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The Consolations of Physics: Why the Wonders of the Universe Can Make You Happy
by Tim RadfordThe Consolations of Physics is an eloquent manifesto for physics. In an age where uncertainty and division is rife, Tim Radford, science editor of the Guardian for twenty-five years, turns to the wonders of the universe for consolation. From the launch of the Voyager spacecraft and how it furthered our understanding of planets, stars and galaxies to the planet composed entirely of diamond and graphite and the sound of a blacksmith's anvil; from the hole NASA drilled in the heavens to the discovery of the Higgs Boson and the endeavours to prove the Big Bang, The Consolations of Physics will guide you from a tiny particle to the marvels of outer space.
The Consolidation of Democracy: Comparing Europe and Latin America (Democratization Studies)
by Carsten Q. SchneiderThis book investigates the successes and failures in consolidating those democratic regimes that emerged in Europe and Latin America in the last quarter of the 20th century. The theoretical approach developed combines the most prominent political-institutional and socio-structural approaches to explaining the Consolidation of Democracy (CoD). Reinterpreting conventional claims, Schneider’s comparative analyses of 32 countries indicates that the driving force behind CoD is the fit between the institutional type of democracy and the societal context in terms of power dispersion. This book: presents new data measuring dimensions of regime transition processes in Latin America, the Middle East and Northern Africa, as well as some former Soviet republics; reassesses some core assumptions of the dominant transition paradigm; discusses general methodological issues involved when investigating causally complex claims in comparative social research and presents fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) as a valuable addition to the methodological tool kit of comparative social scientists. This innovative and important volume will be of interest to political scientists, particularly those with an interest in democracy, democratization, comparative politics and comparative methodology.
The Constants of Nature: The Numbers That Encode the Deepest Secrets of the Universe
by John D. BarrowBarrow (mathematical sciences, U. of Cambridge) has been concerned about, and writing about, the constants of nature for over two decades now. Here he adds a new chapter: recent technology for analyzing light from distant quasars reveals what conditions have been like over the past 11 billion years, and startling findings about whether or not the so-called constants have been fickle. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
The Constellation Observing Atlas
by Kevin Jones Grant PrivettDesigned for anyone who wishes to learn the constellations or observe the best and brightest deep sky objects and double stars, this book contains an alphabetical list of constellations complete with star maps, historical background, and highlights of deep sky objects. Each entry contains position and physical information on enough stars to support astronomers in star-hopping, swinging the telescope from star to star to star to arrive at a faint target. It provides a carefully selected list of accessible and rewarding deep sky objects. Full-color maps show the constellations, with star types (spectral and physical) indicated by the colors used on the map. Extended objects such as galaxies and nebulae are shown with the approximate apparent size in the sky. With unmatched thoroughness and accessibility, this is a constellation atlas that makes the ideal companion to a night's telescope viewing, for novices and expert amateur astronomers alike. Easy to navigate and refer to, it is the key that unlocks the door to greater night sky exploration.
The Constituents of Medicinal Plants: An Introduction To The Chemistry And Therapeutics Of Herbal Medicine
by Dr Andrew PengellyA classic in the literature of herbal medicine, this book explains in simple terms the commonly occurring chemical constituents of medicinal plants, and how these react with the human body. The major classes of plant constituents, such as phenols, terpenes and polysaccharides, are described both in terms of their chemical structures and their pharmacological activities. The last 20 years has seen huge growth in research output in phytochemistry, and this edition has been thoroughly revised to incorporate up-to-date research. It contains a new chapter on resins and cannabinoids, and additional content on macrocarpals, essential oil chemotypes, mushroom polysaccharides, phytochemical synergy, and toxicology of phytochemicals. Features include: · Over 200 diagrams of chemical structures · Coverage of energetics, synergism and the emerging field of network pharmacology · New content on seaweeds and fungi, and polyphenol-rich foods · References to primary research literature in pharmacy, pharmacology, chemistry, plant biology, molecular biology, integrative medicine and many other disciplines Written by an experienced herbal practitioner, The Constituents of Medicinal Plants has become a standard textbook for courses on plant-based medicine. It is also an essential desktop reference for health practitioners, lecturers, researchers, producers, and anyone with an interest in how medicinal herbs work.
