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Guesstimation 2.0: Solving Today's Problems on the Back of a Napkin
by Lawrence WeinsteinSimple and effective techniques for quickly estimating virtually anythingGuesstimation 2.0 reveals the simple and effective techniques needed to estimate virtually anything—quickly—and illustrates them using an eclectic array of problems. A stimulating follow-up to Guesstimation, this is the must-have book for anyone preparing for a job interview in technology or finance, where more and more leading businesses test applicants using estimation questions just like these.The ability to guesstimate on your feet is an essential skill to have in today's world, whether you're trying to distinguish between a billion-dollar subsidy and a trillion-dollar stimulus, a megawatt wind turbine and a gigawatt nuclear plant, or parts-per-million and parts-per-billion contaminants. Lawrence Weinstein begins with a concise tutorial on how to solve these kinds of order of magnitude problems, and then invites readers to have a go themselves. The book features dozens of problems along with helpful hints and easy-to-understand solutions. It also includes appendixes containing useful formulas and more.Guesstimation 2.0 shows how to estimate everything from how closely you can orbit a neutron star without being pulled apart by gravity, to the fuel used to transport your food from the farm to the store, to the total length of all toilet paper used in the United States. It also enables readers to answer, once and for all, the most asked environmental question of our day: paper or plastic?
The Guests of Ants: How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts
by Bert Hölldobler Christina L. KwapichA fascinating examination of socially parasitic invaders, from butterflies to bacteria, that survive and thrive by exploiting the communication systems of ant colonies. Down below, on sidewalks, in fallen leaves, and across the forest floor, a covert invasion is taking place. Ant colonies, revered and studied for their complex collective behaviors, are being infiltrated by tiny organisms called myrmecophiles. Using incredibly sophisticated tactics, various species of butterflies, beetles, crickets, spiders, fungi, and bacteria insert themselves into ant colonies and decode the colonies’ communication system. Once able to “speak the language,” these outsiders can masquerade as ants. Suddenly colony members can no longer distinguish friend from foe. Pulitzer Prize–winning author and biologist Bert Hölldobler and behavioral ecologist Christina L. Kwapich explore this remarkable phenomenon, showing how myrmecophiles manage their feat of code-breaking and go on to exploit colony resources. Some myrmecophiles slip themselves into their hosts’ food sharing system, stealing liquid nutrition normally exchanged between ant nestmates. Other intruders use specialized organs and glandular secretions to entice ants or calm their aggression. Guiding readers through key experiments and observations, Hölldobler and Kwapich reveal a universe of behavioral mechanisms by which myrmecophiles turn ants into unwilling servants. As The Guests of Ants makes clear, symbiosis in ant societies can sometimes be mutualistic, but, in most cases, these foreign intruders exhibit amazingly diverse modes of parasitism. Like other unwelcome guests, many of these myrmecophiles both disrupt and depend on their host, making for an uneasy coexistence that nonetheless plays an important role in the balance of nature.
La guía del zoólogo galáctico: Lo que la fauna terrestre revela sobre la vida extraterrestre
by Arik Kershenbaum¿Es posible saber cómo es realmente la vida extraterrestre? Descubre cómo funciona realmente la vida, tanto en la Tierra como en el espacio. Los científicos están convencidos de que hay vida en el espacio exterior. Sin embargo, nuestra visión de lo «extraterrestre» está demasiado influenciada por los clichés hollywoodienses. Ha llegado el momento de abandonar nuestra fijación por los monstruos y basar nuestras expectativas en cimientos científicos sólidos. Partiendo de sus conocimientos sobre la vida en la Tierra y la teoría evolutiva de Darwin, el zoólogo de Cambridge Arik Kershenbaum nos explica en este asombroso libro cómo podría ser la vida alienígena. De qué modo podrían comunicarse mediante impulsos eléctricos, o qué condiciones serían necesarias para que en la evolución no se hubiera impuesto la simetría son dos de los muchos interrogantes que resuelve: ¿puede haber un planeta con animales supersónicos? ¿Chillarán de miedo, jurarán decir toda la verdad, o poseerán una tecnología avanzada? En esta entretenida y absorbente guía zoológica Kershenbaum usa los últimos descubrimientos científicos para abordar una de las cuestiones más fascinantes que se plantea el ser humano. La crítica ha dicho...