- Table View
- List View
A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science
by Michael S. SchneiderDiscover how mathematical sequences abound in our natural world in this definitive exploration of the geography of the cosmosYou need not be a philosopher or a botanist, and certainly not a mathematician, to enjoy the bounty of the world around us. But is there some sort of order, a pattern, to the things that we see in the sky, on the ground, at the beach? In A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe, Michael Schneider, an education writer and computer consultant, combines science, philosophy, art, and common sense to reaffirm what the ancients observed: that a consistent language of geometric design underpins every level of the universe, from atoms to galaxies, cucumbers to cathedrals. Schneider also discusses numerical and geometric symbolism through the ages, and concepts such as periodic renewal and resonance. This book is an education in the world and everything we can't see within it.Contains numerous b&w photos and illustrations.
A Beginner's Guide to Medical Application Development with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
by Nilanjan Dey Amartya Mukherjee Snehan BiswasThis book serves as a source of introductory material and reference for medical application development and related technologies by providing the detailed implementation of cutting-edge deep learning methodologies. It targets cloud-based advanced medical application developments using open-source Python-based deep learning libraries. It includes code snippets and sophisticated convolutional neural networks to tackle real-world problems in medical image analysis and beyond.Features: Provides programming guidance for creation of sophisticated and reliable neural networks for image processing. Incorporates the comparative study on GAN, stable diffusion, and its application on medical image data augmentation. Focuses on solving real-world medical imaging problems. Discusses advanced concepts of deep learning along with the latest technology such as GPT, stable diffusion, and ViT. Develops applicable knowledge of deep learning using Python programming, followed by code snippets and OOP concepts. This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in medical data analytics, medical image analysis, signal processing, and deep learning.
A Beginner's Guide to R: A Frequentist And Bayesian Perspective For Ecologists (Use R!)
by Elena N. Ieno Alain Zuur Erik MeestersBased on their extensive experience with teaching R and statistics to applied scientists, the authors provide a beginner's guide to R. To avoid the difficulty of teaching R and statistics at the same time, statistical methods are kept to a minimum. The text covers how to download and install R, import and manage data, elementary plotting, an introduction to functions, advanced plotting, and common beginner mistakes. This book contains everything you need to know to get started with R. "Its biggest advantage is that it aims only to teach R...It organizes R commands very efficiently, with much teaching guidance included. I would describe this book as being handy--it's the kind of book that you want to keep in your jacket pocket or backpack all the time, ready for use, like a Swiss Army knife." (Loveday Conquest, University of Washington) "Whilst several books focus on learning statistics in R..., the authors of this book fill a gap in the market by focusing on learning R whilst almost completely avoiding any statistical jargon...The fact that the authors have very extensive experience of teaching R to absolute beginners shines throughout." (Mark Mainwaring, Lancaster University) "Exactly what is needed...This is great, nice work. I love the ecological/biological examples; they will be an enormous help." (Andrew J. Tyne, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
A Beginners' Guide to Scanning Electron Microscopy
by Anwar Ul-HamidThis book was developed with the goal of providing an easily understood text for those users of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) who have little or no background in the area. The SEM is routinely used to study the surface structure and chemistry of a wide range of biological and synthetic materials at the micrometer to nanometer scale. Ease-of-use, typically facile sample preparation, and straightforward image interpretation, combined with high resolution, high depth of field, and the ability to undertake microchemical and crystallographic analysis, has made scanning electron microscopy one of the most powerful and versatile techniques for characterization today. Indeed, the SEM is a vital tool for the characterization of nanostructured materials and the development of nanotechnology. However, its wide use by professionals with diverse technical backgrounds—including life science, materials science, engineering, forensics, mineralogy, etc., and in various sectors of government, industry, and academia—emphasizes the need for an introductory text providing the basics of effective SEM imaging.A Beginners’ Guide to Scanning Electron Microscopy explains instrumentation, operation, image interpretation and sample preparation in a wide ranging yet succinct and practical text, treating the essential theory of specimen-beam interaction and image formation in a manner that can be effortlessly comprehended by the novice SEM user. This book provides a concise and accessible introduction to the essentials of SEMincludes a large number of illustrations specifically chosen to aid readers' understanding of key conceptshighlights recent advances in instrumentation, imaging and sample preparation techniquesoffers examples drawn from a variety of applications that appeal to professionals from diverse backgrounds.
