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Powerful information technologies and the complex support systems
they engender are evolving faster than people's ability to adjust
to them. In the workplace, this leads to troublesome task
performance, added stress on users, increased organizational
inefficiency, and, in some cases, a heightened risk of wide-scale
disaster. In the marketplace, it makes for consumer
dissatisfaction. Clearly, traditional human-computer interaction
(HCI) and system design (SD) solutions to this dilemma have proven
woefully inadequate. What is needed is a fresh multidisciplinary
approach offering a broader, more dynamic framework for assessing
needs and designing usable, efficient systems. Taking modeling
concepts from engineering, psychology, cognitive science,
information science, and computer science, cognitive systems
engineering (CSE) provides such a framework. This book is the first
comprehensive guide to the emerging new field of CSE. Providing
equal parts theory and practice, it is based on the authors' many
years of experience with work systems in a wide range of work
domains, including process control, manufacturing, hospitals, and
libraries. Throughout, the emphasis is on powerful analytical
techniques that enhance the systems designer's ability to see the
"big picture", and to design for all crucial aspects of human-work
interaction. Applicable to highly structured technical systems such
as process plants, as well as less structured user-driven systems
like libraries, these analytical techniques form the basis for the
evaluation and design guidelines that make up the bulk of this
book. And since the proof is in the pudding, the authors provide a
chapter-length case history in which theydemonstrate the success of
their approach when applied to a full-scale software design
project. The project, a retrieval system for public libraries, is
described in detail, from field studies to concept validation
experiments, and, of course, the empirical evaluation of the system
while in use by the library users and personnel. Computer-based
information systems are rapidly becoming a fundamental part of the
human landscape. How that landscape evolves over the next decade or
so, whether it becomes a hostile one or one that generously
supports the needs of future generations, is in the hands of all
those involved with the study and design of information systems.
Exploring the multiple communities of healing among the Tuareg
people of Niger, this work examines the beliefs and practices that
surround healing and the quest for medicine. In studying ideals of
healing that face challenges from wider political and economic
forces, the author enables us to understand these culturally and
historically constructed processes. This leads us to comprehend how
many Tuareg construct and deconstruct local notions of medicine and
healers, how patients cope with current problems in health care,
and more broadly, how medical knowledge is constructed in
anthropology and ethnography.
Rasmussen reveals new perspectives on healing in systems of
power and symbolism, bridging interpretive cultural and political
economy approaches. This book explores the consequences and
implications of the idea that in order to obtain medicine, one must
submit to authority, but proceeds beyond merely demonstrating this
idea, already largely a truism in anthropology. The Tuareg data
show how local residents are not passive victims, but rather active
agents in responding to and resisting authority structures of
medicine and medical knowledge.
Relational Perspectives on Leading discusses leadership from a
relational and social constructionism perspective as practiced on
an everyday basis between people. The book pursues a fast growing,
practice-based approach - particularly within the Anglo-Saxon parts
of the world - to organization studies and organizational
phenomena.
This book provides a detailed record of the early history of the
library at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from the foundation of the
College in 1584 to the completion of the seventh major inventory of
the library's contents in 1637. This half-century formed a dynamic
period in the religious and political as well as the educational
life of the nation. The influence of Emmanuel, a notoriously
Puritan college from its founding, was felt especially in the
striking prominence of its alumni among New World settlers (among
them John Harvard) and, during the English Civil War, in the
placement of Emmanuel men in many key positions, including the
Masterships of numerous Cambridge colleges. While these men were
being educated Emmanuel's library expanded dramatically, and the
seven increasingly large inventories of library books recorded
there during the period give an indication of their concerns and
their scholarship. Now, for the first time, the intellectual
resources - by no means narrowly 'Puritan' - of this major
institutional library are available for the study of all who are
interested in the history of the period.
In over 300 densely packed, oversized pages (including 140 index
pages), members of the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society have
rendered a faithful accounting of over 5,000 marriages and
applications for marriage on file from the county's inception until
1881. In all, these records touch on roughly 50,000 brides and
grooms, plus their parents and witnesses.
