This inspiring book addresses a topic that is far too often ignored or disregarded by sci-tech librarians: Exactly how do scientists and engineers really discover, select, and use the countless information and communications resources available to them when conducting research? The answer to this question should be a major influence on the way information specialists develop information systems in their libraries. Unfortunately, many librarians are not as familiar with the work, information needs, and communicating behavior of the research worker. Information Seeking and Communications Behavior of Scientists and Engineers looks at this question from several perspectives to give an overall view of how to best serve the needs of the scientific community.This book is an encouragement and a challenge to sci-tech librarians to make an ever greater effort to understand the work of their users, the differing information channels and sources they employ, and thus tailor the library's systems and services to best support their information-seeking behavior.

Many of the early issues in the field of telE-learning are now not only recognised but are being addressed, through professional and staff development routes, through innovative technological solutions, and through approaches and concepts that are better suited to particular educational contexts. TelE-LEARNING: The Challenge for the Third Millennium provides details of the most recent advances in this area, and covers issues concerned with:
-the position of on-line learning in the development of the information society;
-developments in virtual organisations, virtual institutes and virtual laboratories;
-creation and development of interactive and adaptive context-aware learning environments using intelligent agents and cognitive style match;
-integrating collaborative learning and collective competencies into on-line learning practices;
-creation and development of e-learning portals, and concerns with inter-operability;
-uses of on-line learning environments in diverse subjects, such as environmental education, mathematics and ICT;
-changes with educational organisation and the impact of culture and culturation;
-the role of case studies and models in teacher development of practice;
-educational uses of broadcasting and web-based technology;
-creation and development of assessment and computerised examination systems in on-line learning environments;
-the role of team work, team learning and team teaching in on-line learning environments used for work-based purposes;
-the role of on-line learning environments in parent-child relationships and rehabilitation situations;
-a focus on shifts in female enrolment in computer science courses;
-theories and concepts of telE-learning (including the application of activity theory and situated learning theory to on-line delivery and learning);
-developments in appropriate research methodologies for on-line learning environments.

TelE-LEARNING: The Challenge for the Third Millennium contains the edited proceedings of Stream 3 of the 17th World Computer Congress, which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in August 2002. "

This book illustrates how sustainability, information technologies, and envisioning the future can be effectively woven into an integrated educational experience. By understanding what it takes to build a sustainable community, students will develop the skills needed to engage successfully in a sustainable society. Using the real world as their classroom, they will participate in gathering and analyzing data, clarifying values, listening, speaking, thinking creatively, and making decisions about their community.

Contemporary Studies in Sociology

Written from both the librarian's and scientist's point of view, this book is a comprehensive guide to conducting searches of scientific, agricultural, and technological literature. The beginning user will find the work a valuable introduction to search and retrieval techniques, while the experienced user will welcome the volume's overview of the most recent methods and strategies. Because the library is no longer the only place where a researcher may conduct literature searches, this revised edition gives extensive attention to electronic searches from remote sites, such as computers at the home or office.

Searching for information is changing from the traditional library setting to the remote environment. Written from both the librarian's and scientist's perspectives, this comprehensive guide overviews fundamental and advanced methods of conducting scientific, technological, and agricultural literature searches from libraries and remote sites, such as computers at the home or office. Beginners will find this book a useful introduction to search and retrieval techniques. At the same time, the computerization of libraries has been so rapid that the experienced researcher will also benefit from this work.

The first part of the book overviews and discusses available information sources. The second and third parts examine ways of finding these information sources in the library, and techniques of searching and retrieving this information via computer from outside the library. The volume explains the pathway of information in literature, methods of identifying and citing literature, the usefulness of the online catalog, the special features of abstracts and indexes, the nature of online searching, and the significance of the Internet to users in scientific and research environments. The final chapter gives special attention to the electronic library and the World Wide Web. A concise bibliography directs the reader to some of the most important aids for literature searching.

KEEPING LIVESTOCK HEALTHY is one of the recognized classics in its field. Small Farmer's Journal called it "a major contribution to available farm veterinary literature." Modern Veterinary Practice wrote: ." . . highly recommended to all livestock owners." And Farmstead Magazine said, "So admirably organized and indexed that its information is instantly available."

