Reliability and Safety Analyses under Fuzziness (Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing)

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date account on recent applications of fuzzy sets and possibility theory in reliability and safety analysis. Various aspects of system's reliability, quality control, reliability and safety of man-machine systems fault analysis, risk assessment and analysis, structural, seismic, safety, etc. are discussed. The book provides new tools for handling non-probabilistic aspects of uncertainty in these problems. It is the first in this field in the world literature.

Book Description

Now in its Fourth Edition, this transcultural nursing text conveys the importance of diverse cultural knowledge for the evaluation of patient outcomes, understanding persons in clinical settings and appropriate responses to clinical situations during the nurse/client interaction. Detailed theory is discussed and each chapter contains awareness exercises to ensure comprehension of the nursing role as trusted health care providers. Coverage includes cultural variation in lifestyle, communication and beliefs. New to this edition is a two-color design; revised content on assessment and applications of concepts; a new chapter on culturally appropriate interventions; and, more case studies, research studies and clinical vignettes.

Customer Reviews:

great service.......2007-03-08

i ordered my book and got it on the day that they said it would be here. It was cheaper then in the book store and in great shape

Hmong American Concepts of Health (Asian Americans Reconceptualizing Culture, History, Politics)

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Hmong American Concepts of Health (Asian Americans Reconceptualizing Culture, History, Politics)
Dia Cha
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0415944953

Book Description

The purpose of this volume is to provide a comprehensive overview of the concepts of health, healing, and illness held by Hmong Americans, and to examine their experience with conventional medicine and medical services delivery systems as those systems exist in the West. The primary motive for conducting the research which comprises a substantial portion of the book was to analyze the extent to which Hmong American's experiences, as they attempt to seek healthcare for their families in the United States, are conditioned by enormous cultural clashes. By and large, the Hmong do not understand the complexity of the American health care system, while at the same time, mainstream healthcare providers know very little about the Hmong and their cultural background. This book will not only brigde that gap, but it will also provide some insight into the complexity of Hmong concepts of health healing, and illness and the Hmong experience with conventional medicine.

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Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care
Joyceen S.; Andrews, Margaret M. Boyle
Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J4U692

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Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care.
Margaret M. and Joyceen S. Boyle (Eds.). Andrews
Manufacturer: J. B. Lippincott Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NI4SV6

Book Description

Time is considered as an independent entity which cannot be reduced to the concept of matter, space or field. The point of discussion is the "time flow" conception of N A Kozyrev (1908-1983), an outstanding Russian astronomer and natural scientist. In addition to a review of the experimental studies of "the active properties of time", by both Kozyrev and modern scientists, the reader will find different interpretations of Kozyrev's views and some developments of his ideas in the fields of geophysics, astrophysics, general relativity and theoretical mechanics.

Book Description

Science and the spiritual quest come together in this work to produce a reliable and engaging introduction to the chief questions raised at the nexus of science and religion. Sharpe, a leader in the field, ably and engagingly seeks the reality of God in the world, even as he eschews traditional theological terms and authorities. Well-versed in the latest developments in physics and cosmology, biology and neuroscience, Sharpe provides fascinating accounts of how contemporary knowledge expands our notions of reality, and he queries the new scientific gurus for the substance and religious pertinence of their visions. Sharpe shows how they bear on questions of the origins of the universe, how divine action might be understood, immanence and transcendence, human freedom, morality, the presence of evil, and the mystery at the heart of the universe. This text can be viewed as a mini-course in philosophy of religion as affected by contemporary science.

Book Description

Before his 1959 breakthrough, Naked Lunch, an unknown William S. Burroughs wrote Junk, his first book, a candid, eyewitness account of times and places that are now long gone. This book brings them vividly to life again; it is an unvarnished field report from the American postwar underground. For this definitive 50th-anniversary edition, eminent Burroughs scholar Oliver Harris has painstakingly re-created the author's original text, word by word, from archival typescripts. Here for the first time are Burroughs's own unpublished Introduction and an entire omitted chapter, along with many "lost" passages and auxiliary texts by Allen Ginsberg and others. Harris's comprehensive Introduction reveals the composition history of Junk's text and places its contents against a lively historical background.

