Bücher veröffentlicht von Springer London

Peter Bond describes the development and evolution of space stations, with particular emphasis on the International Space Station, beginning with the revolution that began in 1970, when Salyut 1, the world's first space station was sent into orbit by the Soviet Union. Defeated in the race to the Moon, the Soviets redirected their efforts towards the conquest of near-Earth space. In the next three decades, their increasingly large and sophisticated structures rewrote the history books as cosmonauts continued to push back all space endurance records. Only the U.S. Skylab, a technological cul-de-sac based on surplus Apollo hardware, interrupted this era of Soviet domination. By the mid-1990's, Russian physician Valeri Poliakov had lived continuously for 14 months on board the Mir space station, long enough to travel to Mars and back. The book explains how the human exploitation of low-Earth orbit is about to change. With Mir no longer in existence, all eyes are on the next generation, the International Space Station (ISS).

Almost every serious amateur astronomer knows the benefit of having a fixed observatory of some sort - it saves a vast amount of time and effort during every observing session - and this book provides the necessary help. More Small Astronomical Observatories details the methods and techniques employed by non-professional astronomers from all over the world, providing a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to build a small observatory of almost any kind. It's a fun read, too.

Java and Object Orientation: An Introduction (2nd edition) shows readers how to build object oriented applications in Java. Written in a clear and concise style, with lots of examples, this revised edition provides:- A detailed understanding of object orientation- A thorough introduction to Java including building blocks, constructs, classes, data structures etc.- Coverage of graphical user interfaces and applets (AWT, Servlets)- Object oriented analysis and design including UML. If you are looking for a good introduction to Java and object orientation, then this is the book for you. Source code for the examples in this book is available at: http://www.java-and-oo.net

In 1996 Meade, the world's largest astronomical telescope manufacturer, introduced the ETX, a low-cost and genuinely portable instrument capable of results close to the theoretical limits of optical performance. Since then several different models have been introduced, most of them controlled by on-board computers that automatically point the telescope at objects selected from a database of 12,000. Unfortunately not all these objects are visible when looking through the ETX! (They are included because they can be imaged with special equipment.) Mike Weasner is a world expert on the ETX range, and describes the "e;best"e; 100 objects to start with, and offers hints and tips about using and looking after the telescope to get the best possible results.

I was extremely surprised to learn that this book was so well received; I was even more surprised when a second edition was proposed. I had realised that there was a need for a book such as this but had not thought that the need was as great; I really wrote the book for myself, in order better to organise my thoughts on object-oriented languages and better to understand them. For the second edition, I have found and corrected mistakes and have added a completely new chapter on the C# language. The chapter on mixed­ paradigm languages has been relegated to an appendix, and a new appendix on the BeCecil language has been added. - C# is extremely popular. Given its apparent role as the major competitor to Java, it was clear that a chapter was necessary in which a comparison could be made. That chapter concentrates on the language and not on the runtime and support system. C# contributes some new features to the C++ derivatives. The language has rough edges (as Java does still) . It will be interesting to watch its development and to see whether it becomes accepted more widely.

Linux has become increasingly popular as an alternative operating system to Microsoft Windows as its ease of installation and use has improved. This, combined with an ever growing range of applications, makes it an attractive alternative to Windows for many people.Essential Linux fast covers areas such as:- The essential preliminaries that should be carried out before installing Linux- Installing a Linux system- Configuring peripherals- Using X windows- Basic and intermediate Unix commands- Using the Internet with Linux- Using Linux for document preparation- Using Linux for programmingIf you want to make the switch from Windows, this is the book you need. Ian Chivers tells you how to get and install Linux and explains why Linux is becoming the hottest operating system of the millennium.

