CRC Press

CRC handbook of avian body masses, 2d ed. (CD-ROM included)

Dunning (wildlife ecology, Purdue U., Indiana) has performed an impressive feat, gathering data from a wealth of resources to form this comprehensive reference to the data that exists for 8734 species worldwide. The data in the second edition covers more species than the first, is more geographically diverse, and has drawn on more non- English language journals. Where possible, data is given for breeding birds, with separate means for males and females of sexually dimorphic species, and with notes for geographical variation in size. In addition to the main reference, a chapter is included by Eugene P. Odum on the body masses and composition of migrant birds in the eastern U.S., based on studies he made in the 1960s. The bibliography contains all the sources of data and literature cited. An electronic version of the database is included on the CD-ROM. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis, 2d ed.

Widespread outbreaks have occurred in recent years of cryptosporidiosis, a diarrheal disease caused by Crytosporidium parasites, from contaminated drinking or swimming water. This update of the 1997 reference edited by Fayer (zoologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD) adds Xiao (parasitic diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) as editor and incorporates new knowledge about these common parasites. In 20 chapters, international scientists review all aspects of "crypto" biology, genomics, epidemiology; pathology in healthy and immune- compromised humans, and other animals; animal models of the disease; diagnosis; and treatment. The volume includes summary tables of outbreaks, disinfectants, diagnostic kits, and drug efficacies, and electron micrograph images of the microbe's life cycle. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Cyber forensics; a field manual for collecting, examining, and preserving evidence of computer crimes, 2d ed.

In this update of the 2002 edition, veteran information technology auditors and management consultants offer advice on keeping up with cyber criminals who keep pace with technological advances. Marcella and Menendez cover the cyber forensic investigation process for corporate and personal securities areas. Appended material includes forensic resources, management assessment questions for preparedness to conduct investigations, a flowchart for the seizure of a personal digital assistant, best practices recommendations, principles for electronic document production, federal rules of civil procedure involving e-discovery amendments, and sample computer and cellular telephone search warrants. Distributed by Taylor & Francis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Data mining methods and applications.

Practitioners in academia and business report their research on techniques and applications of data mining, which is increasingly popular as organization become inundated with data. Techniques addressed include ensemble strategies for neural network classifiers, and data cleansing with independent component analysis. Applications are in such areas as education, health care, consumer modeling, and product purchase. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Design and optimization of thermal systems, 2d ed.

Designed for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate courses in engineering design, the second edition of this text follows the same systematic approach of the first, with the notable difference that MATLAB is now used for the numeric modeling and simulation. The second edition includes new sections on recent approaches, including genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic, and artificial neural networks, and expanded treatment of multi-objective optimization for thermal systems. An important component of each chapter is the selection of problems for the student given at the conclusion which require active application of the design principles. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Desk reference for hematology, 2d ed.

The second edition of this valuable reference has been completely revised to reflect developments in the field, particularly in areas concerning genetics, physiology, and pathological mechanisms. Many of the articles are new, as are many of the illustrations. The material is arranged alphabetically, with articles varying greatly in length, depending on the subject. The editor has sought to be comprehensive, including 1500 topics related to the field. A table of contents lists the longer entries; among these are acquired aplastic anemia, fibronolysis, folic acid, gene therapy, leukemogenesis, myeloma, and spleen. Many tables and illustrations are included throughout, and the volume concludes with a lengthy list of references and appendices containing WHO classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues and FAB classification of leukemia/myelodysplasia. This is a thoughtfully assembled, authoritative work that will be of use to all practitioners who research and treat blood disorders. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Desk reference of clinical pharmacology, 2d ed.

