Search results for ""scientific publishing""

SCMP's reporting team looks back at Hong Kong's most wrenching political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. Anti-extradition bill protests that morphed rapidly into a wider anti-government movement in 2019 left no aspect of the city untouched, from its social compact to its body politic to its open economy. The demonstrations which continued well into 2020 have tested every institution of the city, from the civil service to the police to the courts and even its rail transport operator, and from offices and businesses to universities and schools, and from churches to families and even friends.This book is for anyone seeking to understand not just what Hong Kong has gone through but also the global phenomenon of increasingly leaderless protest movements. Fueled by profound angst about the place of millennial youth in society, widening income inequality, and the speed of digital communications, Hong Kong was in retrospect ripe to be the laboratory for a new-age protest movement, nearly a decade after the Middle East's Arab spring.The essays in the book collectively compose a picture of a society in trauma, bent and broken, but showing signs of an uncanny ability to bounce back. What shape it will be in a few years from now, however, is much harder to predict.Related Link(s)

Read more less

This book covers a broad range of up-to-date issues in non-classical logic that are of interest not only to philosophical and mathematical logicians but also to computer scientists and researchers in artificial intelligence. The problems addressed range from methodological issues in paraconsistent and deontic logic to the revision theory of truth and infinite Turing machines. The book identifies a number of important current trends in contemporary non-classical logic. Among them are dialogical and substructural logic, the classification of concepts of negation, truthmaker theory, and mathematical and foundational aspects of modal and temporal logic.

Read more less

Equally important to our understanding of history and humanity are the great works of literature. The Nobel Prize for literature recognizes modern classics and the efforts of authors to bridge gaps between different cultures, time-periods and styles.(1991) N GORDIMER — who through her magnificent epic writing has — in the words of Alfred Nobel — been of very great benefit to humanity; (1992) D WALCOTT — for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment; (1993) T MORRISON — who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality; (1994) K OE — who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today; (1995) S HEANEY — for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past.

Read more less

Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy is the ninth edition of the globally leading textbook for Services Marketing by Jochen Wirtz and Christopher Lovelock, extensively updated to feature the latest academic research, industry trends, and technology, social media, and case examples.This book takes on a strong managerial approach presented through a coherent and progressive pedagogical framework rooted in solid academic research. It features cases and examples from all over the world and is suitable for students who want to gain a wider managerial view.Supplementary Material Resources:Resources are available to instructors who adopt this textbook for their courses. These include: (1) Instructor's Manual, (2) Case Teaching Notes, (3) PowerPoint deck, and (4) Test Bank. Please contact sales@wspc.com.Key Features:

Read more less

Review of Volume 4:'The Handbook can be a good reference for a higher-degree science student approaching the subject or for an expert in a similar field in astronomical instrumentation. The reader requiring an in-depth presentation of a specific topic will be guided by the rich reference lists included at the end of each chapter.'The ObservatoryOur goal is to produce a comprehensive handbook of the current state of the art of astronomical instrumentation with a forward view encompassing the next decade. The target audience is graduate students with an interest in astronomical instrumentation, as well as practitioners interested in learning about the state of the art in another wavelength band or field closely related to the one in which they currently work. We assume a working knowledge of the fundamental theory: optics, semiconductor physics, etc. The purpose of this handbook is to bring together some of the leading experts in the world to discuss the frontier of astronomical instrumentation across the electromagnetic spectrum and extending into multimessenger astronomy.

Read more less

'The book is an engaging and influential collection of significant contributions from an assembly of world expert leaders and pioneers from different fields, working at the interface between topology and physics or applications of topology to physical systems … The book explores many interesting and novel topics that lie at the intersection between gravity, quantum fields, condensed matter, physical cosmology and topology … A rich, well-organized, and comprehensive overview of remarkable and insightful connections between physics and topology is here made available to the physics reader.'Contemporary PhysicsSince its birth in Poincaré's seminal 1894 'Analysis Situs', topology has become a cornerstone of mathematics. As with all beautiful mathematical concepts, topology inevitably — resonating with that Wignerian principle of the effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences — finds its prominent role in physics. From Chern-Simons theory to topological quantum field theory, from knot invariants to Calabi-Yau compactification in string theory, from spacetime topology in cosmology to the recent Nobel Prize winning work on topological insulators, the interactions between topology and physics have been a triumph over the past few decades.In this eponymous volume, we are honoured to have contributions from an assembly of grand masters of the field, guiding us with their world-renowned expertise on the subject of the interplay between 'Topology' and 'Physics'. Beginning with a preface by Chen Ning Yang on his recollections of the early days, we proceed to a novel view of nuclei from the perspective of complex geometry by Sir Michael Atiyah and Nick Manton, followed by an entrée toward recent developments in two-dimensional gravity and intersection theory on the moduli space of Riemann surfaces by Robbert Dijkgraaf and Edward Witten; a study of Majorana fermions and relations to the Braid group by Louis H Kauffman; a pioneering investigation on arithmetic gauge theory by Minhyong Kim; an anecdote-enriched review of singularity theorems in black-hole physics by Sir Roger Penrose; an adventure beyond anyons by Zhenghan Wang; an aperçu on topological insulators from first-principle calculations by Haijun Zhang and Shou-Cheng Zhang; finishing with synopsis on quantum information theory as one of the four revolutions in physics and the second quantum revolution by Xiao-Gang Wen. We hope that this book will serve to inspire the research community.

