Lake of Tears

Lake of Tears

‘In her seventh series entry, Logue writes beautifully about rural Minnesota life while telling a good mystery. For fans of J.A. Jance and Margaret Maron.’ –Library Journal

Lake of Tears

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing

Ever since the term ‘crowdsourcing’ was coined in 2006 by ‘Wired’ writer Jeff Howe, group activities ranging from the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary to the choosing of new colors for M&Ms have been labeled with this most buzz-generating of media buzzwords. In this accessible but authoritative account, grounded in the empirical literature, Daren Brabham explains what crowdsourcing is, what it is not, and how it works. Crowdsourcing, Brabham tells us, is an online, distributed problem solving and production model that leverages the collective intelligence of online communities for specific purposes set forth by a crowdsourcing organization — corporate, government, or volunteer. Uniquely, it combines a bottom-up, open, creative process with top-down organizational goals. Crowdsourcing is not open source production, which lacks the top-down component; it is not a market research survey that offers participants a short list of choices; and it is qualitatively different from predigital open innovation and collaborative production processes, which lacked the speed, reach, rich capability, and lowered barriers to entry enabled by the Internet. Brabham describes the intellectual roots of the idea of crowdsourcing in such concepts as collective intelligence, the wisdom of crowds, and distributed computing. He surveys the major issues in crowdsourcing, including crowd motivation, the misconception of the amateur participant, crowdfunding, and the danger of ‘crowdsploitation’ of volunteer labor, citing real-world examples from Threadless, InnoCentive, and other organizations. And he considers the future of crowdsourcing in both theory and practice, describing its possible roles in journalism, governance, national security, and science and health.

Crowdsourcing

Biodiversity of West African Forests

Biodiversity of West African Forests

This book focuses on the biodiversity and ecology of West African forests. The first part of the book includes 8 chapters which analyse the factors that give rise to biodiversity and structure tropical plant communities. It emphasizes the distribution and state of the forests and analyses vegetation gradients, determines hotspots of plant diversity, and treats distribution patterns of rare and endemic species in the Upper Guinean forests which extend from Senegal to Togo. The main part of the book is an atlas with ecological profiles of 280 rare and endemic plant species and 56 large timber species, each with a one-page entry including a coloured photograph and distribution map. This book will appeal to researchers working in forestry, biodiversity, plant ecology and conservation.

Biodiversity of West African Forests

The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture

The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture

The Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, Travel Edition presents all ofhe best works of architecture completed in the last five years in anltra-convenient mini-format, perfect for the holiday or business traveller.;ach of the 1,052 projects from the comprehensive edition are included with aingle image per building and a short text to help the traveller recognise it.he project entry gives the name of each building and its architect, theocation, and the address, if visitable, as well as the telephone number,here appropriate. There is also a system to indicate which projects are openo the public. In addition to the forty two regional maps from theomprehensive edition, there are an additional 27 new city maps which locatehe buildings in more built up areas;The book provides a unique opportunityo visit 1,052 works of contemporary architecture in all parts of the world,rom the Arctic Circle to the African deserts and beyond. The Phaidon Atlasf Contemporary World Architecture, Travel Edition is an essential companionn the travels of all those interested in gaining a first hand understanding

The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture

Understanding Human Anatomy and Physiology, Fifth Edition

Understanding Human Anatomy and Physiology, Fifth Edition

Renowned for her effective learning systems, respected author Sylvia Mader has helped thousands of entry-level students understand and enjoy the principles of human anatomy and physiology. Mader expertly weaves up-to-date informative content with effective learning systems, piecing together the facts and fascination of human anatomy and physiology. With the fifth edition of Understanding Human Anatomy and Physiology, your introductory, one-semester students have the opportunity to experience an effective blend of up-to-date, informational content with several new features and an extensively enhanced multimedia support system.

Understanding Human Anatomy and Physiology, Fifth Edition

The Mathematics of the Bose Gas and Its Condensation

The Mathematics of the Bose Gas and Its Condensation

This book contains a unique survey of the mathematically rigorous results about the quantum-mechanical many-body problem that have been obtained by the authors in the past seven years. It addresses a topic that is not only rich mathematically, using a large variety of techniques in mathematical analysis, but is also one with strong ties to current experiments on ultra-cold Bose gases and Bose-Einstein condensation. The book provides a pedagogical entry into an active area of ongoing research for both graduate students and researchers. It is an outgrowth of a course given by the authors for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers at the Oberwolfach Research Institute in 2004. The book also provides a coherent summary of the field and a reference for mathematicians and physicists active in research on quantum mechanics.

