MATLAB for Engineers Explained

Book Description

This beginner's introduction to MATLAB teaches a sufficient subset of the functionality and gives the reader practical experience on how to find more information. A forty-page appendix contains unique user-friendly summaries and tables of MATLAB functions enabling the reader to find appropriate functions, understand their syntax and get a good overview. The large number of exercises, tips, and solutions mean that the course can be followed with or without a computer. Recent development in MATLAB to advance programming is described using realistic examples in order to prepare students for larger programming projects.

Revolutionary step by step 'guided tour' eliminates the steep learning curve encountered in learning new programming languages. Each chapter corresponds to an actual engineering course, where examples in MATLAB illustrate the typical theory, providing a practical understanding of these courses. Complementary homepage contains exercises, a take-home examination, and an automatic marking that grades the solution. End of chapter exercises with selected solutions in an appendix. The development of MATLAB programming and the rapid increase in the use of MATLAB in engineering courses makes this a valuable self-study guide for both engineering students and practising engineers. Readers will find that this time-less material can be used throughout their education and into their career.

Customer Reviews:

Simply GREAT.......2006-01-05

I know this book from its earliest inception ("An introductory course in MATLAB", Gustafsson, 1997), and I have always loved it.
I would recommend this book to three types of people:
- Anyone new to MATLAB.
- Anyone who already knows MATLAB but who never had the opportunity to learn it the right way. I mean those who think they know MATLAB but still use for-loops.
- Anyone trying to teach MATLAB.
Furthermore, even experienced MATLAB users will have a lot of fun, specially with the exercises (with solutions!).
Another nice thing about this book is that it does not emphasize the gimmicks in the latest releases, but rather the philosophy behind MATLAB. 10 years from now, people may be using MATLAB release 34, still, this book will be useful.

Great concise hybrid introduction.......2004-05-01

This book has a rather unique style... it's broken into 27 mini-lectures split across three main 'topics': Learning MatLab, Advanced Programming, and Applications. Each mini-lecture constitutes a some 2-10 or so pages where they describe a particular problem and its solution on the left side of the page and list the Matlab code to solve that problem on the right hand side. They don't usually give much motivation for _why_ you might actually care about that particular problem, but if it's not reasonably self-evident (as in the case of the Learning/Advanced Matlab), most of the solutions are so compelling that it opens your eyes to ways to solves other problems that you might have never thought of before. Note that the authors assume that, for any given problem, you already have a grasp of the concepts involved. I.e., when they discuss eigenvalues and eigenvectors, the emphasis is on their use to solve a problem, but they assume you already know the definition of the 'pieces.' The applications are usually at the level of an advanced undergraduate or graduate level curriculum (i.e., they are not trivial).

What you get is a TREMENDOUS amount of information in 218 pages. It's not trying in any way to be a complete reference to Matlab, but instead is trying to get you just enough information about lots of very different aspects of programming and applications that you'll have no problem filling in the details for yourself. Hence, I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but if you've already played with some other math package (or Matlab itself) and have an idea as to the basics, you can become a much more proficient 'power user' with this book.

At the end of many mini-lectures, there are various 'exercises' for the ready to complete. Happily, the solutions are included in the back of the book! In the applications section, the exercises are not always particularly Mathlab related but instead are intended to get you to solidify your understanding of, say, SVD so that you don't just trust the tool blindly. As the exercises form a valuable type of feedback, it makes the book quite usable for self-instruction.

I don't think there's such a thing as a 'perfect' book that tries to address so many topics while keeping the page count reasonable, so while I can't give this particular attempt 5 stars, it's as good as any other I've seen and the price is quite reasonable for what you get.

Product Description

An historical novel about a valliant Florentine woman in the 15th century who marries a hedonistic Greek. She eventually falls under the influence of Savanarola, an Italian reformist. The plague, vengeance, an inquisition, bigamy, torture and execution are all a part of this great saga. Thirteen 90-minute cassettes and two 60's.

Download Description

There was a rising sob in Romola's voice as she said the last words, which touched the fatherly fibre in Bardo. He stretched his hand upward a little in search of her golden hair, and as she placed her head under his hand, he gently stroked it, leaning towards her as if his eyes discerned some glimmer there.

