Marc Vitrac was born in Louisiana in the early 1960's, about the time the first interplanetary probes delivered the news that Mars and Venus were teeming with life—even human life. At that point, the "Space Race" became the central preoccupation of the great powers of the world. Now, in 1988, Marc has been assigned to Jamestown, the US-Commonwealth base on Venus, near the great Venusian city of Kartahown. Set in a countryside swarming with sabertooths and dinosaurs, Jamestown is home to a small band of American and allied scientist-adventurers. But there are flies in this ointment – and not only the Venusian dragonflies, with their yard-wide wings. The biologists studying Venus's life are puzzled by the way it not only resembles that on Earth, but is virtually identical to it. The EastBloc has its own base at Cosmograd, in the highlands to the south, and relations are frosty. And attractive young geologist Cynthia Whitlock seems impervious to Marc's Cajun charm. Meanwhile, at the western end of the continent, Teesa of the Cloud Mountain People leads her tribe in a conflict with the Neanderthal-like beastmen who have seized her folk's sacred caves. Then an EastBloc shuttle crashes nearby, and the beastmen acquire new knowledge... and AK47's. Jamestown sends its long-range blimp to rescue the downed EastBloc cosmonauts, little suspecting that the answer to the jungle planet's mysteries may lie there, among tribal conflicts and traces of a power that made Earth's vaunted science seem as primitive as the tribesfolk's blowguns. As if that weren't enough, there's an enemy agent on board the airship... Extravagant and effervescent, The Sky People is alternate-history SF adventure at its best. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This volume contains the selected papers of the first I.D.M.M.E. conference on 'Integrated Design and Manufacturing in Mechanical Engineering', held in Nantes from 15-17 April 1996. Its objective was to discuss the questions related to the definition of the optimal design and manufacturing processes and to their integration through coherent methodologies in adapted environments. The initiative of the Conference and the organization thereof, is mainly due to the efforts of the french PRIMECA group (Pool of Computer Resources for Mechanics) started eight years ago. We were able to attract the internationru community with the support of the International Institution for Production Engineering Research (C.I.R.P.). The conference brought together two hundred and fifty specialists from around the world. About ninety papers and twenty posters were presented covering three main topics : optimization and evaluation of the product design process, optimization and evaluation of the manufacturing systems and methodological aspects.

The papers all said he was a fiend. I read all the papers. That's what they all said.' One of America's greatest writers explores mob violence, voyeurism and betrayal in these unforgettable tales of Californian life.

This latest edition of The Definitive Guide to Django is updated for Django 1.1, and, with the forward–compatibility guarantee that Django now provides, should serve as the ultimate tutorial and reference for this popular framework for years to come. Django, the Python–based equivalent to Ruby's Rails web development framework, is one of the hottest topics in web development today. Lead developer Jacob Kaplan–Moss and Django creator Adrian Holovaty show you how they use this framework to create award–winning web sites by guiding you through the creation of a web application reminiscent of ChicagoCrime.org. The Definitive Guide to Django is broken into three parts, with the first introducing Django fundamentals such as installation and configuration, and creating the components that together power a Django–driven web site. The second part delves into the more sophisticated features of Django, including outputting non–HTML content such as RSS feeds and PDFs, caching, and user management. The appendixes serve as a detailed reference to Django's many configuration options and commands.

Preface; Propagation of radio waves; The decibel scale; Transmission lines; Antennas; Resonant circuits; Oscillators; Piezo-electric devices; Bandwidth requirements and modulation; Frequency planning; Radio equipment; Microwave communication; Information privacy and encryption; Multiplexing; Speech digitization and synthesis; VHF and UHF mobile communication; Signalling; Mobile radio systems; Base station site management; Instrumentation; Batteries; Satellite communications; Connectors and interfaces; Broadcasting; Abbreviations and symbols; Miscellaneous data; Index.

This is the first volume that brings together research and practice from academic and industry settings and a combination of human and machine translation evaluation. Its comprehensive collection of papers by leading experts in human and machine translation quality and evaluation who situate current developments and chart future trends fills a clear gap in the literature. This is critical to the successful integration of translation technologies in the industry today, where the lines between human and machine are becoming increasingly blurred by technology: this affects the whole translation landscape, from students and trainers to project managers and professionals, including in-house and freelance translators, as well as, of course, translation scholars and researchers. The editors have broad experience in translation quality evaluation research, including investigations into professional practice with qualitative and quantitative studies, and the contributors are leading experts in their respective fields, providing a unique set of complementary perspectives on human and machine translation quality and evaluation, combining theoretical and applied approaches.

Cell culture techniques allow a variety of molecular and cell biological questions to be addressed, offering physiological conditions whilst avoiding the use of laboratory animals. In addition to basic techniques, a wide range of specialised practical protocols covering the following areas are included: cell proliferation and death, in-vitro models for cell differentiation, in-vitro models for toxicology and pharmacology, industrial application of animal cell culture, genetic manipulation and analysis of human and animal cells in culture.

Tissue Culture: Methods and Applications presents an overview of the procedures for working with cells in culture and for using them in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. The book discusses primary tissue dissociation; the preparation of primary cultures; cell harvesting; and replicate culture methods. The text also describes protocols on single cell isolations and cloning; perfusion and mass culture techniques; cell propagation on miscellaneous culture supports; and the evaluation of culture dynamics. The recent techniques facilitating microscopic observation of cells; cell hybridization; and virus propagation and assay are also encompassed. The book further tackles the production of hormones and intercellular substances; the diagnosis and understanding of disease; as well as quality control measures. Scientists and professionals interested in methodology per se will find the book invaluable.

This textbook emphasizes the interplay between algebra and geometry to motivate the study of linear algebra. Matrices and linear transformations are presented as two sides of the same coin, with their connection motivating inquiry throughout the book. By focusing on this interface, the author offers a conceptual appreciation of the mathematics that is at the heart of further theory and applications. Those continuing to a second course in linear algebra will appreciate the companion volume Advanced Linear and Matrix Algebra. Starting with an introduction to vectors, matrices, and linear transformations, the book focuses on building a geometric intuition of what these tools represent. Linear systems offer a powerful application of the ideas seen so far, and lead onto the introduction of subspaces, linear independence, bases, and rank. Investigation then focuses on the algebraic properties of matrices that illuminate the geometry of the linear transformations that they represent. Determinants, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors all benefit from this geometric viewpoint. Throughout, “Extra Topic” sections augment the core content with a wide range of ideas and applications, from linear programming, to power iteration and linear recurrence relations. Exercises of all levels accompany each section, including many designed to be tackled using computer software. Introduction to Linear and Matrix Algebra is ideal for an introductory proof-based linear algebra course. The engaging color presentation and frequent marginal notes showcase the author’s visual approach. Students are assumed to have completed one or two university-level mathematics courses, though calculus is not an explicit requirement. Instructors will appreciate the ample opportunities to choose topics that align with the needs of each classroom, and the online homework sets that are available through WeBWorK.