This essential reference contains descriptions of drugs, diseases, and related issues, listed A-Z by topic or by generic drug name. Within the A-Z section are orientation articles of diseases and drugs by type, for example, panic disorder, parasitic infections, penicillins, and trace minerals essential for health. Several introductory chapters describe the pharmocokinetic and pharmacodynamic basis of therapeutics, herb-drug interactions, adverse reactions, and drug-drug and food-drug interactions. Ebadi was for nearly 30 years at the U. of Nebraska College of Medicine and is now at the U. of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Design science research methods and patterns; innovating information and communication.

Design disciplines are those that are more synthetic than analytic, involving the construction of artifacts and the evaluation of artifact performance following construction. Examples would include architecture, aeronautical engineering, and most relevantly for this text, information and communication technology (ICT). Vaishnavi (computer information systems, Georgia State U.) and Kuechler (information systems, U. of Nevada) identify common patterns of creativity, problem selection and development, literature search, evaluation and validation, and publishing in design science research (also called improvement or innovation research) and show how they can be applied to ICT. They also use examples of published design pattern research to show how these patterns have been applied in the literature. Distributed in the US by Taylor & Francis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Dictionary of marine natural products. (CD-ROM included)

This book/CD-ROM package contains approximately one-sixth of the Dictionary of Natural Products (DNP) database, which is an all- encompassing compilation of compound data, taxonomy, and references to structural, synthetic, ecological, and biological activity studies. As a subset of the DNP, this reference to marine products is for a subset of users, and it will be republished periodically, possibly in CD-ROM format exclusively. Editors Blunt and Munro (both affiliated with the U. of Canterbury, New Zealand) provide a detailed introduction describing the database and its entries for 30,000 compounds and identifying arrangement in the book according to structural type, e.g. aliphatic natural products, simple aromatic natural products, terpenoids, steroids, and polypyrroles, among others. Indexes by chemical name, organism type, and compound type provide access, as does the included searchable CD-ROM. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Digital privacy; theory, technologies, and practices.

Privacy is here considered to be the indefeasible right of individuals to control they ways in which their personal information is obtained, processed, distributed, and used by any other entity. Computer scientists, statisticians, and other technical researchers consider such privacy from such perspectives as privacy-preserving cryptographic protocols, uncertainty and indistinguishability, lessons from behavioral economics, and surveillance of emergent associations. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Digital watermarking and steganography; fundamentals and techniques.

Digital watermarking is used to identify the copyright owner of a digital image, and digital steganography to hide information in a digital document. Shih (computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and biomedical engineering; New Jersey Institute of Technology) describes the mechanisms and techniques for both at a level suitable for students, researchers, and professionals in computer science. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Disinfection and decontamination; principles, applications, and related issues.

Chemist Manivannan presents 19 papers that are intended to address key issues of disinfection and decontamination in a variety of settings. The papers address principles, applications in the form of devices, and regulatory and legal issues. Specific topics addressed include microbicides for infection control, microbiological concerns in non-sterile manufacturing, new technologies in disinfection and infection control, biocide modes of action and mechanisms of resistance, selection and use of disinfectant and antiseptic agents in healthcare settings, extended activity of health care antiseptic products, disinfectant rotation in a cleaning/disinfection program for clean rooms and controlled environments, reprocessing flexible endoscopes, microbiological testing of disinfectants and decontaminants for critical surfaces, regulatory constraints on disinfectants and decontamination, control strategies for biofilms, consequences of biofilms on indwelling medical devices, infection- resistant implantable devices, infections of intracardiac devices, intrauterine devices, antimicrobial urinary catheters, and risk factors for postoperative infectious complications after abdominal surgery. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Ecotoxicology; a comprehensive treatment.

With this work, Newman (marine science, College of William and Mary) and Clements (Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University) attempt to bridge the gap between ecotoxicology textbooks and technical books focused on specific ecotoxicological topics. They provide students with an understanding beyond that afforded by a general textbook while remaining focused on paradigms and fundamental themes. The text is designed to be flexible enough to meet a variety of instructional needs, with separate sections for the ecotoxicology of individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Chapters are in sections on hierarchical ecotoxicology, organismal ecotoxicology, population ecotoxicology, community ecotoxicology, and ecosystem ecotoxicology. The ecosystem section encompasses issues ranging from discrete ecosystems, to the entire biosphere. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Effective transition from design to production.