Read more less

'Gunter Fatlin, himself a very successful entrepreneur, has written an inspiring book which can act as a guide to all those seeking to make the most of their talents — enabling them to establish their own company.'Muhammad Yunus2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Entrepreneurship is not a calling only for the selected few. Creative work and economic self-realization are goals that anyone can pursue. Learn how to create your own 'idea-masterpiece' as a collage or puzzle made from existing pieces, and construct your own company from pre-existing components that are freely available to everyone. Brains versus Capital: Entrepreneurship for Everyone opens up many channels of opportunity for many people who never thought that they would start their own company. This book emphasizes knowledge-based start-ups, which offers a crucial difference to classic self-employment and the new technology based start-ups. Günter Faltin has been teaching this approach for decades, and he has applied his theoretical concept with great success to 'The Tea Campaign' (Teekampagne), the largest mail-order tea company in Germany. A growing number of companies uses Professor Faltin's principles successfully. Featuring practical examples of successful companies, Günter Faltin shows how anyone can refine an idea to create a new company. By combining components that already exist, a small start-up founder could even challenge the big companies.

Read more less

This textbook provides an introduction to financial mathematics and financial engineering for undergraduate students who have completed a three- or four-semester sequence of calculus courses.It introduces the Theory of Interest, discrete and continuous random variables and probability, stochastic processes, linear programming, the Fundamental Theorem of Finance, option pricing, hedging, and portfolio optimization. The reader progresses from a solid grounding in multi-variable calculus through a derivation of the Black-Scholes equation, its solution, properties, and applications.

Read more less

One night, Emmy's sock flies off her foot and out of her bedroom window! So begins a fascinating adventure. On her quest to get her sock back, Emmy meets stars and planets, before finally coming face to face with the thief who stole her sock: a black hole!At the end of the book, curious readers can access four pages of information on the science behind black holes! It explains in simple terms what black holes are, what really happens to Emmy's sock and how come she is able to get it back again (although it is a little worse for wear).

Read more less

The three-volume handbook showcases the state of the art in the use of concentrated sunlight to produce electricity, industrial process heat, renewable fuels, including hydrogen and low-carbon synthesis gas, and valuable chemical commodities. The handbook illustrates the value and diversity of applications for concentrating solar power to contribute to the expanding decarbonization of multiple cross-cutting energy sectors.Volume 1: Concentrating Solar Thermal Power, provides an overview of key technologies, principles, and challenges of concentrating solar power (CSP) as well as the use of concentrating solar thermal for process heating and district markets. The ten chapters of this volume provide the reader with the technical background on the solar resource for concentrating solar thermal, the principles and design of concentrating optics, and descriptions of state-of-the-art and emerging solar collector and receiver technologies, thermal storage and thermal-to-electric conversion and power cycles for CSP. It also contains a comprehensive summary of operations and maintenance requirements for CSP plants, and commercial CSP plants and markets around the world.Volume 2, Solar Thermochemical Processes and Products, covers the use of concentrated solar radiation as the heat source to drive endothermic chemical reactions to produce renewable fuels and valuable chemical commodities, equivalently storing solar energy in chemical bonds. The thermodynamic underpinnings of a number of approaches to produce fuel and results of demonstrations of solar thermochemical reactors for these processes at prototype scale are presented. Processes presented include thermochemical metal oxide reduction/oxidation cycles to split water and carbon dioxide solar chemical looping reformation of methane to produce synthesis gas, high temperature electrochemistry, and gasification of biomass. Research on the thermochemical storage for CSP and high temperature production of cement and ammonia to illustrate the use concentrated solar energy to produce valuable chemical products are also included.Volume 3 contains reprinted archival papers to support and supplement the material in Volumes 1 and 2. These papers provide background information on the economics and alternative use cases of CSP not covered in Volume 1, and expand on the material related to the chapter topics presented in Volume 2. Potential commercialization, such as prototype and demonstration projects, are highlighted. The papers are intended as a starting point for a more in-depth study of the topics.