Customer Reviews:

A Neglected Gem.......2006-02-21

Funny how Eliot's least-loved novel today was the author's personal favorite and her best seller during her lifetime. How did it slide into relative obscurity? Partly because Eliot's acknowleged forte is her depiction of rural life in Victorian England, whereas this novel is set in a large Italian city (Florence) during the Renasaissance. Also, the novel does bog down a bit in its own scholarliness, as nearly every reviewer has mentioned. Still, the innumerable references to prominent Florentines can be glossed over without losing much. As for the urban setting, Eliot's Florence is every bit as vivid as Dickens' London, or Dostoevsky's St. Petersburg. And, of course, every page is filled with Eliot's trademark wisdom.
For anyone who cares about great books, all seven of Eliot's novels are absolutely mandatory. So, by all means start with "Adam Bede" or "Middlemarch", but don't neglect "Romola."
A word about the Konneman edition: I love the compact format (It fits easily into a briefcase or purse), the lovely cover art and the high-quality cloth binding. Be advised, however, that it is loaded with typos, some of them hilarious. It's still a good buy, however.

everything you expect from George Eliot.......2005-09-12

Romola was engrossing and, of course, very well-written. I'm even inspired to find out more about a historical period that's not really one of my favorites.

One of my best surprises as a reader........2004-05-22

When one starts reading a Victorian novelist, one prepares before hand to face a certain amount of wooden, heavy-handed moralizing, as every great narrative of the epoch is fraught with the opposition between the calls of pleasure and the calls of duty, between seeking for one's private advantage and sticking to one's role, with the writer making the latter to win overwhelming. This novel is no different, in that it's the dutiful Romola that has the upper hand over her nice and debauched husband Tito Melena in the end. However, the novel being set in late Renaissance Italy- a country with which George Eliot had an enduring love affair - it captures the atmosphere of the time and place in such a beautiful way that this enormous, throughly reserched historical novel has such a flowing, luxurious style that takes an almost liquid quality, like a fresh, transparent scream flowing along a summer Mediterranean landscape. Also, in the person of Savonarola, Eliot menaged to introduce the figure of the idealist turned evil through his attachment to his call. In short: a gorgeous novel. Loved it!

Gorgeous and underrated.......2002-06-29

Romola is constantly called Eliot's weakest novel, with even serious critics reluctant to praise it. However, it was seen in the 19th century as Eliot's masterpiece. Some of the blame for the novel going out of fashion must rest with F.R. Leavis who said that "few will want to read Romola a second time, and few can ever have got through it once without some groans." If Leavis, viewed as one of the great literary minds, thinks this, then more average readers like us are bound to be put off.

True, the start of Romola is bogged down in detail, but it is introduced by a wonderful, stirring and majestic 'Proem' which sees the Angel of the Dawn sweeping across the Earth and loftily states how humanity is the same now as it was when Romola is set. After this, the notes are best ignored - consult them separately, and concentrate on getting into the book. It is a stirring and sometimes hard read, and moves one with awe at what Eliot has created - you really feel you are experiencing Florence in the 15th century. There is one scene that stands out for me - the haunting and almost surreal episode where Romola drifts by boat to an apparent coastal haven. Images of peace and life are reversed disturbingly.

So ignore Leavis and the dissenters. If you've read another Eliot, you'll like it. If you haven't, maybe start with something else, but come back, for it's a rewarding read

