Operations Research Methods

Based on meticulous research in FBI files, Chasing Spies uncovers the FBI’s role in the most important espionage cases of the cold war years. The book shows how secrecy immunized FBI operations from c

Spanning the years from World War II, when he was a civilian statistician in the operations research section of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command, through his studies with Hans Bethe at Cornell Unive

Relational mathematics is to operations research and informatics what numerical mathematics is to engineering: it is intended to help modelling, reasoning, and computing. Its applications are therefore diverse, ranging from psychology, linguistics, decision aid, and ranking to machine learning and spatial reasoning. Although many developments have been made in recent years, they have rarely been shared amongst this broad community of researchers. This comprehensive 2010 overview begins with an easy introduction to the topic, assuming a minimum of prerequisites; but it is nevertheless theoretically sound and up to date. It is suitable for applied scientists, explaining all the necessary mathematics from scratch using a multitude of visualised examples, via matrices and graphs. It ends with tangible results on the research level. The author illustrates the theory and demonstrates practical tasks in operations research, social sciences and the humanities.

McGrath (psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson U.) offers psychology students a framework for understanding quantitative research methods. He distinguishes between quantitative methods themselves and what h

The latest computer assisted methods for survey researchComputer assisted survey information collection (CASIC) methods are rapidly replacing traditional "paper and pencil" survey procedures. Research

Discrete optimization problems are everywhere, from traditional operations research planning (scheduling, facility location and network design); to computer science databases; to advertising issues in viral marketing. Yet most such problems are NP-hard; unless P = NP, there are no efficient algorithms to find optimal solutions. This book shows how to design approximation algorithms: efficient algorithms that find provably near-optimal solutions. The book is organized around central algorithmic techniques for designing approximation algorithms, including greedy and local search algorithms, dynamic programming, linear and semidefinite programming, and randomization. Each chapter in the first section is devoted to a single algorithmic technique applied to several different problems, with more sophisticated treatment in the second section. The book also covers methods for proving that optimization problems are hard to approximate. Designed as a textbook for graduate-level algorithm courses

Decision analysis is a prescriptive theory that aids individuals or groups confronted with complex problems in a wide variety of contexts. By framing issues, identifying risks, eliciting stakeholder preferences, and suggesting alternative approaches, decision analysts can offer workable solutions in domains such as the environment, health and medicine, engineering and operations research, and public policy. This book is a mixture of historical and forward-looking essays on key topics in decision analysis. Part I covers the history and foundations of decision analysis. Part II discusses structuring decision problems, including the development of objectives and their attributes, and influence diagrams. Part III discusses probabilities and their elicitation and Bayes nets. Part IV discusses additive and multiplicative utilities, risk preferences, and 'option pricing' methods. Part V discusses risk analysis. Part VI puts decision analysis in a behavioral and organizational context. Part VI

Decision analysis is a prescriptive theory that aids individuals or groups confronted with complex problems in a wide variety of contexts. By framing issues, identifying risks, eliciting stakeholder preferences, and suggesting alternative approaches, decision analysts can offer workable solutions in domains such as the environment, health and medicine, engineering and operations research, and public policy. This book is a mixture of historical and forward-looking essays on key topics in decision analysis. Part I covers the history and foundations of decision analysis. Part II discusses structuring decision problems, including the development of objectives and their attributes, and influence diagrams. Part III discusses probabilities and their elicitation and Bayes nets. Part IV discusses additive and multiplicative utilities, risk preferences, and 'option pricing' methods. Part V discusses risk analysis. Part VI puts decision analysis in a behavioral and organizational context. Part VI

Advances in the social sciences have emerged through a variety of research methods: field-based research, laboratory and field experiments, and agent-based models. However, which research method or ap

Advances in the social sciences have emerged through a variety of research methods: field-based research, laboratory and field experiments, and agent-based models. However, which research method or ap

‘Art as research’, ‘art-based research’, and ‘research as art’ have become popular issues since the 1990s. This conceptual understanding aims at combining the methods of arts and sciences, but oftenti

Whether the goals of research are applied or more abstract, team research has been an important aspect of ethnography. In Doing Team Ethnography, the latest volume in the Qualitative Research Methods

