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Books in Social sciences and humanities

Microscopic Simulation of Financial Markets
From Investor Behavior to Market Phenomena
1st Edition
Haim Levy + 2 more
English
Microscopic Simulation (MS) uses a computer to represent and keep track of individual ("microscopic") elements in order to investigate complex systems which are analytically intractable. A methodology that was developed to solve physics problems, MS has been used to study the relation between microscopic behavior and macroscopic phenomena in systems ranging from those of atomic particles, to cars, animals, and even humans. In finance, MS can help explain, among other things, the effects of various elements of investor behavior on market dynamics and asset pricing. It is these issues in particular, and the value of an MS approach to finance in general, that are the subjects of this book. The authors not only put their work in perspective by surveying traditional economic analyses of investor behavior, but they also briefly examine the use of MS in fields other than finance. Most models in economics and finance assume that investors are rational. However, experimental studies reveal systematic deviations from rational behavior. How can we determine the effect of investors' deviations from rational behavior on asset prices and market dynamics? By using Microscopic Simulation, a methodology originally developed by physicists for the investigation of complex systems, the authors are able to relax classical assumptions about investor behavior and to model it as empirically and experimentally observed. This rounded and judicious introduction to the application of MS in finance and economics reveals that many of the empirically-observed "puzzles" in finance can be explained by investors' quasi-rationality. Researchers use the book because it models heterogeneous investors, a group that has proven difficult to model. Being able to predict how people will invest and setting asset prices accordingly is inherently appealing, and the combination of computing power and statistical mechanics in this book makes such modeling possible. Because many finance researchers have backgrounds in physics, the material here is accessible.
Valuing Oil and Gas Companies
A Guide to the Assessment and Evaluation of Assets, Performance and Prospects
1st Edition
Nick Antill + 1 more
English
Market value is set by investor behaviour ....but objective methods of valuation are vital for accurate predictions of market behaviour. What are the key issues facing the industry - and the main points the analyst needs to look for when interpreting oil industry accounts? Do the best prospects necessarily lie with the larger and better-financed companies? How best can an investment strategy be managed in the refining industry, with its conflicting pressures of environmental controls and inadequate returns?This unique and authoritative book has the answers to these and many other questions, offering a series of benchmarks and performance indicators with which to evaluate oil company shares. An updated edition of a respected and established title, it remains the only comprehensive handbook of its kind available, and will be eagerly welcomed by corporate planners as well as investors and analysts.
Effective Brief Therapies
A Clinician's Guide
1st Edition
Michel Hersen + 1 more
English
This treatment guide is based on selected disorders taken from the American Psychiatric Association DSM-IV Diagnostic Classifications. The disorders selected are treatable or responsive to brief therapy methods.The therapist or student in training can use this book to identify the elements needed for formulating a treatment plan on disorders typically encountered in clinical practice. The approaches taken are based on cognitive behavioral principles and makes use of empirical findings. However, the case study format allows the reader to see how the assessment and treatment is implemented in a "real-life" patient, and not as a clinical abstraction distilled from research studies. Moreover, the treatment plan is outlined in a manner that makes reimbursement likely from managed care organizations and insurance companies. Effective Brief Therapies is useful as a reference for therapists and as a training guide for graduate students.
International Perspectives on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
1st Edition
Volume 1
N. Singh + 2 more
English
There has been a major shift in the way we conceptualize and provide services to children and adolescents with mental health needs. We are moving away from the traditional disorder-oriented model of treatment to a child-centered, family-focused service delivery system that mandates mental health services in the context of the child's family and social ecology. This new system of care has spawned many variations of the model, including wraparound services, multisystemic treatment (MST), futures planning, and person-centred planning. As systems of care are different across countries and cultures, it is imperative that we share our knowledge and make explicit the lessons we have learned in our attempts to provide services to children and adolescents which focus on improving their quality of life rather than merely treating their psychiatric disorders and psychological problems. There is an urgent need to evaluate the various treatments being offered to children and adolescents with mental health needs. Empirical date on outcomes will determine the funding and delivery of services. As such, the latest research on treatment outcomes needs to be disseminated so that new and validated treatment methods can be implemented rapidly.
Sugar Trading Manual
1st Edition
Jonathan Kingsman + 1 more
English
Since its launch, Sugar Trading Manual (STM) has established itself as the definitive information source for the sugar market worldwide. It is compiled from contributions by some of the most senior and widely respected figures in the international sugar trade. This edition takes into account changes in all aspects of the business including production, markets, pricing, contracts, administration and management, and the influence of the major trading blocs. STM is an invaluable training resource for all new entrants to the industry as well as providing everyone already involved in the global sugar business with vital information on its day-to-day workings.
