Computer Science Books

Dr. Clark's book is an easy-to-read guide on how to design training according to the five types of content: procedures, factual information, concepts, processes and principles. She clearly defines each type and then explains to the reader how to design learning based on the "remember level" (memorization by learner) and the "apply level" (application by learner). Dr. Clark gives examples on how to assess each type of content and guides the reader through each chapter with a "visual" - a chart which she fills in as the reader progresses through the book.

One of the instructional designers at our college is leaving to head the implementation of an online program at another college. I bought her this book as a going-away gift because it is an essential tool for every one who designs learning. This resource should be in every college's, instructional designer's and instructor's library. It is well worth the price.

Dr. Clark's instructional methods in this book describe five different areas: facts, concepts, processes, procedures and principles of technical training. It summarizes and applies current research that illustrates instructional strategies allowing instructional designers to better grasp these training processes. I liked the way she applied these instructional methods in a clear-cut, uncomplicated way throughout the book.

I've been using Dr. Clark's method of instructional design since 1992 to develop training materials targeted at highly-skilled software engineers. Again and again, students have commented on the way these course materials are not only helpful during class, but also later as reference materials when they're trying to apply what they've learned.

Be warned: Developing these kinds of "information mapped" training materials requires more effort than simply throwing together some PowerPoint slides with a few bullet items. But trust me, your students will thank you.

This book provides all the instructional design details for the five content types. It describes the what and why of instructional design and describes how to display it on paper and a computer screen. There is a full chapter dedicated to CBT design. I am recommending this book as required reading for all our trainers.

I am second year student in Electrical Engineering. I used the book to prepare for my Digital Design exam last semester. Passed with almost 100% :)
Now I read the book for a second time, expecially the last chapters. I think this is a great book if you want to understand the basics of the Digital D&A.
You will find almost everything, from basic boolean algreba to CPLD and FPGA structure and functions. The explanations are very clear with a lot of graphics.

In conclusion: This is a TOP 1 Book for everyone who enters (and not only) the amazing world of Digital D&A. I can only recommend it.

Provides a superb one semester introduction course into the field of digital logic design. Enough material to provide a good reference for use in later practice.

number system, boolean algreba,karnaugh map , flip flop, system design,

Excellent book for entry level to digital design. Serves very well as reference guide for the basics on digital design. Lots of solved problems and problems to do. Some math that you can go into or skip.

i have over 10 books in DSP all are the most famous ones, but this book is really really special, in the way it explains the subject.
i do not normally write reviews but i feel obligated to praise this book and its authors, very well done.
it is just the talent of teaching which makes all the difference between books.
this book delivers very well, crystal clear and insightful.
thanks for the authors.
digital signal processing by Steven Smith is also a great book.
both books are for beginers who seeks true understanding.

This book is an excellent book to learn the basics of DSP. The book covers all the necessary content (sampling, aliening, FIR/IIR filters, Analog filters, continuous and discrete signals in systems, and more) required to understand the basics of DSP. The authors have included material on often not covered topics such as undersamping and practical uses that make this well rounded reading. The content is not "stuffy" (e.g. "clearly", "therefore", etc.) that is on light-hearted side of humorous. A good coverage of practical DSP implementation on microcontrollers is included (notably the Motorola 68HC16 16-bit microcontroller). All first time students of DSP and aspiring DSP professionals should have this book along with Rick Lyons, "Understanding Digital Signal Processing" in their library!

It's readable, enjoyable, humorous, solid. Along with "DSP First" and Ken Steiglitz' book, this is as good as it gets. And the "DSP Guru" cartoons - what a crackup, excellent. Never mind the "microcontroller" part of the title - this is a book for anyone, on any platform, needing a good, fun intro to DSP.

I've owned this book for 5 years now. With that perspective, I think it's greatest strength is its "readability"- not something you normally associate with DSP books! Deller and Grove do a terrific job of explaining BASIC dsp concepts from the ground-up while avoiding high-level math (for the most part).

I rank it above Steven Smith's DSP book since it has more clarity and detail. Richard Lyon's "Understanding DSP" has more mathematical details, but it's not as user-friendly as this book-so I'd recommend this book first for newbies to DSP and then, Lyon's book.

Oh yeah, the cartoons are great too!

