- Table View
- List View
Limits in Perception: Essays in Honour of Maarten A. Bouman
by Andrea J. van Doorn; Wim A. van de Grind; Jan J. KoenderinkThis book presents an analysis of limits in perception from the vantage point of the physicist, the engineer, the psychophysicist, the psychologist and the theorist. Limits in perception find their causal explanation at many logically and/or physically different levels. Some of the most fundamental bottlenecks are due to the quantum mechanical and atomistic structure of the microworld. Other simple constraints are due to the material constitution of sensory organs. For instance, the fact that the eye is predominantly composed of water limits both the optical quality and the available spectral window. The engineer uses knowledge on such limits to design equipment that optimizes human performance in daily life. Examples include room acoustics and visual displays. Psychophysicists and psychologists deal with limits on a quite different logical level. These limits constrain much of our perceptually guided behaviour. The book includes chapters on such topics as movement perception, binocular vision, illusory phenomena, language and perception, the perception of time. A few concluding chapters on fundamental limits imposed by information theoretical constraints on the coding and representation of sensed structure are included. Limits in Perception will be important reading material for scientists and/or engineers in the following fields: perception, experimental psychology, sensory biology, physics, neuroscience, human engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, ophthalmology, audiology, psychonomics and ergonomics, remote sensing.
The Limits of Control: Experiments in Mediation and Virulence
by Ryan DiduckRyan Diduck turns his attention to control societies and their protocols in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. What are the political implications of government measures to combat Coronavirus?The end of the world as we know it is no longer imaginary.Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (also known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) is a potent virus that is upturning nearly every aspect of life on earth. But the novel Coronavirus is more than just a virus. It is a marketplace and media event, too, broadcasting at speed, oscillating against the transmission of its mediations. Ultimately, COVID-19 is the pretext upon which nations around the world have enacted social controls of varying severity, strictly limiting the communication, movement, and daily activities of billions of people. This could be a moment of overwhelming consolidation of capital. Or it could further reveal the cracks in a system which has exacerbated the coronavirus pandemic. We are rapidly approaching the limits of control. In the tradition of William S. Burroughs, Naomi Klein, Mark Fisher, and other key theorists of discipline and jurisdiction, The Limits of Control offers a timely new analysis of control societies, and a sibylline roadmap for living together in a hypervirulent world. What we imagine from now on has never mattered more.
Limits of Detection in Chemical Analysis
by Edward VoigtmanDetails methods for computing valid limits of detection. Clearly explains analytical detection limit theory, thereby mitigating incorrect detection limit concepts, methodologies and results Extensive use of computer simulations that are freely available to readers Curated short-list of important references for limits of detection Videos, screencasts, and animations are provided at an associated website, to enhance understanding Illustrated, with many detailed examples and cogent explanations
The Limits of Genius: The Surprising Stupidity of the World's Greatest Minds
by Katie SpaldingA hilarious look at how the line between 'genius' and 'extremely lucky idiot' is finer than we'd like to admit.The more you delve into the stories behind history's greatest names, the more you realise they have something in common: a mystifying lack of common sense. Take Marie Curie, famous for both discovering radioactivity and having absolutely zero lab safety protocols. Or Lord Byron, who literally took a bear with him to university. Or James Glaisher, a hot-air balloon pioneer who nearly ended up as the world's first human satellite...From Nikola Tesla falling in love with a pigeon to non-swimmer Albert Einstein's near-fatal love of sailing holidays, The Limits of Genius is filled with examples of the so-called brightest and best of humanity doing, to put it bluntly, some really dumb shit. These are the stories that deserve to be told but never are: the hilarious, regrettable and downright baffling lesser-known achievements of the men and women who somehow managed to bungle their way into our history books.(P) 2023 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
The Limits of Genius: The Surprising Stupidity of the World's Greatest Minds
by Katie SpaldingA hilarious look at how the line between 'genius' and 'extremely lucky idiot' is finer than we'd like to admit.The more you delve into the stories behind history's greatest names, the more you realise they have something in common: a mystifying lack of common sense. Take Marie Curie, famous for both discovering radioactivity and having absolutely zero lab safety protocols. Or Lord Byron, who literally took a bear with him to university. Or James Glaisher, a hot-air balloon pioneer who nearly ended up as the world's first human satellite...From Nikola Tesla falling in love with a pigeon to non-swimmer Albert Einstein's near-fatal love of sailing holidays, The Limits of Genius is filled with examples of the so-called brightest and best of humanity doing, to put it bluntly, some really dumb shit. These are the stories that deserve to be told but never are: the hilarious, regrettable and downright baffling lesser-known achievements of the men and women who somehow managed to bungle their way into our history books.
