Skip to main content
Elsevier

Books in Information and uncertainty

  • Maya Subsistence

    Studies in Memory of Dennis E. Puleston
    • 1st Edition
    • Kent V. Flannery
    • English
    Maya Subsistence: Studies in Memory of Dennis E. Puleston presents studies on the history and development of Maya subsistence in honor of Maya archaeologist Dennis E. Puleston (1940-1978). The discussions are organized around four themes: ecological models for early Maya adaptations; archaeological investigations of Pre-classic and classic Maya subsistence; contributions of geography and soil science to an understanding of ancient Maya subsistence; and Maya subsistence in the post-classic, colonial, and modern eras. Comprised of 15 chapters, this book begins with an analysis of Puleston's career and a review of the history of inquiry into Maya subsistence. Maya subsistence from the earliest Pre-classic period up to the present day is then examined, with emphasis on agriculture, hunting, wild plant collecting, animal husbandry, and trade. In particular, cultural development in the Valley of Guatemala from 1500 B.C. to the Spanish Conquest is discussed, along with the resources of the tropical lowlands and actual prehistoric cornfields miraculously preserved by volcanic ashfall in El Salvador. The book also presents evidence for Maya soil and water conservation over the entire area from Yucatan to Chiapas and central Guatemala, and looks at the traditional role of women and animals in lowland Maya economy. This monograph will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists.

  • Phytolyth Analysis

    An Archaeological and Geological Perspective
    • 1st Edition
    • Dolores R. Piperno
    • English
    This is a methodological guide to the use of plant opal phytolith analysis in paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstruction. It is the first book-length treatment of this promising technique, which has undergone rapid development within the past few years and is now beginning to be used with considerable success by paleobotanists who serve the archaeological and paleontological research communities. It will be mandatory reading for all paleobotanists, paleoecologists, and archaeological scientists.

  • Analysis of Qualitative Data

    New Developments
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • Shelby J. Haberman
    • English
    Analysis of Qualitative Data, Volume 2: New Developments focuses on the variety of models used in the analysis of qualitative data. The book first elaborates on multinomial response models and incomplete tables. Discussions focus on models for incomplete tables with ordered categories, incomplete two-way tables and migration, multinomial response models for one or more continuous independent variables, and multinomial response models for two-way tables. The book also reviews symmetrical tables and adjustment of data, including the adjustment of marginal totals using unsaturated models, symmetry models for multi-way tables, and distance models. The publication ponders on latent-class models, as well as models with several latent variables, iterative proportional fitting and latent-class models, maximum likelihood equations for the traditional latent-class model, and the scoring algorithm. The manuscript is a vital reference for researchers interested in the models used in the analysis of qualitative data.

  • Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • English
    Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 10 focuses on the progress of methodologies, approaches, techniques, and principles employed in archaeological method and theory. The selection first elaborates on the formation of ethnographic collections, colonization of islands by humans, and shellfish gathering and Shell midden archaeology. Discussions focus on archaeological excavation and interpretation of Shell middens, shellfish gathering in practice and theory, island geometrical properties relevant to colonization, archaeological applications of biogeographical principles, and principles of museum collecting. The text then takes a look at the formation processes of archaeobotanical record and archaeofaunas and butchery studies, including identification of taphonomic agents, a taphonomic approach to the analysis of butchering, approaches to understanding differential preservation, cultural transformations of the archaeobotanical record, and environmental transformation processes. The book examines bioarchaeological interpretations of subsistence economy and behavior from human skeletal remains, as well as activity patterns in the archaeological past, changing directions in bioarchaeology, and health and disease in the archaeological past. The selection is a valuable reference for archaeologists and researchers interested in archaeological method and theory.

  • The Politics of Informal Justice

    Volume 2: Comparative Studies
    • 1st Edition
    • Richard L. Abel
    • English
    The Politics of Informal Justice, Volume 2 demonstrates the existence of examples of informal justice in every society, practicing a wide range of political ideology. The book situates contemporary experiments with informal justice in a broad comparative and historical perspective. It identifies the characteristics and common elements of informal justice in four settings: in precapitalist societies and contemporary Third World nations; under liberal capitalism, social democracy, and fascism; and in socialist revolutions and established socialist regimes. The text will be of interest to political scientists, sociologists, historians, and those concerned in the study of legal systems.