The Mathematics of the Bose Gas and Its Condensation

A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica

A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica

At the biological crossroads of the Americas, Costa Rica hosts one of the widest varieties of plants in the wold, with habitats ranging from tidal mangrove swamps, and lowland rainforests, to dry tropical evergreen and deciduous forests. Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica is a must-have reference guide for beginner and expert naturalists alike. It provides a thorough survey of more than 850 plant species, each entry accompanied by color photos and a concise yet detailed narrative description. Plants are conveniently grouped by the different types of vegetation: palms, tall trees, shrubs, woody vines, herbaceous vines, herbs, grasses and ferns. Along with 1400 color photographs, the guide also includes an illustrated glossary of plant parts, five maps of Costa Rica, and laminated covers for durability in the field. With so much readily accessible information, this book is essential for exploring Costa Rica’s common and conspicuous flora from the plants growing along the roadside to the best natural parks.

A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica

Saddlepoint Approximations with Applications

Saddlepoint Approximations with Applications

Modern statistical methods use complex, sophisticated models that can lead to intractable computations. Saddlepoint approximations can be the answer. Written from the user’s point of view, this book explains in clear language how such approximate probability computations are made, taking readers from the very beginnings to current applications. The core material is presented in chapters 1-6 at an elementary mathematical level. Chapters 7-9 then give a highly readable account of higher-order asymptotic inference. Later chapters address areas where saddlepoint methods have had substantial impact: multivariate testing, stochastic systems and applied probability, bootstrap implementation in the transform domain, and Bayesian computation and inference. No previous background in the area is required. Data examples from real applications demonstrate the practical value of the methods. Ideal for graduate students and researchers in statistics, biostatistics, electrical engineering, econometrics, and applied mathematics, this is both an entry-level text and a valuable reference.

Saddlepoint Approximations with Applications

Readicide

Readicide

Read-i-cide n: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools. Reading is dying in our schools. Educators are familiar with many of the factors that have contributed to the decline–poverty, second-language issues, and the ever-expanding choices of electronic entertainment. In this provocative new book, Kelly Gallagher suggests, however, that it is time to recognize a new and significant contributor to the death of reading: our schools. In Readicide, Kelly argues that American schools are actively (though unwittingly) furthering the decline of reading. Specifically, he contends that the standard instructional practices used in most schools are killing reading by: valuing the development of test-takers over the development of lifelong readers; mandating breadth over depth in instruction; requiring students to read difficult texts without proper instructional support; insisting that students focus solely on academic texts; drowning great books with sticky notes, double-entry journals, and marginalia; ignoring the importance of developing recreational reading; and losing sight of authentic instruction in the shadow of political pressures. Kelly doesn’t settle for only identifying the problems. Readicide provides teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators with specific steps to reverse the downward spiral in reading–steps that will help prevent the loss of another generation of readers.

Readicide

Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean

Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean

The Caribbean is a land of marriages performed at the water’s edge, and honeymoons celebrated in luxurious resorts. This guide offers lovers information on staying in the Caribbean. For each location, it provides a description of the island, how to gain entry, the resorts, where to dine and the nightlife. Every type of area is covered, from the sleepy inns in Nevis and tiny Tobago, to pulsating resorts in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. For those considering a wedding or vow-renewal on an island, the guide also covers marriage regulations and the best places for an island ceremony.

Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean

The George Gershwin Reader

The George Gershwin Reader

George Gershwin is one of the giants of American music, unique in that he was both a brilliant writer of popular songs (‘Swanee,’ ‘I Got Rhythm,’ ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’) and of more serious music, including ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ ‘An American in Paris,’ and ‘Porgy and Bess.’ Now, in The George Gershwin Reader, music lovers are treated to a spectacular celebration of this great American composer. The Reader offers a kaleidoscopic collection of writings by and about Gershwin, including more than eighty pieces of superb variety, color, and depth. There is a who’s who of famous commentators: bandleader Paul Whiteman; critics Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, and Brooks Atkinson; fellow musicians Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Alec Wilder (who analyzes the songs ‘That Certain Feeling’ and ‘A Foggy Day’), Leonard Bernstein, and the formidable modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg (who was Gershwin’s tennis partner in Hollywood). Some of the most fascinating and important writings here deal with the critical debate over Gershwin’s concert pieces, especially ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘An American in Paris,’ and there is a complete section devoted to the controversies over ‘Porgy and Bess,’ including correspondence between Gershwin and DuBose Hayward, the opera’s librettist (a series of excerpts which illuminate the creative process), plus unique interviews with the original Porgy and Bess–Todd Duncan and Anne Brown. Sprinkled throughout the book are excerpts from Gershwin’s own letters, which offer unique insight into this fascinating and charming man. Along with a detailed chronology of the composer’s life, the editors provide informative introductions to each entry. Here then is a book for anyone interested in American music. Scholars, performers, and Gershwin’s legions of fans will find it an irresistible feast.

The George Gershwin Reader