A Beginner’s Guide to Lasers and Their Applications, Part 1: Insights into Laser Science (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics)
by Dhruba J. BiswasThis two-volume book provides an enriching insight into the laser, covering different types of lasers, the basic science behind the technology, their role at the cutting-edge of current scientific research, and their wide-ranging applications. With just high school physics as a prerequisite and favoring qualitative yet scientifically sound explanations over high-level mathematics, this book is aimed at a broad spectrum of readers in physics, chemistry, engineering, medicine, and biology. Its engaging and lucid presentation is enhanced with plenty of illustrations, making the world of the laser accessible to undergraduate students in the sciences and any other inquisitive readers with high school physics under their belts. Furthermore, the text is often laced with anecdotes, picked from history, that are bound to pique the minds of the readers. It is ideal for self-study or as a complement to courses on optics and optoelectronics. This volume, Part 1 of 2, explains the fundamentals of optics, what a laser is, how it works, and what is unique about the light it emits, from fundamental quantum theory through population inversion and cavity to common laser types. It is followed by Part 2 which depicts the many advances in science enabled by the laser, including spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, optical cooling and trapping, and optical tweezers, among many others, and provides a glimpse into the ways that the laser affects our lives via its uses in medicine, manufacturing, the nuclear industry, energy, defence, communication, ranging, pollution monitoring, art conservation, fashion, beauty, and entertainment.
A Beginner’s Guide to Using Open Access Data (Pocket Guides to Biomedical Sciences)
by Saif Aldeen AlRyalat Shaher MomaniOpen Access Data is emerging as a source for cutting edge scholarship. This concise book provides guidance from generating a research idea to publishing results. Both young researchers and well-established scholars can use this book to upgrade their skills with respect to emerging data sources, analysis, and even post-publishing promotion. At the end of each chapter, a tutorial simulates a real example, allowing readers to apply what they learned about accessing open data, and analyzing this data to reach the results. This book can be of use by established researchers analyzing data, publishing, and actively promoting ongoing and research. Key selling features: Describes the steps, from A-Z, for doing open data research Includes interactive tutorials following each chapter Provides guidelines for readers so that they can use their own accessed open data Reviews recent software and websites promoting and enabling open data research Supplements websites which update recent open data sources
A Beginner’s Primer: Basic Concepts in Mechanics
by Tarek I. ZohdiAs we enter an exciting new era in industrial design, simulation, and manufacturing, a clear understanding of mechanics of solids is needed now more than ever. This primer is a condensed synopsis of basic undergraduate mechanics and is designed to supplement classical textbooks in this area. The focus is on the essentials of mechanics, specifically: • The concept of stress. • Stress-strain relationships. • Failure theory. • Axial loading of a rod. • Transverse (bending) loading of a beam. • Industrial application: modeling of 3D printing. • Transverse shear stresses. • Torsional loading of a rod. • Pressure vessels. • Buckling of columns. • The basics of finite element methods. • A unifying concept: continuum mechanics.
A Bibliography on Grapes, Wines, Other Alcoholic Beverages, and Temperance: Works Published in the United States Before 1901 (UC Publications in Catalogs and Bibliographies #12)
by M. A. Amerine Axel E. BorgThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1996.