Anomalies in the local gravity, space aliens, and of course nowadays Arab terrorists are often suspected when a really good idea crashes and burns on the way from the laboratory to the shop floor. Ciambrone says the problem is not there, in the transition. He spent four decades doing both design and manufacturing in commerce and defense, and contends that the flaw lies in original designs — or even the first conceptions — that do not include a manufacturing plan. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Elementary Bayesian biostatics.

Thanks to their incorporation of the traditional tools of non-informative priors and modern innovations such as adaptive randomization and predictive power, Bayesian principles are popular amongst healthcare researchers. Designed to help readers make the correct choices in the development of clinical research programs, this covers basic probability and the Bayes Theorem, compounding and the law of total probability, intermediate compounding and prior distribution, completing first Bayesian computations, cleaning up when worlds collide, developing prior probability, loss and risk in using posterior distribution, developing the illustration, determining Bayesian sample size, using predictive power and adaptive procedures, and finding out whether the problem is a Bayes problem. This is a lively and accessible text that gives readers plenty of information they can use on a practical level. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Electric circuits and signals. (CD-ROM included)

This book/CD-ROM text is intended for one or two courses on basic electric circuits as well as the "Circuits and Signals" course, CE- CSG, described in the Body of Knowledge of the IEEE/ACM. It emphasizes fundamentals, the book stresses creative problem solving, in contrast to problem solving based on following set procedures without really understanding their rationale. Problems require different methods, and include in-depth explanations, with qualitative and physical explanations and interpretations emphasized whenever possible. Pedagogical features include worked examples, concluding remarks, summaries of concepts and results, and learning outcomes. No special preparation is assumed on the part of the student beyond trigonometry, elementary calculus, and some basic physics. The CD-ROM contains additional discussions on more advanced topics, PSpice simulations, supplementary solved examples, Cadence OrCAD Release 15.7 Demo Edition, answers to problems and exercises, and appendices. Sabah is affiliated with the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Elements of compiler design.

Meduna (computer science, Brno U., Czech Republic) presents a textbook for a one-term introductory course in compiler writing at a senior undergraduate level. He assumes no previous knowledge of compilation, but suggests that being familiar with an assembly language and a high-level programming language such as Pascal or C might accelerate the absorption of the information he provides. Selected exercises are solved at chapter end. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Electric power distribution, automation, protection, and control.

Momoh (Howard University) introduces electric power distribution engineering and explains the basic concepts for assessing, designing, and analyzing distribution performance. After reviewing computation techniques, the electrical engineering textbook describes distribution protection and control schemes, automation functions, artificial intelligence methods, distributed generation and renewable energy resources, energy management systems, and communication technologies. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Electric power distribution system engineering, 2d ed.

Gönen (California State U., Sacramento) has written a thorough, thoughtfully organized text presenting the practical tasks of distribution system engineering used for electric power that can be used for two-semester courses for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students. The second edition contains new sections on automation, advanced SCADA systems, computer applications, and electric power quality. Each chapter concludes with a lengthy list of problems that teach the student through active application of concepts. New examples and MATLAB applications appear and many topics have been expanded, including sections on load forecasting techniques and high-impedance faults. A full chapter is devoted to analysis of various indexes of distribution system reliability. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Emergency characterization of unknown materials.

The situations Houghton helps prepare people for do not require the precise identification of a material, but a broad assessment of the hazard it might pose: contexts involving law enforcement, fires, waste sites, and laboratories. Emphasizing public safety and managing life safety hazards, he describes technology and strategies for identifying the hazards presented by an unknown material, generally by manipulating small amounts of it. The CiP data shows his name as Larry Richard Houghton. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)