«Repleto de datos asombrosos.»The Sunday Times «Una fascinante inmersión en la historia completa de la vida en la Tierra y la evolución animal en toda su increíble diversidad.»The Times «Si no quieres que te sorprenda la vida extraterrestre, hazte con este divertido repaso de las leyes de la evolución.»Frans de Waal «Al considerar la historia de la evolución y su propia investigación sobre comunicación animal, Kershenbaum aporta una fascinante mirada a la pregunta más profunda: ¿qué aspecto tendría un alienígena de verdad?»Lewis Dartnell «Espero que no sea solo por la razón puramente personal e idiosincrásica de que escribe como yo por lo que me encante La guía del zoólogo galáctico de Arik Kershenbaum. Aunque se propone (y trata) sobre la vida extraterrestre, lo que emerge es una mirada maravillosamente perspicaz a la biología terrestre.» Richard Dawkins, vía Twitter «Agradable e informativo. [Kershenbaum] transmite con éxito temas delicados sin sacrificar la claridad o dejar que su narrativa se entierre en discusiones técnicas, y escribe con un entusiasmo contagioso […]. Este es un viaje divertido y gratificante y, al final, su análisis les enseña a los lectores tanto sobre la vida en la Tierra como en otros lugares.» Kirkus «Una reflexión muy entretenida y basada en la ciencia sobre cómo podría ser la vida extraterrestre.» Library Journal "Entretenido. […]. En lugar de ofrecer una versión fantástica de la vida extraterrestre, [Kershenbaum] ofrece a los lectores algo lógico a considerar y, al hacerlo, proporciona información sobre animales y humanos mientras explora cómo han evolucionado la vida, la comunicación y el movimiento. […]. Complace a los lectores que buscan aprender sobre la vida en otros planetas o incluso aquí en la Tierra.» Publishers Weekly
Guidance and Control Technology of Spacecraft on Elliptical Orbit (Navigation: Science and Technology)
by Fucheng Liu Shan Lu Yue SunThis book introduces readers to the navigation, guidance and control technologies involved in single-spacecraft, double-spacecraft, and multiple-spacecraft tasks in elliptical orbits. It comprehensively covers the key technologies of guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system design for spacecraft in elliptical orbits, including the orbit design, formation configuration design and maintenance, autonomous navigation technology and relative navigation technology, as well as autonomous rendezvous technology. The methods that this book introduces are very close to actual practical engineering applications and presented in an accessible style. The book can serve as reference teaching material for senior undergraduates and postgraduates with space navigation related majors, while also providing essential information and guidance for research personnel and engineering technical personnel engaged in the development of GNC systems for spacecraft.
Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications
by The National Academy of SciencesA committee offers guidance to journal editors, authors, and reviewers on reporting laboratory research that involves animals in such a manner that peers can understand and use the information in their own research. The guide covers defining an optimal description of an animal study, the research animal, the research environment and study conditions, basic animal methodology, and aquatic systems. There is no index. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
Guide for the Care and use of Laboratory Animals: Eighth Edition
by National Research Council of the National AcademiesA respected resource for decades, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has been updated by a committee of experts, taking into consideration input from the scientific and laboratory animal communities and the public at large. The Guide incorporates new scientific information on common laboratory animals, including aquatic species, and includes extensive references. It is organized around major components of animal use: Key concepts of animal care and use. The Guide sets the framework for the humane care and use of laboratory animals. Animal care and use program. The Guide discusses the concept of a broad Program of Animal Care and Use, including roles and responsibilities of the Institutional Official, Attending Veterinarian and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Animal environment, husbandry, and management. A chapter on this topic is now divided into sections on terrestrial and aquatic animals and provides recommendations for housing and environment, husbandry, behavioral and population management, and more. Veterinary care. The Guide discusses veterinary care and the responsibilities of the Attending Veterinarian. It includes recommendations on animal procurement and transportation, preventive medicine (including animal biosecurity), and clinical care and management. The Guide addresses distress and pain recognition and relief, and issues surrounding euthanasia. Physical plant. The Guide identifies design issues, providing construction guidelines for functional areas; considerations such as drainage, vibration and noise control, and environmental monitoring; and specialized facilities for animal housing and research needs. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals provides a framework for the judgments required in the management of animal facilities. This updated and expanded resource of proven value will be important to scientists and researchers, veterinarians, animal care personnel, facilities managers, institutional administrators, policy makers involved in research issues, and animal welfare advocates.
