Soft Computing Based Modeling in Intelligent Systems

Against the background of often esoteric literature in semiotics, this book offers a fresh and rigorous new interpretation of how to approach the study of communication, signs and meaning. Grounded in a deductive theory of interacting systems, Piotr Sadowski's book provides an accessible account of the hierarchy of communication.Divided into two parts, this book argues in the first section that a deductive semiotic theory generates communication situations of increasing complexity, from contiguous communication to indirect, referential forms based on indexical, iconic, and symbolic signs. Within this system, Sadowski explains how key concepts of the semiotic model such as information, parainformation and metainformation can account for degrees of cognitive complexity of communication processes, including the perception and interpretation of signs on literal and figurative levels. After this clear, step-by-step exposition of the theory of interacting systems, Systemic Semiotics then

Class-tested and coherent, this textbook teaches classical and web information retrieval, including web search and the related areas of text classification and text clustering from basic concepts. It gives an up-to-date treatment of all aspects of the design and implementation of systems for gathering, indexing, and searching documents; methods for evaluating systems; and an introduction to the use of machine learning methods on text collections. All the important ideas are explained using examples and figures, making it perfect for introductory courses in information retrieval for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in computer science. Based on feedback from extensive classroom experience, the book has been carefully structured in order to make teaching more natural and effective. Slides and additional exercises (with solutions for lecturers) are also available through the book's supporting website to help course instructors prepare their lectures.

Life-cycle analyses (LCA), vital in detailing the range of a technology's effects upon the environment and human health, afford us solid information for judiciously selecting those that provide the least damage. This book bring us a major step forward in generating well-balanced, accurate assessments of the environmental impacts of new energy conversion and storage technologies. It presents information on the life cycle of photovoltaics. Since this technology is rapidly evolving, periodic updates are essential for ensuring well-balanced comparisons with other technologies. It also focuses on nanomaterial-based technologies for energy storage and includes comprehensive overviews on the use of nanostructured materials in hydrogen storage, environmental issues related to such storage, and descriptions of new nanoscale systems for energy storage and offers interesting new energy storage technologies. The book also features LCA methodologies applicable to energy-systems analysis, detailing

The lexicon is now a major focus of research in computational linguistics and natural language processing (NLP), as more linguistic theories concentrate on the lexicon and as the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary has become the chief bottleneck in developing practical NLP systems. This collection describes techniques of lexical representation within a unification-based framework and their linguistic application, concentrating on the issue of structuring the lexicon using inheritance and defaults. Topics covered include typed feature structures, default unification, lexical rules, multiple inheritance and non-monotonic reasoning. The contributions describe both theoretical results and implemented languages and systems, including DATR, the Stuttgart TFS and ISSCO's ELU. This book arose out of a workshop on default inheritance in the lexicon organized as a part of the Esprit ACQUILEX project on computational lexicography. Besides the contributed papers mentioned above, it contains a

This book explores the epistemological and ethical issues at the foundations of environmental philosophy, emphasising the conservation of biodiversity. Sahota Sarkar criticises attempts to attribute intrinsic value to nature and defends an anthropocentric position on biodiversity conservation based on an untraditional concept of transformative value. Unlike other studies in the field of environmental philosophy, this book is as much concerned with epistemological issues as with environmental ethics. It covers a broad range of topics, including problems of explanation and prediction in traditional ecology and how individual-based models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is transforming ecology. Introducing a brief history of conservation biology, Sarkar analyses the consensus framework for conservation planning through adaptive management. He concludes with a discussion of directions for theoretical research in conservation biology and environmental philosophy.

This book explores the epistemological and ethical issues at the foundations of environmental philosophy, emphasising the conservation of biodiversity. Sahota Sarkar criticises attempts to attribute intrinsic value to nature and defends an anthropocentric position on biodiversity conservation based on an untraditional concept of transformative value. Unlike other studies in the field of environmental philosophy, this book is as much concerned with epistemological issues as with environmental ethics. It covers a broad range of topics, including problems of explanation and prediction in traditional ecology and how individual-based models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is transforming ecology. Introducing a brief history of conservation biology, Sarkar analyses the consensus framework for conservation planning through adaptive management. He concludes with a discussion of directions for theoretical research in conservation biology and environmental philosophy.

