in empirical finance are linear, the nature of financial data suggests that non-linear models are more appropriate for forecasting and accurately describing returns and volatility. The enormous number of non-linear time series models appropriate for modeling and forecasting economic time series models makes choosing the best model for a particular application daunting. This classroom-tested advanced undergraduate and graduate textbook, first published in 2000, provides a rigorous treatment of recently developed non-linear models, including regime-switching and artificial neural networks. The focus is on the potential applicability for describing and forecasting financial asset returns and their associated volatility. The models are analysed in detail and are not treated as 'black boxes'. Illustrated using a wide range of financial data, drawn from sources including the financial markets of Tokyo, London and Frankfurt.

Although many of the models commonly used in empirical finance are linear, the nature of financial data suggests that non-linear models are more appropriate for forecasting and accurately describing returns and volatility. The enormous number of non-linear time series models appropriate for modeling and forecasting economic time series models makes choosing the best model for a particular application daunting. This classroom-tested advanced undergraduate and graduate textbook, first published in 2000, provides a rigorous treatment of recently developed non-linear models, including regime-switching and artificial neural networks. The focus is on the potential applicability for describing and forecasting financial asset returns and their associated volatility. The models are analysed in detail and are not treated as 'black boxes'. Illustrated using a wide range of financial data, drawn from sources including the financial markets of Tokyo, London and Frankfurt.

Computer simulations provide a powerful tool for understanding ecological and evolutionary systems. Simulating Ecological and Evolutionary Systems in C models a diverse range of biological processes and systems, including competition, foraging, predation, mating systems, and life-history optimization, by simulating large collections of interacting individuals. Using the widely available computer programming language C, the book starts with elementary programs modeling stochastic birth-death processes, slowly increasing programming complexity as the chapters progress. All the important features of C are covered, including arrays, files, pointers, and structures, within biologically motivated simulations. Although computer simulations of extremely complicated biological processes are released from rigid mathematical constraints, each of the simulations is also placed in the context of a mathematical formulation examined either analytically or numerically. Procedures covered include testi

The size and composition of primate groups varies tremendously across species, within species, and within groups over time. The most variable quantity is the number of adult males. In some groups, single males can monopolize access to several females, whereas reproduction is shared among several males in other groups. This variation lies at the heart of understanding adaptive variation among social systems. Whether groups contain single or multiple males has important consequences for reproductive strategies of both sexes, and also shapes these animals' morphology and behaviour. Written by leading authorities, this book provides an extensive overview of variation in group composition across all major primate taxa, using up-to-date reviews, case studies, evolutionary theory and theoretical models, setting primates into context with birds and other mammals. It will become a firm favorite with all those interested in the behavioural ecology of primates.

The size and composition of primate groups varies tremendously across species, within species, and within groups over time. The most variable quantity is the number of adult males. In some groups, single males can monopolize access to several females, whereas reproduction is shared among several males in other groups. This variation lies at the heart of understanding adaptive variation among social systems. Whether groups contain single or multiple males has important consequences for reproductive strategies of both sexes, and also shapes these animals' morphology and behaviour. Written by leading authorities, this book provides an extensive overview of variation in group composition across all major primate taxa, using up-to-date reviews, case studies, evolutionary theory and theoretical models, setting primates into context with birds and other mammals. It will become a firm favorite with all those interested in the behavioural ecology of primates.

When a mechanical system consists of two or more coupled vibrating components, the vibration of one of the component subsystems may destabilize the motion of the other components. This destabilization effect is called autoparametric resonance. It is a concept that has important engineering applications. For example, vibrations in a pipeline induced by high-speed gas flows must be considered in the design and operation of the pipeline. This book is the first completely devoted to the subject of autoparametric resonance in an engineering context. Using the tools of nonlinear analysis, the authors show how to carry out the first crucial step, that is, how to determine the regions of parameter space where the semi-trivial solution is unstable. They describe what happens in these regions and then discuss non-trivial solutions and their stability. The study of autoparametric systems is a lively area of current research in engineering and applied mathematics, and this book will appeal to gra

From earthquakes to epidemics, AIDS to industrial accidents, the mass media continually bring into our daily lives the awareness of risk. But how do people respond to this increased awareness? How do people cope with living in what has been termed 'the risk society'? This book attempts to explain how, within a given social and cultural context, individuals make sense of impending crisis. In particular it tries to explain the phenomenon of a widespread sense of personal invulnerability when faced with risk: the 'not me' factor. Using a social psychological framework it highlights emotional factors which are a key component of responses to risk but have hitherto been neglected due to the tendency of much work on risk to concentrate almost exclusively on cognitive processing. This book will appeal to an international audience of post-graduates, academics and researchers in the areas of risk, psychology, sociology, medical anthropology and psychoanalytic studies.