The Constitution of Science
by C. MantzavinosHow can science be protected, by whom and at what level? If science is valued positively as the incubator of the most successful solutions to representational problems of reality as well as the basis of the most effective interventions in the natural and social world, then its constitutional foundations must be protected. This book develops a specific normative outlook on science by introducing the idea of a 'Constitution of Science'. Scientific activities are special kinds of epistemic problem-solving activities unfolding in an institutional context. The scientific enterprise is a social process unfolding within an intricate institutional framework that structures the daily activities of scientists and shapes their outcomes. Those institutions of science which are of the highest generality make up the 'Constitution of Science' and are of fundamental importance for channelling the scientific process effectively.
The Construction of Ecological Civilization in China (China Insights)
by Kaizhong YangThe book introduces China's ecological environmental protection in urban and rural areas. China's economic development and the achievements in alleviating poverty has been recognized by the international community. However, China's commitment in ecological and environmental protection has not gain equivalent attention.From cultural and ideological perspective, the book presents the basic connotation and historical significance of ecological civilization construction advocated by China. It shows a tangible and multi-dimensional process and China's ecological civilization construction over recent years, combining analysis of the cases of China’s ecological civilization construction.
The Construction of Time in Antiquity: Ritual, Art, and Identity
by Jonathan Ben-Dov Lutz DoeringTime has always held a fascination for human beings, who have attempted to relate to it and to make sense of it, constructing and deconstructing it through its various prisms, since time cannot be experienced in an unmediated way. This book answers the needs of a growing community of scholars and readers who are interested in this interaction. It offers a series of innovative studies by both senior and younger experts on various aspects of the construction of time in antiquity. Some articles in this book contain visual material published for the first time, while other studies update the field with new theories or apply new approaches to relevant sources. Within the study of antiquity, the book covers the disciplines of Classics and Ancient History, Assyriology, Egyptology, Ancient Judaism, and Early Christianity, with thematic contributions on rituals, festivals, astronomy, calendars, medicine, art, and narrative.
The Construction of Words: Advances in Construction Morphology (Studies In Morphology Ser. #4)
by Geert BooijThis volume focuses on detailed studies of various aspects of Construction Morphology, and combines theoretical analysis and descriptive detail. It deals with data from several domains of linguistics and contributes to an integration of findings from various subdisciplines of linguistics into a common model of the architecture of language. It presents applications and extensions of the model of Construction Morphology to a wide range of languages. Construction Morphology is one of the theoretical paradigms in present-day morphology. It makes use of concepts of Construction Grammar for the analysis of word formation and inflection. Complex words are seen as constructions, that is, pairs of form and meaning. Morphological patterns are accounted for by construction schemas. These are the recipes for coining new words and word forms, and they motivate the properties of existing complex words. Both schemas and individual words are stored, and hence there is no strict separation of lexicon and grammar. In addition to abstract schemas there are subschemas for subclasses of complex words with specific properties. This architecture of the grammar is in harmony with findings from other empirical domains of linguistics such as language acquisition, word processing, and language change.
The Construction of the Heavens
by Michael HoskinThe astronomical observations of William Herschel (1738-1822) made him question the accepted model of the clockwork universe. This volume explains the development of Herschel's thoughts on what he called 'the construction of the heavens' and reprints his principal papers on this subject. The preliminary chapters provide an introduction to Herschel, including his unusual path to astronomy, the discovery of Uranus and his work on the evolution of stellar clusters, which eventually led him to challenge the unchanging Newtonian universe. The second half of the text comprises eight of Herschel's key papers on what we today would call cosmology, representing his progress between 1783 and 1814, fully annotated with historical notes and modern astrophysical explanations. Ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the history of science and in astronomy, this volume explains Herschel's pivotal role in the transformation from the clockwork universe to the 'biological' universe of modern astronomy.
