Stephen L. Smith – författare

The obvious audience for this book is professionals, scholars, and students in the recreation field. However, many of these entries relate to other fields of interest. . . . [T]his work should find a place in academic libraries supporting curricula in recreation and related leisure studies. Reference Books BulletinThe vocabulary and major concepts of the new field of recreation and leisure studies are just developing and this dictionary is the first major attempt to describe and systematize those concepts. Although university departments devoted to the study of recreation and leisure have been in existence for over half a century, there has never been a comprehensive dictionary written for the field. The concepts included in the dictionary may be grouped into four general categories. The first of these include elemental concepts--those ideas that form the intellectual bedrock of the field. Then there are theoretical concepts- scholarly models or interpretations of the patterns and processes seen in recreation and leisure. Research and methodological concepts make up the third category. while the fourth include professional concepts representing some of the basic ideas inherent in the service side of the field.Each definition is organized chronologically, emphasizing the evolution of the term and its interpretation or application. Definitions also point to links between concepts listed in the dictionary. Numerous references and suggestions for further reading are included for readers wishing to pursue a topic in more detail. Faculty and graduate students in recreation and leisure studies will welcome this first comprehensive dictionary of the field, as will the libraries of universities and colleges with a recreation and leisure studies department. The historical material and the critical review of conflicting definitions is a special feature and one that makes this book not only useful as a dictionary, but also as a reference work on state of the art ideas and concepts in the field.

Genetic and Evolutionary Computation: Medical Applications provides an overview of the range of GEC techniques being applied to medicine and healthcare in a context that is relevant not only for existing GEC practitioners but also those from other disciplines, particularly health professionals. There is rapidly increasing interest in applying evolutionary computation to problems in medicine, but to date no text that introduces evolutionary computation in a medical context. By explaining the basic introductory theory, typical application areas and detailed implementation in one coherent volume, this book will appeal to a wide audience from software developers to medical scientists. Centred around a set of nine case studies on the application of GEC to different areas of medicine, the book offers an overview of applications of GEC to medicine, describes applications in which GEC is used to analyse medical images and data sets, derive advanced models, and suggest diagnoses and treatments, finally providing hints about possible future advancements of genetic and evolutionary computation in medicine. Explores the rapidly growing area of genetic and evolutionary computation in context of its viable and exciting payoffs in the field of medical applications.Explains the underlying theory, typical applications and detailed implementation.Includes general sections about the applications of GEC to medicine and their expected future developments, as well as specific sections on applications of GEC to medical imaging, analysis of medical data sets, advanced modelling, diagnosis and treatment.Features a wide range of tables, illustrations diagrams and photographs.