A Guide to a Healthier Planet: Scientific Insights and Actionable Steps to Help Resolve Climate, Pollution and Biodiversity Issues
by Erlijn van GenuchtenThis book focuses on closing the gap between scientific insights on pressing environmental issues that do not often reach the general public, and putting that scientific knowledge in the hands of everyday people who can use these insights to take action against climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The goal of this work is to share fascinating facts about nature and sustainability to inspire taking action toward a healthier planet, and to provide ideas on how we can take action to solve environmental issues in an informed and easy-to-understand way. The chapters are sourced from the author's work published on medium.com/@ErlijnG with added content not available on medium.com.All chapters are based on open-access research articles covering various environmental issues and solutions that are not often disseminated in popular discourse but are nonetheless important for non-scientific audiences to understand and become familiar with. They allow readers to explore the broad range of concepts and issues and recognize the far-reaching consequences, and trigger the desire to take action. Also, each chapter provides concrete ideas of how we as individuals can take action in daily life to make a positive difference related to the issues described. The book is a multimodal work, as it includes images and videos that accompany the text.
A Guide to Academia: Getting into and Surviving Grad School, Postdocs, and a Research Job
by Prosanta ChakrabartyA Guide to Academia is a handbook for all those individuals thinking seriously about going to graduate school. Written by an author with extensive experience navigating the academic world, the book explains all the steps and potential bumps in the road that a student might encounter as they take the plunge into academia. Each chapter begins with a section called the "hard truth," which will help students determine if they are on the right path. Starting with an undergraduate student looking for a graduate school, the reader is taken on a journey up the academic ladder through graduate studies, a postdoctoral fellowship and an assistant professorship. Each chapter gives advice on not only how to survive the current stage but how to get to the next stage quickly. Enhanced with material from the author's own job applications and interview presentations, A Guide to Academia provides concrete examples of the tools needed for a successful career in academia.
A Guide to AIDS (Pocket Guides to Biomedical Sciences)
by Omar Bagasra Donald Gene PaceThe Guide to AIDS is succinct review of HIV/AIDS from a human-interest perspective. Chapters focus on some of the common patterns and prevention of HIV transmission and debunks misconceptions about HIV and AIDS. Brief descriptions the human immune system and epidemiology of HIV are included. The cultural component of disease, treatment and living with AIDS is central to much of this guide intended to synthesize, explain and de-mystify HIV and AIDS.
A Guide to Applied Machine Learning for Biologists
by Mohammad “Sufian” BadarThis textbook is an introductory guide to applied machine learning, specifically for biology students. It familiarizes biology students with the basics of modern computer science and mathematics and emphasizes the real-world applications of these subjects. The chapters give an overview of computer systems and programming languages to establish a basic understanding of the important concepts in computer systems. Readers are introduced to machine learning and artificial intelligence in the field of bioinformatics, connecting these applications to systems biology, biological data analysis and predictions, and healthcare diagnosis and treatment. This book offers a necessary foundation for more advanced computer-based technologies used in biology, employing case studies, real-world issues, and various examples to guide the reader from the basic prerequisites to machine learning and its applications.
A Guide to Bioethics (Pocket Guides to Biomedical Sciences)
by Emmanuel A. KornyoSolving intractable biotechnological questions of evolution, medicine, and genetics is now easier due to methods permitting the rapid analysis of molecular sequence data. These advances have exposed ethical and policy concerns. How would genomic information be used and by whom? Should individuals be able to make decisions regarding their own genomic data? How accurate are these genetic tests and how should they be regulated? These and other ethical conundrums are the subject of this book. Bioethicists, biomedical policy experts and lawyers, physicians, nursing and allied health students as well as science educators will find this book helpful and engaging in exploring the complexities of modern evolutionary, genetic and biomedical data.