Handbook of Income Distribution
1st Edition
Volume 1
Anthony B. Atkinson + 1 more
English
Distributional issues may not have always been among the main concerns of the economic profession. Today, in the beginning of the 2000s, the position is different. During the last quarter of a century, economic growth proved to be unsteady and rather slow on average. The situation of those at the bottom ceased to improve regularly as in the preceding fast growth and full-employment period. Europe has seen prolonged unemployment and there has been widening wage dispersion in a number of OECD countries. Rising affluence in rich countries coexists, in a number of such countries, with the persistence of poverty. As a consequence, it is difficult nowadays to think of an issue ranking high in the public economic debate without some strong explicit distributive implications. Monetary policy, fiscal policy, taxes, monetary or trade union, privatisation, price and competition regulation, the future of the Welfare State are all issues which are now often perceived as conflictual because of their strong redistributive content.Economists have responded quickly to the renewed general interest in distribution, and the contents of this Handbook are very different from those which would have been included had it been written ten or twenty years ago. It has now become common to have income distribution variables playing a pivotal role in economic models. The recent interest in the relationship between growth and distribution is a good example of this. The surge of political economy in the contemporary literature is also a route by which distribution is coming to re-occupy the place it deserves. Within economics itself, the development of models of imperfect information and informational asymmetries have not only provided a means of resolving the puzzle as to why identical workers get paid different amounts, but have also caused reconsideration of the efficiency of market outcomes. These models indicate that there may not necessarily be an efficiency/equity trade-off; it may be possible to make progress on both fronts.The introduction and subsequent 14 chapters of this Handbook cover in detail all these new developments, insisting at the same time on how they tie with the previous literature on income distribution. The overall perspective is intentionally broad. As with landscapes, adopting various points of view on a given issue may often be the only way of perceiving its essence or reality. Accordingly, income distribution issues in the various chapters of this volume are considered under their theoretical or their empirical side, under a normative or a positive angle, in connection with redistribution policy, in a micro or macro-economic context, in different institutional settings, at various point of space, in a historical or contemporaneous perspective. Specialized readers will go directly to the chapter dealing with the issue or using the approach they are interested in. For them, this Handbook will be a clear and sure reference. To more patient readers who will go through various chapters of this volume, this Handbook should provide the multi-faceted view that seems necessary for a deep understanding of most issues in the field of distribution.For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http://www.elsevier....
Menopause
Biology and Pathobiology
1st Edition
Rogerio A. Lobo + 2 more
English
Menopause: Biology and Pathobiology is a comprehensive volume covering all aspects of the biology, anatomy, physiology, pathobiology, and pharmacology of menopause, as well as its diagnosis and management.The book is divided into four sections: Basic Biology, Epidemiology, Menopausal Systems Pathophysiology, and Intervention. Basic Biology covers such fundamentals as ovarian anatomy and physiology, mechanisms of steroid hormone action, chronobiological effects, and premature menopause. Epidemiology includes, among others, chapters on methodology challenges in the study of menopause, how to distinguish the effects of age from those of menopause, and a discussion of the key differences in demographics, environmental factors, and ethnicity in the menopause experience. The Pathophysiology section contains chapters on menopause and its various effects on the body, including sexuality, skin, brain, the cardiovascular system, cancers, and mood. The final section includes detailed chapters on intervention and management techniques, with topics including alternative therapies to hormone replacement, exercise, and estrogens and osteoporosis.
An Introduction to the Mathematics of Financial Derivatives
2nd Edition
Salih N. Neftci
English
An Introduction to the Mathematics of Financial Derivatives, Second Edition, introduces the mathematics underlying the pricing of derivatives. The increased interest in dynamic pricing models stems from their applicability to practical situations: with the freeing of exchange, interest rates, and capital controls, the market for derivative products has matured and pricing models have become more accurate. This updated edition has six new chapters and chapter-concluding exercises, plus one thoroughly expanded chapter. The text answers the need for a resource targeting professionals, Ph.D. students, and advanced MBA students who are specifically interested in financial derivatives. This edition is also designed to become the main text in first year masters and Ph.D. programs for certain courses, and will continue to be an important manual for market professionals and professionals with mathematical, technical, or physics backgrounds.
Elsevier's Dictionary of Cybernyms
Abbreviations and Acronyms used in Telecommunications, Electronics and Computer Science
1st Edition
T.R. Pyper + 1 more
English
This dictionary was produced in response to the rapidly increasing amount of quasi-industrial jargon in the field of information technology, compounded by the fact that these somewhat esoteric terms are often further reduced to acronyms and abbreviations that are seldom explained. Even when they are defined, individual interpretations continue to diverge.Until now the codes have been reproduced in separate (language) publications: there is no universal listing in alphabetical order that covers the English, French, Spanish and German languages. This dictionary sets out the English, French, Spanish and German alternatives as a single, merge-sorted whole. Today, most of the codes have passed into the public domain, simply because they exist in most of the telecommunications systems installed throughout the developed (and developing) world and are largely known to most of those who work in that particular area. However, foreign variants often defy even the most astute observer. This dictionary seeks to clarify this bewildering situation as much as possible. The 26,000 definitions set out here, drawn from some 16,000 individual cybernyms, cover computing, electronics, telecommunications (including intelligent networks and mobile telephony), together with satellite technology and Internet/Web terminology.Annex I lists some of the innumerable file types found in the filing systems of computers using powerful desktop managers and Annex II lists the abbreviations of country names found in universal resource locators (URL).Elsevier's Dictionary of Cybernyms is a useful tool for translators, students, universities and computer enthusiasts.
The Grouting Handbook
A Step-by-Step Guide to Heavy Equipment Grouting
1st Edition
Donald M. Harrison
English
Based on twenty years of research and field experience, this book collects a vast amount of information into a handy reference for mechanical and civil engineers. It focuses on four basic elements of grouting: load carrying capability of the foundation soil; mass design, concrete mix and installation, and curing procedures of the foundation; anchor bolts; and the grout. From the ground up, this book takes you step by step through the grouting process. Clear, straightforward directions give you details on preparing the foundation and surface, and selecting the best material and method. Comprehensive yet concise, this is a convenient handbook for veteran and rookie engineers alike.

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