This volume provides students, researchers and application developers with the knowledge and tools to get the most out of using neural networks and related data modelling techniques to solve pattern recognition problems. Each chapter covers a group of related pattern recognition techniques and includes a range of examples to show how these techniques can be applied to solve practical problems. Features of particular interest include:- A NETLAB toolbox which is freely available- Worked examples, demonstration programs and over 100 graded exercises- Cutting edge research made accessible for the first time in a highly usable form- Comprehensive coverage of visualisation methods, Bayesian techniques for neural networks and Gaussian ProcessesAlthough primarily a textbook for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in pattern recognition and neural networks, this book will also be of interest to practitioners and researchers who can use the toolbox to develop application solutions and new models."...provides a unique collection of many of the most important pattern recognition algorithms. With its use of compact and easily modified MATLAB scripts, the book is ideally suited to both teaching and research."Christopher Bishop, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK"...a welcome addition to the literature on neural networks and how to train and use them to solve many of the statistical problems that occur in data analysis and data mining" Jack Cowan, Mathematics Department, University of Chicago, US"If you have a pattern recognition problem, you should consider NETLAB; if you use NETLAB you must have this book." Keith Worden, University of Sheffield, UK

This is one of the shorter books in the 21 volume Practitioner Book Series, but this is entirely appropriate for a text on the ubiquitous topic of Quality. The book is written in a concise, precise no-nonsense style by two interna- tional authors. They are supported in their approach by relevant personal practical experience and by peer-review of other researchers obtained whilst disseminating their research in the academic literature. The authors base their book around their Objective/Principles/ Attributes (OPA) Framework, developed in the first place for assessment and prediction of software quality. After OPA was developed as a procedure for evaluating software development methodologies, it was expanded to include software quality measurement with the inclusion of statistical indicators and a systematic basis for deriving them. The OPA is an holistic approach to soft- ware quality and prediction. The approach has been validated through experience gained on a 4-year on-site project, which has also led to improve- ments to the framework.

The second edition of the best-selling Inside Relational Databases is revised and updated to bring you the most reader-friendly explanation of the relational model and its importance to database designers and builders.Clear explanations make use of examples rather than equations to show you how an understanding of the relational model can make your databases faster, more flexible and thoroughly fit for their purpose.Dr Mark Whitehorn has an extensive understanding of relational database theory and his popular and long running database column in the UK's "Personal Computer World" has already made database theory accessible to thousands.Bill Marklyn has an intimate knowledge of relational databases and was the Development Manager who oversaw the entire design of the first two major releases of Microsoft's highly successful database product, Access.Together they make a great team, illuminating a tricky subject with substance and style.Reviews from the first edition of Inside Relational Databases:"Quite simply - superb. By making relational databases understandable, Mark Whitehorn and Bill Marklyn have achieved far more than most. Making the subject interesting and entertaining as well puts these two authors firmly in a class of their own."- Neil Fawcett, Group Technical Editor, VNU Business Publications"PCW and Amazon.co.uk contributor Mark Whitehorn is that rare combination - an expert in his field, databases, and a fine writer too, with a talent for honing a complex subject down to its essentials."- Tamsin Todd, Computer & Internet Editor, Amazon.co.uk"Inside Relational Databases is excellent. It is clearly and concisely written and full of humorous asides which ease the reader through an otherwise weighty topic. Probably the most engaging technical book I have read."- Paul McGowan

The Ulysses observations have charted the heliosphere around the minimum in the 11 year cycle of solar activity, revealing the large scale properties of the heliospheric medium and its micro-scale characteristics. This book presents for the first time, a comprehensive review of the results of the Ulysses mission.The first chapter provides an overview of the region, introducing the heliosphere prior to the Ulysses mission, and the objectives and characteristics of the mission itself. Subsequent chapters discuss in detail specific areas of the heliosphere, including the solar wind, large and small scale features, cosmic rays and energetic particles, and the observations of interstellar gas and cosmic dust. Each of these chapters is written by members of the Ulysses science team, concentrating on their own areas of expertise, and is written in a clear and accessible way.In this book, the authors aim to summarise our understanding of the heliosphere near solar minimum and to provide the basis for understanding the more complex state of the heliosphere around solar maximum, which will be observed during the next phase of the Ulysses mission.

Essential ColdFusion fast gives the reader a working knowledge of ColdFusion and how to use it and how it integrates with other web-based technologies. Lots of working examples are included throughout, all of which are also available via a web-site that is powered by ColdFusion, which shows exactly how they work.Matthew Norman has written a 'get started quick' guide to ColdFusion, in the style of the Essential series, describing the setting up of a development system. He talks about how to achieve this on a budget, using techniques that are applicable to large scale operations as well.Anyone with a working knowledge of the internet, and who wants to learn more about what ColdFusion does and how they can start using it quickly, will find this book a real help.

