This book contains a collection of papers on the science, engineering, and technology of shape casting, with contributions from researchers worldwide. Among the topics that are addressed are the structure-property-performance relationships, modeling of casting processes, and the effect of casting defects on the mechanical properties of cast alloys.

"Bayesian Econometrics" illustrates the scope and diversity of modern applications, reviews some recent advances, and highlights many desirable aspects of inference and computations. It begins with an historical overview by Arnold Zellner who describes key contributions to development and makes predictions for future directions. In the second paper, Giordani and Kohn makes suggestions for improving Markov chain Monte Carlo computational strategies. The remainder of the book is categorized according to microeconometric and time-series modeling. Models considered include an endogenous selection ordered probit model, a censored treatment-response model, equilibrium job search models and various other types. These are used to study a variety of applications for example dental insurance and care, educational attainment, voter opinions and the marketing share of various brands and an aggregate cross-section production function. Models and topics considered include the potential problem of improper posterior densities in a variety of dynamic models, selection and averaging for forecasting with vector autoregressions, a consumption capital-asset pricing model and various others. Applications involve U.S. macroeconomic variables, exchange rates, an investigation of purchasing power parity, data from London Metals Exchange, international automobile production data, and data from the Asian stock market.

A complete guide to cultivating and harvesting the beautiful opium poppy.
The opium poppy is a potent plant that has been cultivated and used for thousands of years to alleviate suffering. The use of plant substances as alternatives to synthetic medicines is resurging due to their beneficial properties and less-toxic side effects. For example, many cancer and HIV sufferers are growing opium for personal use.
"Opium Poppy Garden" is the only book available that describes the cultivation, harvest and pharmacology of opium in a format that combines literary and instructional writing. The heart of the book is the tale of Ch'ien, a young Chinese man who travels from Costa Rica to Columbia to grow an opium garden in the manner his Taoist grandfather taught him. The story, in conjunction with "The Cultivator's Diary" and the technical appendix, provide the reader with a working knowledge of this plant.

Gain a better understanding of the basic principles of gynecology presented in Williams Gynecology, Third Edition with this full-color study guide Directly derived from the content of Williams Gynecology, Third Edition, this authoritative study guide is designed to assess your understanding and retention of the acclaimed, evidence-based coverage of the parent text. Here, you will find everything you need for an efficient chapter-by-chapter review of the text material. Featuring a full-color, open design, the study guide contains more than 2,000 review questions with clinical vignettes, an answer key that includes corresponding textbook page numbers to aid further study, and hundreds of precise images to sharpen your visual diagnosis skills. The most rigorous gynecology summary available: * NEW Color images included as question material * NEW Clinical case questions assess your ability to apply the content to real-world patient encounters * More than 2,000 evidence-based multiple-choice questions cover every major topic in clinical gynecology - includes a mix of straight Q&A and clinical vignettes * Answer key provides the correct answer and cites page numbers in Williams Gynecology, Third Edition, to prompt in-depth discussion and continued study * Coverage spans reproductive endocrinology and infertility, female pelvic medicine, reconstructive surgery, and gynecologic oncology Claudia L. Werner, MD, Debra L. Richardson, MD, FACOG, FACS, Stephanie Y. Chang, MD, William F. Griffith, MD; Cherine A. Hamid, MD, David D. Rahn, MD, Elysia Moschos, MD, Barbara L. Hoffman, MD are affiliated with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Texas.