Books in Information and uncertainty

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Phytolyth Analysis

• 1st Edition
• June 28, 2014
• Dolores R. Piperno
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9711-8

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 7 1 1 - 8

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.

Philosophy and Archaeology

• 1st Edition
• June 28, 2014
• Merrilee H. Salmon
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9577-0

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 5 7 7 - 0

Studies in Archaeology: Philosophy and Archaeology presents the circumstances under which archeological hypotheses can be considered confirmed or disconfirmed. This book discusses the role of analogy in archeological reasoning, particularly in ascribing functions to archeological items. Organized into seven chapters, this book begins with an overview of the relationship between archeology and philosophy. This text then examines the importance of laws for archeology and discusses some essential features of law statements. Other chapters consider the strong claims for the hypothetico–deductive method of confirmation in various works by archeologists. This book discusses as well the different uses of analogical reasoning in archeology and provides a discussion of the structure of analogical arguments, criteria for evaluating them, and their relations to the Bayesian arguments for confirmation. The final chapter deals with several issues related to the development of a theory of archeology. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists and philosophers.

Computational Vision

• 1st Edition
• June 28, 2014
• Harry Wechsler
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9459-9

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 4 5 9 - 9

The book is suitable for advanced courses in computer vision and image processing. In addition to providing an overall view of computational vision, it contains extensive material on topics that are not usually covered in computer vision texts (including parallel distributed processing and neural networks) and considers many real applications.

Learning and Study Strategies

• 1st Edition
• June 28, 2014
• Claire E. Weinstein + 3 more
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9767-5

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 7 6 7 - 5

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.

Word Order Universals

• 1st Edition
• May 19, 2014
• John A Hawkins
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9660-9

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 6 6 0 - 9

Word Order Universals is a detailed account of word order universals and their role in theories of historical change. The starting point is the Greenberg data set, which is comprised of a sample of 142 languages for certain limited co-occurrences of basic word orders, and a 30-language sample for more detailed information. In the Language Index, the 142 have been expanded to some 350 languages. Using the original Greenberg samples and the Expanded Sample, an alternative set of descriptive word order statements is provided. Comprised of eight chapters, this book begins with an introduction to the theory of word order universals, encompassing topics such as word order variation across languages and theories of universal grammar. The reader is then introduced to the work of Joseph Greenberg and Theo Vennemann on word order universals; implicational universals in Greenberg's data and the Expanded Sample; and the predictions made by implicational and distributional universals for word order change. Reformulated universals for historical reconstruction are also discussed, along with some laws of reconstruction derived from synchronic universals. The final chapter is devoted to the Expanded Sample, with particular reference to its quantities as well as its typological and genetic classification. This monograph will be a useful resource for specialists in grammar and linguistics.

Integrable Systems in Quantum Field Theory and Statistical Mechanics

• 1st Edition
• May 19, 2014
• M. Jimbo + 2 more
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9525-1

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 5 2 5 - 1

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.

The American Frontier

• 1st Edition
• May 19, 2014
• Kenneth E. Lewis
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9712-5

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 7 1 2 - 5

The American Frontier: An Archaeological Study of Settlement Pattern and Process focuses on general rules or laws for the evolution of all agrarian frontiers, emphasizing those that are expanding. A variety of frontiers is also discussed in addition to the agrarian type to pinpoint similarities and differences. Organized into 11 chapters, this book first elucidates the processes of frontier colonization, and then describes the frontier model employed for the interpretation of documentary and material evidence for the examination of the development of South Carolina frontier. Some chapters then focus on the examination of South Carolina's colonial past in terms of the model to determine its degree of conformity with the latter and to set the stage for the archaeological study; the development of archaeological hypotheses; and a consideration of the material record. Other types of frontiers are characterized by separate developmental processes, and several of these are discussed in Chapter 10 as avenues for further research. This book will be valuable to scholars in several fields, including history, geography, and anthropology. Historical archaeologists will find it especially useful in designing research in former colonial areas and in modeling additional kinds of frontier change.

Language Functions and Brain Organization

• 1st Edition
• May 19, 2014
• S. J. Segalowitz
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-9536-7

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 5 3 6 - 7

Language Functions and Brain Organization explores the question of how language is represented in the human brain. The discussions are organized around the following themes: whether language is a mental organ or a mental complex; the brain base for language; the requirements of a developmental theory of lateralization; and whether brain lateralization is a single construct. Comprised of 15 chapters, this volume begins with an assessment of the semantic and syntactic aspects of aphasic deficits and how these components can be selectively disrupted by focal brain damage, followed by a review of evidence for hemispheric asymmetries in processing phonological information. The reader is then introduced to pragmatic aspects of communication; the right hemisphere's contribution to language; and right-left asymmetries in the cerebral cortex and their implications for functional asymmetries. Subsequent chapters focus on left-hemisphere language specialization from the perspective of motor and perceptual functions; evidence for hemisphere asymmetry for language functioning in the thalamus; some difficulties in building a brain theory for visual experience; speech lateralization in infancy; and the relationship between cerebral functional asymmetries, maturation rate, and cognitive skills through the mediation of sex chromosomes. The book also considers language dysfunction in dementia and its connection to brain functioning, along with the variations produced in cases of bilingualism and the factors that may be critical for this issue. This monograph is addressed to researchers and students of the neuropsychology of language, whether they call themselves psychologists, neuropsychologists, neurologists, or linguists.

Genes, Culture, and Personality

• 1st Edition
• April 25, 2014
• Bozzano G Luisa
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-8846-8

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 8 8 4 6 - 8

The diversity of human behavior is one of the most fascinating aspects of human biology. What makes our individual attitudes, lifestyle and personalities different has been the subject of many physiological and psychological theories. In this book the emphasis is on understanding the genetic and environmental causes of these differences. Genes, Culture, and Personality is an expansive account of the state of current knowledge about the causes of individual differences in personality and social attitudes. Based on almost two decades of empirical research, the authors have made a significant contribution to the debate on genetic and cultural inheritance in human behavior. The book should be required reading for psychologists, psychiatrists, sociobiologists, and geneticists.

The Biology of the Guinea Pig

• 1st Edition
• April 25, 2014
• Joseph E. Wagner
• English
• eBook 978-1-4832-8932-8

  9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 8 9 3 2 - 8

The Biology of the Guinea Pig focuses on the use of the guinea pig as a substrate in research. This book provides a comprehensive coverage of material related to applied care and management of guinea pigs and their diseases. Topics on guinea pig behavior, genetics, specific pathogen-free technique, biomethodology, and colony husbandry are also covered. This text likewise deals with the noninduced diseases of guinea pigs and use of the guinea pig in nutrition research, otologic research, toxicology, and teratology. This publication is beneficial to the general scientific community that includes investigators using or considering the use of guinea pigs in research, veterinarians, students of veterinary medicine, professionals concerned with the care and management of guinea pigs, commercial producers of guinea pigs, and cavy fanciers.