Read more less

In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. The Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901. This volume is a collection of the Nobel lectures delivered by the Nobel laureates, together with their biographies and the presentation speeches, for the period 2011-2015.List of laureates and their award citations:(2011) 'for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare'.

Read more less

Pediatric Nephrology On-The-Go aims to be a hands-on and practical reference for pediatricians, pediatric nephrologists, dialysis nurses and physicians in training. This book is a compilation of the protocols and guidelines that are used in daily practice at the Shaw-NKF-NUH Children's Kidney Centre at the Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, Singapore. This book focuses mainly on the diagnostic approach and management of conditions seen in children with kidney disease.This 4th Edition contain extensive updates and revision to all chapters. There are 7 new chapters in the edition, encompassing key topics such as glomerulonephritis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positive vasculitis, membranous nephropathy, neurogenic bladder, immunosuppressive medications, Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy, recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis post kidney transplantation and prolonged intermittent kidney replacement therapy (PIKRT).

Read more less

Taking classic stories from Asia and the West, Pop! Lit for Kids reimagines them into easy-to-read stories that provide the perfect introduction to classic tales. The most well-loved stories from around the world have been adapted into a form that will excite and entertain children everywhere.In his quest to protect the poor and oppressed, Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men go head to head with the cruel Prince John and the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham. From their hideout in Sherwood Forest, these fun-loving thieves outwit the authorities at every turn by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Filled with action and danger, the adventures of Robin Hood will delight young readers.

Read more less

This volume is a review on coherent states and some of their applications. The usefulness of the concept of coherent states is illustrated by considering specific examples from the fields of physics and mathematical physics. Particular emphasis is given to a general historical introduction, general continuous representations, generalized coherent states, classical and quantum correspondence, path integrals and canonical formalism. Applications are considered in quantum mechanics, optics, quantum chemistry, atomic physics, statistical physics, nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. A selection of original papers is reprinted.

Read more less

The book consists of two parts: Part 1 is a standard text of dislocation theory. Mathematics is avoided as much as possible. Part 2 describes application of dislocation theory, which includes mechanical properties (including the inverse temperature dependence of strength) and dislocations in functional materials such as Si, GaN and SiC and dislocations in a thin crystal such as an epitaxial layer. This is what has been long anticipated among researchers in industry.The book contains about 330 illustrations (mostly originals by the author) and the pictures obtained by the author by means of in-situ experiment in a transmission electron microscope over the past 50 years.This book includes many exercises, which the author found useful when he was teaching in Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Nagoya University to stimulate their interests in dislocation theory.