Definitely worth her "best blood".......2002-02-10

Given the majority of Eliot readers begin with Middlemarch, I found myself in the unique position of not only beginning with Romola, but also on a subject that I find most interesting. That of Renaissance Italy. Beginning at the death of the great Lorenzo di Medici in '92 I read this great novel twice. Once quickly as any other Twenty-First century paperback; the second, slowly, with more respect for the intellectual scope within the pages.
After the first attempt I was mildly disappointed. I came away with no true sense of the whole that is fifteenth century Florence and a bewilderment at the inconsistent central characterisation of Tito Melema and his golden-haired wife, Romola. The supporting actors were brilliant, from Fra Girolama's fantatical Catholicism to Bratti's salesmanship. But I was left disappointed, believing in the superficality of Tito, the maddening naivety of Tessa, and the almost puritanical martyrdom of Romola.
So I re-read it. Slowly.
It is now extremely clear why this great work of english literature is, as Eliot herself puts it, a "book of mine which I more thoroughly feel that I swear by every sentence as having been written with my best blood".
Each scene is mesmerically depicted, the infintesimal attention to details and Eliot's total control of her subject matter shines through.
Renaissance Florence wasn't so well depicted by its contemporaries.
From Tito's waking at the Loggia de' Cerchi to his final fall at the Ponte Vecchio his character moves through a full range as you would expect from a man in his early twenties. His child-like mesmerism coupled with his Greek tutorage gives rise to a cherubic man whom Florence loves. His fatal flaw is his desire for love and a single terrible lie he gives that, like Murphy's Law, evolves into a a stigma that alters his very persona. What is all the more damaging is that you truly believe he is unaware of the pain he causes. He is truly egocentric, in an almost blameless way. For Romola, you cold argue the opposite. Indeed she is potentially more culpable. Her fierce intellectualism is offset by a descent into a world of religious supersition, a world where religion is used as a political tool. Throughout she has the knowledge of where her actions will take her and a terrible sense of duty and restrains her. From the beginning, with the story we hear so often of Tito's escape from drowning, to his final near drowning at the hands of the mob, to his strangulation by his father there is a certain bitter justice until all that he leaves is his proud and world-scarred wife Romola and the innocence that he preserved with Tessa. Tito's move from innocent 'hero' to startled villain is an excerise in human failings. Yet it is not a sufficient single human tragedy, as Eliot says, "Florence was busy with greater affairs, and the preparation of a deeper tragedy".
In many respects `Romola' is Eliot's King Lear. The parallels are many, including Baldessare's depiction. There is no Edgar, nor Edmund but the Fool is here in many guises. In taking one of Shakespeare's finest themes, Eliot has given true life to fifteenth century Florence and it is, perhaps, best encapsulated by Romola's final statement to Tessa's son, Lillo:
"There was a man to whom I was very near... who made almost everyone fond of him, for he ws young, and clever, and beautiful...I believe, when I first knew him, he never thought of anything cruel or base. But because he tried to slip away from everything that was unpleasant, and cared for nothing else so much as his own safety, he came at last to commit some of the basest deeds - such as make men infamous."
So, Eliot's `Romola'. Read it, delight in it because it truly is, as the author can rightly claim, one of the finest works in english literature.

Average customer rating:

A Short History of the Sailing Ship
Romola Anderson , and R. C. Anderson
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0486429881

Book Description

This amply illustrated, nontechnical book traces the evolution of the sailing ship over the course of 6,000 years — from those of ancient Egypt and Crete (4000-1000 B.C.) to the full-rigged clipper ships of the 19th century. The development of northern and southern European vessels is also described. 20 halftones and 134 figures.

Romola Volume I of III[EasyRead Large Edition]

Average customer rating:

Romola Volume I of III[EasyRead Large Edition]
George Eliot
Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

“Romola” is an intense, gripping historical novel set in 15th-century Italy. Penned by George Eliot, it deals with a broad spectrum of emotions and issues including love, betrayal, parenthood, revenge, greed, spirituality, and deception. Remarkably modern in her approach, Eliot has treated various facets of the human psyche with great discernment and sensitivity. A true classic!

Average customer rating:

ROMOLA
George and (Intro By) Rudolf Dircks Eliot
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BGT0U4

Average customer rating:

the insane can be highly perceptive...
Beautiful and Prophetic
excellent presentation of difficult material
fasinating dancers life
icono

