Applications Books

I think any person who major in target tracking system related to the Kalman filter must see this book. This book present the fundamentals of state estimation theory and the tools for the design of state-of-the-art algorithms for target tracking.

The book covers the basic concepts and estimation techniques for static and dynamic systems, linear and nonlinear, as well as adaptive estiomation. This constitutes a one semester graduate course in estimation theory in an electrical/systems engineering program.

The discussion deals mainly with discrete time estimation algorithms, which are natural for digital computer implementation. The basic state estimation algorithm-the Kalman filter-is presented in discrete as well as in continuous time. The use of the estimation algorithms is illustrated on kinematic motion models because they reveal all the major issues and in particular the subtleties encountered in estimation, and this serves as an introdution to tracking.

Guidelines for tracking filter design-selection of the filter design parameters-are given and illustrated in several examples.

At the end of each chapter, a number of problems that enhance the understanding of the theory and the connection of the theoretical material to the real world are given.

And I have this book as text for my paper.

I don't usually write online reviews but this book is so clear and useful that I really want to recommend it to others. It is well written with a good outline and summary for every chapter. It also has a pretty diverse range of topics on estimation, including an introductory chapter on basic estimation approaches (e.g., ML, MAP, least squares), and very practical extensions (e.g., state augmentation, square-root filters). Even though I am not in EE and some of the examples are thus not particularly helpful to me, I still find this book one of the best of all the estimation/Kalman filter books out there.

I was looking for something that had an approach to healthcare informatics evaluations, and I found what I wanted in this book. This is the second edition, so don't be put off by the title, which was revised from the first edition.

The authors of this book set out the basics of evaluation techniques very comprehensively, and backed that up with excellent examples of evaluations. Even though they modified what we might recognize as standard research methodology, (use of subjectivist and objectivist approaches, when we might use qualitative and quantitative), they explain it so well, that it is easy to follow, quite apart from providing additional information about other approaches.

I thought the key theorem they included is one that Dr. Friedman developed about the use of computers to increase the value of the outcome. That is a wonderful basis to keep in mind when undertaking evaluations. Essentially the question is, does the addition of the computer improve our knowledge?

Finally, I liked many of the practical examples that they included of studies and approaches to them.

Overall, this is a great book and a solid reference for anyone interested in the subject of healthcare systems evaluations. It is as relevant to the academic reader as to the commercial practitioner.

I've read the book about 3 times. Not because of I didn't know what else to read, but more to its condensed character in covering state-of-the-art evaluation methods valid in medical, dental, and biological sciences. The authors start with a general introduction to evaluation per se (What is it? Who needs it and Why? What makes it so difficult?) and discuss next mainly in two different parts 1) objectivists and 2) subjectivist studies giving detailed hands-on the general structure, basics of measurement, study design, conduct, and analysis of each study modalities, including methodological guidelines and a proposal quality checklist! They finaly describe the organizational evaluation and hierarchy of medical information resources as well as ethical and legal considerations during evaluation studies. References after each chapter are as standard as the self-tests to give feedback and motivation. In order to get maximum benefit the reader should be familiar with basic mathematics and biostatistics. A must for all helthcare professionals conducting research.

Because I was not totally computer illiterate, I started using Excel, keeping extensive records. Then, when I wanted to do something other than just entering data into a cell, the "boom was lowered" and that is when I found out all the things I didn't know.

This book showed me all the things that this application can do. It did this in language and examples that were clear and that was easily understood. How refreshing that is when you pick up a manual for a new product.

Another gem by Pogue Press!! I just finished reviewing another one of the books from this line and then I am hard-pressed to come up with a lot of things to say other than "buy it" for this book as well. Excel is probably one of the most well-known applications on the planet, forget about the ones just developed by Microsoft. If you are new to spreadsheets and want to learn how to create workbooks, input data, work with formulas, sort, etc. save the time and money of driving to a class and just pick up 'Excel for Starters' by Matthew MacDonald and I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The book is par excellent for practical application. If you like Edgar Cayce's way to spirituality this is a must book.