Bringing together contributions on a diverse range of topics, this text explores the relationship between discrete and continuum mechanics as a tool to model new and complex metamaterials. Providing a comprehensive bibliography and historical review of the field, it covers mechanical, acoustic and pantographic metamaterials, discusses Naive Model Theory and Lagrangian discrete models, and their applications, and presents methods for pantographic structures and variational methods for multidisciplinary modeling and computation. The relationship between discrete and continuous models is discussed from both mathematical and engineering viewpoints, making the text ideal for those interested in the foundation of mechanics and computational applications, and innovative viewpoints on the use of discrete systems to model metamaterials are presented for those who want to go deeper into the field. An ideal text for graduate students and researchers interested in continuum approaches to the study

Multilayer networks, in particular multilayer social networks, where users belong to and interact on different networks at the same time, are an active research area in social network analysis, computer science, and physics. These networks have traditionally been studied within these separate research communities, leading to the development of several independent models and methods to deal with the same set of problems. This book unifies and consolidates existing practical and theoretical knowledge on multilayer networks including data collection and analysis, modeling, and mining of multilayer social network systems, the evolution of interconnected social networks, and dynamic processes such as information spreading. A single real dataset is used to illustrate the concepts presented throughout the book, demonstrating both the practical utility and the potential shortcomings of the various methods. Researchers from all areas of network analysis will learn new aspects and future directi

Multilayer networks, in particular multilayer social networks, where users belong to and interact on different networks at the same time, are an active research area in social network analysis, computer science, and physics. These networks have traditionally been studied within these separate research communities, leading to the development of several independent models and methods to deal with the same set of problems. This book unifies and consolidates existing practical and theoretical knowledge on multilayer networks including data collection and analysis, modeling, and mining of multilayer social network systems, the evolution of interconnected social networks, and dynamic processes such as information spreading. A single real dataset is used to illustrate the concepts presented throughout the book, demonstrating both the practical utility and the potential shortcomings of the various methods. Researchers from all areas of network analysis will learn new aspects and future directi

This book introduces a new, unique, and far-reaching industry technology, Business Service Orchestration (BSO). BSO encompasses the art of orchestrating the interactions between business services. These business services may represent internal business processes of organizations. Integration of many of these internal legacy, custom and COTS applications may, in turn, create these services. This book focuses on the importance of orchestration and how it enables IT professionals to develop and design highly effective and efficient business systems of the future. The book is divided into three major sections. Section I provides a detailed overview of business services and their orchestration and describes an in-depth architecture necessary to provide a web of business services, and orchestration of their interactions, including a methodology for modeling the BSO. Section II focuses on technologies necessary to orchestrate business services, ranging from component models to programming lan

Computer algebra systems have revolutionized the use of computers within mathematics research, and are currently extending that revolution to the undergraduate mathematics curriculum. But the power of such systems goes beyond simple algebraic or numerical manipulation. This book shows how computer-aided mathematics has reached a level where it can support effectively many of the computations in science and engineering. In addition to treating traditional computer science topics, an introductory course should show scientists and engineers how these computer-based tools can be used to do scientific computations. A valuable text for computer science courses for scientists and engineers, this book should also prove useful to Mathematica users at all levels. Covering the latest release of Mathematica, the book includes useful tips and techniques to help even seasoned users.

The history of design arguments stretches back to before Aquinas, who claimed that things which lack intelligence nevertheless act for an end to achieve the best result. Although science has advanced to discredit this claim, it remains true that many biological systems display remarkable adaptations of means to ends. Versions of design arguments have persisted over the centuries and have culminated in theories that propose an intelligent designer of the universe. This volume is the only comprehensive survey of 2,000 years of debate, drawing on both historical and modern literature to identify, clarify and assess critically the many forms of design argument for the existence of God. It provides a neutral, informative account of the topic from antiquity to Darwin, and includes concise primers on probability and cosmology. It will be of great value to upper-level undergraduates and graduates in philosophy of religion, theology, and philosophy of science.