Now completely revised and updated, this fourth edition draws on the very latest research from experts on each of the five animals covered - horses, cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep. It presents new information on vaccines, artificial insemination, ultrasonography, disease testing, drug treatments, and diseases such as Lyme disease, Potomac fever, bluetongue, foot-and-mouth disease, and mad cow disease. This complete reference on livestock health is an invaluable guide to preventing disease through good nutrition, proper housing, and appropriate care.

Applying statistical results to real life situations can be difficult or futile if you can't be certain what the results actually mean. This reference guide provides readers with the frequently elusive link between statistical results and practical applications. Students will learn the basic concepts and principles of statistics and probability, without getting bogged down in complicated theories and abstractions. Many statistics texts rely too heavily on mathematical formulas. Kault restores the emphasis to understanding statistical results and using common sense in decision making. Everyday examples bring the concepts to life. In the entry on hypothesis testing, Kault examines how a statistical result incorrectly overruled the common sense of many doctors. A chapter on random variables shows the chance that students will carry cell phones, and a chapter on categorical measurements uses statistics to determine the efficiency of a new treatment for a serious disease. Each chapter ends with questions that will help students further understand important concepts. Useful on its own and perfect as a means of expanding classroom discussions, this book is ideal for high school students or anyone needing to review the basics of statistics.

The world can be an amazing place if you know the right questions to ask: How much does a ghost reduce a house's value? How are winemakers responding to climate change? How much should you tip your Uber driver? Should your dog fear Easter more than fireworks? The keen minds of The Economist love to look beyond everyday appearances to find out what really makes things tick. In this latest collection of The Economist Explains, they have gathered the weirdest and most counter-intuitive answers they've found in their endless quest to explain our bizarre world. Take a peek at some Unconventional Wisdom - and pass it on! The world only gets more amazing when discoveries are shared.

With an Introduction by David Amigoni. Charles Darwin's travels around the world as an independent naturalist on HMS Beagle between 1831 and 1836 impressed upon him a sense of the natural world's beauty and sublimity which language could barely capture. Words, he said, were inadequate to convey to those who have not visited the inter-tropical regions, the sensation of delight which the mind experiences'. Yet in a travel journal which takes the reader from the coasts and interiors of South America to South Sea Islands, Darwin's descriptive powers are constantly challenged, but never once overcome. In addition, The Voyage of the Beagle displays Darwin's powerful, speculative mind at work, posing searching questions about the complex relation between the Earth's structure, animal forms, anthropology and the origins of life itself.

The transmission of information transcends time. Since the beginning of humanity, people have shared stories, dreams, wishes, and findings. Within a scientific context, the delivery of information is especially important. Researchers have been sharing their ideas and building on the work of others for as long as we have studied our world. How can a researcher ensure their ideas will be shared most effectively with the next generation, though? In How Scientists Communicate, Alan Kelly accompanies readers through the many processes of scholarly communication within the field of science. The chapters include an analysis of modern scientific communication, an overview of the historical development of such communication, the nature and goals of a scientific research paper, as well as practical and applicable information for researchers. He explores scientific communication from various perspectives, including the writing process, stages of writing, evaluation through peer review, publication, and what happens afterwards. This exploration into scientific writing emphasizes the importance of readability and writing for the intended audience. Kelly engages with landmark historical papers, but he doesn't shy away from his own experiences and opinions. This treatise on the art of scientific communication is interesting for readers with various levels of experience, making this book a go-to resource for anyone trying to share their ideas within the scientific community, or interested in how the outputs of science impact our world.