Read more less

Over the last three decades, wine economics has emerged as a growing field within agricultural economics, but also in other fields such as finance, trade, growth, environmental economics and industrial organization. Wine has a few characteristics that differentiate it from other agricultural commodities, rendering it an interesting topic for economists in general. Fine wine can regularly fetch bottle prices that exceed several thousand dollars. It can be stored a long time and may increase in value with age. Fine wine quality and prices are extraordinarily sensitive to fluctuations in the weather of the year in which the grapes were grown. And wine is an experience good, i.e., its quality cannot be ascertained before consumption. As a result, consumers often rely on 'expert opinion' regarding quality and maturation prospects.This handbook takes a broad approach and familiarizes the reader with the main research strands in wine economics.After a general introduction to wine economics by Karl Storchmann, Volume 1 focuses on the core areas of wine economics. The first papers shed light on the relevance of the vineyard's natural environment for wine quality and prices. 'Predicting the Quality and Prices of Bordeaux Wine' by Orley Ashenfelter is a classic paper and may be the first wine economics publication ever. Ashenfelter shows how weather influences the quality and the price of Bordeaux Grands Crus wine. Since the weather condition of the year when the grapes were grown is known, an econometric analysis may be constructed. It turns out this model outperforms expert opinion, i.e., critical vintage scores. At best, expert opinion reflects public information. The subsequent papers, by Ashenfelter and Storchmann, Gergaud and Ginsburgh, and Cross, Plantinga and Stavins, tackle the terroir question. That is, they examine the relevance of a vineyard's physical characteristics for wine quality and prices, but from various dimensions and with different results. Next, Alston et al. analyze a question of great concern in the California wine industry: the causes and consequences of the rising alcohol content in California wine. Is climate change the culprit?The next chapter presents three papers that apply hedonic price analyses to fine wine. Combris, Lecocq and Visser show that Bordeaux wine market prices are essentially determined by the wines' objective characteristics. Costanigro, McCluskey and Mittelhammer differentiate their hedonic analysis for various market segments. Ali and Nauges incorporate reputational variables into their pricing model and distinguish between short- and long-run price effects.The next section of this volume deals with one of the unique characteristics of wine — its long storage life, which makes it potentially an investment asset. Studying wine's increasing role as an alternative asset class, Sanning et al., Burton and Jacobsen, Masset and Weisskopf, Masset and Henderson, and Fogarty all examine the rate of return to holding wine as well as the related risks. Since these papers analyze different wines and different time periods there is no 'one message.' However, all point out that, while wine may diversify an investor's portfolio, wine's returns do not beat common stock in the long run.The last two chapters examine the role of wine experts. First, Ashenfelter and Quandt revisit the 1976 'Judgment of Paris' and show that aggregating the assessments of several judges should go beyond 'adding points.' Depending on the method employed, the results may vary, and some measure of statistical precision is essential for interpreting the reliability of the results. In two different papers, Cicchetti and Quandt respond to the necessity to provide statistical tools for the assessment of wine tastings.In a seminal paper, Hodgson reports a remarkable field experiment in which similar wines were placed before judges at a major competition. The results have the shocking implication that how medals are awarded at a major California wine fair is not far from being random. Ashton analyzes the performance of professional wine judges and finds little support for the idea that experienced wine judges should be regarded as experts.Do experts scores influence the price of wine? The answer to this question is less obvious then commonly thought since expert opinion oftentimes only repeats public information such as wine quality that results from the weather that produced the wine grapes. Hadj Ali, Lecocq, and Visser as well as Dubois and Nauges find that high critical scores exert only small effects on wine prices. However, Roberts and Reagans show that a high critical exposure reduces the price-quality dispersion of wineries.Lecocq and Visser analyze wine prices and find that 'characteristics that are directly revealed to the consumer upon inspection of the bottle and its label explain the major part of price differences.' Expert opinion and sensory variables appear to play only a minor role. In an experimental setting using two Vickrey auctions, Combris, Lange and Issanchou confirm the leading role of public information, i.e., the label remains a key determinant for champagne prices. In a provocative and widely discussed study drawing on blind tasting results of some 5,000 wines, Goldstein and collaborators find that most consumers prefer less expensive over expensive wine.Finally, Weil examines the value of expert wine descriptions and lets several hundred subjects match the wines and their descriptors. His results suggest that the ability to assign a certain description to the matching wine is more or less random.Volume 2 covers the topics reputation, regulation, auctions, and market organizational. Landon and Smith, Anderson and Schamel, and Schamel analyze the impact of current quality and reputation (i.e., past quality) on wine prices from different regions. Their results suggest that prices are more influenced by reputation than by current quality. Costanigro, McCluskey and Goemans develop a nested framework for jointly examining the effects of product, firm and collective reputation on market prices.The following four papers deal with regulatory issues in the US as well as in Europe. While Riekoff and Sykuta shed light on the politics and economics of the three-tier system of alcohol distribution and the prohibition of direct wine shipments in the US, Deconinck and Swinnen analyze the European planting rights system. The political economy of European wine regulation is then covered by Melonie and Swinnen, before Anderson and Jensen shed light on Europe's complex system of wine industry subsidies.The next chapter is devoted to wine auctions. In three different papers, Fevrier, Roos and Visser, Ashenfelter, and Ginsburgh analyze the effects of specific auction designs on the resulting hammer prices. The papers focus on multi-unit ascending auctions, absentee bidders, and declining price anomalies.The last chapter, supply and organization, is devoted to a wide range of issues. First, Heien illuminates the price formation process in the California winegrape industry. Then, Frick analyzes if and how the separation of ownership and control affects the performance of German wineries.Vink, Kleynhans and Willem Hoffmann introduce us to various models of wine barrel financing, particularly to the Vincorp model employed in South Africa. Galbreath analyzes the role of women in the wine industry. He finds that (1) women are underrepresented and (2) that the presence of a female CEO increases the likelihood of women in winemaker, viticulturist, and marketing roles in that firm. Gokcekus, Hewstone, and Cakal draw on crowdsourced wine evaluations, i.e., Wine Tracker data, and show that private wine assessments are largely influenced by peer scores lending support to the assumption of the presence of a strong herding effect.Mahenc refers to the classic model of information asymmetries and develops a theoretical model highlighting the role of informed buyers in markets that are susceptible to the lemons problem. Lastly, in their paper 'Love or Money?' Scott, Morton and Podolny analyze how the presence of hobby winemakers may distort market outcomes. Hobby winemakers produce higher quality wines, charge higher prices, and enjoy lower financial returns than professional for-profit winemakers. As a result, profit-oriented winemakers are discouraged from locating at the high-quality end of the market.