The first edition of Quantitative Feedback Theory gained enormous
popularity by successfully bridging the gap between theory and
real-world engineering practice. Avoiding mathematical theorems,
lemmas, proofs, and correlaries, it boiled down to the essential
elements of quantitative feedback theory (QFT) necessary to readily
analyze, develop, and implement robust control systems. Thoroughly
updated and expanded, Quantitative Feedback Theory: Fundamentals
and Applications, Second Edition continues to provide a platform
for intelligent decision making and design based on knowledge of
the characteristics and operating scenario of the plant. Beginning
with the fundamentals, the authors build a background in analog and
discrete-time multiple-input-single-output (MISO) and
multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) feedback control systems
along with the fundamentals of the QFT technique. The remainder of
the book links these concepts to practical applications. Among the
many enhancements to this edition are a new section on large wind
turbine control system, four new chapters, and five new appendices.
The new chapters cover non-diagonal compensator design for MIMO
systems, QFT design involving Smith predictors for time delay
systems with uncertainty, weighting matrices and control authority,
and QFT design techniques applied to real-world industrial systems.
Quantitative Feedback Theory: Fundamentals and Applications, Second
Edition includes new and revised examples and end-of-chapter
problems and offers a companion CD that supplies MIMO QFT
computer-aided design (CAD) software. It is the perfect guide to
effectively and intuitively implementing QFT control.
The Reformer John Calvin has influenced America in a formative way.
Calvin remains respected as a theologian to whose work
intellectuals on both the right and left appeal. In the
nineteen-nineties, Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) formed
a politically influential ecumenical coalition to oppose abortion
and change the culture. Its ecumenism of the trenches influenced
the administration of George W. Bush and continues to influence
religious elements in the Tea Party. Evangelicals in the coalition
presume to speak for Calvin. This book provides a counter argument.
Calvin rejects the ethics advocated by ECT, an ethics of individual
virtue, conscience and natural right. Instead, he affirms an ethics
of obedience to the authority of secular government as an
institution with a divinely ordained mandate. This work considers
the following themes in Calvin: *Calvin on Faith. Modern and
postmodern philosophical approaches, including Reformed
epistemology, do not explain how Calvin understood faith. Faith is
divine activity. Belief is human activity. Faith is not a belief
system or worldview on which to base a political theology. The
author provides four Augustinian theses about Calvin on faith
*Calvin on Sanctification. Calvin rejected virtue ethics or an
ethics of individual conscience. His ethics require self-denial and
service. An important requirement of his ethics is obedience to
government. The author provides three theses about Calvin on
sanctification, as a critique of attempts to revive virtue ethics.
*Calvin on Natural Law. Calvin's doctrine of natural law is one of
the most vexed issues in Calvin studies. The author provides five
theses to clarify Calvin's doctrine of natural law. For Calvin,
secular government transcends the authority of conscience, and
Christians in conscience are required to obey it. In conclusion,
the author discusses Karl Barth's interpretation of Calvin and its
relevance for the church struggle against the Third Reich. Based on
his analysis of Calvin, he provides a defense of gay marriage and
the right to terminate a pregnancy, as well as an analysis of
religious freedom. Calvin would reject ECT's theology of virtue,
conscience and natural law. But he would affirm its ecumenism as a
possible path out of culture war.
Frequently (and often inappropriately) decision making in the work environment has been analyzed and modeled in terms of isolated decisions made by one person. In reality, decision making is a continuous, interpersonal process usually involving several ``decision makers'' aiming at dynamic and cooperative control of the state of affairs at work. Based on original contributions from researchers and research teams, this book provides an urgently needed cognitive approach to models of distributed decision making, exploring the basis for design of decision support systems in various complex, collective, modern work environments. It identifies the state of the art of modeling distributed decision making and the problems imposed by modern high-tech systems. A also formulates promising research avenues.
What is Machiavelli's place in the history of political thought?
Did he seek to revive the civic virtues espoused by ancient Greek
and Roman political theorists, or was he an intellectual rebel
whose radical critique of the classical philosophic tradition made
him a harbinger of the modern era? Almost every significant book on
Machiavelli since the beginning of the twentieth century has
addressed the question of his relation to classical thought in one
form or another. Yet, there has never been a comprehensive study of
the relationship between Machiavelli and Xenophon, the classical
political theorist whose shrewd analysis of effective politics
comes closest to Machiavelli's. Excellence Unleashedis a detailed
comparison of Machiavelli and Xenophon's political philosophy,
focusing on Xenophon's Education of Cyrus and Hiero or On Tyranny
and Machiavelli's The Prince and Discourses on Livy. This study
examines a number of major themes essential to both writers: the
moral and political requirements of healthy republics; imperial
expansion; the relationship between human nature, politics, and
virtue; the role of religion in politics; the distinction between
legitimate and illegitimate rule; and the influence of philosophy
on politics. By elucidating the remarkable scope, depth, and
subtlety of the debate between these two great thinkers, this book
offers a fresh perspective on the philosophic and political
significance of Machiavelli's proto-modern break from the classical
tradition.