The field of oligonucleotide therapeutics research is ripe with the prospect of new discoveries. In Therapeutic Oligonucleotides: Methods and Protocols, a selection of established and emerging methods

Sara Nofri combines several research methods (multilingual bibliographic research, quantitative content analysis, semiotic text analysis, interviews to journalists) and a cross-cultural, interdiscipli

The book gives an overview about all relevant electrochemical and spectroscopic methods used in corrosion research. Besides the correct use and interpretation, the methods are correlated with industri

This timely volume provides an overview of polymer characterization test methods and presents experimental research in polymers using modern methods. Each chapter describes the principle of the respec

This book brings together research on numerical methods adapted for Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). It explains recent efforts to adapt classic numerical methods, including solution of linear equati

Mental Health Outcome Evaluation bridges the gap between traditional research and evaluation methods by presenting an alternative to the highly technical and statistical methods developed in the labor

A humorous approach to genealogical research discusses successful research methods and various sources of information, including the National Archives, county courthouses, libraries, and genealogical

Too often in biostatistical research and clinical trials, a knowledge gap exists between developed statistical methods and the applications of these methods. Filling this gap, Clinical Trial Data Anal

In recent years scholars and researchers in all disciplines have moved away from traditional quantitative methods of research to more qualitative methods which emphasize questions of meaning and inter

This timely and original guide to qualitative internet research offers thought-provoking case studies and debates on the methods and theories surrounding contemporary internet research.

This timely and original guide to qualitative internet research offers thought-provoking case studies and debates on the methods and theories surrounding contemporary internet research.

This book examines research, design, and implementation aspects of technologies and methods in distance learning. The research described incorporates global challenges and opportunities of technology

In vitro methods for evaluating foods and beverages functionality and toxicity are key in academic and industrial research. These methods are usually quick and less expensive than human studies. They

Updated and revised, this thorough volume provides a selection of the newest methods, as well as some of the basic methods required for a mycobacterial research laboratory. Mycobacteria Protocols, Thi

Resampling methods—techniques for repeatedly resampling data to obtain results—are being used in virtually every research area. This practical guide discusses the applications of these methods in a wi

With so much technical information about research methods it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture of why we carry out educational research and where and how research might contribute to the imp

Methods in Enzymology: Visualizing RNA Dynamics in the Cell continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This volume covers research methods visu

Volume 542 of Methods in Enzymology continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This new volume covers research methods providing a theoretical

Using methods he developed through grant-funded research, award-winning instructor Chris Juzwiak has documented a 15% increase in basic writers’ success rates on his campus. These methods serve as the

This book introduces a broad repertoire of methods suited to youth research, with greater weight given to qualitative approaches. Rather than providing a how-to guide or discussing the methods' episte

This introductory text combines study skills and research methods to provide students with an invaluable guide to the techniques, practical skills and methods of study that will enable them to achieve

This book provides the latest research findings, and discusses, from both theoretical and practical perspectives, innovative research methods and development techniques related to intelligent social n

This book highlights the latest research findings, innovative research results, methods and development techniques, from both theoretical and practical perspectives, in the emerging areas of informati

This new four-volume major work brings together a wealth of valuable research on the qualitative research methods of grounded theory and its extension, situational analysis.

A concise introduction to the fundamental concepts of social scientific thinking and research, this classic text makes scientific thinking, research methods, and statistics accessible to undergraduate

A concise introduction to the fundamental concepts of social scientific thinking and research, this classic text makes scientific thinking, research methods and statistics accessible to undergraduate

Reflexive Ethnography is a unique guide to ethnographic research for students of anthropology and related disciplines. It provides practical and comprehensive guidance to ethnographic research methods

Empirical translation studies is a rapidly evolving research area. This volume, written by world-leading researchers, demonstrates the integration of two new research paradigms: socially-oriented and data driven approaches to empirical translation studies. These two models expand current translation studies and stimulate reader debates around how development of quantitative research methods and integration with advances in translation technologies would significantly increase the research capacities of translation studies. Highly engaging, the volume pioneers the development of socially-oriented innovative research methods to enhance the current research capacities of theoretical (descriptive) translation studies in order to tackle real-life research issues, such as environmental protection and multicultural health promotion. Illustrative case studies are used, bringing insight into advanced research methodologies of designing, developing and analysing large scale digital databases for