Algorithms permeate our lives in numerous ways, performing tasks that until recently could only be carried out by humans. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, based on machine learning algorithms and big-data-powered systems, can perform sophisticated tasks such as driving cars, analyzing medical data, and evaluating and executing complex financial transactions - often without active human control or supervision. Algorithms also play an important role in determining retail pricing, online advertising, loan qualification, and airport security. In this work, Martin Ebers and Susana Navas bring together a group of scholars and practitioners from across Europe and the US to analyze how this shift from human actors to computers presents both practical and conceptual challenges for legal and regulatory systems. This book should be read by anyone interested in the intersection between computer science and law, how the law can better regulate algorithmic design, and the legal ramificatio

This book contains a compilation of high-yield, at-a-glance summaries in quick reference format for various topics that are frequently encountered by pathologists in the daily practice or on the boards. The focus is not organ-based histologic criteria, but rather everything else that goes into pathologic diagnoses but is difficult to keep committed to memory. The emphasis is on immunohistochemistry, special stains, grading systems, molecular markers, tumor syndromes, and helpful clinical references. Also included are morphologic summaries that encompass high-yield material cutting across all organ systems, such as an illustrated guide for microorganisms, tumor differentials, and an illustrated glossary of pathologic descriptors.The book has a unique format in that the information is presented primarily in tables and diagrams accompanied by brief and to-the-point explanatory text. The guiding principle was to boil the information down to the essentials but with just enough commentary to

This book explores the fundamentals of computer music and functional programming through the Haskell programming language. Functional programming is typically considered difficult to learn. This introduction in the context of creating music will allow students and professionals with a musical inclination to leverage their experience to help understand concepts that might be intimidating in more traditional computer science settings. Conversely, the book opens the door for programmers to interact with music by using a medium that is familiar to them. Readers will learn how to use the Euterpea library for Haskell (http://www.euterpea.com) to represent and create their own music with code, without the need for other music software. The book explores common paradigms used in algorithmic music composition, such as stochastic generation, musical grammars, self-similarity, and real-time interactive systems. Other topics covered include the basics of signal-based systems in Haskell, sound synt

Modern electronic devices and novel materials often derive their extraordinary properties from the intriguing, complex behavior of large numbers of electrons forming what is known as an electron liquid. This book provides an in-depth introduction to the physics of the interacting electron liquid in a broad variety of systems, including metals, semiconductors, artificial nano-structures, atoms and molecules. One, two and three dimensional systems are treated separately and in parallel. Different phases of the electron liquid, from the Landau Fermi liquid to the Wigner crystal, from the Luttinger liquid to the quantum Hall liquid are extensively discussed. Both static and time-dependent density functional theory are presented in detail. Although the emphasis is on the development of the basic physical ideas and on a critical discussion of the most useful approximations, the formal derivation of the results is highly detailed and based on the simplest, most direct methods.

Recent advances in the development of low-loss optical fibers have revolutionized the field of telecommunications, and fiber-based networks form a key part of international communications systems. This book introduces the physical principles of optical fibers, and details their use in sensor technology and modern optical communication systems. The authors begin by setting out the basic propagation characteristics of single mode and multimode optical fibers. In later chapters they cover optical sources, optical detectors, and fiber-optic communication system design. They also treat a wide variety of related topics such as doped fiber amplifiers, dispersion compensation, fiber sensors, and measurement techniques for the characterization of optical fibers. Throughout the book, physical and engineering aspects of the subject are interwoven, and many worked examples and exercises are included. It will be an ideal textbook for undergraduate or graduate students taking courses in optical fibe

