The SAGE Handbook of Mental Health and Illness

by David Pilgrim, Bernice Pescosolido, Anne Rogers

2011 · SAGE Publications

This title integrates the conceptual, empirical and evidence-based threads of mental health as an area of study, research and practice. It approaches mental health from two perspectives - firstly as a positive state of well-being and secondly as psychological difference or abnormality in its social context.

Learning to Drive

by David Michael Stavens

2011 · Stanford University

Every year, 1.2 million people die in automobile accidents and up to 50 million are injured. Many of these deaths are due to driver error and other preventable causes. Autonomous or highly aware cars have the potential to positively impact tens of millions of people. Building an autonomous car is not easy. Although the absolute number of traffic fatalities is tragically large, the failure rate of human driving is actually very small. A human driver makes a fatal mistake once in about 88 million miles. As a co-founding member of the Stanford Racing Team, we have built several relevant prototypes of autonomous cars. These include Stanley, the winner of the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge and Junior, the car that took second place in the 2007 Urban Challenge. These prototypes demonstrate that autonomous vehicles can be successful in challenging environments. Nevertheless, reliable, cost-effective perception under uncertainty is a major challenge to the deployment of robotic cars in practice. This dissertation presents selected perception technologies for autonomous driving in the context of Stanford's autonomous cars. We consider speed selection in response to terrain conditions, smooth road finding, improved visual feature optimization, and cost effective car detection. Our work does not rely on manual engineering or even supervised machine learning. Rather, the car learns on its own, training itself without human teaching or labeling. We show this "self-supervised" learning often meets or exceeds traditional methods. Furthermore, we feel self-supervised learning is the only approach with the potential to provide the very low failure rates necessary to improve on human driving performance.

The Rise of Machines

by Adrian David Cheok, Chamari Edirisinghe, Mangesh Lal Shrestha

2024 · CRC Press

This book provides an in-depth look at the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of work. The rise of AI and automation is transforming the world of work, and the book explores the implications of this transformation on jobs and skills. It begins by introducing readers to the basics of AI technology and its various applications in the workplace. It then moves on to examine the impact of AI on jobs and skills, including the changing nature of work and the potential for job loss due to automation. It also delves into the ethical implications of AI in the workplace, including the moral and ethical questions that arise when AI is used to make decisions that affect people's lives. Besides exploring the impact of AI on the workforce, the book provides practical advice for preparing for the future of work in the age of AI. This includes the importance of reskilling and upskilling, as well as strategies for adapting to the changing world of work in the age of AI. It concludes with a future outlook, exploring the likely direction of the workforce in the years to come and the importance of preparing for the future with a proactive approach to AI and the workforce. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible look at the impact of AI on the future of work. It is ideal for anyone interested in understanding the implications of AI on the workforce and preparing for the future of work in the age of AI.