The first edition of Quantitative Feedback Theory gained enormous
popularity by successfully bridging the gap between theory and
real-world engineering practice. Avoiding mathematical theorems,
lemmas, proofs, and correlaries, it boiled down to the essential
elements of quantitative feedback theory (QFT) necessary to readily
analyze, develop, and implement robust control systems. Thoroughly
updated and expanded, Quantitative Feedback Theory: Fundamentals
and Applications, Second Edition continues to provide a platform
for intelligent decision making and design based on knowledge of
the characteristics and operating scenario of the plant. Beginning
with the fundamentals, the authors build a background in analog and
discrete-time multiple-input-single-output (MISO) and
multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) feedback control systems
along with the fundamentals of the QFT technique. The remainder of
the book links these concepts to practical applications. Among the
many enhancements to this edition are a new section on large wind
turbine control system, four new chapters, and five new appendices.
The new chapters cover non-diagonal compensator design for MIMO
systems, QFT design involving Smith predictors for time delay
systems with uncertainty, weighting matrices and control authority,
and QFT design techniques applied to real-world industrial systems.
Quantitative Feedback Theory: Fundamentals and Applications, Second
Edition includes new and revised examples and end-of-chapter
problems and offers a companion CD that supplies MIMO QFT
computer-aided design (CAD) software. It is the perfect guide to
effectively and intuitively implementing QFT control.
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Veiling in Africa (Paperback)
Elisha P. Renne; Contributions by Laura Fair, Leslie Wahl Rabine, Adeline Masquelier, Hauwa Mahdi, …
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R679
R572
Discovery Miles 5 720
Save R107 (16%)
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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The tradition of the veil, which refers to various cloth
coverings of the head, face, and body, has been little studied in
Africa, where Islam has been present for more than a thousand
years. These lively essays raise questions about what is
distinctive about veiling in Africa, what religious histories or
practices are reflected in particular uses of the veil, and how
styles of veils have changed in response to contemporary events.
Together, they explore the diversity of meanings and experiences
with the veil, revealing it as both an object of Muslim piety and
an expression of glamorous fashion.
Among the Tuareg people in the Air Mountain region of Niger, women
are sometimes possessed by spirits called 'the people of solitude'.
The evening curing rituals of the possessed, featuring drumming and
song, take place before an audience of young men and women, who
joke and flirt as the ritual unfolds. In her analysis of this
tolerated but unofficial cult, Susan Rasmussen analyses symbolism
and aesthetic values, provides case studies of possessed women, and
reviews what local people think about the meaning of possession.
This book provides a detailed record of the early history of the
library at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from the foundation of the
College in 1584 to the completion of the seventh major inventory of
the library's contents in 1637. This half-century formed a dynamic
period in the religious and political as well as the educational
life of the nation. The influence of Emmanuel, a notoriously
Puritan college from its founding, was felt especially in the
striking prominence of its alumni among New World settlers (among
them John Harvard) and, during the English Civil War, in the
placement of Emmanuel men in many key positions, including the
Masterships of numerous Cambridge colleges. While these men were
being educated Emmanuel's library expanded dramatically, and the
seven increasingly large inventories of library books recorded
there during the period give an indication of their concerns and
their scholarship. Now, for the first time, the intellectual
resources - by no means narrowly 'Puritan' - of this major
institutional library are available for the study of all who are
interested in the history of the period.
Among the Tuareg people in the Air Mountain region of Niger, women are sometimes possessed by spirits called ‘the People of Solitude’. The evening curing rituals of the possessed, featuring drumming and song, take place before an audience of young men and women, who joke and flirt as the ritual unfolds. In her analysis of this tolerated but unofficial cult, Susan Rasmussen analyses symbolism and aesthetic values, provides case studies of possessed women, and reviews what local people think about the meaning of possession.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in military
missions because they have the advantages of not placing human life
at risk and of lowering operation costs via decreased vehicle
weight. These benefits can be fully realized only if UAVs work
cooperatively in groups with an efficient exchange of information.