Small telescopes have a lot to recommend them.Cost is of course a consideration, but their most positive feature is sheer portability. Some manufacturers have tried to make large telescopes more portable (with mixed success), but the opposite approach, that of making small telescopes more effective, is what this book is all about.Good 2-inch (60mm) telescopes are now available for beginners, and major American manufacturers now offer small, affordable computer-controlled instruments that are capable of superb results.Stephen Tonkin has gathered the experience of users of small telescopes to provide an insight into just what is possible - for newcomers to astronomy or experienced observers who simply want to use a small, really portable telescope.

It is like a fairy story! Or at least a beautiful epic, a truly significant page in the history of medicine, a staggering scene in which several actors come into play, both fundamentalists and clinical practitioners, eager to place all these new developments at the disposal of those suffering from ill health. Everyone is passionate about their work, be it providing new knowledge or perfecting new therapeutic methods. Man has always been fascinated by the possibility of replacing a damaged organ with a healthy one. Several attempts have been made over the centuries, and some miracles have been reported, such as those of Saint Damien and Saint Come as illustrated by Fra Angelico. The modern saga, however, started more modestly on the mouse. It is on the mouse that the first tissue group was discovered; yet the study of human tissue groups could only be carried out on a human. One human must be subjected to the thousands of tests that have enabled us to unravel the extraordinary complexity of the HLA system.

Deep-sky observing - that's looking at the stars, nebulae and galaxies - is easily the most popular field for amateur astronomers. The big problem faced by non-professional observers is what to look at - what's visible at a paticular time of year. The Deep-sky Observer's Year is a month-by-month guide to the best objects to view. Objects are given a "star rating" according to how difficult they are to observe or image (i.e. photograph) with a particular size of telescope. The book includes many images produced by amateur astronomers, as well as photographs from NASA, ESA and ESO. There is also some background information about the objects that can be seen, along with lots of useful tips, hints, and resources (especially about what's available on the Internet) for deep-sky observers.

This book with its clear explanation of the nature of the universe assumes no prior knowledge of astronomy or cosmology and so will attract interested public and new amateur astronomers.It provides much more on large-scale structures than other popular-level cosmology books. The mix of cosmology /large scale structures/anthropic principle and perspective on the universe should, as far as the author knows, be unique. A special colour feature incorporated in the book will offer three-dimensional views of the surrounding universe to ever greater depths.

Focusing on the Galileo Mission, the story will relate this remarkable spacecraft's protracted gestation and the ordeal of its long haul out to Jupiter and its ultimate triumph: 5 years exploration within the Jovian system. The story spans a full quarter of a century, drawing on the press conferences, technical papers and essays of engineers and scientists involved in the mission which provide a real sense of participation as the discoveries poured in - it will bring the mission of the Galileo spacecraft to life and provide a more engaging account than would simply be achieved by recounting scientific results. The book will conclude with a snapshot "look ahead" into the Cassini flyby of Jupiter in December 2000 shortly after publication - the book released to coincide with this media event.

At the turn of the century it is appropriate to take stock of this relatively young but rapidly developing subject. For the first time, this book brings together information on the status of obstetric regional analgesia in many parts of the globe, and on the intriguing variability of maternal attitudes towards it. Advances in the field over the last decade in new applications, new drugs and techniques and new research tools are also reviewed. Controversial topics such as the effects of regional analgesia on the progress of and outcome of labour, the indications, contraindications and complications, and the place of regional anaesthesia for operative delivery are discussed by numerous experts in the field. The problem of consent and medicolegal aspects are also addressed. Regional Analgesia in Obstetrics should be read by all those involved in the medical care of women in childbirth. Professor Felicity Reynolds is Emeritus Professor of Obstetric Anaesthesia, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.

Efficient Methods for Valuing Interest Rate Derivatives provides an overview of the models that can be used for valuing and managing interest rate derivatives. Split into two parts, the first discusses and compares the traditional models, such as spot- and forward-rate models, while the second concentrates on the more recently developed Market models. Unlike most of his competitors, the author's focus is not only on the mathematics: Antoon Pelsser draws on his experience in industry to explore the practical issues, such as the implementation of models, and model selection.Aimed at people with a solid quantitative background, this book will be of particular interest to risk managers, interest rate derivative traders, quantitative researchers, portfolio and fund managers, and students of mathematics and economics, but it will also prove invaluable to anyone looking for a good overview of interest rate derivative modelling.