A Big Bang in a Little Room: The Quest to Create New Universes
by Zeeya MeraliAn award-winning science writer takes us into the lab to answer some of life's biggest questions: How was the universe created? And could we create our own?What if you could become God, with the ability to build a whole new universe? As startling as it sounds, modern physics suggests that within the next two decades, scientists may be able to perform this seemingly divine feat-to concoct an entirely new baby universe, complete with its own physical laws, star systems, galaxies, and even intelligent life. A Big Bang in a Little Room takes the reader on a journey through the history of cosmology and unravels-particle by particle, theory by theory, and experiment by experiment-the ideas behind this provocative claim made by some of the most respected physicists alive today. Beyond simply explaining the science, A Big Bang in a Little Room also tells the story of the people who have been laboring for more than thirty years to make this seemingly impossible dream a reality. What has driven them to continue on what would seem, at first glance, to be a quixotic quest?This mind-boggling book reveals that we can nurse other worlds in the tiny confines of a lab, raising a daunting prospect: Was our universe, too, brought into existence by a daring creator?
A Biogeoscience Approach to Ecosystems
by Johnson Martin Edward A. Yvonne E.Biogeoscience is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that aims to bring together biological and geophysical processes. This book builds an enhanced understanding of ecosystems by focusing on the integrative connections between ecological processes and the geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. Each chapter provides studies by researchers who have contributed to the biogeoscience synthesis, presenting the latest research on the relationships between ecological processes, such as conservation laws and heat and transport processes, and geophysical processes, such as hillslope, fluvial and aeolian geomorphology, and hydrology. Highlighting the value of biogeoscience as an approach to understand ecosystems, this is an ideal resource for researchers and students in both ecology and the physical sciences.
A Biography of Our Sun: From Ancient Myths and Artifacts to Modern Art and Astrophysics
by Laura PesceThis book is for everyone curious about the Sun and how it has been perceived throughout human history, including the modern scientific view. Beginning with ancient myths and legends, superstitions, art and poetry, the book proceeds to explain the amazing composition of our star, how it produces the heat and light on which all life depends, as well as touching the harvesting of solar energy that is becoming so essential in the modern world. The book is illustrated by the author's own artwork and includes first-hand scientific information provided in interviews with professional astrophysicists.
A Biologist's Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution
by Troy Day Sarah P. OttoThirty years ago, biologists could get by with a rudimentary grasp of mathematics and modeling. Not so today. In seeking to answer fundamental questions about how biological systems function and change over time, the modern biologist is as likely to rely on sophisticated mathematical and computer-based models as traditional fieldwork. In this book, Sarah Otto and Troy Day provide biology students with the tools necessary to both interpret models and to build their own. The book starts at an elementary level of mathematical modeling, assuming that the reader has had high school mathematics and first-year calculus. Otto and Day then gradually build in depth and complexity, from classic models in ecology and evolution to more intricate class-structured and probabilistic models. The authors provide primers with instructive exercises to introduce readers to the more advanced subjects of linear algebra and probability theory. Through examples, they describe how models have been used to understand such topics as the spread of HIV, chaos, the age structure of a country, speciation, and extinction. Ecologists and evolutionary biologists today need enough mathematical training to be able to assess the power and limits of biological models and to develop theories and models themselves. This innovative book will be an indispensable guide to the world of mathematical models for the next generation of biologists. A how-to guide for developing new mathematical models in biology Provides step-by-step recipes for constructing and analyzing models Interesting biological applications Explores classical models in ecology and evolution Questions at the end of every chapter Primers cover important mathematical topics Exercises with answers Appendixes summarize useful rules Labs and advanced material available
A Biophilic Design Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Design Studios (SpringerBriefs in Education)
by Lina Markauskaite Arianna Brambilla Niranjika WijesooriyaThis book explores the current challenges of teaching biophilic design within environmentally sustainable design (ESD) education. It shows how design frameworks and success matrices can be used within ESD education, explores the development of biophilic design frameworks and shows how design thinking can be used to adopt biophilic design within ESD education. It introduces the new 'Process Bridging Technique (PBT)' that can be used to generate sustainable design frameworks able to fulfil the requirements of a performance-based approach and, at the same time, enhance human-nature connectedness. Based on an educational design research project developed in the past two years at the University of Sydney, this book informs new approaches to ESD education and bridges the spheres of research, education, and profession. It serves as a practical guide on how to systematically develop a design framework that can be used in architecture education, while presenting the pioneering 'Process Bridging Technique' developed by the authors.