Read more less

Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973, 1974) (hereafter referred to as BSM) introduced the contingent claim approach (CCA) to the valuation of corporate debt and equity. The BSM modeling framework is also named the 'structural' approach to risky debt valuation. The CCA considers all stakeholders of the corporation as holding contingent claims on the assets of the corporation. Each claim holder has different priorities, maturities and conditions for payouts. It is based on the principle that all the assets belong to all the liability holders.The BSM modeling framework gives the basic fundamental version of the structural model where default is assumed to occur when the net asset value of the firm at the maturity of the pure-discount debt becomes negative, i.e., market value of the assets of the firm falls below the face value of the firm's liabilities. In a regime of limited liability, the shareholders of the firm have the option to default on the firm's debt. Equity can be viewed as a European call option on the firm's assets with a strike price equal to the face value of the firm's debt. Actually, CCA can be used to value all the components of the firm's liabilities, equity, warrants, debt, contingent convertible debt, guarantees, etc.In the four volumes we present the major academic research on CCA in corporate finance starting from 1973, with seminal papers of Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973, 1974). Volume I covers the foundation of CCA and contributions on equity valuation. Volume II focuses on corporate debt valuation and the capital structure of the firm. Volume III presents empirical evidence on the valuation of debt instruments as well as applications of the CCA to various financial arrangements. The papers in Volume IV show how to apply the CCA to analyze sovereign credit risk, contingent convertible bonds (CoCos), deposit insurance and loan guarantees. Volume 1: Foundations of CCA and Equity ValuationVolume 1 presents the seminal papers of Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973, 1974). This volume also includes papers that specifically price equity as a call option on the corporation. It introduces warrants, convertible bonds and taxation as contingent claims on the corporation. It highlights the strong relationship between the CCA and the Modigliani-Miller (M&M) Theorems, and the relation to the Capital Assets Pricing Model (CAPM). Volume 2: Corporate Debt Valuation with CCAVolume 2 concentrates on corporate bond valuation by introducing various types of bonds with different covenants as well as introducing various conditions that trigger default. While empirical evidence indicates that the simple Merton's model underestimates the credit spreads, additional risk factors like jumps can be used to resolve it. Volume 3: Empirical Testing and Applications of CCAVolume 3 includes papers that look at issues in corporate finance that can be explained with the CCA approach. These issues include the effect of dividend policy on the valuation of debt and equity, the pricing of employee stock options and many other issues of corporate governance. Volume 4: Contingent Claims Approach for Banks and Sovereign DebtVolume 4 focuses on the application of the contingent claim approach to banks and other financial intermediaries. Regulation of the banking industry led to the creation of new financial securities (e.g., CoCos) and new types of stakeholders (e.g., deposit insurers).

Read more less

The seventh and eighth volumes of Handbook of Carbon Nano Materials focus on novel properties and applications of nanocarbons, viz., graphene, nanotube and fullerene. The books provide a comprehensive overview of the author's work, and significant discoveries and pioneering contributions from other groups. Specific applications cover latest developments in graphene synthesis, CVD of carbon nanomaterials, multifunctional carbon nanostructures, chemical manipulation, energy conversion and storage, nanotube micellar surface chemistry, and biosensor development. This is a highly useful book for graduate students, as well as beginning and senior researchers.

Read more less

The evolution of China's intellectual landscape, especially the battles among different influential social and political ideas, sheds light on its history. Leading Schools of Thought in Contemporary China offers a close-up look of eight major schools of thought that swept across China between 1978 and 2008, ranging from Deng Xiaoping's thoughts to Neo-Confucianism. Subject to unrelenting debates among both scholars and the general public, the popularity of these ideas waxed and waned throughout those turbulent decades. They have two things in common. First, they are all problem-oriented insofar as they carry their advocates' hopes of finding in them solutions to both new and old problems the country has faced. Second, while richly informed by such traditions as authoritarianism and Confucianism that have long held sway in much of Asia, including China, these ideas also reveal the deep influence of, and even affinity with, some of the most influential social and political theories in the Western tradition, including liberalism, socialism and conservatism. Readers will find in the continuing contestation among these theories in the marketplace of ideas not only much of what is exciting about the intellectual scene in China today, but also clues about China's future.

Read more less

China's Elite Politics provides a new theoretical perspective on elite politics in China and uses this theoretical perspective to explain power transfer from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao and political dynamics between different factional groups since the Sixteenth Party Congress of November 2002. It explains the transition in structural terms, presents characteristics of China's political elites, and analyzes the balance of power among formal institutions as well as among factional groups. It also examines political interactions between Jiang Zemin and his cronies on the one side and Hu Jintao and his allies on the other over a number of issues: the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS); ideological institutionalization; the politics over economic overheating; Jiang Zemin's complete retirement; and Hu Jintao's power consolidation in both ideological and personnel terms.