From earthquakes to epidemics, AIDS to industrial accidents, the mass media continually bring into our daily lives the awareness of risk. But how do people respond to this increased awareness? How do people cope with living in what has been termed 'the risk society'? This book attempts to explain how, within a given social and cultural context, individuals make sense of impending crisis. In particular it tries to explain the phenomenon of a widespread sense of personal invulnerability when faced with risk: the 'not me' factor. Using a social psychological framework it highlights emotional factors which are a key component of responses to risk but have hitherto been neglected due to the tendency of much work on risk to concentrate almost exclusively on cognitive processing. This book will appeal to an international audience of post-graduates, academics and researchers in the areas of risk, psychology, sociology, medical anthropology and psychoanalytic studies.

Partial differential equations arise in almost all areas of science, engineering, modeling, and forecasting. During the last two decades pseudospectral methods have emerged as successful alternatives to better known computational procedures, (e.g. finite difference and finite element methods of numerical solution), in several key application areas. These areas include computational fluid dynamics, wave motion, and weather forecasting. This book explains how, when and why this pseudospectral approach works. In order to make the subject accessible to students as well as researchers and engineers, the subject is presented using illustrations, examples, heuristic explanations, and algorithms rather than rigorous theoretical arguments. This book will be of interest to graduate students, scientists and engineers interested in applying pseudospectral methods to real problems.

This guide overviews the Unified Process for software development, with a focus on modeling using the Unified Modeling Language (UML). It demonstrates how the notation and process complement on anothe

Written by four experienced Nokia Telecommunications software developers, this is a practical book about object-based and component-based software development. The book concentrates on the most important issues in real-life software development, such as the development process itself, software architecture, the development of user interfaces, data management, and the development of large commercial software products. The book exemplifies the presented practices by using the Unified Modeling Language (UML).

This book provides a forum for researchers who have been using a variety of electrical measurements as a means to obtain microstructural information about their materials. Microstructure in this context includes features at all length scales - atomic to macroscopic. Even though numerous examples of microstructure/electrical property correlations exist, this book focuses on the myriad of applications that have already been successful. In addition, advances in techniques for the interpretation of data and modelling of materials-related phenomena are emphasized. The effects of percolation and connectivity of electrical paths are of particular interest as they determine the resultant electrical response. These in turn are intimately linked to how a material is processed, what phases it contains, and how the phases are distributed in real space. All classes of materials are covered including semiconductors, electroceramics, biological materials, polymers, metals, geomaterials and a variety

Presents a framework for modeling and using sensors to aid mobile robot navigation. Addresses the problem of accurate sensing in confined environments and makes a detailed analysis of the design and c

This unique publication summarises fifty years of Russian research on shock compression of condensed matter using chemical and nuclear explosions. This information, and the equations of state derived from it, have important applications in physics, materials science and engineering. An introductory chapter describes the importance of Russian experiments in a global context. The second chapter describes the experimental devices used. Following chapters summarise the results of experiments on pure metals, metal alloys and compounds, minerals, rocks, organic solids and liquids. The book covers experiments with pressures ranging from 2.5 GPa to 1 TPa using chemical explosives in laboratory conditions and to 10 TPa in underground nuclear tests. Attention is given to theoretical aspects, experimental problems, and data analysis. The data in this book are quite unique as, with the cessation of large scale underground nuclear tests, it will be some time before similar pressures can be generate

The 104th Congress, the first in four decades to be Republican-controlled, may prove to have ushered in an era of party dominance by congressional Republicans, or to be a transitory aberration. Either way, the 104th is a watershed in congressional history. Using the theatre metaphor to characterize the actions of Congress and to help make the institution more understandable, Congressional life and behaviour is dissected and placed in the broader context of changes in Congress in the 1990s. The contributors evaluate the way members of Congress play to the media and the larger audience, the electorate; analyze leadership roles in a cast of 535 'leading players'; evaluate the committee systems as 'little theatre'; and analyze relations among the various branches of government. Herbert Weisberg and Samuel Patterson conclude the presentation by reminding us that in Congress, 'the play's the thing'.