Distributed systems are fast becoming the norm in computer science. Formal mathematical models and theories of distributed behaviour are needed in order to understand them. This book proposes a distributed pi-calculus called Dpi, for describing the behaviour of mobile agents in a distributed world. It is based on an existing formal language, the pi-calculus, to which it adds a network layer and a primitive migration construct. A mathematical theory of the behaviour of these distributed systems is developed, in which the presence of types plays a major role. It is also shown how in principle this theory can be used to develop verification techniques for guaranteeing the behavior of distributed agents. The text is accessible to computer scientists with a minimal background in discrete mathematics. It contains an elementary account of the pi-calculus, and the associated theory of bisimulations. It also develops the type theory required by Dpi from first principles.

Ever since Adam Smith, economists have been preoccupied with the puzzle of economic growth. The standard mainstream models of economic growth were and often still are based either on assumptions of diminishing returns on capital with technological innovation or on endogenous dynamics combined with a corresponding technological and institutional setting. An alternative model of economic growth emerged from the Cambridge School of Keynesian economists in the 1950s and 1960s. This model - developed mainly by Luigi Pasinetti - emphasizes the importance of demand, human learning and the growth dynamics of industrial systems. Finally, in the past decade, new mainstream models have emerged incorporating technology or demand-based structural change and extending the notion of balanced growth. This collection of essays reassesses Pasinetti's theory of structural dynamics in the context of these recent developments, with contributions from economists writing in both the mainstream and the Cambri

Social Signal Processing is the first book to cover all aspects of the modeling, automated detection, analysis, and synthesis of nonverbal behavior in human-human and human-machine interactions. Authoritative surveys address conceptual foundations, machine analysis and synthesis of social signal processing, and applications. Foundational topics include affect perception and interpersonal coordination in communication; later chapters cover technologies for automatic detection and understanding such as computational paralinguistics and facial expression analysis and for the generation of artificial social signals such as social robots and artificial agents. The final section covers a broad spectrum of applications based on social signal processing in healthcare, deception detection, and digital cities, including detection of developmental diseases and analysis of small groups. Each chapter offers a basic introduction to its topic, accessible to students and other newcomers, and then outl

Recent years have seen major progress in the development of equations to describe the motion of fluid-particle mixtures and their application to a limited range of problems. With rapid advances in numerical methods and computing power we are now presented with new opportunities to use direct integration of these equations in the solution of complex practical problems. However, results so obtained are only as good as the equations on which they are based, so it is essential to have a clear understanding of the underlying physics and the extent to which it is reflected properly in these equations. In The Dynamics of Fluidized Particles, first published in 2000, Jackson formulates these equations carefully and fully describes the important existing applications that serve to test their ability to predict salient phenomena. This account will be of value to both starters and established researchers in the field, and also to people interested in applying the equations to practical engineerin

First published in 1976, Professor Corner's study is a major work of botanical scholarship and reference. The most unsatisfactory part of the classification of dicotyledons is the arrangement of their families into orders. In these volumes the author shows how important the seed is in classification. Systems of ordinal classification based on the flower are potentially misleading in as much as floral similarity is often the effect of polyphyletic convergence. A different system of classification based on the seed is outlined. The work is the result of more than thirty years' collection and study of seeds, particularly in the tropics. The account is published in two volumes. The text in this first volume has five introductory chapters leading up to the nature of the primitive arillate seed. There then follows in alphabetical order concise descriptions of the seed in families and certain of their genera. The second volume contains more than 600 original illustrations made by the author.

First published in 1976, Professor Corner's study is a major work of botanical scholarship and reference. The most unsatisfactory part of the classification of dicotyledons is the arrangement of their families into orders. In these volumes the author shows how important the seed is in classification. Systems of ordinal classification based on the flower are potentially misleading in as much as floral similarity is often the effect of polyphyletic convergence. A different system of classification based on the seed is outlined. The work is the result of more than thirty years' collection and study of seeds, particularly in the tropics. The account is published in two volumes. The text in the first volume has five introductory chapters leading up to the nature of the primitive arillate seed. There then follows in alphabetical order concise descriptions of the seed in families and certain of their genera. This second volume contains more than 600 original illustrations made by the author.

