This book provides a concise introduction to the mathematical aspects of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe. The book begins with a brief overview of observational and theoretical cosmology, along with a short introduction of general relativity. It then goes on to discuss Friedmann models, the Hubble constant and deceleration...

This monograph addresses two core problems in developing large software projects: versioning and building. In order to develop and evolve large software code bases, software engineers need to understand the central role of automated, scalable software configuration management (SCM). Using the well-known Vesta system (an open-source SCM system...

Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics addresses a fascinating question in physics: what happens to light, and in particular to its interaction with matter, when it is trapped inside a box? With the aid of a model-building approach, readers discover the answer to this question and come to...

It is difficult to begin by answering these questions clearly and convincingly. This would be much easier, though quite superfluous, at the end of the...

Magill’s Encyclopedia of Science: Plant Life is designed to meet the needs of college and high school students as well as nonspecialists seeking general information about botany and related sciences. The definition of “plant life” is quite broad, covering the range from molecular to macro topics: the basics of cell structure...

This book presents a novel perspective on satellite systems, reflecting the modern...

Psychology at the beginning of the twenty-“rst century has become a highly diverse “eld of scienti“c study and applied technology. Psychologists commonly regard their discipline as the science of behavior, and the American Psychological Association has formally designated 2000 to 2010 as the •Decade of Behavior.?The...

Psychology at the beginning of the twenty-first century has become a highly diverse field of scientific study and applied technology. Psychologists commonly regard their discipline as the science of behavior, and the American Psychological Association has formally designated 2000 to 2010 as the “Decade of Behavior.” The pursuits...

Psychology at the beginning of the twenty-first century has become a highly diverse field of scientific study and applied technology. Psychologists commonly regard their discipline as the science of behavior, and the American Psychological Association has formally designated 2000 to 2010 as the “Decade of Behavior.” The pursuits...

“Clear, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, Germs, Genes & Civilization makes the case that infectious diseases have played a major role in shaping society. Clark argues that religion, morals, and even democracy have all been influenced by the smallest and most dangerous organisms on our planet. While...

One of the most challenging issues facing our current information society is the accelerating accumulation of data trails in transactional and communication systems, which may be used not only to profile the behaviour of individuals for commercial, marketing and law enforcement purposes, but also to locate and follow things and actions. Data...

Modern consumers carry many electronic devices, like a mobile phone, digital camera, GPS, PDA and an MP3 player. The functionality of each of these devices has gone through an important evolution over recent years, with a steep increase in both the number of features as in the quality of the services that they provide. However, providing the...