  • Transfer of Learning

    Contemporary Research and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Stephen M. Cormier + 1 more
    • English
    Since the mid-1970s, scientific and educational research has left a gap in the field of basic and applied research on transfer of learning. This book fills the gap with state-of-the-art information on recent research in the field, emphasizing methodological paradigms and interpretive concepts based on contemporary cognitive/informatio... processing approaches to the study of human behavior. Issues discussed include how transfer is measured, how its direction and magnitude are determined, how training for transfer differs from training for acquisition, and whether different principles of transfer apply to motor, cognitive, and meta-cognitive processes.

  • Learning and Study Strategies

    Issues in Assessment, Instruction, and Evaluation
    • 1st Edition
    • English
    This volume reflects current research on the cognitive strategies of autonomous learning. Topics such as metacognition, attribution theory, self-efficacy, direct instruction, attention, and problem solving are discussed by leading researchers in learning and study strategies. The contributors to this volume acknowledge and address the concerns of educators at the primary, secondary, and postsecondary school levels. The blend of theory and practice is an important feature of this volume.

  • Modern Material Culture

    The Archaeology of Us
    • 1st Edition
    • Richard A. Gould + 1 more
    • English
    Modern Material Culture: The Archaeology of Us presents the relationships between human behavior and materials to contemporary societies. This book discusses the various aspects of material behavior in contemporary human societies. Organized into three parts encompassing 21 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the theory and teaching of the material culture approach. This text then presents ethnographic case studies that posit various general statements about human behavior in relation to materials as varied as herbs, coins, fences, graffiti, and domestic architecture. Other chapters consider a variety of topics ranging from mortuary practices and beliefs to the reuse and recycling of goods in the U.S. This book discusses as well the experimental approaches to material culture studies. The final chapter deals with the artifacts of aboriginal Australian settlements. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists, anthropologists, and readers who are interested in human behavior in relation to materials.

  • Multinomial Probit

    The Theory and Its Application to Demand Forecasting
    • 1st Edition
    • Carlos Daganzo
    • English
    Multinomial Probit: The Theory and Its Application to Demand Forecasting covers the theoretical and practical aspects of the multinomial probit (MNP) model and its relation to other discrete choice models. This text is divided into five chapters and begins with an overview of the disaggregate demand modeling in the transportation field. The subsequent chapters examine the computational aspects of the maximum-likelihood estimation and the statistical aspects of MNP model calibration. These chapters specifically describe the properties of the log-likelihood function and the statistical properties of MNP estimators. These topics are followed by a discussion of the mechanical aspects of the MNP model. The closing chapter examines the errors in the estimation of the true parameter value due to lack of data and how these errors propagate to the final prediction. This book will prove useful to econometricians, engineers, and applied mathematicians.

  • Integrable Systems in Quantum Field Theory and Statistical Mechanics

    • 1st Edition
    • M. Jimbo + 2 more
    • English
    Advanced Studies in Pure Mathematics, Volume 19: Integrable Systems in Quantum Field Theory and Statistical Mechanics provides information pertinent to the advances in the study of pure mathematics. This book covers a variety of topics, including statistical mechanics, eigenvalue spectrum, conformal field theory, quantum groups and integrable models, integrable field theory, and conformal invariant models. Organized into 17 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the eigenvalues of the three-state superintegrable chiral Potts model of the associated spin chain by use of a functional equation. This text then illustrates the importance of the star-triangle equation with a few results for the two-dimensional Ising model. Other chapters consider the conformal field theories on manifolds with a boundary, and the constraints placed by modular invariance on their partition functions. This book discusses as well the topological invariants for knots and links. The final chapter deals with equations of motion for two-dimensional quantum field theory. This book is a valuable resource for mathematicians.