This book is a compact, example-based statistics textbook that closely follows contemporary curricula taught in large parts of the world. It is a user-friendly textbook without unnecessary frills, but instead filled with real-world examples, practical tips, online exercises, resources, and references to extensions, all on a level that is commonly taught at introductory postgraduate and levels. Several features clearly distinguish this book from what is currently available on the market. On the one hand, a lot of the easier textbooks available are lengthy, covering a wide range of topics that are not necessarily taught at university, some including methods that are now rarely used, particularly in the private sector. Further, most texts assume familiarity with statistical software already, and lack a gentle introduction to the specific software that is used. On the other hand, the more specialized textbooks are well outside the reach of most of today's students, even at postgraduate level, again often assuming a high level of statistical programming skills. This book aims to fill that gap, which, while in its core a traditional printed book, will come with a wealth of online teaching material for lecturers and students. The authors make use of R, quite simply the most used statistics software in science. The content structure is peculiar in the sense that statistical skills are introduced at the same time as software (programming) skills in R. This poses a challenge for students and their lecturers but seems by far the best way of teaching from the author's experience. By a careful, but concurrent, step by step introduction to both statistical principles and software skills, this text guides the student in an unprecedented way. A color coding system is used to keep the two content matters apart.

The Sociology of the Sciences represents one of the most vivid fields in the social sciences today. From a former subfield of sociology, social studies of science and technology (STS) have transformed into a transdisciplinary field of research in its own right - reflecting the still growing dynamics of techno-science in modern societies.The two volume set, The Sociology of the Sciences, is an attempt to map out the broad range of contemporary studies covered in this transdisciplinary research field. The ten sections in the two volumes include selected articles from the most relevant areas of contemporary social studies of science, ranging from studies of scientific knowledge to science policy issues, from the gender-related questions in science to the relations between science and the public.

This volume present the latest scientific advancements and technological developments with particular emphasis on existing and potential applications. Included are important and cutting edge topics on sintering, chemistry, ceramics, materials processing, moisture measurement, medical applications, electromagnetic field exposure effects, RF measurements, magnetic field processing, drying of complex and difficult to dry materials, printed circuit board assemblies, design of and components for industrial microwave & RF systems, new industrial applications, waste treatment and recycling, electronic materials, polymers, agricultural products.

The image of Robert Boyle owes much to a series of evaluations of him written shortly after his death by men who had known him well, such as John Evelyn, Gilbert Burnet and Sir Peter Pett. This book includes a selection of these previously unpublished texts.

Surveys are the principal source of data not only for social science, but for consumer research, political polling, and federal statistics. In response to social and technological trends, rates of survey nonresponse have risen markedly in recent years, prompting observers to worry about the continued validity of surveys as a tool for data gathering. Newspaper stories, magazine articles, radio programs, television broadcasts, and Internet blogs are filled with data derived from surveys of one sort or another. Reputable media outlets generally indicate whether a survey is representative, but much of the data routinely bandied about in the media and on the Internet are not based on representative samples and are of dubious use in making accurate statements about the populations they purport to represent. Surveys are social interactions, and like all interactions between people, they are embedded within social structures and guided by shared cultural understandings. This issue of The ANNALS examines the difficulties with finding willing respondents to these surveys and how the changing structure of society, whether it be the changing family structure, mass immigration, rising inequality, or the rise of technology, has presented new issues to conducting surveys. This volume will be of interest to faculty and students who specialize in sociological movements as well as economic and immigration movements and its effect on surveying. "

Remote Sensing image analysis is mostly done using only spectral information on a pixel by pixel basis. Information captured in neighbouring cells, or information about patterns surrounding the pixel of interest often provides useful supplementary information. This book presents a wide range of innovative and advanced image processing methods for including spatial information, captured by neighbouring pixels in remotely sensed images, to improve image interpretation or image classification. Presented methods include different types of variogram analysis, various methods for texture quantification, smart kernel operators, pattern recognition techniques, image segmentation methods, sub-pixel methods, wavelets and advanced spectral mixture analysis techniques. Apart from explaining the working methods in detail a wide range of applications is presented covering land cover and land use mapping, environmental applications such as heavy metal pollution, urban mapping and geological applications to detect hydrocarbon seeps.

The book is meant for professionals, PhD students and graduates who use remote sensing image analysis, image interpretation and image classification in their work related to disciplines such as geography, geology, botany, ecology, forestry, cartography, soil science, engineering and urban and regional planning.