A Biosemiotic Ontology: The Philosophy of Giorgio Prodi (Biosemiotics #18)
by Felice CimattiGiorgio Prodi (1928-1987) was an important Italian scientist who developed an original philosophy based on two basic assumptions: 1. life is mainly a semiotic phenomenon; 2. matter is somewhat a semiotic phenomenon.Prodi applies Peirce's cenopythagorean categories to all phenomena of life and matter: Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness. They are interconnected meaning that the very ontology of the world, according to Prodi, is somewhat semiotic. In fact, when one describes matter as “made of” Firstness and Secondness, this means that matter ‘intrinsically’ implies semiotics (with Thirdness also being present in the world).At the very heart of Prodi’s theory lies a metaphysical hypothesis which is an ambitious theoretical gesture that places Prodi in an awkward position with respect to the customary philosophical tradition. In fact, his own ontology is neither dualistic nor monistic. Such a conclusion is unusual and weird, but much less unusual in present time than it was when it was first introduced. The actual resurgence of various “realisms” make Prodi’s semiotic realism much more interesting than when he first proposed his philosophical approach. What is uncommon, in Prodi perspective, is that he never separated semiotics from the materiality of the world. Prodi does not agree with the “standard” structuralist view of semiosis as an artificial and unnatural activity. On the contrary, Prodi believed semiosis (that is, the interconnection between Firstness, Secondness and Thirdness) lies at the very bottom of life. On one hand, Prodi maintains a strong realist stance; on the other, a realism that includes semiosis as ‘natural’ phenomena. This last view is very unusual because all forms, more or less, of realism exclude semiosis from nature but they frequently “reduce” semiosis to non-semiotic elements. According to Prodi, semiosis is a completely natural phenomenon.
A Biostatistics Toolbox for Data Analysis
by Steve SelvinThis sophisticated package of statistical methods is for advanced master's (MPH) and PhD students in public health and epidemiology who are involved in the analysis of data. It makes the link from statistical theory to data analysis, focusing on the methods and data types most common in public health and related fields. Like most toolboxes, the statistical tools in this book are organized into sections with similar objectives. Unlike most toolboxes, however, these tools are accompanied by complete instructions, explanations, detailed examples, and advice on relevant issues and potential pitfalls - conveying skills, intuition, and experience. The only prerequisite is a first-year statistics course and familiarity with a computing package such as R, Stata, SPSS, or SAS. Though the book is not tied to a particular computing language, its figures and analyses were all created using R. Relevant R code, data sets, and links to public data sets are available from www. cambridge. org/9781107113084.
A Bird Is a Bird
by Lizzy RockwellWhat is a bird? And how is it different from a mammal or a reptile?Some birds are huge and some are tiny. Some birds are fantastically colorful and some are plain. But what do all birds share? Early nonfiction expert Lizzy Rockwell explains that birds have beaks, wings, and feathers, and hatch from eggs. Other animals might have some of these features in common, but only a bird has them all. Only a bird is a bird! A clear text and beautiful illustrations cover dozens of different birds and their shared characteristics, as well as the unique qualities of unusual birds, such as penguins and peacocks.A great companion to Rockwell's A Mammal is an Animal.
A Birman-Schwinger Principle in Galactic Dynamics (Progress in Mathematical Physics #77)
by Markus KunzeThis monograph develops an innovative approach that utilizes the Birman-Schwinger principle from quantum mechanics to investigate stability properties of steady state solutions in galactic dynamics. The opening chapters lay the framework for the main result through detailed treatments of nonrelativistic galactic dynamics and the Vlasov-Poisson system, the Antonov stability estimate, and the period function $T_1$. Then, as the main application, the Birman-Schwinger type principle is used to characterize in which cases the “best constant” in the Antonov stability estimate is attained. The final two chapters consider the relation to the Guo-Lin operator and invariance properties for the Vlasov-Poisson system, respectively. Several appendices are also included that cover necessary background material, such as spherically symmetric models, action-angle variables, relevant function spaces and operators, and some aspects of Kato-Rellich perturbation theory. A Birman-Schwinger Principle in Galactic Dynamics will be of interest to researchers in galactic dynamics, kinetic theory, and various aspects of quantum mechanics, as well as those in related areas of mathematical physics and applied mathematics.