The Consumer-Resource Relationship: Mathematical Modeling
by Claude LobryBetter known as the "predator-prey relationship," the consumer-resource relationship means the situation where a single species of organisms consumes for survival and reproduction. For example, Escherichia coli consumes glucose, cows consume grass, cheetahs consume baboons; these three very different situations, the first concerns the world of bacteria and the resource is a chemical species, the second concerns mammals and the resource is a plant, and in the final case the consumer and the resource are mammals, have in common the fact of consuming. In a chemostat, microorganisms generally consume (abiotic) minerals, but not always, bacteriophages consume bacteria that constitute a biotic resource. ‘The Chemostat’ book dealt only with the case of abiotic resources. Mathematically this amounts to replacing in the two equation system of the chemostat the decreasing function by a general increasing then decreasing function. This simple change has greatly enriched the theory. This book shows in this new framework the problem of competition for the same resource.
The Consuming Instinct
by David M. Buss Gad SaadIn this highly informative and entertaining book, the founder of the vibrant new field of evolutionary consumption illuminates the relevance of our biological heritage to our daily lives as consumers. While culture is important, the author shows that innate evolutionary forces deeply influence the foods we eat, the gifts we offer, the cosmetics and clothing styles we choose to make ourselves more attractive to potential mates, and even the cultural products that stimulate our imaginations (such as art, music, and religion). The book demonstrates that most acts of consumption can be mapped onto four key Darwinian drives--namely, survival (we prefer foods high in calories); reproduction (we use products as sexual signals); kin selection (we naturally exchange gifts with family members); and reciprocal altruism (we enjoy offering gifts to close friends). The author further highlights the analogous behaviors that exist between human consumers and a wide range of animals.For anyone interested in the biological basis of human behavior or simply in what makes consumers tick--marketing professionals, advertisers, psychology mavens, and consumers themselves--this is a fascinating read.From the Hardcover edition.
The Consuming Instinct
by Gad SaadFor anyone interested in the biological basis of human behavior or simply in what makes consumers tick--marketing professionals, advertisers, psychology mavens, and consumers themselves--this is a fascinating read.What do all successful fast-food restaurants have in common?Why are women more likely to become compulsive shoppers and men more likely to become addicted to pornography?How does the fashion industry play on our innate need to belong?Why do men's testosterone levels rise when they drive a Ferrari or a Porsche?The answer to all of these intriguing questions is "the consuming instinct," the underlying evolutionary basis for most of our consumer behavior. In this highly informative and entertaining book, the founder of the vibrant new field of evolutionary consumption illuminates the relevance of our biological heritage to our daily lives as consumers. While culture is important, the author shows that innate evolutionary forces deeply influence the foods we eat, the gifts we offer, the cosmetics and clothing styles we choose to make ourselves more attractive to potential mates, and even the cultural products that stimulate our imaginations (such as art, music, and religion). This book demonstrates that most acts of consumption can be mapped onto four key Darwinian drives--namely, survival (we prefer foods high in calories); reproduction (we use products as sexual signals); kin selection (we naturally exchange gifts with family members); and reciprocal altruism (we enjoy offering gifts to close friends). The author further highlights the analogous behaviors that exist between human consumers and a wide range of animals.
