Until recently B-spline curves and surfaces (NURBS) were principally of interest to the computer aided design community, where they have become the standard for curve and surface description. Today we are seeing expanded use of NURBS in modeling objects for the visual arts, including the film and entertainment industries, art, and sculpture. NURBS are now also being used for modeling scenes for virtual reality applications. These applications are expected to increase. Consequently, it is quite appropriate for The.N'URBS Book to be part of the Monographs in Visual Communication Series. B-spline curves and surfaces have been an enduring element throughout my pro fessional life. The first edition of Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics, published in 1972, was the first computer aided design/interactive computer graph ics textbook to contain material on B-splines. That material was obtained through the good graces of Bill Gordon and Louie Knapp while they were at Syracuse University. A paper of mine, presented during the Summer of 1977 at a Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers meeting on computer aided ship surface design, was arguably the first to examine the use of B-spline curves for ship design. For many, B-splines, rational B-splines, and NURBS have been a bit mysterious.

This fully revised 2nd ed. is intended as a comprehensive volume on the subject of psychology & has contributions from world leaders in their particular fields. It will be of interest to a wide range of people including researchers & students.

This is a satellite communications primer.

Concern with various matters related to humans as they communicate has led to an increase in both research and theorizing during the second half of the 20th century. As a matter of fact, so many scholars and so many disciplines have become involved in this process that it is virtually impossible to understand and appreciate all that has been accomplished so far. This book focuses on one important aspect of human sense-making -- theory building -- and strives to clarify the thesis that theories do not develop in some sort of social, intellectual, or cultural vacuum. They are necessarily the products of specific times, insights, and mindsets. Theories dealing with the process of communication, or communicating, are tied to socio-cultural value systems and historic factors that influence individuals in ways often inadequately understood by those who use them. The process-orientation of this book inevitably leads to an emphasis on the perceptions of human beings. Thus, the focus shifts from the subject or area called "communication" to the act of communicating. Finally, this volume offers insight into how the process of human sense-making has evolved in those academic fields commonly identified as communication, rhetoric, speech communication or speech, within specific socio-cultural settings.

Organized into six practical sections relating theory to application from an historical perspective, this text offers contributions from international scholars and practitioners who reflect the diversity of this field.

Written to address the contemporary challenges facing teachers and trainers in traditional and non-traditional settings, this text offers a comprehensive collection of research focusing on the role and effects of communication in instructional environments. With accessible research for students, teachers, and educational leaders, the Handbook of Instructional Communication enhances an individual’s ability to understand instructional communication research, plan and conduct instructional communication research, practice effective instructional communication, and consult with other teachers and trainers about their use of instructional communication.

The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, comprising of seven volumes, now in its fourth edition, compiles the contributions of major researchers and practitioners and explores the cultural institutions of more than 30 countries. This major reference presents over 550 entries extensively reviewed for accuracy in seven print volumes or online. The new fourth edition, which includes 55 new entires and 60 revised entries, continues to reflect the growing convergence among the disciplines that influence information and the cultural record, with coverage of the latest topics as well as classic articles of historical and theoretical importance.