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by Carolyn Cinami DecristofanoGet ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind! What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole. In lively and often humorous text, the book starts off with a thorough explanation of gravity and the role it plays in the formation of black holes. A BLACK HOLE IS NOT A HOLE is an excellent introduction to an extremely complex scientific concept. Back matter includes a timeline which sums up important findings discussed throughout, while the glossary and index provide a quick point of reference for readers. Children and adults alike will learn a ton of spacey facts in this far-out book that's sure to excite even the youngest of astrophiles.
A Black Hole is Not a Hole: Updated Edition
by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofanoA black hole isn't really a hole . . . is it? Get ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind with this beloved and best-selling science book. Updated with an all-new chapter about the first black-hole image ever!What are black holes, what causes them, and how the heck did scientists discover them? Acclaimed STEM writer Carolyn DeCristofano's playful text shares how astronomers find black holes, introduces our nearest black-hole neighbors, and provides an excellent introduction to an extremely complex scientific topic. Gorgeous space paintings supplement real telescopic images, and funny doodles and speech bubbles keep the content light and fun.
A Blue Carbon Primer: The State of Coastal Wetland Carbon Science, Practice and Policy (CRC Marine Science)
by Lisamarie Windham-Myers Stephen Crooks Tiffany G. TroxlerKey features: Captures the historic context and recent developments in science and policy arenas that address the potential for coastal wetlands to be considered as significant contributors to carbon sequestration Links multiple levels of science (biogeochemistry, geomorphology, paleoclimate, etc.) with blue carbon concepts (science, policy, mapping, operationalization, economics) in a single compendium Concludes with a discussion of future directions which covers integrated scientific approaches, impending threats and specific gaps in current knowledge Includes 7 case studies from across the globe that demonstrate the benefits and challenges of blue carbon accounting Written by over 100 leading global blue carbon experts in science and policy. Blue Carbon has emerged as a term that represents the distinctive carbon stocks and fluxes into or out of coastal wetlands such as marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses. The Blue Carbon concept has rapidly developed in science literature and is highly relevant politically, as nations and markets are developing blue carbon monitoring and management tools and policies. This book is a comprehensive and current compendium of the state of the science, the state of maps and mapping protocols, and the state of policy incentives (including economic valuation of blue carbon), with additional sections on operationalizing blue carbon projects and 7 case studies with global relevance.
A Body Worth Defending: Immunity, Biopolitics, and the Apotheosis of the Modern Body
by Ed CohenBiological immunity as we know it does not exist until the late nineteenth century. Nor does the premise that organisms defend themselves at the cellular or molecular levels. For nearly two thousand years "immunity," a legal concept invented in ancient Rome, serves almost exclusively political and juridical ends. "Self-defense" also originates in a juridico-political context; it emerges in the mid-seventeenth century, during the English Civil War, when Thomas Hobbes defines it as the first "natural right. " In the 1880s and 1890s, biomedicine fuses these two political precepts into one, creating a new vital function, "immunity-as-defense. " In A Body Worth Defending, Ed Cohen reveals the unacknowledged political, economic, and philosophical assumptions about the human body that biomedicine incorporates when it recruits immunity to safeguard the vulnerable living organism. Inspired by Michel Foucault's writings about biopolitics and biopower, Cohen traces the migration of immunity from politics and law into the domains of medicine and science. Offering a genealogy of the concept, he illuminates a complex of thinking about modern bodies that percolates through European political, legal, philosophical, economic, governmental, scientific, and medical discourses from the mid-seventeenth century through the twentieth. He shows that by the late nineteenth century, "the body" literally incarnates modern notions of personhood. In this lively cultural rumination, Cohen argues that by embracing the idea of immunity-as-defense so exclusively, biomedicine naturalizes the individual as the privileged focus for identifying and treating illness, thereby devaluing or obscuring approaches to healing situated within communities or collectives.
