Books by "Michael S. Black"
6 books found
Inductive Biases in Machine Learning for Robotics and Control
by Michael Lutter
2023 · Springer Nature
One important robotics problem is “How can one program a robot to perform a task”? Classical robotics solves this problem by manually engineering modules for state estimation, planning, and control. In contrast, robot learning solely relies on black-box models and data. This book shows that these two approaches of classical engineering and black-box machine learning are not mutually exclusive. To solve tasks with robots, one can transfer insights from classical robotics to deep networks and obtain better learning algorithms for robotics and control. To highlight that incorporating existing knowledge as inductive biases in machine learning algorithms improves performance, this book covers different approaches for learning dynamics models and learning robust control policies. The presented algorithms leverage the knowledge of Newtonian Mechanics, Lagrangian Mechanics as well as the Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs differential equation as inductive bias and are evaluated on physical robots.
More than 7000 trade name products and more than 2500 generic chemicals that can be used in formulations to meet envionmental concerns and government regulations. This reference is designed to serve as an essential tool in the strategic decision-making process of chemical selection when focusing on human and environmental safety factors.Industries Covered: Adhesives ? Refrigerants ? Water Treatment ? Plastics ? Rubber ? Surfactants ? Paints & Coatings ? Food ? PharmaceuticalsCosmetics ? Petroleum Processing ? Metal Treatment ? TextilesThe chemicals and materials included are used in every aspect of the chemical industry. The reference is organized so that the reader can access the information based on the trade name, chemical components, functions and application areas, 'green' attributes, manufacturer, CAS number, and EINECS/ELINCS number.It contains a unique cross-reference that groups the trade name chemicals by one or more of these green chemical attributes: Biodegradable ? Environmentally Safe ? Environmentally Friendly ? Halogen-Free ? HAP's-Free ? Low Global WarmingLow Ozone-Depleting ? Nonozone-Depleting ? Low Vapor Pressure ? Noncarcinogenic ? Non-CFC ? Non-HCFCNonhazardous ? Nontoxic ? Recyclable ? SARA-Nonreportable ? SNAP (Significant New Alternative Policy) CompliantVOC-Compliant ? Low-VOC ? VOC-Free
At times mirroring and at times shockingly disparate to the rise of traditional white American medicine, the history of African-American health care is a story of traditional healers; root doctors; granny midwives; underappreciated and overworked African-American physicians; scrupulous and unscrupulous white doctors and scientists; governmental support and neglect; epidemics; and poverty. Virtually every part of this story revolves around race. More than 50 years after the publication of An American Dilemma, Gunnar Myrdal's 1944 classic about race relations in the USA, An American Health Dilemma presents a comprehensive and groundbreaking history and social analysis of race, race relations and the African-American medical and public health experience. Beginning with the origins of western medicine and science in Egypt, Greece and Rome the authors explore the relationship between race, medicine, and health care from the precursors of American science and medicine through the days of the slave trade with the harrowing middle passage and equally deadly breaking-in period through the Civil War and the gains of reconstruction and the reversals caused by Jim Crow laws. It offers an extensive examination of the history of intellectual and scientific racism that evolved to give sanction to the mistreatment, medical abuse, and neglect of African Americans and other non-white people. Also included are biographical portraits of black medical pioneers like James McCune Smith, the first African American to earn a degree from a European university, and anecdotal vignettes,like the tragic story of "the Hottentot Venus", which illustrate larger themes. An American Health Dilemma promises to become an irreplaceable and essential look at African-American and medical history and will provide an invaluable baseline for future exploration of race and racism in the American health system.
This handbook contains comprehensive information on more than 5000 trade names and generic chemicals and materials that are used in a broad range of formulations to prevent the contamination and decomposition of end products. Product degradation can be caused by exposure to oxygen, ozone, bacteria, molds, yeast, mildew, and fungi. The industries that depend on the proper selection of preserving chemicals and materials are diverse and include: plastics, elastomers, construction, paper/pulp, agriculture, textiles, paints and coatings, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, beverages.This handbook contains comprehensive information on a variety of preservatives available from major chemical manufacturers and can expedite the material selection process for chemists, formulators and purchasing agents by providing the answers to these questions:? Is the agent capable of inhibiting the detrimental effects of oxygen, ozone, or microbes to the extent necessary?? Is the agent's overall physical and chemical attributes compatible with the product or system being protected?? Can the agent remain stable under storage conditions and for the application requirements?? Is its safety in production and handling acceptable?? Does its level of toxicity meet environmental regulations?? Does it meet cost requirements?