Read more less

For the millions of citizens in the Arab World who came together in 2010-2011 to discover their common yearning for dignity and liberty, the real revolutions only began after the wave of protests. Understanding the Political Economy of the Arab Uprisings reassess the interests, potential and constraints of various socio-political players and their importance in the building of a constructive environment for democratic progress in the Middle East. Initiated by the Cairo-based Economic Research Forum and edited by Ishac Diwan, this invaluable volume features contributions by Middle East academics across the world. They examine the reasons behind the uprisings, how democratic transitions transpire, the role of Arab capitalism in the crises, and how the experiences of other countries such as Indonesia, Turkey and Iran, can forecast where these uprisings may lead the Middle East in the years to come.

Read more less

This book originates as an essential underlying component of a modern, imaginative three-semester honors program (six undergraduate courses) in Mathematical Studies. In its entirety, it covers Algebra, Geometry and Analysis in One Variable.The book is intended to provide a comprehensive and rigorous account of the concepts of set, mapping, family, order, number (both natural and real), as well as such distinct procedures as proof by induction and recursive definition, and the interaction between these ideas; with attempts at including insightful notes on historic and cultural settings and information on alternative presentations. The work ends with an excursion on infinite sets, principally a discussion of the mathematics of Axiom of Choice and often very useful equivalent statements.

Read more less

This book discusses many key topics in investment and risk management, the global economic situation and the shift in global investment strategies. It was largely written during the period of 2007-12, one of the most tumultuous times in global financial markets which called into question not only tenets of economic forecasting and also asset allocation and return strategies. It contains studies of how investors lose money in derivative markets, examples of those who did not and how these disasters could have been prevented. The authors draw some conclusions on the impact of the structural shifts currently underway in the global economy as well as how cyclical trends will affect these industries, the globe and key sectors. The authors zoom in on key growth areas, including emerging markets, their interlinkages and financial trends.The book also covers risk arbitrage and mean reversion strategies in financial and sports betting markets, plus incentives, volatility aspects, risk taking and investments strategies used by hedge funds and university endowments. Topics such as stock market crash predictions, asset liability planning models, various players in financial markets and the evaluation of the greatest investors are also discussed.The book presents tools and case studies of real applications for analyzing a wide variety of investment returns and better assessing the risks which many investors have preferred to ignore in the search of returns. Many security market regularities or anomalies are discussed including political party and January effects as is the process of building scenarios and using Kelly and fractional Kelly strategies to optimize returns.

Read more less

Ever since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The 25th edition held in October 2011 in Brussels and chaired by David Gross continued this tradition and celebrated the first centennial of this illustrious series of conferences. The development and applications of quantum mechanics have always been the main threads in the history of the Solvay Conferences, hence the 25th Solvay conference gathered many of the leading figures working on a wide variety of profound problems in physics where quantum mechanical effects play a central role. The conference addressed some of the most pressing open questions in the field of physics.The proceedings contain the “rapporteur talks” which give a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished and renowned scientists. These lectures cover the seven sessions: “History and Reflections”, “Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation”, “Control of Quantum Systems”, “Quantum Condensed Matter”, “Particles and Fields”, “Quantum Gravity and String Theory” and it ended with a general discussion attempting to arrive at a synthesis.In the Solvay tradition, the proceedings also include the prepared comments to the rapporteur talks. The discussions among the participants — some of which quite lively and involving dramatically divergent points of view — have been carefully edited and are reproduced in full.

Read more less

This book provides visualizations of many topics in general physics. The aim is to have an interactive MATLAB script wherein the user can vary parameters in a specific problem and then immediately see the outcome by way of dynamic “movies” of the response of the system in question. MATLAB tools are used throughout and the software scripts accompany the text in Symbolic Mathematics, Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Waves and Optics, Gases and Fluid Flow, Quantum Mechanics, Special and General Relativity, and Astrophysics and Cosmology. The emphasis is on building up an intuition by running many different parametric choices chosen actively by the user and watching the subsequent behavior of the system.Physics books using MATLAB do not have the range — or the intent — of this text. They are rather steeped in technical detail. Symbolic math is used extensively and is integral to the aim of using MATLAB tools to accomplish the technical aspects of problem solving.

Read more less

This book discusses many key topics in investment and risk management, the global economic situation and the shift in global investment strategies. It was largely written during the period of 2007-12, one of the most tumultuous times in global financial markets which called into question not only tenets of economic forecasting and also asset allocation and return strategies. It contains studies of how investors lose money in derivative markets, examples of those who did not and how these disasters could have been prevented. The authors draw some conclusions on the impact of the structural shifts currently underway in the global economy as well as how cyclical trends will affect these industries, the globe and key sectors. The authors zoom in on key growth areas, including emerging markets, their interlinkages and financial trends.The book also covers risk arbitrage and mean reversion strategies in financial and sports betting markets, plus incentives, volatility aspects, risk taking and investments strategies used by hedge funds and university endowments. Topics such as stock market crash predictions, asset liability planning models, various players in financial markets and the evaluation of the greatest investors are also discussed.The book presents tools and case studies of real applications for analyzing a wide variety of investment returns and better assessing the risks which many investors have preferred to ignore in the search of returns. Many security market regularities or anomalies are discussed including political party and January effects as is the process of building scenarios and using Kelly and fractional Kelly strategies to optimize returns.