As always, Dr. Thurston's clearly articulated insights come to the heart of what practical spirituality is about. This book has been an extremely helpful tool to myself (and countless other seekers) for many years. I'm surprised that I'm the first one to give it the credit it's due.

B.R. Frieden and R.A. Gatenby (Eds), Exploratory Data Analysis using Fisher Information (Springer, London 2007)
For some years now, Roy Frieden has been exploring the consequences of studying physical phenomena on the basis of Fisher information and extreme physical information (EPI). From the very beginning, the results were spectacular. From the slenderest beginnings, many of the fundamental equations of physics emerged from these EPI principles: the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations of quantum mechanics as well as the Schrödinger equation; Newton's second law; Maxwell's equations; many of the equations of general relativity; and this does not exhaust the list. These ideas, gradually developed in a series of publications in very respectable and severely refereed scientific journals, were brought together in Physics from Fisher Information (1998) and its successor, Science from Fisher Information (2004).
It was clear from that work that the approach should not be limited to physics but the extent to which it has shown itself fruitful, charted in Frieden's latest book, is a revelation. This is not a monograph but a collection of essays, edited by Frieden and R.A. Gatenby, a life scientist, on a very wide range of topics, all of which are shown to benefit from the use of EPI. The book begins with an introduction by Frieden, in which the reader is told what Fisher information is and how to use it, employing the EPI approach. Eight chapters follow, contributed by the editors and 11 other authors, on financial economics (Frieden, R.J. Hawkins and and J.L. d'Anna); tissue growth and cancer (by the editors); statistical mechanics and `thermal physics' - not very different from what I was taught to call thermodynamics (A. and A.R. Plastino); astrobiology (by Frieden and B.H. Soffer), which is described as a unification of biology and astrophysics; encryption (R.C. Venkatesan); the management of sustainable environmental systems (A.L. Mayer, C.W. Pawlowski, B.D. Fath and H. Cabezas); ecology (by the editors); and to conclude, `Sociohistory: an information theory of social change' (M.I. Yolles and Frieden).
This makes for a very adventurous book, all of which makes fascinating reading though some chapters are more readable than others and occasionally, the authors seem unnecessarily on the defensive, as though they expect readers to have a red pencil at the ready. The list of chapters already gives a good idea of the diversity of the contents and even within individual chapters, the coverage is often surprising; thus Chapter 7 (Environmental systems) ends with a section on `Sociopolitical data', in which "state failure", the risk of a "catatastrophic collapse of a nation's governing body" is examined and illustrated with a histogram showing the stability of five countries, Sweden, France, Argentina, Sierra Leone and Haiti. The Fisher index based on eight criteria is very high (indicating great stability) for Sweden, low for Argentina, Sierra Leone and Haiti and only marginally better for France (in the years between 1961 and 1995)! The concluding chapter (Sociohistory) is the most difficult for readers from the exact sciences, unaccustomed to Kant's notion of the noumenon, the Hegelian doctrine of the dialectic and the autonomous holon, though the authors have tried hard to render the vocabulary of the sociologist palatable.
The very different nature of the topics examined makes it less easy to appreciate the remarkable role of EPI than in the earlier books, addressed to physicists in language with which they were familiar, however revolutionary the theory presented. I imagine that readers of this latest offering will peruse only the chapter that deals with their own particular interest. I therefore wish to emphasize that the truly original feature of this book - apart from EPI itself - is precisely its broad coverage; its demonstration that such a simple principle, easily grasped, is capable of yielding valuable results in such a wide range of fields of enquiry. I found Frieden's earlier books immensely original and intellectually thrilling and this one adds yet more weight to that opinion.
P.W. Hawkes
(M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D., Cambridge; emeritus Director of Research, CNRS)