Customer Reviews:

Wildly Original - An Impressive First Novel.......2007-07-23

If you're looking for something different, check out this impressive first novel. Although not a long novel (about 120 pp.), it's wildly original, highly descriptive writing begs a second reading.

_Junky_ is surprisingly well-structured. Believe it or not, there is a plot!

Characters drop in and out of the story, so that the novel itself feels like some sort of crash pad. Everyone is fair game for Burrough's observations; many are described in a surreal, hilarious way. I like the way Burroughs varies sentence and paragraph length, giving an improvisational feel to the book, as if it's a be-bop record or a Jackson Pollock drip painting. (And maybe that's the intent?)

Again, nothing escapes Burrough's critical eye. Although he is homosexual and a junkie, he shows contempt for some of the trappings and adherents of these 1950s subcultures.

Some of my favorite lines include:

- "Waves of hostility and suspicion flowed from his large brown eyes like some sort of television broadcast."

- "'You're both mother (expletive deleted)ers.' She was half-asleep. Her voice was matter-of-fact as if referring to actual incest."

- "A young man lurched in with some object under his arm." (Burrough's word choice is hilarious - "lurched"!)

- "The place looked like a Chop Suey joint. ... The walls were painted black and there was a Chinese character in red lacquer on one wall.

'We don't know what it means,' she said.

'Shirts thirty-one cents,' I suggested."

Perhaps Burrough's self-observation and sense of humor likely contributed to his longevity. It's hard to believe he lived to age 84!

_Naked Lunch_ is next on my list.

Exciting and Excellent early Burroughs.......2006-12-22

This is one of my favorite works by William S. Burroughs; I have read it twice and probably will again. The hardboiled, Celine-influenced writing style suits the subject matter perfectly. There are some shocking episodes here, and no punches are pulled. Unlike much of WSB's later work, this one has an easy-to-follow narrative, and therefore might be a misleading introduction to Burroughs. If you enjoyed "Naked Lunch" though, take a step back and read this; you'll really enjoy it. This edition gives the complete novel, sans any censorship which marred the early (pre-1976) printings.

The truth is revealed, and it's a scary truth........2006-09-30

Burroughs continues to impress me. I only recently got into his work through The Cat Inside, then with Queer, and now with Junky. I'm a bit ashamed to say that while I loved the first two I just mentioned, Junky didn't grow on me as fast. I actually had to force myself to read it several times, and didn't find myself eager to see how things ended like I did with Queer. Don't get me wrong though, as I'm in no way saying this is a bad book. That's obvious by the rating I'm giving it. I don't know what it was, but the book didn't click with me until about 2/3 in. Maybe it's my lack of experience with drugs, maybe it's knowing what happened to the now former friends of mine who chose that lifestyle, but there's something "dark" for lack of better term about this book. Burroughs' experiences with drugs, or junk as he calls it, is quite a depressing tale to read, covering his very first experience with it, to his last days on junk, knowing it won't get him anywhere. Though the facts and events are true, some things are changed around, mostly to protect identities and such. Burroughs doesn't tell you to do drugs here, but he also doesn't tell you not to. If anything, his detailed experiences with many types of drugs should serve as an educated warning to those interested and those who want to know the truth and not mere myths.