Human Intelligence is the most comprehensive, current, and readable textbook available today. Written by leading experts in the field, the text includes IQ-test-based, biological, cognitive, cultural, and systems-based perspectives. It also addresses genetic and environmental influences, extremes of intelligence, group differences, lifespan development, the relationship of intelligence and other psychological attributes, and educational interventions. Specific pedagogical features make the text ideal for teaching. Introductions briefly preview what is to come in each chapter. Key terms and concepts are bolded and defined in the text as they are introduced and also found in a glossary at the end of the book. Chapter summaries highlight major points of each chapter, and comprehension and reflection questions help students check their understanding of the material they have just read. Each chapter also includes a 'Focus on Contemporary Research' box that describes in vivid detail the chap

Updated and expanded, this second edition of the acclaimed Multiwavelength Optical Networks provides a detailed description of the structure and operation of modern optical networks. It also sets out the analytical tools for network performance evaluation and optimization for current and next generation networks, as well as the latest advances in enabling technologies. Backbone optical networks are evolving to mesh topologies using intelligent network elements; a new optical control plane is taking shape based on GMPLS; and significant advances have occurred in Fiber to the Home/Premises (the 'last mile'), metropolitan area networks, protection and restoration, and IP over WDM. New research on all-optical packet switched networks is also covered in depth. Also included are current trends and new applications on the commercial scene. This book is an invaluable resource for graduate and senior undergraduate students in electrical engineering, computer science, and applied physics, and fo

An Indigenous environmental scientist breaks down why western conservationism isn't working--and offers Indigenous models informed by case studies, personal stories, and family histories that center the voices of Latin American women and land protectors. Despite the undeniable fact that Indigenous communities are among the most affected by climate devastation, Indigenous science is nowhere to be found in mainstream environmental policy or discourse. And while holistic land, water, and forest management practices born from millennia of Indigenous knowledge systems have much to teach all of us, Indigenous science has long been ignored, otherized, or perceived as soft--the product of a systematic, centuries-long campaign of racism, colonialism, extractive capitalism, and delegitimization. Here, Jessica Hernandez--Maya Ch'orti' and Zapotec environmental scientist and founder of environmental agency Pi鎙 Soul--introduces and contextualizes Indigenous environmental knowledge and proposes a vi

This is an introduction to the mathematical basis of finite element analysis as applied to vibrating systems. Finite element analysis is a technique that is very important in modeling the response of structures to dynamic loads. Although this book assumes no previous knowledge of finite element methods, those who do have knowledge will still find the book to be useful. It can be utilised by aeronautical, civil, mechanical, and structural engineers as well as naval architects. This second edition includes information on the many developments that have taken place over the last twenty years. Existing chapters have been expanded where necessary, and three new chapters have been included that discuss the vibration of shells and multi-layered elements and provide an introduction to the hierarchical finite element method.

This is an introduction to the mathematical basis of finite element analysis as applied to vibrating systems. Finite element analysis is a technique that is very important in modeling the response of structures to dynamic loads. Although this book assumes no previous knowledge of finite element methods, those who do have knowledge will still find the book to be useful. It can be utilised by aeronautical, civil, mechanical, and structural engineers as well as naval architects. This second edition includes information on the many developments that have taken place over the last twenty years. Existing chapters have been expanded where necessary, and three new chapters have been included that discuss the vibration of shells and multi-layered elements and provide an introduction to the hierarchical finite element method.

The phonological history of Chinese can be traced back to two main traditions: one starting with the Qieyun of 601, and the other starting with the Zhongyuan Yinyun of 1324. The former marks the beginning of Middle Chinese, and the latter marks the beginning of Old Mandarin. Both of these systems, as well as reconstructed Old Chinese, should be understood as ideal phonological standards and composite in nature. Until modern times, phonological standards were never based strictly on the phonology of a single dialect. This book provides the first study written in English, of the phonological history of Chinese. It provides information about the standard phonological systems for each of the language's major historical periods, drawing on a range of historical materials such as dictionaries, rhyming tables and poetry, and is the reference book for understanding the key developments in the Chinese sound system.