The Contagion Myth: Why Viruses (including "Coronavirus") Are Not the Cause of Disease
by Sally Fallon Morell Thomas S. CowanFor readers of Plague of Corruption, Thomas S. Cowan, MD, and Sally Fallon Morell ask the question: are there really such things as "viruses"? Or are electro smog, toxic living conditions, and 5G actually to blame for COVID-19? The official explanation for today&’s COVID-19 pandemic is a &“dangerous, infectious virus.&” This is the rationale for isolating a large portion of the world&’s population in their homes so as to curb its spread. From face masks to social distancing, from antivirals to vaccines, these measures are predicated on the assumption that tiny viruses can cause serious illness and that such illness is transmissible person-to-person. It was Louis Pasteur who convinced a skeptical medical community that contagious germs cause disease; his &“germ theory&” now serves as the official explanation for most illness. However, in his private diaries he states unequivocally that in his entire career he was not once able to transfer disease with a pure culture of bacteria (he obviously wasn&’t able to purify viruses at that time). He admitted that the whole effort to prove contagion was a failure, leading to his famous death bed confession that &“the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything.&” While the incidence and death statistics for COVID-19 may not be reliable, there is no question that many people have taken sick with a strange new disease—with odd symptoms like gasping for air and &“fizzing&” feelings—and hundreds of thousands have died. Many suspect that the cause is not viral but a kind of pollution unique to the modern age—electromagnetic pollution. Today we are surrounded by a jangle of overlapping and jarring frequencies—from power lines to the fridge to the cell phone. It started with the telegraph and progressed to worldwide electricity, then radar, then satellites that disrupt the ionosphere, then ubiquitous Wi-Fi. The most recent addition to this disturbing racket is fifth generation wireless—5G. In The Contagion Myth: Why Viruses (including Coronavirus) are Not the Cause of Disease, bestselling authors Thomas S. Cowan, MD, and Sally Fallon Morell tackle the true causes of COVID-19. On September 26, 2019, 5G wireless was turned on in Wuhan, China (and officially launched November 1) with a grid of about ten thousand antennas—more antennas than exist in the whole United States, all concentrated in one city. A spike in cases occurred on February 13, the same week that Wuhan turned on its 5G network for monitoring traffic. Illness has subsequently followed 5G installation in all the major cities in America. Since the dawn of the human race, medicine men and physicians have wondered about the cause of disease, especially what we call &“contagions,&” numerous people ill with similar symptoms, all at the same time. Does humankind suffer these outbreaks at the hands of an angry god or evil spirit? A disturbance in the atmosphere, a miasma? Do we catch the illness from others or from some outside influence? As the restriction of our freedoms continues, more and more people are wondering whether this is true. Could a packet of RNA fragments, which cannot even be defined as a living organism, cause such havoc? Perhaps something else is involved—something that has upset the balance of nature and made us more susceptible to disease? Perhaps there is no &“coronavirus&” at all; perhaps, as Pasteur said, &“the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything.&”
The Contaminated Case of Cooking Contest
by Peter WongWith time travel and mysteries that need solving, the Galactic Academy of Science (G.A.S.) series instructs readers on how to think like scientists. Under the guidance of a Dude or Dudette from the future, the middle school characters are faced with treacherous, present-day crimes that require a historical knowledge of science in order to be solved. From investigating problems to analyzing data and constructing explanations and solutions, this series blends elements of sci-fi with educational methods that distill the key thinking habits of scientists and engineers. The science of food safety combines with mystery in this G.A.S. adventure about an outbreak of foodborne illness When a cruise featuring a cooking contest turns into a disaster of vomiting passengers, seventh-grade G.A.S. trainees Mae and Clinton have a mystery to solve. With help from Selectra Volt, Dudette from the future, the two kids travel through time to learn about the science of food safety. Between journeys to the past, they investigate clues aboard ship. But when a storm comes, and conditions aboard the disabled ship become desperate, can Mae and Clinton discover the cause of the outbreak in time?
The Continued Exercise of Reason: Public Addresses by George Boole (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Brendan DooleyLectures, many never before published, that offer insights into the early thinking of the mathematician and polymath George Boole.George Boole (1815–1864), remembered by history as the developer of an eponymous form of algebraic logic, can be considered a pioneer of the information age not only because of the application of Boolean logic to the design of switching circuits but also because of his contributions to the mass distribution of knowledge. In the classroom and the lecture hall, Boole interpreted recent discoveries and debates in a wide range of fields for a general audience. This collection of lectures, many never before published, offers insights into the early thinking of an innovative mathematician and intellectual polymath.Bertrand Russell claimed that “pure mathematics was discovered by Boole,” but before Boole joined a university faculty as professor of mathematics in 1849, advocacy for science and education occupied much of his time. He was deeply committed to the Victorian ideals of social improvement and cooperation, arguing that “the continued exercise of reason” joined all disciplines in a common endeavor. In these talks, Boole discusses the genius of Isaac Newton; ancient mythologies and forms of worship; the possibility of other inhabited planets in the universe; the virtues of free and open access to knowledge; the benefits of leisure; the quality of education; the origin of scientific knowledge; and the fellowship of intellectual culture. The lectures are accompanied by a substantive introduction by Brendan Dooley, the editor of the volume, that supplies biographical and historical context.