It's hard to give a plot summary for Junky, as it's just Burroughs' life as a drug addict chronicled from his first use to his overcoming of it. When we first are introduced to him here, he's an average young man, and tries junk out of interest, figuring it won't hurt. He continues to use it, if only to pass time and be social with a friend who's been using it, and soon becomes addicted. Don't let that fool you though, as Burroughs explains many times that using junk for the first time does NOT get you addicted right then and there. He explains that you need to take doses every day for at least 2 months before you develop a habit. First it's morphine, but as new drugs are exposed to him, the more interest he gains. Burroughs also begins to get in the junk pushing business, and shows how dangerous that can be as well. Getting customers who expect freebies on credit just because they've paid for one cap, customers who track him down somehow without ever asking him personally where he lived, and others who could possibly have him killed if they found out he was dealing in their areas. Covering his time in New York to other states to the finale in Mexico, this is a very interesting read, though also a depressing one as well. While we all know that Burroughs lives on, since this was his first of many books, you can't help but feel that he's going to die sometime in Junky. And in fact, he almost does several times. Had it not been for side junk to even out the dose, or some helpful people nearby, we could probably forget about this book, or any of his other masterpieces being made.

The first thing I noticed while reading Junky was how similar the time back then was to the present. The laws against drugs then are almost identical to those now, and it's clear that we've made very little progress in getting a hold of the junkie underground (for lack of better term). There still aren't many cures for getting habits taken care of either. Burroughs explains how each drug affects him in the most detailed manner possible. The immediate feelings he gets from taking a shot, the feelings several minutes after, the kick wearing off, and others. For the most part, the feelings of taking junk doesn't sound half bad. Upped sense of touch sounds very freaky, especially when he mentions that he quit taking baths because the feeling of water all around the body was so unpleasant. That explains a lot about some of my friends from back in the day and their hygiene. What's worse though, is how he describes The Cure, as he calls it, when one tries to break themselves of a habit. You get sick for over a week, and almost feel like you're dying. Burroughs explains that, as he sees it, your cells change immediately with your first habit, and everything changes from there. Your body needs junk, and going cold turkey completely screws you over more than you can possibly imagine. In fact, he can't even get off of junk for more than a few months, because his body is that dependent. After he gets arrested at one point, a psychologist asks him several questions about why he's on it, and his first answer mentions that he needs it to live, to wake up every morning. Sadly, we also learn that the life of a junkie is mostly spent waiting. Waiting for the next package of it to come in, waiting for the kick to wear off so you can use more, and repeating the process. I can't imagine being dependent on anything, especially one that consumes so much money over time. It's a wonder he got off of it after being a user for so long.

If there's anything negative I have to say about Junky, it's that the way it's written threw me off a bit. For half of the book, Burroughs is traveling around with always-changing buddies in order to make more profit pushing junk. Suddenly, halfway through the book when he's arrested, the police ask him about his home, and Burroughs replies that only his wife lives there aside from him. Up until that point, there was no mention of his wife at all. Whenever he and his friends would go home, it was always just them, no mention of another woman ever. I actually scanned through the first half of the book after the mention of his wife, wondering what I missed. Also, I found the introduction to be a bit much, weighing in at over 30 pages. I actually skipped through half of it, too eager to get into the real book. While it is nice to get a detailed look at Junky's history and how it was edited since its initial publishing, 30 pages is a bit much, and almost seemed like a cry for attention from the author of it. Do we really need 30 pages telling us that this is THE definitive Junky publishing, the original version as Burroughs intended? Fortunately, the added bits at the end, including a tossed out chapter, previous introductions (all of which are under 4 pages! Wow!) and a letter from Burroughs himself to the first publisher where he mocks their minor changes to text that ended up not making any sense at all was a great thing to read.

Junky is a very good book, but not a perfect start for those just getting into his work. But, for those who have an interest in drugs, the lifestyle back then and how similar it is to now, or anything else of the sort, I don't see any other books. Then again, I don't really look for them to begin with. Junky has done its job to warn me of just how bad things can get when addicted. Take in these words of wisdom, and remember them before making any big decisions. Reading about how Burroughs slapped his wife twice across the face when she threw a cap to the floor, spilling the contents, isn't something you want to remember yourself doing, I'm sure.