The 104th Congress, the first in four decades to be Republican-controlled, may prove to have ushered in an era of party dominance by congressional Republicans, or to be a transitory aberration. Either way, the 104th is a watershed in congressional history. Using the theatre metaphor to characterize the actions of Congress and to help make the institution more understandable, Congressional life and behaviour is dissected and placed in the broader context of changes in Congress in the 1990s. The contributors evaluate the way members of Congress play to the media and the larger audience, the electorate; analyze leadership roles in a cast of 535 'leading players'; evaluate the committee systems as 'little theatre'; and analyze relations among the various branches of government. Herbert Weisberg and Samuel Patterson conclude the presentation by reminding us that in Congress, 'the play's the thing'.

Written by internationally acclaimed trainer and developer Scott Ambler, this book is a must-have resource for designers, programmers and testers of today's OO applications. The author takes you through the entire process of building object applications, from analyzing the project (so you know what you need to build), to designing a user-friendly interface, to testing your approaches to make sure your applications work properly. Building Object Applications That Work includes sections on: • how to use the Unified Modeling Language effectively • analysis, so you know what you need to build • design techniques, so that you know how you are going to build your application • collecting the right metrics to improve your development approach • applying OO patterns to improve the quality of your applications • creating applications for stand-alone, client/server and distributed environments • using both relational and object-oriented databases to make your objects persistent • architec

Traditionally the province of chemists, the problem of environmental pollution is increasingly being tackled using methodologies which have a biological basis. This 1998 volume provides a range of examples of how biotechnology can offer sensitive and ecologically relevant new ways of monitoring the presence of biohazards in our environment and, once detected, how these biohazards can be removed in an ecologically safe way through bioremediation. Additional chapters on economic, legislative and policy aspects set the topic in its social context, resulting in a broad-ranging volume of value to all those concerned with the science of ecologically effective environmental protection and management.

This ground-breaking book distills the experience of the author in dealing with problems in industry that can be solved by using the SELECT Perspective. A pragmatic component-based approach for the development of enterprise systems, the SELECT Perspective comprises a unique blend of techniques, architecture, and process. Enterprise software development presents challenges of sheer scale and complexity that continue to accelerate at a terrific pace. Businesses are becoming increasingly adaptive and are calling for software that is more and more flexible. Component technology holds the promise of solving these problems, but there are some complications. For example, many organizations continue to struggle with the challenge of integrating their legacy systems with the newer technology. The approach in this book offers a streamlined set of modeling techniques based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML); uses a serviced-based architecture that provides an overall design philosophy for reu

This political history of the sex industry in Australia since World War II cogently presents all sides of a complex and changing debate. It looks at how prostitution and pornography are regulated, and how debates about them are produced. Sullivan examines statutes, parliamentary debate and legal discourse, moving beyond standard descriptions of the case for and against increased regulation. Looking at the broader societal context, she traces changing attitudes to what is normal and abnormal sexual conduct, using examples from newspapers, novels, films and demographic statistics. The book presents a number of cases that highlight questions of censorship and of literature vs pornography. It also critiques debates about prostitution and pornography that have been central to feminism. Broad in scope, the book extends from prohibition to the present period of legalised prostitution and pornography.

Using a context that is larger than a merely theological one, B÷hm (Spanish, Tarleton State U.) translates and interprets selections from Angelus Silesius' 1657 collection of mystical poetry, Cherub

Between 1989 and 1994, 41 out of 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa underwent significant political reform, including in many cases the first competitive elections in a generation. How can this wave of political liberalization be explained? Why did some countries complete a democratic transition, while others could not sustain more than limited political reform and others still suffered authoritarian reversals? What are the long term prospects for democracy in Africa? This study constitutes the first comprehensive analysis of democratic transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using an original data set they assembled, the authors demonstrate that economic and international forces often provided the context in which political liberalization occurred, but cannot by themselves explain the observed outcomes. Instead, the authors develop a political-institutional theoretical framework in which the distinctive political traditions of Africa's neopatrimonial states are shown to have powerfully s

