Bücher veröffentlicht von Springer US

Male Reproductive Function gives an up-to-date review on the physiology and disease processes associated with the male reproductive system. The first few chapters describe the regulation of the functions of the testis and the integration of its components: germ cells, Sertoli cells and Leydig cells. This is followed by a description of puberty and aging, and the disorders or dysfunction that may be associated with these physiological processes. Discussions on the current methods for the diagnosis and treatment of male hypogonadism, male infertility and male sexual dysfunction follow, with detailed descriptions of types of androgen replacement and the benefits and risks of such treatment. The book concludes with the development of male contraception and the possible influence of the environment on the male reproductive system. Male Reproductive Function represents a conglomeration of the efforts of experts in andrology from all over the world, both in basic cellular/molecular biology as well as in clinical science and practice. This book is suitable for endocrinologists, urologists, general internists, gynecologists and other students in the field of male reproduction.

Reverse Engineering brings together in one place important contributions and up-to-date research results in this important area. Reverse Engineering serves as an excellent reference, providing insight into some of the most important issues in the field.

Advances in the field of signal processing, nonlinear dynamics, statistics, and optimization theory, combined with marked improvement in instrumenta- tion and development of computers systems, have made it possible to apply the power of mathematics to the task of understanding the human brain. This verita- ble revolution already has resulted in widespread availability of high resolution neuroimaging devices in clinical as well as research settings. Breakthroughs in functional imaging are not far behind. Mathematical tech- niques developed for the study of complex nonlinear systems and chaos already are being used to explore the complex nonlinear dynamics of human brain phys- iology. Global optimization is being applied to data mining expeditions in an effort to find knowledge in the vast amount of information being generated by neuroimaging and neurophysiological investigations. These breakthroughs in the ability to obtain, store and analyze large datasets offer, for the first time, exciting opportunities to explore the mechanisms underlying normal brain func- tion as well as the affects of diseases such as epilepsy, sleep disorders, movement disorders, and cognitive disorders that affect millions of people every year. Ap- plication of these powerful tools to the study of the human brain requires, by necessity, collaboration among scientists, engineers, neurobiologists and clini- cians. Each discipline brings to the table unique knowledge, unique approaches to problem solving, and a unique language.

Load Balancing in Parallel Computers: Theory and Practice is about the essential software technique of load balancing in distributed memory message-passing parallel computers, also called multicomputers. Each processor has its own address space and has to communicate with other processors by message passing. In general, a direct, point-to-point interconnection network is used for the communications. Many commercial parallel computers are of this class, including the Intel Paragon, the Thinking Machine CM-5, and the IBM SP2. Load Balancing in Parallel Computers: Theory and Practice presents a comprehensive treatment of the subject using rigorous mathematical analyses and practical implementations. The focus is on nearest-neighbor load balancing methods in which every processor at every step is restricted to balancing its workload with its direct neighbours only. Nearest-neighbor methods are iterative in nature because a global balanced state can be reached through processors' successive local operations. Since nearest-neighbor methods have a relatively relaxed requirement for the spread of local load information across the system, they are flexible in terms of allowing one to control the balancing quality, effective for preserving communication locality, and can be easily scaled in parallel computers with a direct communication network. Load Balancing in Parallel Computers: Theory and Practice serves as an excellent reference source and may be used as a text for advanced courses on the subject.

Intelligent information processing has become one of the key issues on our way to a knowledge society. Recent research has led to exciting advances in technologies that will shape our future. Knowledge-based systems have matured to provide services in a well-founded ontological framework, and intelligent knowledge management can be supported by tools that are ready for practical applications. Intelligent Information Processing presents new research with special emphasis on knowledge-based system architecture and intelligent information management. The following topics are addressed: -Agent-based Computing; -Semantic Web and Learning; -Ontology Management; -Semantic Web Architecture; -Knowledge-engineering Frameworks; -Knowledge-system Structure; -Data Mining; -Methods and Tools for Identifying Communities of Practice; and -Implementing Problem Solvers. This volume comprises the proceedings of the Conference on Intelligent Information Processing (IIP 2002) held in conjunction with the 17th World Computer Congress, which was sponsored by the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) and which convened in Montral, Qubec, Canada, in August 2002. The conference represented a major activity of IFIP Technical Committee 12 (Artificial Intelligence), Working Group 12.5, which is dedicated to `knowledge-oriented development of applications'. This Working Group brings together an international community of scientists concerned with the use of knowledge-based techniques in the engineering of real-world software systems.