The Continuum Limit of Causal Fermion Systems
by Felix FinsterThis monograph introduces the basic concepts of the theory of causal fermion systems, a recent approach to the description of fundamental physics. The theory yields quantum mechanics, general relativity and quantum field theory as limiting cases and is therefore a candidate for a unified physical theory. From the mathematical perspective, causal fermion systems provide a general framework for describing and analyzing non-smooth geometries and "quantum geometries. " The dynamics is described by a novel variational principle, called the causal action principle. In addition to the basics, the book provides all the necessary mathematical background and explains how the causal action principle gives rise to the interactions of the standard model plus gravity on the level of second-quantized fermionic fields coupled to classical bosonic fields. The focus is on getting a mathematically sound connection between causal fermion systems and physical systems in Minkowski space. The book is intended for graduate students entering the field, and is furthermore a valuable reference work for researchers in quantum field theory and quantum gravity.
The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power
by Max ChafkinA biography of venture capitalist and entrepreneur Peter Thiel, the enigmatic, controversial, and hugely influential power broker who sits at the dynamic intersection of tech, business, and politics &“Max Chafkin&’s The Contrarian is much more than a consistently shocking biography of Peter Thiel, the most important investor in tech and a key supporter of the Donald Trump presidency. It&’s also a disturbing history of Silicon Valley that will make you reconsider the ideological foundations of America&’s relentless engine of creative destruction.&”—Brad Stone, author of The Everything Store and Amazon UnboundSince the days of the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s, no industry has made a greater impact on the world than Silicon Valley. And few individuals have done more to shape Silicon Valley than Peter Thiel. The billionaire venture capitalist and entrepreneur has been a behind-the-scenes operator influencing countless aspects of our contemporary way of life, from the technologies we use every day to the delicate power balance between Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and Washington. But despite his power and the ubiquity of his projects, no public figure is quite so mysterious.In the first major biography of Thiel, Max Chafkin traces the trajectory of the innovator's singular life and worldview, from his upbringing as the child of immigrant parents and years at Stanford as a burgeoning conservative thought leader to his founding of PayPal and Palantir, early investment in Facebook and SpaceX, and relationships with fellow tech titans Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Eric Schmidt. The Contrarian illuminates the extent to which Thiel has sought to export his values to the corridors of power beyond Silicon Valley, including funding the lawsuit that destroyed the blog Gawker and strenuously backing far-right political candidates, notably Donald Trump for president in 2016. Eye-opening and deeply reported, The Contrarian is a revelatory biography of a one-of-a-kind leader and an incisive portrait of a tech industry whose explosive growth and power is both thrilling and fraught with controversy.
The Contribution of Mathematics to School STEM Education: Current Understandings
by Katie Makar Judy AndersonThis book presents contemporary STEM education research conducted by mathematics education researchers and their collaborators which highlights the important and pivotal role of mathematics in school STEM education. It showcases evidence of the types of integrated curriculum approaches to STEM education which highlight mathematics as a key component and where mathematical concepts can be learnt through integrated tasks. These examples challenge the idea that mathematics is just an application or ‘servant’ to the other STEM subjects and highlight the contribution that mathematics can make to the understanding and practices of the other STEM subjects. This book fills a void in the current research literature on the role of mathematics in STEM education, provides evidence of the possibilities for designing integrated STEM curriculum and highlights current understandings of the role of mathematics in school STEM education. For researchers, it identifies and elaborates gaps to encourage further exploration in this field.
