The Earth as Transformed by Human Action: Global and Regional Changes in the Biosphere over the Past 300 Years

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‘Collectively, this is a superb and comprehensive volume.’ Geology Magazine ‘ … a landmark study, which will undoubtedly be a valuable reference and source of information for many years to come.’ Geophysics ‘ … an impressive and highly laudable undertaking by geographers to ‘put it all together’, that is, to establish a theoretical framework for assessing the environmental changes wrought by modern societies in the past three centuries, and to document these changes in detail. As such, the tome will serve as an indispensable reference and resource on global change. It will be used by all scholars, teachers and students concerned with the increasingly pressing issue of the environment and its management - or mismanagement - by humans everywhere on our planet.’ Nature

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Polymer Latices, Second Edition is a comprehensive update of the previous edition, High Polymer Latices, taking into account the many developments since it was first published in 1966. It is the only publication to provide such an outstanding and extensive review of latex science and technology, from background theory and principles, to modern day applications. It will prove an invaluable reference source for all those working in the area of latex science and technology, such as colloid chemists, polymer scientists, and materials processors.

Polymer Latices : Science and technology Volume 1: Fundamental principles

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Polymer Latices : Science and technology Volume 1: Fundamental principles
D.C. Blackley
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUHBPK

Book Description

The first part of this book presents the essential topics for an introduction to deterministic optimal control theory. The second part introduces stochastic optimal control for Markov diffusion processes. It also inlcudes two other topics important for applications, namely, the solution to the stochastic linear regulator and the separation principle.

Customer Reviews:

Be advised . . . .......2006-03-17

Not recommended as an introduction -- lacks examples.

Optimal Control and Estimation (Dover Books on Advanced Mathematics)

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You can find stuff here you can find nowhere else.
Awesome grad level controls text.

Optimal Control and Estimation (Dover Books on Advanced Mathematics)
Robert F. Stengel
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486682005

Book Description

Graduate-level text provides introduction to optimal control theory for stochastic systems, emphasizing application of basic concepts to real problems.

Customer Reviews:

You can find stuff here you can find nowhere else........2003-09-11

This book has been less influential on me than some others but nontheless I use it to find information on material that is almost impossible to find elsewhere in any kind of reasonable time. A broad range of topics is covered, not just optimal control. This has been particularly useful in understanding some the actual designs I have been asked to analyze.

Awesome grad level controls text........2000-03-30

Very good treatment of Kalman filter

Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes (Classics of Soviet Mathematics)

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Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes (Classics of Soviet Mathematics)
L. S. Pontryagin
Manufacturer: CRC
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 2881240771

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The fourth and final volume in this comprehensive set presents the maximum principle as a wide ranging solution to nonclassical, variational problems. This one mathematical method can be applied in a variety of situations, including linear equations with variable coefficients, optimal processes with delay, and the jump condition. As with the three preceding volumes, all the material contained with the 42 sections of this volume is made easily accessible by way of numerous examples, both concrete and abstract in nature.

Dynamic Stochastic Optimization (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems)

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Dynamic Stochastic Optimization (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3540405062

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This volume considers optimal stochastic decision processes from the viewpoint of stochastic programming. It focuses on theoretical properties and on approximate or numerical solution techniques for time-dependent optimization problems with random parameters (multistage stochastic programs, optimal stochastic decision processes). Methods for finding approximate solutions of probabilistic and expected cost based deterministic substitute problems are presented. Besides theoretical and numerical considerations, the proceedings volume contains selected refereed papers on many practical applications to economics and engineering: risk, risk management, portfolio management, finance, insurance-matters and control of robots.

Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes

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Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes
L. S.; Boltyanskii, V. G.; Gamkrelidze, R. V.... Pontryagin
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VL9K4U

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Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes
L S Pontryagrin
Manufacturer: WILEY, JOHN @ & SONS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QA9QSQ

The Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes

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The Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes

Manufacturer: John Wiley and sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E2D6LE

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The Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes
et.al L.S. Pontryagin
Manufacturer: Interscience/John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K7D1YA

The mathematical theory of optimal processes (International series of monographs in pure and applied mathematics)

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The mathematical theory of optimal processes (International series of monographs in pure and applied mathematics)
L. S Pontri¸ a¸¡gin
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0007HRVE4

Optimal Control and Stochastic Estimation: Theory and Applications (Optimal Control & Stochastic Estimation)

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Optimal Control and Stochastic Estimation: Theory and Applications (Optimal Control & Stochastic Estimation)
Michael J. Grimble , and Michael A. Johnson
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471912654

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A Proclamation for the Suppressing of Pyrates

Edward Teach and the Outer Banks

Captures the Excitement of Blackbeard

Blackbeard, pirate and legend.

An Excellent Historically Accurate Book for Piratologists!!!

Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times
Robert Earl Lee
Manufacturer: John F. Blair Publisher
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Binding: Paperback

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Blackbeard & the Carolina Pirates

Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate

Blackbeard, Terror of the Seas

Blackbeard: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean

The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers

ASIN: 0895870320

Customer Reviews:

A Proclamation for the Suppressing of Pyrates.......2005-10-31

"Have you heard of Teach the Rover, / And his Knavery on the Main; / How of Gold he was a Lover, / How he lov'd all ill got Gain."

His name is that of the world's most disreputable pirates. His final years in and around North Carolina and Virginia bring a certain romantic twist to the colonial history of New England.

Robert E. Lee's purpose in writing this book was to quell the exaggerated lore behind the captain. He does so gallantly, without making references to incorrect legends (which could serve to confuse the reader). His research and references are excellent and explained in the preface.

Lee commences from the beginning, and the introduction to Blackbeard suggests it was sea faring fate for the boy. Lee admits information on the young Edward Teach is in short supply, but his reasoning behind the liminal inspirations make sense: Bristol, Teach's hometown, was a maritime village. Popular 17th century publications blazoned a world of extravagant adventure, filling landlubbers' heads with images of buccaneers brandishing firearms and blades; these were not unlike the effects of modern naval histories upon today's readers.

The exciting piratical escapades are not delayed for long. Within the first chapter, Lee will already dive into a 1717 attack by Blackbeard and his mentor, Hornigold. The plunder was enormous, and to this day it has yet to be recovered. These are the tales we all love to hear and read about that evoke a trembling thrill deep within us. There's still treasure to be had!

As Blackbeard matures and grows in the deviant (but sometimes necessary) career, Lee finds less and less records to recount. His explanation: Teach came from a well-to-do family and would not keep records of his travels/attacks/plunders lest his ancestry is traced and his family's name tarnished. One of the most exciting chapters is, naturally, the conquest for Blackbeard's body.

The reader must take care to note the subtitle of the book: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times. In truth, Blackbeard does not fill the pages of this book; rather, the 250 pages depend on a textbook-like account of Virginia's and the Carolina's histories that were briefly defiled or abetted by Blackbeard's presence. There is a lot of politics to sift through and, while it reads like a legal thriller at times, the reader should not be fooled by the book's self-description as an "exciting swashbuckler." That said, the way Blackbeard's crew (especially his quartermaster) is brought to justice, or pardoned, is as twisted as any fiction.

Pirates are a brotherhood that seem curiously strange and most intriguing to pretty much anyone alive. Why did they do what they did? Why did Blackbeard become Blackbeard? In his preface, Robert E. Lee doesn't try to explicate these outlaws. Rather, he asks the reader to not "judge the historical figures of a past age by the moral standards of the present." Instead, the reader will see just how these men were judged when in their own element.

One very cool thing is the inclusion of a lengthy poem, "The Downfall of Piracy" (excerpted above, from Appendix A), believed to have been written by a 12 year old Benjamin Franklin.

Edward Teach and the Outer Banks.......2005-04-02

Piracy in the 1600s was an accepted way of life; Queen Elizabeth allowed English pirates free rein against the Spanish, which added greatly to Spain's defeat. Edward Teach (Blackbeard) ruled over unruly seamen and struck terror in coastal towns in North Carolina (Bath, Edenton). He also had 14 wives! He was killed in Orakoke Inlet by Robert Maynard, who was sent by the governor of Virginia. It's an interesting story in our Colonial history, but Lee is not so compelling a writer. He relates the facts, but leaves out the human side.