Contributions from an international team of experts revisit and update the concept of linguistic ecology in order to critically examine current theoretical approaches to language contact. Language is understood as a part of complex socio-historical-cultural systems, and interaction between the different dimensions and levels of these systems is considered to be essential for specific language forms. This book presents a uniform, abstract model of linguistic ecology based on, among other things, two concepts of Edmund Husserl's philosophy (parts and wholes, and foundation). It considers the individual speaker in the specific communication situation to be the essential heuristic basis of linguistic analysis. The chapters present and employ a new, transparent and accessible contact linguistic vocabulary to aid reader comprehension, and explore a wide range of language contact situations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. This book will be fascinating

First published in 1922, this volume aimed to contribute to our understanding of the complexities which shape attitudes and behaviour at work. Based on material obtained from a survey of workers employed by a single firm - who operate production systems as widely as different as continuous-flow chemical production and yarn spinning - this book highlights features of the production system which are crucial in influencing attitudes and behaviour within the work setting. Through a comparison of craftsmen and semi-skilled workers, it also illustrates the influence of differences of expectations upon work attitudes and behaviour. The authors reject any approach which could be called technologically determinist but nonetheless seek to show that a comparative approach to the study of behaviour in organizations may still fruitfully take as its starting-point technology and the systems of control which are devised for the planning and execution of the task.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognized that people with disabilities should have the right to exercise their legal capacity and identified 'supported decision-making' as a means by which people with disabilities can be directly involved in decisions that impact their lives. Offering an overview of its emergence in the disability field and highlighting emerging research, theory, and practice from legal, psychology, education, and health fields, this volume provides a much-needed theoretical and evidence base for supported decision-making. Evidence and strengths-based frameworks for understanding disability, supports, and their roles in promoting supported decision-making are synthesized. The authors describe the application of a social-ecological approach to supported decision-making, and focus on implications for building systems of supports based on current environmental demands. This volume introduces and explains empirical research

Increased production of photovoltaic (PV) energy and its rapidly growing market have resulted in reduced costs, as well as improved conversion efficiencies and reliabilities for solar systems. Much of this rapid progress has occurred because of materials advances in solar cell processing technologies over the past three decades. However, there are still many challenges ahead -challenges to further lower PV energy costs, produce stable and higher efficiency modules, and perform R&D on the next generation of solar cells and materials. Researchers review the latest advances in PV materials, device processing technology, and manufacturing tools, and to address the many research challenges that remain. The book groups technologies based on silicon, thin-film materials, and novel approaches. Topics include: crystalline silicon technologies; CdTe- and GaAs-based technologies; PV devices and module issues; metallizations, microcracks and new manufacturing initiatives; CIGS; and thin films and

Boolean functions are essential to systems for secure and reliable communication. This comprehensive survey of Boolean functions for cryptography and coding covers the whole domain and all important results, building on the author's influential articles with additional topics and recent results. A useful resource for researchers and graduate students, the book balances detailed discussions of properties and parameters with examples of various types of cryptographic attacks that motivate the consideration of these parameters. It provides all the necessary background on mathematics, cryptography, and coding, and an overview on recent applications, such as side channel attacks on smart cards, cloud computing through fully homomorphic encryption, and local pseudo-random generators. The result is a complete and accessible text on the state of the art in single and multiple output Boolean functions that illustrates the interaction between mathematics, computer science, and telecommunications