In a simple-minded way Fisher information can be expressed in one dimension
as an integral of (P') squared over P where P is a suitable probability density.
For example P could be the square modulus of a quantum wave function.
Many action principles for physical systems in quantum mechanics or
relativity involve extremizing a Lagrangian which contains such Fisher information
(FI) terms. The book applies such ideas to a huge variety of physical, biological,
economic, ecological, social, game theoretical, and informational systems.
One uses FI in a unified approach to statistically based science called
EPI (extreme physical information). This leads to a program (EPA) of
exploratory data analysis whose inputs are real or Gedanken data and whose
outputs are the natural laws governing a system. The results often appear in the form of
differential equations. Here one thinks of the
universe as information-dominated and "participatory", of Harrison type,
allowing maximum
information gain at each observation and "favoring" the intelligent
observation of information.

One speaks of three levels of solution for EPI,
depending on the three levels of prior knowledge categorized by the
19th century philosopher C. Pierce. These are
(A) The highest level
or "abduction", giving exact (quantum) solutions; (B) The next highest level
or "deduction", giving accurate but inexact (non-quantum) solutions of
classical physics; and
(C) The lowest level or "induction" using merely empirical data giving approximate
but smooth solutions.
The exact type (A) solutions of EPI require a measurement space connected
via unitary transformations with some other space having a physical reality.
In this event one arrives via EPI at the correct dynamical equations for the
measurement space. There are two earlier books in these directions:
(1) Physics from Fisher information, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998 and
(2) Science from Fisher information, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004, both
by B.R. Frieden.

The present book is is a collaboration by H. Cabezas, J.L. D'Anna, B.D. Fath,
B.R. Frieden, R.A. Gatenby, R.J. Hawkins, A.L. Mayer, C. Pawlowski, A. Plastino,
A.R. Plastino, B.H. Soffer, R.C. Venkatesan, and M. Yolles. The topics include (1)
A tutorial on FI and background mathematics plus chapters on
(2) Financial economics from FI, (3) Growth characteristics of organisms,
(4) Information theory and thermal physics, (5) Parallel information phenomena
in biology and astrophysics, (6) Encryption of covert information through a
Fisher game, (7) Applications of FI to the management of sustainable
environmental systems, (8) FI in ecological systems, and (9) Sociohistory:
An information theory of social change.

There is much to reflect on here and strong evidence that this is indeed the
way to go. I personally have used and exploited the Fisher information theme
in numerous papers related to quantum mechanics and relativity, in particular
via relations of FI to the quantum potential. I would even say that this theme
seems to have "cosmic significance" and in the present arena of information
technology, processing, retrieval, and distortion the book should be considered as
must reading.

Robert Carroll, Emeritus Professor, University of Illinois

This book covers in an expert fashion one of the most severe congental anomalies in infant still compatible with life. While the editors brought colleagues from all over the world to collaborate on this book the strength resides in the chapters from the Hopkins group and their in dept experience with this defect. The chapters on ostoetomy by Dr. Paul D. Sponseller are state of the art reviews of this important adjunct to exstrophy surgery. The chapter of the management of the failed exstrophy was clearly the strongest in the book because of its depth, concise nature and technical guidance for the occasional exstrophy surgeon. All in all a superb text.

This is a very good reference book to have for anyone who has bladder exstrophy. A lot of technical illustrations designed for the advanced medical community, but if read slowly enough it can be digestable.....Dr. Gearhart did an excellant job!!!!

This is an excellent primer on behavior modification--that is, rewarding a child for his or her good choices and withholding privileges for lack of compliance with basic family requirements. It is, as the previous reviewer suggested, not just for families with "troubled" children.

The book was suggested to us many years ago, and although it is itself more than 30 years old, the lessons here are timeless. As our source noted when referring us to this text, it should be required reading for every parent, and prospective parent.

In addition to outlining behavior modification techniques, the book provides excellent suggestions as to how to otherwise "reinforce" the good behaviors and discourage the bad ones.