Current research on the spectral theory of finite graphs may be seen as part of a wider effort to forge closer links between algebra and combinatorics (in particular between linear algebra and graph theory).This book describes how this topic can be strengthened by exploiting properties of the eigenspaces of adjacency matrices associated with a graph. The extension of spectral techniques proceeds at three levels: using eigenvectors associated with an arbitrary labelling of graph vertices, using geometrical invariants of eigenspaces such as graph angles and main angles, and introducing certain kinds of canonical eigenvectors by means of star partitions and star bases. One objective is to describe graphs by algebraic means as far as possible, and the book discusses the Ulam reconstruction conjecture and the graph isomorphism problem in this context. Further problems of graph reconstruction and identification are used to illustrate the importance of graph angles and star partitions in rela

This textbook presents modern algebra from the ground up using numbers and symmetry. The idea of a ring and of a field are introduced in the context of concrete number systems. Groups arise from consi

This substantial revision of the text Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations by the Finite Element Method by C. Johnson is a two volume introduction to the computational solution of differential equations using a unified approach organised around the adaptive finite element method. It presents a synthesis of mathematical modelling, analysis and computation. It provides the student with theoretical and practical tools useful for addressing the basic questions of computational mathematical modelling in science and engineering: How to model physical phenomena using differential equations? What are the properties of solutions of differential equations? How to compute solutions in practice? How to estimate and control the accuracy of computed solutions? The first volume begins by developing the basic issues at an elementary level in the context of a set of model problems in ordinary differential equations. The second volume extends the scope to nonlinear differential equations

This book examines the consequences of misspecifications ranging from the fundamental to the nonexistent for the interpretation of likelihood-based methods of statistical estimation and interference. Professor White first explores the underlying motivation for maximum-likelihood estimation, treats the interpretation of the maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE) for misspecified probability models, and gives the conditions under which parameters of interest can be consistently estimated despite misspecification, and the consequences of misspecification, for hypothesis testing in estimating the asymptotic covariance matrix of the parameters. Although the theory presented in the book is motivated by econometric problems, its applicability is by no means restricted to economics. Subject to defined limitations, the theory applies to any scientific context in which statistical analysis is conducted using approximate models.

This book assesses the role of government training and employment policies in the youth labour market in Britain. Based on extensive field research, it presents a comprehensive survey of this important and developing branch of labour economics. The author looks at the subject both historically and analytically, using an examination of human capital theory and the economic theory of training to provide a context for his research. Demographic, educational, economic and technological developments over time have greatly influenced the youth labour market, and Mr Deakin relates these changes to the effects of successive government training and employment schemes (such as YOP, TVEI and YTS/YT) on young people, employers and the national economy. He then compares these effects with the alternative no-policy position, and through this comparison detects an erratic policy-learning process which has important implications for future policy.

Using a totally new approach, this groundbreaking book establishes the logical connections between metallurgy, materials modeling, and numerical applications. In recognition of the fact that classical

This challenging book is based on the experience of the pioneering Buckingham project, a comprehensive mental health service focusing on primary care, and describes a new approach to the provision of mental health service to a community. Using the vulnerability-stress model of mental illness, the authors place their findings and recommendations in the wider context of mental health care provision, and draw widely on international research in this field. They insist on a rigorous approach to the provision and evaluation of care, and use telling case studies to reveal the benefits as well as some of the difficulties that may be experienced. The practical and cost effective approach described will be of the greatest interest to health care professionals in whatever treatment setting they may be working.

This book is the first comprehensive guide to Holst's popular orchestral suite The Planets. It considers the music in detail and places the work in its historical context, describing the circumstances of its composition and its meteoric rise to popular acclaim. Starting with Holst's particular interest in astrology, Professor Greene explores the plotting of the work's central melodic and harmonic gestures to reveal a profound statement of human character and Holst's own psychological journey toward the mystic state. Using parallels in the verbal arts Greene weaves a fascinating tale of musical communication. An understanding of The Planets is crucial to a full appreciation of Holst's profound late works, and Greene's systematic appraisal provides the first revealing light in this direction.