A Guide to Cancer: Origins and Revelations (Pocket Guides to Biomedical Sciences)
by Melford JohnA Guide to Cancer: Origins and Revelations unfolds the complex and fascinating topic of cancer in two ways: firstly, no specialist knowledge is assumed on the part of the reader, and secondly, despite the serious nature of the topics, the book aims to stimulate interest, provoke thought, and paradoxically entertain. It takes an array of complex topics and breaks them down in clear, concise terms, so that anyone with a basic knowledge of science can understand. The book is aimed at the general public as well as students of biological subjects, first and second year university students, and researchers in the nascent field of cancer genomics.
A Guide to Career Resilience: For Women and Under-Represented Groups
by Eve Sprunt Maria Angela CapelloMentors and sponsors are essential to career success, but these close relationships are not always free from trouble. This book shares advice and practical examples on how to survive and thrive throughout your career by differentiating between good and bad guidance you receive from mentors and sponsors. Real-life guidance is provided on how to manage troubled mentoring and sponsoring relationships at work.
A Guide to Close Binary Systems (ISSN)
by Edwin Budding Osman DemircanIntroduction to Close Binary Systems provides a comprehensive survey and guide to the fast-moving field of multiple, specifically binary, stars, with an up to date account of research around 'close', i.e. interacting pairs. Such interactions allow direct quantification of stellar properties, opening up factual insights into basic building blocks of the Universe.The book provides a much needed update for the seminal Close Binary Systems of Zdenĕk Kopal. Following a comparable plan, it presents relevant subject matter with an emphasis on building a framework of understanding to serve as a supporting resource for students and researchers. The text starts from a general historical background and progresses into the main theoretical ideas supporting our prima facie interpretation of observations. The central chapters explore further into these observational methods, arranged according to the classic subdivisions of astrometry, spectroscopy and photometry. Optimal inversion of observational data into model parametrization is a theme through these chapters. Significant here is the problem of how non-uniqueness in modelling affects interpretation. The underlying issues of stellar evolution bearing on observational evidence become paramount in the last four chapters. The book proceeds step-by-step from directly understandable examples of unevolved pairs to the challenging cases where stars are found in more and more extreme conditions, leading up to the mergers of massive black hole pairs seen in the new field of gravitational wave astronomy. This is a valuable reference for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students working in mainstream areas of stellar astrophysics, with applications also to exoplanet research which shares some methodological features. Course designers for stellar astrophysics will find a useful selection of topics within this book.Key features:• Provides a well-explained and backgrounded, up-to-date account of close binary systems, in a fast-moving field of research that is growing in scientific importance• Surveys a wide range of case-studies within the context of binary and multiple star systems• Fills an acknowledged gap in current literatureCover Image: A public memorial to Zdenek Kopal in his home town (birthplace) of Litomysl in Czechia.
The Guide to Colorado Mammals
by Mary Taylor YoungMary Taylor Young's latest field guide will help you discover and learn more about Colorado's native mammals. Covering 128 species, this guide explores mammals through detailed descriptions, full-color photographs, and informative sidebars. Also includes range maps, species' descriptions, a checklist, and a glossary. Outdoor enthusiasts and armchair naturalists will be delighted with this guide.Award-winning nature writer Mary Taylor Young's love of wild things led to a degree in zoology and a life devoted to nature and the environment. She has written nine books, including The Guide to Colorado Reptiles and Amphibians. Taylor Young lives in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations: Processing Digital Evidence
by Bill Nelson Amelia Phillips Christopher SteuartUpdated with the latest advances from the field, GUIDE TO COMPUTER FORENSICS AND INVESTIGATIONS, Fifth Edition combines all-encompassing topic coverage, authoritative information from seasoned experts, and real-world applications to deliver the most comprehensive forensics resource available. This proven author team's wide ranging areas of expertise mirror the breadth of coverage provided in the book, which focuses on techniques and practices for gathering and analyzing evidence used to solve crimes involving computers. While other books offer more of an overview of the field, this hands-on learning text provides clear instruction on the tools and techniques of the trade, introducing readers to every step of the computer forensics investigation-from lab set-up to testifying in court. It also details step-by-step guidance on how to use current forensics software and provides free demo downloads. Appropriate for learners new to the field, it is also an excellent refresher and technology update for professionals in law enforcement, investigations, or computer security.