This book is a great reference book for basic science information. We also use it as a science text book for the kids when they're kindergarten through about third grade. It is well organized, has great pictures, and is easy for the kids to understand. There are many times when I ask the kids to pick out a book to read. They'll pull this book off the shelf and pick a subject that they want to read about. It's a great book for all ages. The pictures help keep the little ones interested, the information on each page is easy to understand, and they give just enough information on each subject to answer the questions my kids have.

I love this book almost as much as the original E.Encyclopedia.
It's highly educational, in my opinon. Parents and Kids will love it. I could spend hours reading this, and you may too.

This is the second joint project after the reference book e.encyclopedia was published in October 2003. Both books feature websites enhanced by Google. Keywords in this book direct children to exclusive DK/Google websites where they connect to pre-selected relevant and authoritative websites.

The DK/Google e.encyclopedia science website is free and children can access information once they have this book. Once they get to the sites they can watch videos, listen to sounds through sound buttons, take virtual tours, read real-time reports, access databases and take interactive quizzes.

There are 8 core sections to explain and explore over 220 science topics.

Matter and Materials
Forces and Energy
Electricity and Magnetism
Space
Earth
Plants
Animals
Human Body

This has to be one of the most beautiful books DK has ever created. The colors are vibrant and the section on Space is bursting with spiral galaxies and pictures of space exploration. If you are interested in Volcanoes, you can turn to the Earth section. You can read about the eruption on Mount St. Helens and see pictures before and after volcanic eruptions.

In the Health Section, children can learn about exercise, hygiene and diet. I found the information on the futuristic nanorobots in the bloodstream fascinating.

Every section has a bold heading and interesting definition. Then, there are pages and pages of full-color pictures that can keep your attention for hours at a time. I wish we had owned a book like this when I was a child because it would have given me an information base to build on in future years. Although I must say, I think adults will find this equally fascinating. Children are always asking questions and now you can find all the answers, complete with pictures.

Fascinating Pictures:

Mangrove Roots growing upwards in coastal swamps
Tigers
Monarch Butterflies
Cross-section of a Tide Pool
High-Tech Imaging
Eye of the Storm - Hurricanes
Limestone Caves

This book also answers the following questions:

Why can an opera singer shatter glass with a single note?
How do sea organisms make their own light?
How can we reduce pollution by using Renewable Energy?
What is the lightest substance on earth and why can it float on air?

I can highly recommend this beyond amazing book to parents, teachers and librarians. E-encyclopedia is a learning resource that is not limited to just the book. While the book provides a solid grounding and interesting facts, it is actually a springboard to the Internet Universe.

~The Rebecca Review

I bought this Science Encyclopedia along with their basic Encyclopedia and I truly love it. My kids are always reading it whenever they get the chance. I have a 5 minute session after lunch before my class leaves to go to "specials." During that 5 minute teaching period I have been letting them pick out one subject area from one of the encyclopedias and then we review how to read nonfiction while looking over that subject briefly. I am amazed to see the sparks that start flying and how interested in all of the subjects the students have been. The pictures are wonderful and help students to connect with the information they are reading. I will buy more sets for my classroom because they are always in use!!!!

The topic of microarray image analysis has always been on the backburner. However, it is a very crucial step in the microarray experiment and image analysis is misunderstood by many colleagues. This book covers the basics of microarray image analysis, as well as some advanced topics. It is a really helpful reference. Good to include in class studies.

To my knowledge this is the first book to appear focusing on analysis of microarray images, though the topic is commonly addressed to some extent in general books on microarray technology. Because microarray technology evolves so quickly, books such as this one are almost of necessity put together in a hurry. Unfortunately, the hurry really shows in this case. In addition to the grammatical problems all too common in scientific texts, there are technical inconsistencies. For example, the term "signal to noise ratio" is defined at three places in the book, with three different definitions. First, we are told (chapter two, page 38) that the signal to noise ratio is defined as the ratio of mean signal to mean error. Later (chapter five, page 86), the signal to noise ratio is defined as signal (minus background), divided by the standard deviation of background. Finally (chapter six, page 101) tells us that the signal to noise ratio "can be estimated by computing the peak signal divided by the variation in the signal." Only that part of the discussion starting on page 86 is included in the index.