A Bone from a Dry Sea
by Peter DickinsonOn a prehistoric shore, a young girl fights to help her tribe survive She is at home in the ocean, as comfortable in the water as she is on dry land. The child’s people have made their homes by the bay for as long as anyone can remember, diving for mussels and any other food the ocean will serve to them. They have no language; they have no names. Although they know love and jealousy and pride, they are not quite human—not yet. This child of the sea will show them the way. Two million years later, Vinny is visiting her father at an archaeological site in Africa when they discover the remains of that forgotten tribe of cliff dwellers. Across the ocean of time, these two young women will find a connection, an inexplicable bond that builds slowly but arrives with all the power of a tidal wave. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Peter Dickinson including rare images from the author’s collection.
A Book of Balance: Kogi Wisdom for a Good Life and Thriving Earth
by Lucas BuchholzWe all need help centering ourselves to serve ourselves and our world. In this small, beautiful book, the Kogi—a remote and ancient tribe in the mountains of Colombia--offer their learnings. They pose nine thought-provoking questions to help us live harmoniously with the earth and in turn find happiness and purpose in every moment.“Just as we are both sitting here and talking, this is how we can live well. All of this you will write in the book.”—Mama Jose Gabriel, a spiritual guide of the Kogi tribe, to author Lucas BuchholzFor centuries, the Kogi have lived in seclusion in Colombia’s remote Sierra Nevadas, known as “the heart of the world.” But in recent years, concerned by the environmental degradation they have experienced in their villages and forests, a few emissaries from the tribe emerged to bring an urgent and loving message to the West—advice on how to live in harmony with the earth.Buchholz was invited to their home to receive and transcribe this message. A Book of Balance takes us on a journey into a startlingly beautiful landscape and into a sacred space: the traditional fireside circle held regularly by the tribe. In this circle, members consider key questions essential to their community.In this slim volume of spiritual introspection, they ask us to share in their practice, posing nine questions that focus our minds and hearts on who we are, who we can become.Throughout we hear the words of the Kogi elders, wisdom that offers revelations, inspiration, and direction for our everyday lives.A beautiful book to own, to share with friends, and discuss in community.
A Book of Dogs (and other canines)
by Katie ViggersDo you know the difference between a sight and a smell hound? Can you tell your pug from your poodle? From faithful family pet to wild pack animal, discover all there is to know about our canine friends (and their wild relatives) in this charming compendium of dogs from author/illustrator Katie Viggers. With quirky illustrations and fascinating facts, A Book of Dogs is the perfect introduction for children to this much-loved animal.
A Book of Noises: Notes on the Auraculous
by Caspar HendersonA wide-ranging exploration of the sounds that shape our world in invisible yet significant ways. The crackling of a campfire. The scratch, hiss, and pop of a vinyl record. The first glug of wine as it is poured from a bottle. These are just a few of writer Caspar Henderson’s favorite sounds. In A Book of Noises, Henderson invites readers to use their ears a little better—to tune in to the world in all its surprising noisiness. Describing sounds from around the natural and human world, the forty-eight essays that make up A Book of Noises are a celebration of all things “auraculous.” Henderson calls on his characteristic curiosity to explore sounds related to humans (anthropophony), other life (biophony), the planet (geophony), and space (cosmophony). Henderson finds the beauty in everyday sounds, like the ringing of a bell, the buzz of a bee, or the “earworm” songs that get stuck in our heads. A Book of Noises also explores the marvelous, miraculous sounds we may never get the chance to hear, like the deep boom of a volcano or the quiet, rustling sound of the Northern Lights. A Book of Noises will teach readers to really listen to the sounds of the world around them, to broaden and deepen their appreciation of the humans, animals, rocks, and trees simultaneously broadcasting across the whole spectrum of sentience.