This book provides an authoritative reference on cooperative
decision and control of UAVs and the means available to solve
problems involving them. The contributors present the information
in a manner that abstracts the challenges from the concrete
problems, making it possible to leverage the solution methods over
a broader range of applications. The first chapter offers
representative scenarios to describe the problem and its
challenges. The second chapter closely examines these challenges by
providing an overview of the algorithms that could be used for
cooperative control of UAV teams. Later chapters offer methods for
performing multiple tasks on multiple targets and assigning
multiple tasks to multiple UAVs in one step. Other topics addressed
are the application of mixed integer linear programming and genetic
algorithms in situations with strict time constraints, the
cooperation of UAVs when there are communication delays, and
effectiveness measures derived for operations in uncertain
environments. The book has two appendices. The first describes the
operation of the MultiUAV2 simulation software used to test the
cooperation control algorithms, while the second details the UAV
path planning problem and Dubins' optimal trajectories. A
supplementary website offers a MultiUAV2 software manual and
relevant code.
|
African Medical Pluralism (Hardcover)
William C Olsen, Carolyn Sargent; Contributions by Koen Stroeken, Claire Wendland, Arthur Kleinman, …
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R2,421
Discovery Miles 24 210
|
Ships in 10 - 15 working days
|
In most places on the African continent, multiple health care
options exist and patients draw on a therapeutic continuum that
ranges from traditional medicine and religious healing to the
latest in biomedical technology. The ethnographically based essays
in this volume highlight African ways of perceiving sickness,
making sense of and treating suffering, and thinking about health
care to reveal the range and practice of everyday medicine in
Africa through historical, political, and economic contexts.
|
African Medical Pluralism (Paperback)
William C Olsen, Carolyn Sargent; Contributions by Koen Stroeken, Claire Wendland, Arthur Kleinman, …
|
R817
Discovery Miles 8 170
|
Ships in 10 - 15 working days
|
In most places on the African continent, multiple health care
options exist and patients draw on a therapeutic continuum that
ranges from traditional medicine and religious healing to the
latest in biomedical technology. The ethnographically based essays
in this volume highlight African ways of perceiving sickness,
making sense of and treating suffering, and thinking about health
care to reveal the range and practice of everyday medicine in
Africa through historical, political, and economic contexts.
The Reformer John Calvin has influenced America in a formative way.
Calvin remains respected as a theologian to whose work
intellectuals on both the right and left appeal. In the
nineteen-nineties, Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) formed
a politically influential ecumenical coalition to oppose abortion
and change the culture. Its ecumenism of the trenches influenced
the administration of George W. Bush and continues to influence
religious elements in the Tea Party. Evangelicals in the coalition
presume to speak for Calvin. This book provides a counter argument.
Calvin rejects the ethics advocated by ECT, an ethics of individual
virtue, conscience and natural right. Instead, he affirms an ethics
of obedience to the authority of secular government as an
institution with a divinely ordained mandate. This work considers
the following themes in Calvin: *Calvin on Faith. Modern and
postmodern philosophical approaches, including Reformed
epistemology, do not explain how Calvin understood faith. Faith is
divine activity. Belief is human activity. Faith is not a belief
system or worldview on which to base a political theology. The
author provides four Augustinian theses about Calvin on faith
*Calvin on Sanctification. Calvin rejected virtue ethics or an
ethics of individual conscience. His ethics require self-denial and
service. An important requirement of his ethics is obedience to
government. The author provides three theses about Calvin on
sanctification, as a critique of attempts to revive virtue ethics.
*Calvin on Natural Law. Calvin's doctrine of natural law is one of
the most vexed issues in Calvin studies. The author provides five
theses to clarify Calvin's doctrine of natural law. For Calvin,
secular government transcends the authority of conscience, and
Christians in conscience are required to obey it. In conclusion,
the author discusses Karl Barth's interpretation of Calvin and its
relevance for the church struggle against the Third Reich. Based on
his analysis of Calvin, he provides a defense of gay marriage and
the right to terminate a pregnancy, as well as an analysis of
religious freedom. Calvin would reject ECT's theology of virtue,
conscience and natural law. But he would affirm its ecumenism as a
possible path out of culture war.
|
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