Chapter one provides an introduction to microarrays. Chapter two introduces image analysis with a focus on issues pertinent to micro array analysis, though it is not perfectly customized as background for the other chapters. For example, though Chapter two's appendixes include Fourier analysis, this is not really used explicitly further in the book. The next three chapters concern microarray scanning. They are each written by groups at different commercial firms, and they provide vendor oriented views. These chapters are redundant in the sense that they all cover the same topic, but taken as a whole, they provide some balance. It might be preferable to have an academic team write a single, more objective chapter, but it's understandable to take this approach in the interest of timeliness. Chapters six and seven are the ones that directly address image processing. Though Chapter seven is entitled "microarray data normalization", it really provides the most detailed information about image processing and analysis. Two short chapters cover a comparison of commercially available software and a brief overview of information workflow. The final chapter on bacterial artificial chromosomes is a general (and worthwhile) overview of that application, but it is not particularly focused on image analysis.

The book is concise (it took me about eight hours to read it cover to cover) and the price is right (under $30 at amazon.com). The editors and author are to be congratulated on producing a timely book, and I'm delighted that the publisher has made it so affordable. Keep up the good work.

DNA Array Image Analysis is the most comprehensive book that I have read, dealing with Microarray analysis topic. My background is in genomics, which is too far away from statistics. Nevertheless, this book gave me a very nice perspective on statistical approaches for microarrays. Recommend it to all, especially for those who are running microarray facilities.

DNA microarrays form an indispensable tool in molecular biology, allowing researchers to gain insight into the intricate mechanisms of gene expression. Microarray technology also aids the researcher in transforming and supplementing data available on genes and cells into useful information about gene expression, and ultimately, cellular biology.
cDNA arrays experiments use many gene-specific polynucleotides derived from the ends of RNA transcripts. These are arrayed on a single matrix and simultaneously probed with a fluorescently tagged cDNA representation of total RNA pools from test and reference cells. This allows one to determine the relative amount of transcript present in the pool by the type of fluorescent signal generated. Thus, the relative message abundance is based on a comparison of the test cell state to a reference cell state. Common to all array-based technologies is the need to analyze digital images of the scanned DNA array.
Shishir Shah is an Associate Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, and is the author of numerous publications on image analysis and data mining, while Gerda Kamberova is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Hofstra University, New York, where she teaches computer vision, computer graphics, and artificial intelligence. With this book, the authors address the fact that the topic of microarray image processing is usually neglected due to the availability of various software tools for image processing. The focus of microarray bioinformatics today is data analysis, but how can one be certain that the data obtained through image analysis of a microarray experiment through is of high quality? How can one perform data mining on data derived from different microarray technologies, where microarray images were analyzed with different image analysis softwares?
In Kamberova's introductory chapter, she describes the basics of image analysis for molecular biology researchers. Although some of the formulas in her chapter may seem intimidating to many biologists, they are necessary to fully understand the subject. However, the mathematical load in this book is concentrated in this chapter, and the text thereafter becomes very friendly, with more advanced discussions saved for an appendix.
Chapters on the design and performance of CCD and laser microarray scanners serve as a forum for three companies representing a good cross-section of the technology in the microarray arena. The book then moves on to spot finding and segmentation issues with tips for practical image analysis. Quality control of image analysis is discussed at the application level.
Elsewhere, Kamberova and Shah have invited a team from Fox Chase Cancer Center to discuss aspects of image background corrections and data normalization. Another interesting aspect of this publication is the inclusion of statistical comparison of data generated by various softwares. Finally, Shah's chapter on BAC arrays and image analysis is of particular interest because it is a new application gaining momentum in the microarray field.
This book emphasizes aspects of both theory and application and therefore, can be used for teaching as well as self-study. It will be a useful reference not only for computer and biology scientists, but also for anyone using or interested in microarray technology.

Although this book wasn't published yesterday it is worth buying used. Of particular interest is the chapter entitled "Waiting for the Messiah" which does a wonderful job of addressing the nature of consciousness.

Indeed this is the best book I've ever read. The ideas discussed in this book have never been better described or explained by any other author I have read. I keep this book with me very often and I am constantly going through it highlighting and writing in my own thoughts. It is written in a way that it does not bring a bias until all sides are presented well and in detail. If you are a philosophy buff like me and you haven't read this you either can't find it or can't read. buy it buy it buy it.

If I had to choose one word to describe this book it would undoubtedly be "elegant". Pagels writes about a subject that few of us consider for longer that a few seconds. And it is an important one in that it seems to counter everything most humans apparently seek - perfect order.

The subject is chaos, complexity and the realization that life cannot be compartmentalized, defined, divided into neat little sections - an idea to which we all adhere one way or another. The introduction of the computer has cast a new, enormous wrinkle into the mix. For the first time we can simulate reality (indeed, life itself down to the cellular structure) and make predictions of complex phenomena.