Guide to Effective Grant Writing
by Otto O YangGuide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write a Successful NIH Grant, 2nd edition is a fully updated follow-up to the popular original. It is written to help the 100,000+ post-graduate students and professionals who need to write effective proposals for grants. There is little or no formal teaching about the process of writing grants for NIH, and many grant applications are rejected due to poor writing and weak formulation of ideas. Procuring grant funding is the central key to survival for any academic researcher in the biological sciences; thus, being able to write a proposal that effectively illustrates one's ideas is essential. Covering all aspects of the proposal process, from the most basic questions about form and style to the task of seeking funding, this volume offers clear advice backed up with excellent examples. Included are a number of specimen proposals to help shed light on the important issues surrounding the writing of proposals. The Guide is a clear, straight-forward, and reader-friendly tool. Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write a Successful NIH Grant Writing is based on Dr. Yang's extensive experience serving on NIH grant review panels; it covers the common mistakes and problems he routinely witnesses while reviewing grants.
Guide to Electricity and Magnetism: Using Mathematica for Calculations and Visualizations
by James W. RohlfThis is a “how to guide” for a calculus-based introductory course in electricity and magnetism. Students taking the subject at an intermediate or advanced level may also find it to be a useful reference. The calculations are performed in Mathematica, and stress graphical visualization, units, and numerical answers. The techniques show the student how to learn the physics without being hung up on the math. There is a continuing movement to introduce more advanced computational methods into lower-level physics courses. Mathematica is a unique tool in that code is written as "human readable" much like one writes a traditional equation on the board.Key Features: Concise summary of the physics concepts. Over 300 worked examples in Mathematica. Tutorial to allow a beginner to produce fast results. The companion code for this book can be found here: https://physics.bu.edu/~rohlf/code.html
A Guide to Empirical Orthogonal Functions for Climate Data Analysis
by Valeria Simoncini Antonio NavarraClimatology and meteorology have basically been a descriptive science until it became possible to use numerical models, but it is crucial to the success of the strategy that the model must be a good representation of the real climate system of the Earth. Models are required to reproduce not only the mean properties of climate, but also its variability and the strong spatial relations between climate variability in geographically diverse regions. Quantitative techniques were developed to explore the climate variability and its relations between different geographical locations. Methods were borrowed from descriptive statistics, where they were developed to analyze variance of related observations-variable pairs, or to identify unknown relations between variables. A Guide to Empirical Orthogonal Functions for Climate Data Analysis uses a different approach, trying to introduce the reader to a practical application of the methods, including data sets from climate simulations and MATLAB codes for the algorithms. All pictures and examples used in the book may be reproduced by using the data sets and the routines available in the book . Though the main thrust of the book is for climatological examples, the treatment is sufficiently general that the discussion is also useful for students and practitioners in other fields. Supplementary datasets are available via http://extra.springer.com
A Guide to English-Russian and Russian-English Non-literary Translation
by Alexandr ZaytsevLying at the intersection of translatology, cognitive science and linguistics, this brief provides a comprehensive framework for studying, investigating and teaching English-Russian/Russian-English non-literary translation. It provides a holistic perspective on the process of non-literary translation, illustrating each of its steps with carefully analyzed real-life examples. Readers will learn how to choose and process multidimensional attention units in original texts by activating different types of knowledge, as well as how to effectively devise target-language matches for them using various translation techniques. It is rounded out with handy and feasible recommendations on the structure and content of an undergraduate course in translation. The abundance of examples makes it suitable not only for use in the classroom, but also for independent study.
