Rapid advances in communication, sensing and computational power have led to an explosion of data. The usefulness of this resource for human knowledge is determined by its accessibility and portability, which present fresh challenges to existing techniques in terms of transmission, storage, querying, display and numerical manipulation. As a...

This is the fourth edition of the standard introductory text and complete reference for scientists in all disciplines, as well as engineers. This fully revised version includes important updates on articles and books as well as information on a crucial new topic: how to create transparencies and computer projections, both for classrooms and...

Chest sonography is an established procedure in the stepwise imaging diagnosis of pulmonary and pleural disease. It is the method of choice to distinguish between solid and liquid lesions and allows the investigator to make an unequivocal diagnosis without exposing the patient to costly and stressful procedures. This book presents the state...

Characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, metabolic syndrome is associated with the risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Obesity, which increases the incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and subsequently leads to increased stress and inflammation, appears to play a...

Data mining analyzes large amounts of data to discover knowledge relevant to decision making. Typically, numerous pieces of knowledge are extracted by a data mining system and presented to a human user, who may be a decision-maker or a data-analyst. The user is confronted with the task of selecting the pieces of knowledge that are of the highest...

In 1977, FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler first used the term ‘serial killer’ after a visit to Bramshill Police Academy, near London, where someone referred to a ‘serial burglar’. The inspired coinage was soon in general use to describe killers such as necrophile Ed Kemper (ten victims), schizophrenic Herb Mullin (14),...