Transcends Beat Nonsense.......2006-08-29

I am no fan of the Beat Movement. As a subculture, the Beats contributed more than their fair share of sewage to the literary rivers of Western Civilization, and bear a good deal of responsibility for the ongoing decadence and decline of our culture. However, this autobiographical examination of the underbelly of American society is a one-of-a-kind expose, written by a man who himself was unabashedly addicted to morphine and other opiates, and who spares the reader from soul-searching in order simply to tell what it is like to be hooked.

I bought this book for a student in my high school English class and started reading it as soon as I got it home. The next day in class, the student was absent, so I kept reading, knowing I was hooked. How ironic. I kept the book and bought the student another copy. Couldn't put it down.

The tone is detached and the descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of Burroughs' dark haunts wrap themselves around you in such a way that you live what he experienced. There is no plea here for understanding or sympathy. Instead, you view the characters and events as if they are rats doing what rats do in a lab experiment. You come away from this book thinking, So that's how it is to be a junky.

It's quite incredible, really. I came to the book with absolutely minimal interest and started reading out of curiousity, expecting to put the book aside after the first ten pages or so. How wrong can a guy be? Burroughs did society a service with this text by demystifying the junky's world and demythologizing the hype about junkys that the mainstream media and medical elites had foisted upon most of us non-junkys. The dialogue is engrossing, the lengths to which Burroughs goes to score his junk truly amazing.

The narrative flows effortlessly, and some of the descriptions, such as that of the Rio Grande Valley, border on the lyrical. Yet, the strongest point is the tone of utter detachment: "I went into the bathroom to take a shot. I was a long time hitting a vein. The needle clogged twice. Blood ran down my arm. The junk spread through my body, an injection of death."

Even if you despise the Beat message as I do, you will not regret having opened your mind to the controlled insanity of being a junky. Highly recommended.

Great book -- and true.......2006-08-17

This book lays out the junky lifestyle plain and true. Burroughs tells it like it is. There's no glamorization. If anyone thinks being a heroin addict is cool after reading this, he or she isn't paying attention.

From a journalistic point of view, this book is a triumph. It expresses the reality of being an addict without moralizing. Burroughs doesn't encourage the reader to use heroin anymore than he advocates against it. He simply tells the tale of what it was like for him to be an addict.

Everyone's experience is different, and this book was written about 60 years ago, but you certainly get a glimpse into the kind of life a junky leads, even today. The details may change, but there's not much about being a junky that Burroughs hasn't already expressed.

And to the person who wrote: "No high, no experience, no act of social rebellion, nothing heroin can give or represent can be worth what the junky lifestyle takes out of a person and makes the user become," it's obvious that you've never experienced the high of heroin. The best expression about the high of junk is in "Trainspotting," when Renton explains that if you take every orgasm you've ever had, multiply it by a thousand, you're still not even close to the high of heroin. You've never known true bliss until you've been on the nod.

On the other hand, you have a point. I wouldn't wish junk addiction on anybody. It steals your soul.

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Junky (The Definitive Text of "Junk")
William S./ Harris, Oliver (Edt) Burroughs
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ9CV0

Junky - Definitive Text Of 'junk' - 50th Anniversary Edition

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Junky - Definitive Text Of 'junk' - 50th Anniversary Edition
William S. Burroughs
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K0F5TG

Book Description

"Superb….Every page of this narration bears examples of Lasdun's own poetic mastery….Shockingly vivid."—Time Out

Part political thriller, part meditation on the nature of desire and betrayal, Seven Lies tells the story of Stefan Vogel, a young East German, whose yearnings for love, glory, and freedom express themselves in a lifelong fantasy of going to America. By a series of increasingly dangerous maneuvers, he makes this fantasy come true, his past seemingly locked behind the Berlin Wall and a new life of unbounded bliss ahead of him. But then his world begins to fall apart.

Customer Reviews:

What a waste of money.......2007-08-03

Being from East Germany, I was intrigued by the story line and bought it.
Within the first three pages I was wondering what the author is talking about. Beautiful prose or not, too many words required a dictionary for my reading, which can kill not only the most eloquent prose but also the enthusiasm to finish such book. Very disappointing for me.