In this book Gary Goertz examines how states interact with their environment and contexts, which are important in understanding international politics. He presents a philosophical, methodological and empirical discussion of three important contexts which affect decision makers: history, system structure, and international norms. The effects of these contexts are explored by viewing context in turn as cause, as changing meaning, and as a barrier. The book engages with the literature on structural realism and international regimes, and uses rational actor and diffusion models as theoretical references. A number of concrete studies are provided using these contextual tools, including oil nationalisation, USSR-East European relations, enduring rivalries, and decolonisation. These empirical examples illustrate the fruitfulness of the contextual approach to international politics.

This book examines the consequences of misspecifications ranging from the fundamental to the nonexistent for the interpretation of likelihood-based methods of statistical estimation and interference. Professor White first explores the underlying motivation for maximum-likelihood estimation, treats the interpretation of the maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE) for misspecified probability models, and gives the conditions under which parameters of interest can be consistently estimated despite misspecification, and the consequences of misspecification, for hypothesis testing in estimating the asymptotic covariance matrix of the parameters. Although the theory presented in the book is motivated by econometric problems, its applicability is by no means restricted to economics. Subject to defined limitations, the theory applies to any scientific context in which statistical analysis is conducted using approximate models.

Children in Mexicano communities learn to use language in a variety of ways. At times they use both Spanish and English in the same conversation or help friends and family members enter mainstream society by translating English to Spanish for them. Pushing Boundaries describes Eastside, a Mexicano community in northern California, analysing language learning and language socialization in the context of real, problematic, important activities in people's lives. The authors consolidate three separate studies providing a unique perspective on the ways bilingual children and their families use and learn language. With children using the language of home, school and community separately and in combination, the book reveals how these children use their traditional language and cultural knowledge as a critical component for learning their second language and its underlying cultural norms.

Religious believers understand the meaning of their lives and of the world in terms of the way these are related to God. The conceptual models whereby this relationship is described therefore play a key role in the conceptual designs which theologians produce to express the faith of the community of believers. Vincent Brümmer examines the implications of using the model of love in this context and looks at a number of the most significant views of the nature of love: exclusive attention (Ortega y Gasset), ecstatic union (nuptial mysticism), passionate suffering (courtly love), need-love (Plato, Augustine), and gift-love (Nygren). All these views are shown to interpret love as an attitude rather than as a relation between persons. In the final chapters a relational concept of love is developed, and it is shown how all the various attitudes discussed in the previous chapters have a role to play. Finally, the implications are addressed of using the model of love as a key model in theology

Fried and Sanders set socialism within its historical context from prerevolutionary France to the present by using major turning points such as 1789, when the French Revolution launched socialism, to

This is the first full treatment of Harley Granville Barker's active work in the theatre. It sheds new light on the actor, director, manager, playwright and critic who was one of the most fascinating and versatile men of the twentieth-century stage, and provides vivid accounts of the crucial productions of the time. Granville Barker was the chief force in establishing a place in Edwardian London for the 'New Drama' of Shaw and the European playwrights, and he also became known for his revolutionary productions of Shakespeare and Euripides. By 1915 he was generally regarded as the most important theatre artist in England. Using original documents and contemporary press reports, Dennis Kennedy recreates the excitement of Granville Barker's accomplishment in the context of an era that proved a turning-point for the arts in general. The book is supported by more than forty photographs from his theatre productions, most of them published here for the first time since the Edwardian years.

In a departure from the longstanding emphasis on the frontier in American historical writing, Hal Barron employs a range of sources to reconstruct the social and economic history of a nineteenth-century rural community - Chelsea, Vermont -which was profoundly affected by population loss and economic stagnation at a time when most of the country was experiencing geographical expansion and economic growth. The author's lucid, accessible account explores the hard choices faced by the people of Chelsea as the economic vitality drained out of their community and shows how they dealt with these choices. Using new methods of social history to place Chelsea in the larger context of nineteenth-century American culture and society, this book provides an innovative contribution to the history of rural America.

Systems Ecology An Introduction Howard T. Odum An integrated theoretical and applied approach to systems ecology, using diagrammatic language to explain basic concepts of systems, modeling, and simula

This is a very successful textbook for undergraduate students of pure mathematics. Students often find the subject of complex analysis very difficult. Here the authors, who are experienced and well-known expositors, avoid many of such difficulties by using two principles: (1) generalising concepts familiar from real analysis; (2) adopting an approach which exhibits and makes use of the rich geometrical structure of the subject. An opening chapter provides a brief history of complex analysis which sets it in context and provides motivation.