He also espouses something quite original in his dicussion of that ancient brain vs mind question. He believes that until the mind is understood on a PHYSICAL basis it is useless to make conjectures on mental or even philosophical bases. Other subjects - consciousness, linear approaches, and even a historical analysis of the meaning of science - perhaps one of the best discussion in the entire book. His remarks on the great Karl Popper and how his works revolutionized the approach to the science world is worth the price of the book alone.

The last chapter on historical scientific creativity is a gem that should be required reading for every high school senior.
Get this book now.

This is a nicely written book. I read it a while ago but this one makes you think and reconsider what you believed. The late, Pagels, (yes, he expired on a mountain climbing expedition), is actually a physicist and like some other physicists, gives a philosophical touch to the issues. Its alot of fun reading him coz he doesnt just blabber but has put his thoughts in a very neat manner. His 'cosmic code' is also a good one. Quoting something from this one (this is actually his friends' reflections) "there are some things in the universe that man was never meant to know".

I thought this was an excellent source of informaion. I used it for a class and earned an A. Very thorough and easy to understand. Lay terms are frequently used and I found I learned a lot and found it very valuable.

An excellent general overview, covering drug use and regulation, pharmacological basics, in-depth analyses of the legal drugs, tranquilizers and stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, and marijuana, and comments on "a rational look at drug use." Well-documented with an abundance of relevant quotes and statistics; a rich set of references follow each chapter.

I bought this book to study for a quiz-out test for my Psych major. I read through three chapters the first time I picked it up. I usually have to force myself to complete an assignment, but with this book I just kept reading with no pushing whatsoever! I highly recommend this book to anyone taking a class in this subject, whether or not it is the required text. It would be a great additional information source. It is helpful if you or someone you know may be going through any type of drug or alcohol treatment--from caffeine to heroin. I also enjoyed the online quizzes you are allowed to access once you have the book. It really enforces what you have learned.

This book is the source for unbiased information on the sociological, psychological, pathological effects of "drugs" - this compendium covers everything from caffeine to antipsychotics to alcohol to psychedelics and everything in between. A review of the history of each drug introduces each chapter. Careful attention is paid to not only the effects of the drugs themselves, but the effect which they have on our laws and the way in which treat addiction.

As a former student of Dr. Ray's I can attest to the thoroughness of this work. It is the one book that doesn't tell you what to think about drugs - it provides you with the data to be informed to make your own decision. In fact the DEA uses this book in training! If you are looking for a comprehensive resource for school, your own interest, or just to be informed to talk to your kids, look no further.

This is an excellent book for beginning and intermediate modelers. I found it to be engaging, practical, and easy to understand. Dynamic modeling has become an essential tool to facilitate understanding developments in our increasingly complex and interdependent world, to communicate ideas across disciplinary boundaries, and to help solve problems. This book is a great place to begin. It offers a hands-on introduction to dynamic modeling.

The authors start with an easy to understand, step-by-step description of the modeling process, key principles of modeling, and general methods of modeling. This is followed-up with and numerous examples from chemistry, genetics, ecology, economics, and engineering. But this is not just a book to read. The book comes with run-time versions of the easy to learn STELLA and Madonna software as well as copies of the various models developed in each of the 37 chapters.

The authors encourage readers to build the models themselves as they work through the chapters, and then explore the dynamics by experimenting with the models. This is an active, fun way to learn. It definitely helped me to expand my systems thinking capability. Although my substantive interest is organizations, I learned a great deal by analogy from working through models of problems from other disciplines. Basic systems principles apply across disciplines, and useful insights can be gleaned from recognizing similar dynamic structures underlying different systems.

I particularly liked the instruction by example that is used throughout this book. I learned so much from this book because the reading and modeling, modeling and reading formed a positive feedback loop. The reading provided direction and engaged me in the modeling, and the modeling clarified and reinforced the concepts in the reading. Drawing from my experience with this book, I think it is ideal for those who are just getting started in dynamic modeling or have been learning for several years but want to sharpen and expand their systems thinking and modeling skills.

The book is extremely well written and is so far the best attempt by any author(s)to achieve the right mix of theory and practice in the field of system dynamics. The organization of contents of the book is unique and it highlights the potential use of system dynamics principles for modeling a variety of hydro, ecological, environmental and engineered systems. The principles of system dynamics modeling and the complexities of physical systems are clearly explained by the authors and real-world examples from a number of disciplines are provided. Modelers can benefit from the actual code/examples from the simulation modeling environment, STELLA. The book includes a CD-ROM with all the examples/models discussed in the text to enhance the learning experience of modelers.

