This volume aims at covering the variety of issues lying at the intersection of the modern theory of Industrial Organization and of the more traditional Agricultural Economics. The book is divided into three main sections. Each of them includes contributions which are particularly relevant for a better understanding of one or several of the following key issues: the organization of agriculture and its mechanisms, the extent of the market power in agri-food industries and, more generally, the failures of agricultural markets, and finally the nature of government's intervention in these...

Computer-Integrated Manufacturing has gained recognition as a most effective tool in increasing manufacturing competitiveness. This book discusses the fundamental knowledge of Computer-Aided Process Planning, the key to integrated manufacturing.

The work provides a rigorous basis for the understanding of process planning and the development of effective and efficient Computer-Aided Process Planning systems. It presents a current overview on the latest issues and directions in this field. Topics covered include Group Technology, process planning algorithms, artificial...

Our lives are informed by perceptual and cognitive processes at all levels, from instrumental learning to metaphorical discourse to memorial representation. Yet, historically, these two branches of experimental psychology, perception and cognition, have developed separately using independent methods of experimentation and analysis. This volume is motivated by the assumption that a fundamental integration of the two fields is fruitful methodologically and indispensable theoretically. It explores how the notion of psychophysics aligned with cognitive processes shapes the study of perception and...

It has become a truism that the frozen optical diagram representation of vision is the worst possible picture of the way in which we visually interact with the environment. Even apart from our reaction to moving targets by pursuit movements, our visual behaviour can be said to be characterised by eye movements. We sample from our environment in a series of relatively brief fixations which move from one point to another in a series of extremely rapid jerks known as saccades. Many questions arising from this characteristic of vision are explored within this volume, including the question of how...

This volume covers the computational dynamics of linear and non-linear engineering systems subject to conservative as well as non-conservative loads. Available in both paperback and hardback, the volume proposes an as simple as possible numerical evaluation of dynamic phenomena.
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Practically all known methods of linear spectral analysis like the Householder, Givens, Wiland, Lanczos, Jacobi, Guyan, Eberlein, etc., are clearly detailed with a critical appraisal of their advantages and disadvantages. A great number of flow diagrams and examples are given in order to facilitate the...

This volume contains a large selection of the invited papers given at the Twelfth Conference of the Association of Cultural Economics International held in Rotterdam in 2002. Two sessions were devoted to what came to be called the cultural industries (movies, television, media, etc.). Two dealt with the history of art and music markets. The last two were more policy oriented. One was devoted to the management of built heritage which becomes larger every year, and will be in need of more and more public funding. The invited speakers in the last session had spent, or are still spending, some or...

Microsimulation Modelling involves the application of simulation methods to micro data for the purposes of evaluating the effectiveness and improving the design of public policy. The field has existed for over 50 years and has been applied to many different policy areas and is a methodology that is applied within both government and academia. This handbook brings together leading authors in the field to describe and discuss the main current issues within the field. The handbook provides an overview of current developments across each of the sub-fields of microsimulation modelling such as...