The aim of this book is the classification of symplectic amalgams - structures which are intimately related to the finite simple groups. In all there sixteen infinite families of symplectic amalgams together with 62 more exotic examples. The classification touches on many important aspects of modern group theory: * p-local analysis * the amalgam method * representation theory over finite fields; and * properties of the finite simple groups. The account is for the most part self-contained and the wealth of detail makes this book an excellent introduction to these recent developments for...

If you have picked up this book and are browsing the Preface, you may well be asking yourself"What makes this book different from the large number I can find on amazon. com?." Well, the answer is a blend of the academic and the practical, and views of the subject you won't get from anybody else: how psychology and linguistics influence the field of requirements engineering (RE). The title might seem to be a bit of a conundrum; after all, surely requirements come from people so all requirements should be user-centred. Sadly, that is not always so; many system disasters have been caused simply...

Exactly 25 years ago on a warm autumn afternoon a young ecologist walked slowly through a tiny oak wood, and perched on a log to reflect. He had measured and seemingly knew "all" the species present - trees, mosses, mushrooms, birds and more. The research, based on this and other woods in the landscape, was the first rigorous test to see if island biogeographic theory was of use in heterogeneous land. Unexpectedly, an interior-to-edge model was found to be more useful. But on this beautiful sunny day he gazed out through the trees at the surrounding bean and maize fields. Suddenly a terrible...

Technology Assessment processes can be taken as a paradigm for interdisciplinary research. It is expected that interdisciplinary Technology Assessment is able to find solutions for actual sociopolitical problems that go beyond those expected from one individual scientific discipline alone. The common notion, that for tasks like this different disciplinary perspectives should be brought together, confronts the fact that there is no common notion on how interdisciplinary research should be done. In the present volume European experts of Technology Assessment present their perspectives on...

Economic policy interventions of a scale as effected in Eastern Germany can be expected to have a significant impact on the economy. The question whether investment subsidization as a core policy instrument is a suitable measure to initiate a self-sustaining upswing in the Eastern German economy and an improvement of living standards has been reason for dispute since the beginning of transition. Using econometric techniques, the study analyzes the effects of investment subsidies on economic structure, employment and productivity in the Eastern German industry. The study suggests that there is...

This is the second volume of the new subseries "Invariant Theory and Algebraic Transformation Groups." The aim of the survey by A. Bialynicki-Birula is to present the main trends and achievements of research in the theory of quotients by actions of algebraic groups. This theory contains geometric invariant theory with various applications to problems of moduli theory. The contribution by J. Carrell treats the subject of torus actions on algebraic varieties, giving a detailed exposition of many of the cohomological results one obtains from having a torus action with fixed points. Many...

Geometry, this very ancient field of study of mathematics, frequently remains too little familiar to students. Michele Audin, professor at the University of Strasbourg, has written a book allowing them to remedy this situation and, starting from linear algebra, extend their knowledge of affine, Euclidean and projective geometry, conic sections and quadrics, curves and surfaces.
It includes many nice theorems like the nine-point circle, Feuerbach's theorem, and so on. Everything is presented clearly and rigourously. Each property is proved, examples and exercises illustrate the course...

Over the last decade our view of chemistry has evolved substantially. Whereas individual researchers previously focused on specific areas of chemistry, such as inorganic, organic, etc. we now take a more holistic approach. Effective and efficient research projects now incorporate whatever aspects of the chemistry subdisciplines that are needed to complete the intended work. The main group elements have always been used in this manner. Depending on the use of the elements, the resulting work can be described under any heading of chemistry. The group 13 elements have been special in this regard...

This volume contains studies on the molecular organisation on interfaces and nanoparticles. The contributions were presented during the 40. General Meeting (Hauptversammlung) of the Kolloid-Gesellschaft in Potsdam in September 2001 and are related to the subject "Colloids and Life Science." Therefore, a diversity of papers were collected covering a large field: synthesis of polymer colloids, biominerals and nanoparticles, investigations on monolayers, lyotropic mesophases, polymeric surfactants, micellar transitions, supramolecular compounds for modifying polymers, solid particles for...

This volume contains lectures given at the Saint-Flour Summer School of Probability Theory during the period 8th-24th July, 1999. We thank the authors for all the hard work they accomplished. Their lectures are a work of reference in their domain. The School brought together 85 participants, 31 of whom gave a lecture concerning their research work. At the end of this volume you will find the list of participants and their papers. Finally, to facilitate research concerning previous schools we give here the number of the volume of "Lecture Notes" where they can be found: Lecture Notes in...