Read more less

This multi-volume set focuses on a key region of the world which contains four of the biggest emerging economies, a large number of highly dynamic small- and medium-sized emerging economies, and one of the leading advanced industrial countries. It is a region which contains some of the biggest hydrocarbon and mineral deposits in the world, and some of the most energy- and metal-hungry economies in the world. With half the world's population, it is one of the most dynamic regions of the globe in terms of population movement, providing a key focus of foreign investment, both inwards and outwards, with a high degree of technological dynamism. The region plays a central role in the industrial supply networks of the globe.In four volumes, focusing on, respectively, foreign investment, innovation, energy and migration, the set focuses on each of the main elements in the production system in turn — capital, innovation, raw materials and labour. Volume 1 studies patterns of interchange of financial and direct investment within the region, focusing on governance, the development of supply chains, and technology transfer. In Volume 2, the technology theme becomes dominant, with a special focus on digital technology. It includes technical issues like mobile communications standardisation, developmental dimensions, including the role of clusters and science parks, and political economy issues like the rise of techno-nationalism. Volume 3 turns to energy issues — not just issues of supply and demand, but also key problems of climate change, security and sustainability across the Eurasian and Asian landmass. Volume 4 presents the human dimension, looking at people in movement, as workers, citizens, men, women, or colonisers. Among the key issues discussed are the migration from country to town in China, the ‘greying’ of countries like Japan, the effect of war on migration, marriage migration, human trafficking and the depopulation of the Russian Far East.The set is a must-have for anyone keen to understand the region whose manufacturing core can be described, without exaggeration, as the ‘workshop of the world’ of the twenty-first century.

Read more less

Edited by internationally recognized authorities in the field, this expanded and updated new edition of the bestselling Handbook, containing more than 100 new articles, is aimed at the design and operation of modern particle accelerators. It is intended as a vade mecum for professional engineers and physicists engaged in these subjects. With a collection of more than 2000 equations, 300 illustrations and 500 graphs and tables, here one will find, in addition to the common formulae of previous compilations, hard-to-find, specialized formulae, recipes and material data pooled from the lifetime experience of many of the world's most able practitioners of the art and science of accelerators.The eight chapters include both theoretical and practical matters as well as an extensive glossary of accelerator types. Chapters on beam dynamics and electromagnetic and nuclear interactions deal with linear and nonlinear single particle and collective effects including spin motion, beam-environment, beam-beam, beam-electron, beam-ion and intrabeam interactions. The impedance concept and related calculations are dealt with at length as are the instabilities associated with the various interactions mentioned. A chapter on operational considerations includes discussions on the assessment and correction of orbit and optics errors, real-time feedbacks, generation of short photon pulses, bunch compression, tuning of normal and superconducting linacs, energy recovery linacs, free electron lasers, cooling, space-charge compensation, brightness of light sources, collider luminosity optimization and collision schemes. Chapters on mechanical and electrical considerations present material data and important aspects of component design including heat transfer and refrigeration. Hardware systems for particle sources, feedback systems, confinement and acceleration (both normal conducting and superconducting) receive detailed treatment in a subsystems chapter, beam measurement techniques and apparatus being treated therein as well. The closing chapter gives data and methods for radiation protection computations as well as much data on radiation damage to various materials and devices.A detailed name and subject index is provided together with reliable references to the literature where the most detailed information available on all subjects treated can be found.

Read more less

This book is novel in that it is a single volume offering useful practical tips in the performance of the broad range of procedures used by gastroenterologists, interventional radiologists and surgeons in the current management of complicated abdominal emergencies and traumatic injuries. Emphasis is placed on practical tips which could be life-saving.The contributors are experienced staff members from the National University Hospital, Singapore. Through a step-by-step narrative and an abundance of medical illustrations, the contributors impart to the reader how best to perform and overcome difficulties encountered in the management of complicated abdominal emergencies. Learning is enhanced by video clips of procedures recorded live, in the DVD-ROM that accompanies the book.

Read more less

This is a book unique in structure — a collection of ideas noted on index cards over a period of 40 years.Acclaimed mathematician Lloyd N Trefethen, Professor of Numerical Analysis at Oxford University, has created an intellectual diary, marking the development of his interests and ideas, from his teenage years to the present. These thoughts stand as signposts, directing us through a mind that applies the same scientific discipline and rigor in everyday life as that needed for success in science and academia. Informative and entertaining, Professor Trefethen's Index Cards is a collage of observations of rare clarity, in subjects ranging from astronomy to family life, and from music to politics.The book will be of interest not only to other scientists and mathematicians, but to anyone in the general public interested in discerning how a scientific outlook informs the way we see broader issues in the societies we live in.