The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky

Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0520009452

Amazon.com

Vaslav Nijinsky spent the final six weeks before his permanent consignment to an insane asylum as something a madman in the attic. With his family--wife, young daughters and occasionally, mother-in-law--and household staff downstairs, the legendary dancer retreated to his room in a remote Swiss villa to tangle with his burgeoning psychosis. Fearful that his wife would (as she ultimately did) commit him, and highly suspicious of the physician-cum-amateur psychiatrist who daily came by to examine him, Nijinsky perceived the diary as the only safe haven for the rambling thoughts that were overtaking him. Throughout, the anxiety and anguish are palpable, as Nijinsky writes about his disillusionment with his mentor and lover, Ballets Russes director Serge Diaghilev; his alienation from and distrust of his closest family members; and his fear of insanity and its consequential confinement. His writing becomes more obscure as the weeks progress and he examines his relationship to God, writing "I am God" at one point, and later: "God said to me, 'Go home and tell your wife that you are mad.'" As his schizophrenia evolves, the pace and style of Nijinsky's prose changes radically--toward the end he writes in abstract verse--but he remains, with a dancer's sensibility, attuned to the cadences of his environment. The noises of the household, the ringing of the phone, footsteps down the hall, smatterings of conversations overheard are all registered as a sort of accompaniment to his dance with madness and function perhaps as a final tether to reality.

Nijinsky's wife stumbled upon the diary in a locked trunk some years after her husband disappeared into the abyss of madness and soon released it for publication to feed public interest in her famous mate--but not before she sanitized the manuscript to such a degree (removing references to his homosexuality, overblown ego, bizarre paranoia, and various obsessions with bodily functions and sex acts) that its essence was obscured. Now 80 years after it was written, 20 years after its renegade editor died, and six years after the copyright that Nijinsky's daughters held expired, the unexpurgated version of the diaries faithfully restores the fascinating record of a great artist's struggle for his life.

Book Description

Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950), the "God of Dance," was on the verge of a mental breakdown when he wrote this diary as an outlet for his views on religion, art, love, and life. The diary provides unique insight into the inner life of a highly gifted but mentally disturbed creative genius.

Customer Reviews:

the insane can be highly perceptive..........2004-09-07

To understand this book, you must have a good background in psychology in order to be able to spot the philosophical insights made by this otherwise, very ill man. The duality between 'feeling' and 'thinking' as well as the perceptive remarks made about the nuances of various people in Nijinsky's life are highly intelligent.

At most times the book is full of amusing schizophrenic rants that make the diary an awesome source for learning about the everyday inner life of paranoid schizophrenics - of whom Nijinsky is a perfect example.

Beautiful and Prophetic.......2003-11-16

1. "God said to me, 'Go home and tell your wife that you are mad'."

Even if we are not ready to accept this assertion as a proof of Nijinsky's genius (i.e. him edging on God-Consciousness on his way to full enlightenment), we should at least be able to recognise that the author obviously did not view himself as insane, but, in his own eyes, consciously pretended to be such as the only means at hand to escape the harsh chilliness and cruelty of an insensitive world, handing over all responsibilities of the non-esoteric sides of life to those who feel they know such things better.

2. Neither the conclusion should be that the great Master of Choreography ended his life in a miserable demise, unworthy of a great genius and a potential role-model for generations to come.

On the last pages, as if to conclude the diary, Nijinsky speaks of a wonderful vision of his three years old daughter as she smiles at him: "I see what she is trying to tell me: it is not all about sadness and miserliness - there's also joy in life". Thus reminding of Tolstoy's famous formula "if you want to be joyful and happy, then just be that!".

The author's life has clearly been that of struggle and constant contemplations over the world's stubbornness in its reiterated refusal to accept the artist's message of love, despite its pure simplicity. And yet now on the verge of the sunset of life it all suddenly seems to have been nothing but a temporary, though little longer than usual, unpleasant dream, the remaining fogs of which are dispersed through a simple rearrangement of attention leading one to a life in a closer company with one's God. A life the fuller utilisation of the pleasures of which are not bound by the limits of life and death.

3. As for Nijinsky's main message, as it is contained in the diary itself, I think it is found in the place where the artist speaks of his discovery of the true nature of the phenomena of art criticism: the self-appointed critics of art are nothing but egotists who have never created anything themselves. They pinpoint and nit-pick on any flaws and draw conclusions where such cannot be drawn, causing the hearts of the sincere artists to bleed.

It implies that it is more than fair to observe that when it comes to art in general no judgements can be made whatsoever. An inspiration behind any artistic expression always comes from beyond oneself, out of a sincere desire to convey something to others. The only thing that is really alright to criticise is if the artist's motive is in question, that is if the original purpose is purely commercial and, thus, a con in its essence. Similarly judging is not the same as describing, just as to describe is not the same as to judge.