The book teaches the use of a modelling program called STELLA, that can be used to simulate the behaviour of dynamical systems. You can treat the text as an extended user's manual about the capabilities of STELLA. It appears to be an easy program to learn. Its user interface hides the gory details of coupled integro-differential equations that actually model the systems.

More generally, the theory of modelling a dynamical system is developed. With a deprecating of the maths. Showing how positive and negative feedback and randomness can or should be introduced. The idea is to introduce STELLA to a broad audience, who can then perform modelling. Where otherwise they might have been put off by the amount of maths to be understood or the amount of code to be written.

Then, several chapters go into important special cases. There is a chapter on chemical models for mass action. This chapter is a little terse. No mention of molecular dynamics, which has been a very active area of simulation for decades and is highly developed.

And a chapter on genetics, where evolution is discussed. Then a chapter on different types of models of ecologies. Including, naturally, the predator-prey models. And a perhaps very topical section on how epidemics might spread. This is important in trying to understand how to contain AIDS, SARS or a new influenza.

Economic modelling is also gone into. Simulating scarcity of resources and how firms might compete.

I have been involved in static data modeling as part of database design throughout my career, and because of that know very well that to really learn how to model, you have to do more than listen to lectures or read a text. This book, along with the accompanying STELLA modeling tool, is an excellent blend of concept and practice.

The book begins with a short tutorial of the STELLA tool, a run-time version of which is included. (STELLA is very easy to use, and although the math underlying it relies heavily on differential equations, the user can be completely removed from that and still model effectively.) The early chapters gradually develop an understanding of dynamic modeling by building on basic concepts. The following chapters work through models in various areas, such as genetics, economics, and ecology, and provide exposure to modeling in these disciplines, as well as introducing some very interesting aspects of models, such as chaos, randomness, and non-predictable results.

By way of introduction to modeling concepts, case studies are presented clearly and concisely. These are followed by an explanation of a basic model of the system being examined. There are always additional questions that lead to expansion of the ideas being presented, so that the reader can increase their understanding and have opportunities to practice the skills presented.

I used this book for a course in Dynamic Modeling, and found it to be great in presenting the basic concepts of dynamic modeling and in developing a heightened awareness that any system being studied is really a dynamic process. It took this understanding to the next step and showed how to model that process and how to run the model and watch the dynamics in action, while honing the skills of analyzing, refining, and looking for trends and unanticipated results. The book opened up a whole new way of viewing systems for me.

It's an excellent book about software science metric.

This book have great value in the field of metric of software science.The theory reffered in this book play an important role.

It's an excellent book about software science metric.

This book have great value in the field of metric of software science.The theory reffered in this book play an important role.

I used portions of this text during several embedded systems courses with Dr Peckol and it truly is an excellent resource and tool for an embedded engineer. It is a current, detailed, yet easily understandable look into all the aspects involved with embedded systems. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in this field or actively studying or working with embedded systems as you will no doubt benefit from Dr Peckol's insight.

I have used this text as reference to design and implement numerous embedded systems - from a simple numbers game to a wireless glove guitar.

The materials presented in this book walks you through the entire hardware/software thought process that is applicable to any engineering design. The book stresses the importance of developing a modular high-level design before any implementation - and to consider things such as use cases,extreme cases, scalability, performance, and safety. The book also goes over the importance of documentation - how to properly read and write design specifications/requirements, block diagrams, timing diagrams, etc.

In addition, the book covers the nitty-gritty details of digital implementation - from basic boolean algebra to complex kernel programming. The book also covers debugging/testing processes and common mistakes to avoid in embedded system development - backed with real-life examples. Finally, sample projects included in the book allow the reader to see and implement projects on their own.

The writing style makes the text an easy-read and the numerous diagrams and examples solidifies the concepts presented.

I highly recommend this book to any embedded systems engineer.

As a former student of Professor James Peckol and having read portions of this book in my spare time, I can assure any prospective students looking for a secondary reference that this is book to get!

This book provides the design processes and methodologies used in the real world (I am now in industry so I can attest to this) with some great examples. If you can take his class this is the next best thing...

This text book is insightful and extremely useful for faculty, graduate students and undergraduates alike in computer sciences. Up to date with much relevant information, presented in a detailed and articulate manner.