The Contribution of Universities Towards Education for Sustainable Development (World Sustainability Series)
by Walter Leal Filho Thais Dibbern Salvador Ruiz de Maya María-del-Carmen Alarcón-del-Amo Longinos Marin RivesThe book gathers inputs from universities and research organizations working on matters related to sustainable development in a variety of contexts. It also provides a platform for the dissemination of information on the latest initiatives, paving the way for technology transfer and networking. Furthermore, the book intends to provide a fertile basis upon which universities may cooperate more closely in this key area. Universities, as centers of education, research, and innovation, have a unique position and responsibility in promoting sustainability. They can offer degree programs, courses, and workshops focused on sustainability, environmental studies, and related fields, educating students and the wider community about the principles and challenges of sustainability. Also, universities can conduct cutting-edge research to address sustainability challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss. They can develop innovative technologies and solutions that promote sustainable practices in various sectors, including energy, agriculture, transportation, and urban planning. There is a perceived need to better understand and engage universities further on sustainability initiatives. Against this backdrop and in order to facilitate a broad discussion on the contribution of universities toward sustainability, this book is being produced.Last but not least, a further aim of the book is to present methodological approaches and experiences deriving from case studies and projects, which aim to show how sustainability may be incorporated as part of university programs.
The Control Of Nature
by John McpheeThese three essays center around man's influence on nature and how it (nature) fights back. The First essay centers on New Orleans and how man's influence has contributed to it's now demise. Though written in 1989, Mcphee's research pretty much describes how Katrina, or in the case of the book, a theoretical storm, could have been made much less destructive had development been much less. The second article discusses efforts in Iceland to cool lava with saltwater and stop the destruction of a town. The third describes Los Angeles's expansion and possible demise due to run off and mud slides from the San Gabriel mountains. His premise in all three articles basically is, nature will ultimately have the last word in it's ultimate design.
The Control of Drugs and Drug Users: Reason or Reaction?
by Ross CoomberInformed debate on how, why, or even if, drugs and those that use them should be controlled needs an insight into the background of such controls, how effective they have been and what reasonable alternatives there may be. This book seeks to provide such an insight. Reviewing important aspects of past and current drug control policies in Britain and America, the international compliment of expert contributors seek to explore the rationality of the reasoning which produced the initial controls, the continuing relevance of those currently employed, and provide alternative scenarios for future policy.
The Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate Problems Worse
by David OwenThe Conundrum is a mind-changing manifesto about the environment, efficiency, and the real path to sustainability.
The Convergence of Science and Governance: Research, Health Policy, and American States
by Daniel M. FoxThis book tells related stories about health politics and policy in the U.S.during the past century--the recent convergence of science and governance in policy for covering pharmaceutical drugs in public programs in most American states and explain why and how this convergence occurred.
The Convergent Evolution of Agriculture in Humans and Insects (Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology)
by Ted R. Schultz, Richard Gawne, and Peter N. PeregrineContributors explore common elements in the evolutionary histories of both human and insect agriculture resulting from convergent evolution.During the past 12,000 years, agriculture originated in humans as many as twenty-three times, and during the past 65 million years, agriculture also originated in nonhuman animals at least twenty times and in insects at least fifteen times. It is much more likely that these independent origins represent similar solutions to the challenge of growing food than that they are due purely to chance. This volume seeks to identify common elements in the evolutionary histories of both human and insect agriculture that are the results of convergent evolution. The goal is to create a new, synthetic field that characterizes, quantifies, and empirically documents the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that drive both human and nonhuman agriculture. The contributors report on the results of quantitative analyses comparing human and nonhuman agriculture; discuss evolutionary conflicts of interest between and among farmers and cultivars and how they interfere with efficiencies of agricultural symbiosis; describe in detail agriculture in termites, ambrosia beetles, and ants; and consider patterns of evolutionary convergence in different aspects of agriculture, comparing fungal parasites of ant agriculture with fungal parasites of human agriculture, analyzing the effects of agriculture on human anatomy, and tracing the similarities and differences between the evolution of agriculture in humans and in a single, relatively well-studied insect group, fungus-farming ants.