Captures the Excitement of Blackbeard.......2003-12-03

This is a compact but entertaining book on the life of Blackbeard. Lee describes how being a pirate was not so notorious during Blackbeard's time when they were virtually raiders on commission. But Blackbeard seems to be the first that self promotes himself as a fearful pirate with a his unique for times long Blackbeard and during an attack of a ship he would curl lit fuses behind his ears to promote a frightful look of a bearded pirate with a frightening haze about his face. This is a man that once fired two pistols at the kneecaps of two fellow card players from under the table disabling one merely to ensure his reputation as a scoundrel. As Lee points out he was a rascal recognizing the value of his reputation which assisted him in closing off Charleston and holding it for ransom and he loaned his reputation to many ladies by making over 13 woman as his wife to provide them their own fearful reputation as Mrs. Blackbeard. Sad ending for the semi retired pirate and friend of the governor of N. C. who meets his demise when Governor Spotswood of Virginia organizes his death. Final interesting query, where is Balckbeard's head today after it one was hung on a pike in Hampton and allegedly used as a punch bowl in Williamsburg? Lee covers his life and notes he was an entrepreneur as well as a pirate. A great read while visiting Nags Head and the Outer Banks where he lurked in semi retirement.

Blackbeard, pirate and legend........2003-09-29

Over the years Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard, has become more legend than man. A process that I think would have pleased Teach very much for he was as much a showman as a pirate. That is a part of his character that is richly brought out in this book. Unfortunately, there is really little for Mr. Lee to work with since real hard evidence of Teach's activities is scarce. Pirates after all were criminals and weren't exactly known for keeping records of their thefts.

Lee I suppose did the best he could with the evidence he had to work with but this already short book would have been much better if it had been even shorter. The parts of the book that deal with Teach are excellent but there is far too much dead weight in this book. For example, some of the politics of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have to be dealt with to understand why the Governor of Virginia invaded North Carolina to capture or kill Blackbeard. The author however, included much more of the era's politics than was necessary. This led to parts of the book being almost mind numbingly dull and the parts of the book dealing with the genealogy of some of the colonial first families were as tedious to read as almost anything I have seen. Being a lawyer, the author has also sprinkled his text with Latin legal terms with no explanation of their meaning. If I were to ever learn Latin that would not bother me I suppose but as I speak no Latin this practice annoys me no end.

Overall, the reader will get a fairly good feeling for Blackbeard and his times. Be warned however, parts of this book will bore you to tears. Instead of the politics and genealogy, a good chapter on the treasure hunters who have sought Blackbeard's probably non-existent buried loot would have been nice.

An Excellent Historically Accurate Book for Piratologists!!!.......2003-08-07

I can't believe Dr. Lee's book is still in print. I bought it, a newly published book, from a small bookstore on St. Croix US Virgin Islands. It is dry for people who are looking for Errol Flynn swashbuckling or Pirates of the Caribbean's Curse of the Black Pearl. But Dr. Lee was Dean of the law school at Wake Forest University so was used to writing accurately after doing meticulous research. Over the years I have referred to this Blackbeard book many times, because I can vouch for its accuracy. Read The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, a fictional book about a young slave girl who witnesses the Blockade of Charleston Harbor (South Carolina) by Blackbeard and his 400 men in 1718. It is for anyone ten to a hundred and ten!

BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE, A REAPPRAISAL OF HIS LIFE AND TIMES

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BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE, A REAPPRAISAL OF HIS LIFE AND TIMES
Robert E. Lee
Manufacturer: John F. Blair, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JRJBWC

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Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times
Robert Earl Lee
Manufacturer: Winston Salem, NC: J. F. Blair, 1974
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EOAXO0

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Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times

Manufacturer: John F. Blair
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GUY12C

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Blackbeard the Pirate: a Reappraisal of His Life and Times
Robert E. Lee
Manufacturer: John F. Blair, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZ7P7I

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