A Guide to Experiments in Quantum Optics
by Hans-A. Bachor Timothy C. RalphProvides fully updated coverage of new experiments in quantum optics This fully revised and expanded edition of a well-established textbook on experiments on quantum optics covers new concepts, results, procedures, and developments in state-of-the-art experiments. It starts with the basic building blocks and ideas of quantum optics, then moves on to detailed procedures and new techniques for each experiment. Focusing on metrology, communications, and quantum logic, this new edition also places more emphasis on single photon technology and hybrid detection. In addition, it offers end-of-chapter summaries and full problem sets throughout. Beginning with an introduction to the subject, A Guide to Experiments in Quantum Optics, 3rd Edition presents readers with chapters on classical models of light, photons, quantum models of light, as well as basic optical components. It goes on to give readers full coverage of lasers and amplifiers, and examines numerous photodetection techniques being used today. Other chapters examine quantum noise, squeezing experiments, the application of squeezed light, and fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. The book finishes with a section on quantum information before summarizing of the contents and offering an outlook on the future of the field. -Provides all new updates to the field of quantum optics, covering the building blocks, models and concepts, latest results, detailed procedures, and modern experiments -Places emphasis on three major goals: metrology, communications, and quantum logic -Presents fundamental tests of quantum mechanics (Schrodinger Kitten, multimode entanglement, photon systems as quantum emulators), and introduces the density function -Includes new trends and technologies in quantum optics and photodetection, new results in sensing and metrology, and more coverage of quantum gates and logic, cluster states, waveguides for multimodes, discord and other quantum measures, and quantum control -Offers end of chapter summaries and problem sets as new features A Guide to Experiments in Quantum Optics, 3rd Edition is an ideal book for professionals, and graduate and upper level students in physics and engineering science.
A Guide to Feynman Diagrams in the Many-Body Problem: Second Edition
by Richard D. Mattuck"A great delight to read." -- Physics TodayAmong the most fertile areas of modern physics, many-body theory has produced a wealth of fundamental results in all areas of the discipline. Unfortunately the subject is notoriously difficult and, until the publication of this book, most treatments of the topic were inaccessible to the average experimenter or non-specialist theoretician.The present work, by contrast, is well within the grasp of the nonexpert. It is intended primarily as a "self-study" book that introduces one aspect of many-body theory, i.e. the method of Feynman diagrams. The book also lends itself to use as a reference in courses on solid state and nuclear physics which make some use of the many-body techniques. And, finally, it can be used as a supplementary reference in a many-body course.Chapters 1 through 6 provide an introduction to the major concepts of the field, among them Feynman diagrams, quasi-particles and vacuum amplitudes. Chapters 7 through 16 give basic coverage to topics ranging from Dyson's equation and the ladder approximation to Fermi systems at finite temperature and superconductivity. Appendixes summarize the Dirac formalism and include a rigorous derivation of the rules for diagrams. Problems are provided at the end of each chapter and solutions are given at the back of the book.For this second edition, Dr. Mattuck, formerly of the H. C. Orsted Institute and the University of Copenhagen, added to many chapters a new section showing in mathematical detail how typical many-body calculations with Feynman diagrams are carried out. In addition, new exercises were included, some of which gave the reader the opportunity to carry out simpler many-body calculations himself. new chapter on the quantum field theory of phase transitions rounds out this unusually clear, helpful and informative guide to the physics of the many-body problem.
Guide to Fluorine NMR for Organic Chemists
by William R. Dolbier Jr.Following its well-received predecessor, this book offers an essential guide to chemists for understanding fluorine in spectroscopy. With over 1000 compounds and 100 spectra, the second edition adds new data - featuring fluorine effects on nitrogen NMR, chemical shifts, and coupling constants.* Explains how to successfully incorporate fluorine into target molecules and utilize fluorine substituents to structurally characterize organic compounds* Includes new data on nitrogen NMR, focusing on N-15, to portray the influence of fluorine upon nitrogen NMR chemical shifts and coupling constants* Expands on each chapter from the first edition with additional data and updated discussion from recent findings* "The flawless ordering of material covered in this stand-alone volume is such that information can be found very easily." - Angewandte Chemie review of the first edition, 2010
Guide to Forensic Pathology
by Jay DixGuide to Forensic Pathology provides a concise overview of forensic pathology to those who wish to know the basics but lack formal forensic training. Both fascinating and practical, this book explains everything from who the experts are in death investigation and what their roles are to how effective testimonies are presented in court. The importance of forensic DNA testing is emphasized with a separate section in this timely reference guide.
Guide to Health Informatics
by Enrico CoieraThis essential text provides a readable yet sophisticated overview of the basic concepts of information technologies as they apply in healthcare. Spanning areas as diverse as the electronic medical record, searching, protocols, and communications as well as the Internet, Enrico Coiera has succeeded in making this vast and complex area accessible and understandable to the non-specialist, while providing everything that students of medical informatics need to know to accompany their course.