- Table View
- List View
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.
A Book, Too, Can Be a Star: The Story of Madeleine L'Engle and the Making of A Wrinkle in Time
by Jennifer Adams Charlotte Jones VoiklisAn inspiring picture book biography of beloved author Madeleine L’Engle and the making of A Wrinkle in Time.When Madeleine L'Engle was very small, she often found herself awake at night, marveling at the stars. They guided her throughout her life, making her feel part of a big and exciting world, even when she felt alone. They made her want to ask big questions—Why are we here? What is my place in the universe?—and let her imagination take flight. Books, too, were like stars—asking questions and proposing answers. Books kept Madeleine company, and soon, she began to write and share her own. But would other people see the wonder she found in the world?Written by Madeleine's granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voiklis and bestselling picture-book author Jennifer Adams, A Book, Too, Can Be a Star follows the life of one of the world's greatest creators—and gives children encouragement to lead a creative, inquisitive life.
A Boson Learned from its Context, and a Boson Learned from its End (Springer Theses)
by Jeffrey RoskesThis thesis develops fundamental ideas and advanced techniques for studying the Higgs boson’s interactions with the known matter and force particles. The Higgs boson appears as an excitation of the Higgs field, which permeates the vacuum. Several other phenomena in our Universe, such as dark energy, dark matter, and the abundance of matter over antimatter, remain unexplained. The Higgs field may prove to be the connection between our known world and the “dark” world, and studies of the Higgs boson's interactions are essential to reveal possible new phenomena. The unique feature of this work is simultaneous measurement of the Higgs boson’s associated production (its context, to use the language of the title) and its decay (its end), while allowing for multiple parameters sensitive to new phenomena. This includes computer simulation with Monte Carlo techniques of the complicated structure of the Higgs boson interactions, the matrix-element calculation of per-event likelihoods for optimal observables, and advanced fitting methods with hundreds of intricate components that cover all possible parameters and quantum mechanical interference. This culminates in the most advanced analysis of LHC data in the multi-parameter approach to Higgs physics in its single golden four-lepton decay channel to date. Optimization of the CMS detector’s silicon-based tracking system, essential for these measurements, is also described.
A Boy And A Jaguar
by Catia Chien Alan Rabinowitz2015 Schneider Family Book Award Winner<P> Alan loves animals, but the great cat house at the Bronx Zoo makes him sad. Why are they all alone in empty cages? Are they being punished? More than anything, he wants to be their champion--their voice--but he stutters uncontrollably.<P> Except when he talks to animals...<P> Then he is fluent.<P> Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award Follow the life of the man Time Magazine calls, "the Indiana Jones of wildlife conservation" as he searches for his voice and fulfills a promise to speak for animals, and people, who cannot speak for themselves. This real-life story with tender illustrations by Catia Chien explores truths not defined by the spoken word.
A Boy and a Jaguar
by Catia Chien Alan RabinowitzAlan loves animals, but the great cat house at the Bronx Zoo makes him sad. Why are they all alone in empty cages? Are they being punished? More than anything, he wants to be their champion--their voice--but he stutters uncontrollably.Except when he talks to animals...Then he is fluent. This real-life story with tender illustrations by Catia Chien explores truths not defined by the spoken word. <br><b>2015 Schneider Family Book Award Winner </b>
A Brain for Innovation: The Neuroscience of Imagination and Abstract Thinking
by Min W. JungWhat sets humans apart from other animals? Perhaps more than anything else, it is the capacity for innovation. The accumulation of discoveries throughout history, big and small, has enabled us to build global civilizations and gain power to shape our environment. But what makes humans as a species so innovative?Min W. Jung offers a new understanding of the neural basis of innovation in terms of humans’ exceptional capacity for imagination and high-level abstraction. He provides an engaging account of recent advances in neuroscience that have shed light on the neural underpinnings of these profoundly important abilities. Jung examines key discoveries concerning the hippocampus and neural circuits that have demystified the processes underlying imagination and abstract thinking. He also considers how these capacities might have evolved as well as possible futures for intelligence.Bringing together disparate findings in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and artificial intelligence, A Brain for Innovation develops a unified perspective on the mechanisms of imagination, abstract thought, and creativity. Presenting cutting-edge neuroscientific research in a way that is accessible to readers without a background in the subject, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the biological basis of one of the most fundamental aspects of human nature.
A Brain for Numbers: The Biology of the Number Instinct
by Andreas NiederHow our intuitive understanding of numbers is deeply rooted in our biology, traceable through both evolution and development. Humans' understanding of numbers is intuitive. Infants are able to estimate and calculate even before they learn the words for numbers. How have we come to possess this talent for numbers? In A Brain for Numbers, Andreas Nieder explains how our brains process numbers. He reports that numerical competency is deeply rooted in our biological ancestry; it can be traced through both the evolution of our species and the development of our individual minds. It is not, as it has been traditionally explained, based on our ability to use language. We owe our symbolic mathematical skills to the nonsymbolic numerical abilities that we inherited from our ancestors. The principles of mathematics, Nieder tells us, are reflections of the innate dispositions wired into the brain.Nieder explores how the workings of the brain give rise to numerical competence, tracing flair for numbers to dedicated “number neurons” in the brain. Drawing on a range of methods including brain imaging techniques, behavioral experiments, and twin studies, he outlines a new, integrated understanding of the talent for numbers. Along the way, he compares the numerical capabilities of humans and animals, and discusses the benefits animals reap from such a capability. He shows how the neurobiological roots of the brain's nonverbal quantification capacity are the evolutionary foundation of more elaborate numerical skills. He discusses how number signs and symbols are represented in the brain; calculation capability and the “neuromythology” of mathematical genius; the “start-up tools” for counting and developmental of dyscalculia (a number disorder analogous to the reading disorder dyslexia); and how the brain processes the abstract concept of zero.
A Brain-Friendly Life: How to Manage Cognitive Overload and Reduce Glitching
by Marisa MencholaModern life is brain-unfriendly: We are flooded with information and excessive cognitive demands, when we are often already depleted from chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and health issues. Many of us experience frequent 'glitches' or memory lapses, despite tests showing there is nothing wrong with our brains. This book provides concrete strategies, derived from neuropsychological science and clinical practice, to help people improve how they function in daily life.Menchola draws on her experience as a clinical neuropsychologist who has worked with a widely diverse group of patients, to translate the findings from highly controlled research into concrete strategies that people can implement in their messy worlds to make their days more brain-friendly. The book also provides advice on how to address those factors that drain our brain resources, and gives guidance on when and how to seek a neuropsychological evaluation.It is valuable reading for anyone experiencing frustrating cognitive problems that are not due to brain disease. It is also essential for neuropsychologists, psychologists and physicians in primary care, psychiatry, and neurology, who need a resource to offer to patients to help their healthy brains function better.
A Brainy Book about Neurons and Beyond
by Chana AkinsThe brain is one of most exciting and complex organs in the universe. In this interactive book, you&’ll learn what the brain is made of, what it does, and how it works!This book includes cool trivia, real and lively illustrations, and fun-filled do-it-yourself activities.