Generative social science Epstein, Joshua M; Epstein, Joshua M
2011., 20120102, 2012, 2007, 2007-01-01, 20060101, Volume:
21
eBook
Agent-based computational modeling is changing the face of social science. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet ...a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one "grows" the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as mathematical or software objects. After elaborating this notion of generative explanation in a pair of overarching foundational chapters, Epstein illustrates it with examples chosen from such far-flung fields as archaeology, civil conflict, the evolution of norms, epidemiology, retirement economics, spatial games, and organizational adaptation. In elegant chapter preludes, he explains how these widely diverse modeling studies support his sweeping case for generative explanation.
Ab initio molecular dynamics revolutionized the field of realistic computer simulation of complex molecular systems and processes, including chemical reactions, by unifying molecular dynamics and ...electronic structure theory. This book provides the first coherent presentation of this rapidly growing field, covering a vast range of methods and their applications, from basic theory to advanced methods. This fascinating text for graduate students and researchers contains systematic derivations of various ab initio molecular dynamics techniques to enable readers to understand and assess the merits and drawbacks of commonly used methods. It also discusses the special features of the widely used Car–Parrinello approach, correcting various misconceptions currently found in research literature. The book contains pseudo-code and program layout for typical plane wave electronic structure codes, allowing newcomers to the field to understand commonly used program packages and enabling developers to improve and add new features in their code.
Beginning with the development of finite difference equations, and leading to the complete FDTD algorithm, this is a coherent introduction to the FDTD method (the method of choice for modeling ...Maxwell's equations). It provides students and professional engineers with everything they need to know to begin writing FDTD simulations from scratch and to develop a thorough understanding of the inner workings of commercial FDTD software. Stability, numerical dispersion, sources and boundary conditions are all discussed in detail, as are dispersive and anisotropic materials. A comparative introduction of the finite volume and finite element methods is also provided. All concepts are introduced from first principles, so no prior modeling experience is required, and they are made easier to understand through numerous illustrative examples and the inclusion of both intuitive explanations and mathematical derivations.
Physically Based Rendering, Second Edition, describes both the mathematical theory behind a modern photorealistic rendering system as well as its practical implementation. A method known as literate ...programming combines human-readable documentation and source code into a single reference that is specifically designed to aid comprehension. The result is a stunning achievement in graphics education. Through the ideas and software in this book, you will learn to design and employ a full-featured rendering system for creating stunning imagery. This new edition greatly refines its best-selling predecessor by streamlining all obsolete code as well as adding sections on parallel rendering and system design; animating transformations; multispectral rendering; realistic lens systems; blue noise and adaptive sampling patterns and reconstruction; measured BRDFs; and instant global illumination, as well as subsurface and multiple-scattering integrators. These updates reflect the current state-of-the-art technology, and along with the lucid pairing of text and code, ensure the book's leading position as a reference text for those working with images, whether it is for film, video, photography, digital design, visualization, or gaming. * The book that won its authors a 2014 Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences * New sections on subsurface scattering, Metropolis light transport, precomputed light transport, multispectral rendering, and much more * Includes a companion site complete with source code for the rendering system described in the book, with support for Windows, OS X, and Linux: visit www.pbrt.org * Code and text are tightly woven together through a unique indexing feature that lists each function, variable, and method on the page that they are first described
Visualization Handbook Hansen, Charles D; Johnson, Chris R., Jr; Johnson, Chris R
2005, 2004, 2004-12-15T00:00:00, 2011-08-30
eBook
This Handbook provides an overview of the field of visualization by presenting the basic concepts, providing a snapshot of current visualization software systems, and examining research topics that ...are advancing the field. This text is intended for a broad audience, including not only the visualization expert seeking advanced methods to solve a particular problem, but also the novice looking for general background information on visualization topics. The largest collection of state-of-the-art visualization research yet gathered in a single volume, this book includes articles by a who’s who of international scientific visualization researchers covering every aspect of the discipline, including:Virtual environments for visualizationBasic visualization algorithmsLarge-scale data visualizationScalar data isosurface methodsVisualization software and frameworksScalar data volume renderingPerceptual issues in visualizationVarious application topics, including information visualization.This covers a wide range of topics, in 47 chapters, representing the state-of-the-art of scientific visualization.
The Stanford Geostatistical Modeling Software (SGeMS) is an open-source computer package for solving problems involving spatially related variables. It provides geostatistics practitioners with a ...user-friendly interface, an interactive 3-D visualization, and a wide selection of algorithms. This practical book provides a step-by-step guide to using SGeMS algorithms. It explains the underlying theory, demonstrates their implementation, discusses their potential limitations, and helps the user make an informed decision about the choice of one algorithm over another. Users can complete complex tasks using the embedded scripting language, and new algorithms can be developed and integrated through the SGeMS plug-in mechanism. SGeMS was the first software to provide algorithms for multiple-point statistics, and the book presents a discussion of the corresponding theory and applications. Incorporating the full SGeMS software (now available from www.cambridge.org/9781107403246), this book is a useful user-guide for Earth Science graduates and researchers, as well as practitioners of environmental mining and petroleum engineering.
Pollination and Floral Ecology is the most comprehensive single-volume reference to all aspects of pollination biology--and the first fully up-to-date resource of its kind to appear in decades. This ...beautifully illustrated book describes how flowers use colors, shapes, and scents to advertise themselves; how they offer pollen and nectar as rewards; and how they share complex interactions with beetles, birds, bats, bees, and other creatures. The ecology of these interactions is covered in depth, including the timing and patterning of flowering, competition among flowering plants to attract certain visitors and deter others, and the many ways plants and animals can cheat each other.