The masses of neutron stars are limited by an instability to gravitational collapse and an instability driven by gravitational waves limits their spin. Their oscillations are relevant to x-ray observations of accreting binaries and to gravitational wave observations of neutron stars formed during the coalescence of double neutron-star systems. This volume includes more than forty years of research to provide graduate students and researchers in astrophysics, gravitational physics and astronomy with the first self-contained treatment of the structure, stability and oscillations of rotating neutron stars. This monograph treats the equations of stellar equilibrium; key approximations, including slow rotation and perturbations of spherical and rotating stars; stability theory and its applications, from convective stability to the r-mode instability; and numerical methods for computing equilibrium configurations and the nonlinear evolution of their oscillations. The presentation of fundamen

How does EU law affect Member State corporate tax systems and the cross-border activities of companies? This book traces the historical development of EU corporate tax law and provides an in-depth analysis of a number of issues affecting companies, groups of companies, and permanent establishments. Christiana HJI Panayi examines existing legislation, soft law, and the case law of the Court of Justice, as well as the Commission's burgeoning external tax policy initiatives. The book not only explores the tax issues pertaining to direct investment, but also analyzes the taxation of passive investment income, corporate reorganisations, exit taxes, and the treatment of anti-abuse regimes. Through this careful analysis, the book highlights the convergences and divergences arising from the interplay between EU corporate tax law and international tax law, especially the OECD model tax convention. This second edition also reviews developments in the context of the State aid prohibition and high

Most recent microservices books fully buy into the hype, starting from the premise that microservices are nearly always the best approach to developing enterprise systems. But that isn't always a safe assumption: in fact, in some cases, it can be disastrous, leading to architectures that serve nobody well. Strategic Microservices and Monoliths helps business decision-makers and technical team members collaborate to clearly understand their strategic problems, and identify their optimal architectural approaches, whether those turns out to be distributed microservices, well-modularized monoliths, or coarser-grade services partway between the two. Writing for executives and IT professionals alike, leading software architecture expert Vaughn Vernon and Tomasz Jaskula guide you through making balanced architecture compositional decisions based on need and purpose rather than popular opinion, so you can maximize business value and deliver systems that evolve more easily. Throughout, the auth

Robin Fox's study of systems of kinship and alliance has become an established classic of the social science literature. It has been praised above all for its liveliness of style and clarity of exposition in an area that students and general readers have found difficult to master. It was the first attempt to produce an overview of this central subject and has maintained its unique position over the years. Fox's reconciliation of 'descent' and 'alliance' theories, and his 'deductive' approach to the logic of kinship systems based on four universal premises, give the book its distinctive flavour and make it not only the best available introductory text but a contribution to theory in its own right. It has been used throughout the world as an introduction for both academic and lay readers and has been translated into numerous languages.

Get all the information you need to work holistically, creatively, and collaboratively when providing services for older adults with Karen Frank Barney, Margaret A. Perkinson, and Debbie Laliberte Rudman’s Occupational Therapy with Aging Adults, 2nd Edition. Emphasizing evidence-based, occupation-based practice and a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach, this text walks students and practitioners through the full range of gerontological occupational therapy practice, inclusive of working with individual clients to working at systems and societal levels. Over 80 leaders in their respective topical areas contributed to the book’s 33 chapters, including the conceptual foundations and principles of gerontological occupational therapy, bio-psychosocial age-related changes, environmental forces shaping occupational participation for older adults, the continuum of health care as well as implications for communities, and the attributes, ethical responsibilities, and roles involved in gero

Compound semiconductors have long been an integral part of everyday life. Recent progress on their potential as emitters, sensing devices in biological and chemical environments, and high-efficiency power devices demonstrates their impact on energy and environment. Compound-semiconductor-based photovoltaic systems are emerging as an economical means of generating renewable energy through the use of concentrator technologies. However, while solid-state lighting devices have shown energy-saving and environmental benefits, much still needs to be done to realize their full potential. This book contains reports from internationally known experts on the state of compound-semiconductor-based devices with application in environmental conservation and energy saving challenges. Topics include: compound semiconductors for PV applications; compound semiconductors for lighting; compound semiconductors for lighting, power and sensing; compound semiconductors for energy; compound semiconductors for s