Interestingly, few other books and films have received as much subtle thrashing (along with appraisals) as Nijinsky's diary and Paul Cox' recent poetic documentary based on it. The point is that a truly worthless piece of literature, or other, never does. There simply seems to be something very provocative about innocence and tenderness to self-important people. And maybe the book CANNOT be appreciated fully by readers with a "lesser purity of heart" and large egos.

4. Other highlights of the wisdom in Nijinsky's diary (quoting freely from memory) are these: "I told my wife we had married for the wrong reasons and that we should re-marry, but this time in the spirit"; and: "People go to church and then drink wine because they have heard it said that it is the blood of Christ. How to explain to a fool that Christ's blood would make one sober rather than drunk?".

excellent presentation of difficult material.......2003-08-30

Nijinsky's unexpurgated diary is an important document both for dance history and for psychiatry. This edition has an excellent, insightful introduction and very thorough translator's notes. I found out fascinating details, such as the fact that Nijinsky began the diary the day he gave a deranged performance at a hotel, and probably meant it as proof that he was not as crazy as he seemed. (Sadly, it proved exactly the opposite.) A beautiful job has been done in presenting and contexting this difficult material. Anyone with an interest in dance and/or mental illness should read it.

fasinating dancers life.......2003-02-26

this book is highly through in it's full translation of Nijinsky's diary, but best part of this book are the inclusion of the never before published "fourth book" which included poems and letters written by Nijinsky as well as an introduction which helps to clarify not only the historical background but also delves into the mental state Nijinsky was in as he wrote his diary.

icono.......2002-08-03

Nijinsky, hombre posesionado por el genio, hace algun tiempo visiti en el museo de orsay, en Paris, la exposicion sobre él, de lo mejor al igual que su apasionada vida

Diagnosis and Management of Dementia: A Manual for Memory Disorders Teams

Average customer rating:

very interesting for me

Diagnosis and Management of Dementia: A Manual for Memory Disorders Teams

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Clinical Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Mental Illness | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Geriatrics | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0192628224

Book Description

Organised services for those with memory disorders are growing. This growth is stimulated by an increase in the number of people with memory problems and by an increased appreciation of the complexity of the needs of such patients. Further growth is likely, especially now that we appear to have crossed the threshold of effective treatment for many patients with dementia. With these advances has come the recognition of the necessity for an interdisciplinary approach to management. Diagnosis and Management of Dementia: A Manual for Memory Disorders Teams is an edited volume covering all aspects of the operation of a memory disorders team. It is aimed at all those working in the dementia or memory disorders team, whether in a clinic or a community setting. The book is divided into three sections. Section one takes the reader through the practical details of setting up and organising a clinic, from timetabling, through managing information, to the assessments needed and the opportunities such a service provides. Section two deals with the diagnostic process; and section three addresses management issues, from carer support, pharmacological and physiological interventions, through managing common problems, to the role of the primary care physician. An Appendix contains the results of a survey to the memory disorder services. This survey provides the reader with examples of other services and demonstrates the wide variation in how these services operate. The Manual is unique in that it combines up to date thinking on diagnosis and management with practical and helpful ideas on how to run a dementia or memory disorders service.

Customer Reviews:

very interesting for me.......1998-09-19

i am clinical and forensic psychiatry.This book is practical manual for my clinical diagnosis and legal witness.

Average customer rating:

The awakening of Romola: A love story
Anne O'Hagan
Manufacturer: Chelsea House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008CITG2

The Best Known Novels of George Eliot : "Adam Bede", "The Mill on the Floss" , "Silas Marner", "Romola"

Average customer rating:

The Best Known Novels of George Eliot : "Adam Bede", "The Mill on the Floss" , "Silas Marner", "Romola"
George Eliot
Manufacturer: The Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Character and Ethical Development in Three Novels of George Eliot: Middlemarch, Romola, Daniel Deronda (Studies in British Literature)

Average customer rating:

Character and Ethical Development in Three Novels of George Eliot: Middlemarch, Romola, Daniel Deronda (Studies in British Literature)
Heather V. Armstrong
Manufacturer: Edwin Mellen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books