Read more less

A hands on reference guide for scientists working in the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, polymer science, solid-state physics, devices, nanotechnology or supramolecular science of carbon nanomaterials. In-depth and comprehensive coverage of topics combined with the perspectives for future research by the contributing authors. An invaluable reference source essential for both beginning and advanced researchers in the field.

Read more less

The book describes in detail the technical aspects of Living Donor Liver Transplantation (LDLT), the routine practice of the world renowned Liver Transplant Team at Hong Kong's Queen Mary Hospital, and our views on various issues of the operation. The thorough review on the history and technical procedures of LDLT and discussion on various aspects of the operation and its future perspectives will serve as a unique reference for surgeons, researchers, nurses, medical students, patients and laypersons seeking information on LDLT.This latest edition offers updated operative results from our center and the latest modifications of the technique. With contributions from a leading microvascular surgeon, a critical care clinician, a psychiatrist, and two anesthetists from the same liver transplant team, the LDLT experience at Queen Mary Hospital is depicted in an even greater extent.

Read more less

This conference is the seventh in a series of topical meetings dealing with the nuclear fission process, mainly at low excitation energy. During these meetings, actual topics are discussed by a group of experts. These proceedings give an overview of the topics treated, and permit a rapid overview of the current activities in the field.

Read more less

This book presents a complete theory of ordinary differential equations, with many illustrative examples and interesting exercises. A rigorous treatment is offered with clear proofs for the theoretical results and with detailed solutions for the examples and problems.This book is intended for undergraduate students who major in mathematics and have acquired a prerequisite knowledge of calculus and partly the knowledge of a complex variable, and are now reading advanced calculus and linear algebra. Additionally, the comprehensive coverage of the theory with a wide array of examples and detailed solutions, would appeal to mathematics graduate students and researchers as well as graduate students in majors of other disciplines.As a handy reference, advanced knowledge is provided as well with details developed beyond the basics; optional sections, where main results are extended, offer an understanding of further applications of ordinary differential equations.

Read more less

The Nobel Banquets is not about Alfred Nobel's personal dining habits; it is about his “gift to mankind” — the five original Nobel Prizes and the festivities that are arranged every year to celebrate them.There is hardly any other banquet in the world that is as famous as the Nobel Banquet which many would give a fortune to attend. It is held on December 10 in Stockholm every year. Countless articles and books have been written describing what the guests eat and drink, the table decorations and the serving ceremonies, the placing lists and of course the Nobel laureates themselves.This comprehensive book presents not only all the known facts about the Nobel banquet menus but also many unknown details, both about the Nobel banquets themselves and about the traditional banquets held at the Royal Court by the King and Queen of Sweden on December 11 in honour of the laureates.The main focus is on the food and drink that have been served annually for more than a century. The gastronomic man is at the centre. The composition and contents of each banquet are listed and analysed. Today, the guiding principle is that the menus should have a touch of Scandinavia. The reader is given interesting insights into the work in the kitchens, the decanting of the wines and the special challenges that the waiters and waitresses face.The Nobel Banquets contains many photographs. It is a goldmine for gourmets and for anyone interested in knowing more about all the effort that goes into these fabulous festivities.

Read more less

This is a comprehensive book which describes the three essential parts of what is known as "Inertial Confinement Fusion": the way thermonuclear burn takes place in non-magnetized, magnetized and fusion-fission hybrid assemblies; the pulse power ignition technology (nuclear, electrical, optical and chemical); and the applications of inertial confinement fusion technology for peaceful nuclear energy on Earth and in space.An integrated single text of such extensive technical width is a rare find, and younger generations of nuclear engineers any physicists will appreciate this book as a companion to their traditional textbooks.

Read more less

Optical Interactions in Solids presents an extensive and unified treatment of the basic principles of the optical properties of solids. It provides a theoretical background to workers in the field of laser physics and absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of solid state materials. The book is a comprehensive coverage of the subject and is systematically and didactically organized. The level of presentation is such that it will benefit and interest both advanced students and research workers. Group theory — which is useful throughout — is introduced early in the book advocating the scientific community to overcome the reluctance to employ this powerful method. Consistent emphasis is given throughout the book to the relevance of symmetry and to detailed calculations. Different subjects as various as quantum theory of radiation field, thermal vibrations of molecules and crystals and covalent bonding are brought together in a unified treatment which requires knowledge of all these topics and this points to the interpretation of the spectral properties of solids. The content of this work could be used as a two term graduate course in solid state spectroscopy.br>

Read more less