Beautiful structuring.......2007-07-21

Picked this up after a strong review in the Economist, and found this a wonderful novel. The impeccable plotline structure and beautiful writing call for re-reading the novel immediately after finishing it. Characterization is a delight, as is the psychological depth and rendering of post-war East Germany. I will most definitely be reading more of Lasdun in future

Go here next if you enjoyed 'The Lives of Others'.......2007-02-27

'Seven Lies' takes its name from a Martin Luther quote: "Every lie must beget seven more lies if it is to resemble the truth and adopt truth's aura." I'll add to the well-deserved five-star reviews here...Lasdun's background is poetry. This short ( < 200 pp.) novel feels like poetry - sparse, yet elegant. Every word is chosen carefully. I recently saw 'The Lives of Others,' Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's movie debut, which just last night was awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. IMDB says that 'Lives...focuses on the horrifying, sometimes unintentionally funny system of observation in the former East Germany.' For those of you who enjoyed that great film, 'Seven Lies' is a good place to go next, as it mines the same vein.

Brilliant book.......2007-01-23

While I was unaware of Lasdun's work, the impassioned pleas that I read in the three previous reviews during an Amazon surf session offered enough of an incentive to give "Seven Lies" a try. After devouring the book I express my gratitude to this remarkable writer and my three fellow Amazonians: this is superb stuff.

"Seven Lies" is a seamless blend of several genres: a bildungsroman, a psychological thriller, a political commentary and an analysis of evil's gradual erosion from virtue into vice. On top of that, the writer's exquisitely charged prose, which "modulates" as required by the stage of the story further contributes to this novel's strength.

Lasdun started out as a poet and analogies could be drawn in style with the great Jorge Luis Borges whose short fictional labyrinths added a further dimension to the genre that was started by his greatest influence, Edgar Allen Poe. Indeed, while the setting is distinctly different, the way this novel grabs you by the throat after its "impressionist" introduction to its superb ending is somewhat reminiscent of "the cask of amontillado".

Two other aspects further struck me throughout the book.
First is the author's sense of literary invention. Not unlike a magician he is able to surprise the reader by pulling things out of his literary hat that were there all the time, but get used to great effect in an unexpected manner. (Who would have known that an anthology of poetry could come in so handy at pivotal moments of a person's life).
Secondly the author portrays the protagonist so three-dimensionally and puts the reader so solidly in his shoes that his continuation of making wrong choices almost seems inevitable, while clear "virtuous" choices are available at each junction.

Finally, the writer deserves praise for "pulling the final mirror" just before the ending of the book. This may reflect an act of moral relativism that according to many in today's society can only be remedied by an all important portion of religious moral grounding, but it further enhances this novel. Some may be dissatisfied by the vagueness of the protagonist's motives at the very end of the book, but I personally think that the writer chose this "resolution" to great effect.

Especially for those who have some familiarity with the kind of society that the good old GDR was this book at times approaches the levels of Poe and Borges at their best and Shakespeare's ability to analyze and portray Evil's eroding power.

Lasdun an undiscovered gem.......2006-10-09

The previous two reviews say it all. Just want to agree with their words and hope more people discover this undiscovered author. I first knew his name when I saw the Bertolucci movie Besieged and got the collection of short stories at the library, the title story upon which the movie is based. Somehow he fell off my radar and he's come back to me and I've just recently read Seven Lies and The Horned Man--loved them both. His writing is to use the overused word nothing short of brilliant. In the case of Vogel, Lasdun will bring you down down down into the well of Vogel's spiritual decay. Lasdun writes poetry as well and has several books but I only know the short stories and two novels. To anticipate other books by Lasdun is a reason to live.

Telling New Lies: Seven Essays in Fiction, Past and Present

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Telling New Lies: Seven Essays in Fiction, Past and Present
Melvyn New
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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