FAMILIES has been around a long time, but it is still the book I us most when working with troubled families. Based upon social learning theory FAMILIES presents a clear, consise explaination of how problem behaviors are created, and how they can be extinguished. Written in simple language, any literate parent can understand the simple but profound lessons contained in this book. During my 20 years as a social worker and educatior I have purchased numerous copies of this book and handed them out to parents who are struggling with their children. I use FAMILIES primarily to help parents who are having problems with their children, but I recommend it to all parents. In a kind way the book illustrates how troubled children are sometimes created by parental mistakes.

This book is actually the only biik that does Cubase SX 3 any justice, from start to finish, it gets to the point (No long talking, Jamaican term for short and to the point.

I recomend it to all user trying to learn Cubase it lessens the learning curve.

I find this a facinating book that helps to quickly knock down the learning curve of Cubase SX. To me it's easier to digest than the manual supplied with Cubase. I have Cubase 1.0 and Cubase Studio 4, it seems to be adequate for this and in between. From setting up your first audio or midi recording, to editing, to mastering, it seems to cover all aspects in a reasonable sized book. I can't think of much that could be done to improve it. I highly recommend this for anyone who has a desire to dive into computer based recording. It even give brand name mic and interface hardware recommendations. I sat down at a local national bookstore and combed over 3 different guides to Cubase and this one clearly excelled, prompting me to purchase it. This is one I never lend out!

Read through this book a couple of years ago; 6 pages left for the second time through it. This time I went through it in detail; with graphing paper, calculator, and a sharp pencil.

In the interests of providing some sort of reference, I am strictly a Radio Amateur. I have built numerous kits and projects from schematic. Just now getting up to the point of doing any design work (as a hobby).

Plenty of information regarding these Ferromagnetic devices on the internet and other books. But if you want a more complete understanding of thier operation and application you will find it here. Plenty of design progressions and circuits that should be of interest to the builder and experimenter.

I did not find this book to be an easy read - it is a design handbook. Any defieciencies are of course on my side of the equation. Works very well as a reference for cherry picking, if you are not up to working all the way through it. There are a few errors in the text and
design progressions, just a few; I have seen far worse.

I would not put this in the "If you do any building at all, you need this book", but if you like to have an in depth understanding of the devices you use, you might want to consider this one. Book does offer some good general design principles and handy rules of thumb.

Some of the components used are of "sentimental" value to some. They are still available and I still find use for them.

Interested in Radio and Analog RF Signal Processing, You might want to have this one around.

For anyone who is designing RF curcuits, this is an excellent reference. Doug covers all of the various types of core materials in common use, and has a good number of practical circuits and examples for each topic. His writing style is most readable, and you can take either a practical or a mathematical approach to each area.

Note this book has been reprinted in 1996, and is still available from MFJ Publishing, Starkville, MS 39759.

This book draws on the PhD course that Prof. Chacko teaches at Harvard Business School and the substantial real-world experience with derivatives of both authors to offer a solid package that is useful for both theory and practice. There are other books with clear and rigorous mathematics (e.g. Wilmott), variety of methodologies for pricing (e.g. Neftci) and guides to practical hedging (e.g. Taleb), but this one presents all three components and is therefore a must-have for any serious derivatives shop. Highly recommended.

One of the author, Baz, gave me a copy of this book when it came out and it went to sleep in my library as I was not in a finance mood. I forgot about it until this week as I was stuck on a problem related to risk-neutral pricing and the Girsanov theorem concerning changes in probability measure. I looked at every passage on the the subject until I hit on it. Then I realized that I should have read it before: it is a condensed, but extremely deep , and complete exposition of the subject of theoretical finance.
No financial book has the clarity of this text.
Other quant books do not have such notions as "pricing kernel" and economic theoretical matters. I would recommend it as a necessary piece of the "quant" toolkit. Every quant should have it as a background tool as the usual quant literature is standalone and devoid of these concepts.