The Limits of Matter: Chemistry, Mining, and Enlightenment
by Hjalmar ForsBy studying the chemists at the Swedish Bureau of Mines and their networks, and integrating their practices into the wider European context, the author illustrates how they and their successors played a significant role in the development of our modern notion of matter and made a significant contribution to the modern European view of reality.
The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems
by National Research Council of the National AcademiesThe search for life in the solar system and beyond has to date been governed by a model based on what we know about life on Earth (terran life). Most of NASA's mission planning is focused on locations where liquid water is possible and emphasizes searches for structures that resemble cells in terran organisms. It is possible, however, that life exists that is based on chemical reactions that do not involve carbon compounds, that occurs in solvents other than water, or that involves oxidation-reduction reactions without oxygen gas. To assist NASA incorporate this possibility in its efforts to search for life, the NRC was asked to carry out a study to evaluate whether nonstandard biochemistry might support life in solar system and conceivable extrasolar environments, and to define areas to guide research in this area. This book presents an exploration of a limited set of hypothetical chemistries of life, a review of current knowledge concerning key questions or hypotheses about nonterran life, and suggestions for future research.
Limits of Patentability
by Ulrich Storz Andreas Hübel Aloys HüttermannSpringerBriefs in Biotech Patents presents timely reports on intellectual properties (IP) issues and patent aspects in the field of biotechnology. In this volume the limits of patentability are addressed, a question that is often raised when it comes to biotechnological inventions: The first section addresses current issues in the patentability of plants produced by essentially biological processes including the controversy between farmer's privilege and patent exhaustion with respect to seeds in the US. The second section examines the patentability of human embryonic stem cells in Europe and the US, also considering alternative technologies with respect to their practicability and patentability. The third section focuses on the patentability of genes and nucleic acids, especially the issue of patenting of encoding genes and nucleic acids.
The Limits of Resolution (Series in Optics and Optoelectronics)
by Geoffrey de Villiers E. Roy Pike"This beautiful book can be read as a novel presenting carefully our quest to get more and more information from our observations and measurements. Its authors are particularly good at relating it." --Pierre C. Sabatier "This is a unique text - a labor of love pulling together for the first time the remarkably large array of mathematical and statistical techniques used for analysis of resolution in many systems of importance today – optical, acoustical, radar, etc…. I believe it will find widespread use and value." --Dr. Robert G.W. Brown, Chief Executive Officer, American Institute of Physics "The mix of physics and mathematics is a unique feature of this book which can be basic not only for PhD students but also for researchers in the area of computational imaging." --Mario Bertero, Professor, University of Geneva "a tour-de-force covering aspects of history, mathematical theory and practical applications. The authors provide a penetrating insight into the often confused topic of resolution and in doing offer a unifying approach to the subject that is applicable not only to traditional optical systems but also modern day, computer-based systems such as radar and RF communications." --Prof. Ian Proudler, Loughborough University "a ‘must have’ for anyone interested in imaging and the spatial resolution of images. This book provides detailed and very readable account of resolution in imaging and organizes the recent history of the subject in excellent fashion.… I strongly recommend it." --Michael A. Fiddy, Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte This book brings together the concept of resolution, which limits what we can determine about our physical world, with the theory of linear inverse problems, emphasizing practical applications. The book focuses on methods for solving illposed problems that do not have unique stable solutions. After introducing basic concepts, the contents address problems with "continuous" data in detail before turning to cases of discrete data sets. As one of the unifying principles of the text, the authors explain how non-uniqueness is a feature of measurement problems in science where precision and resolution is essentially always limited by some kind of noise.
Limits of Stability and Stabilization of Time-Delay Systems
by Jing Zhu Tian Qi Dan Ma Jie ChenThis authored monograph presents a study on fundamental limits and robustness of stability and stabilization of time-delay systems, with an emphasis on time-varying delay, robust stabilization, and newly emerged areas such as networked control and multi-agent systems. The authors systematically develop an operator-theoretic approach that departs from both the traditional algebraic approach and the currently pervasive LMI solution methods. This approach is built on the classical small-gain theorem, which enables the author to draw upon powerful tools and techniques from robust control theory. The book contains motivating examples and presents mathematical key facts that are required in the subsequent sections. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and professionals in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students alike.
The Limits of Technology and the End of History: Marx and Beyond
by Yefim KatsThis book examines the long-standing belief in infinite scientific and technological progress and links it to the Enlightenment ideal of man as a universal being and subject of the universal world history, destined to become a 'master and possessor of nature.' The author analyzes a broad range of issues in epistemology, the philosophy of history, and the philosophy of science and technology. Marx’s philosophy is explored to the extent that his dialectic of labor sheds light on Western technological optimism and the ideal of human universality and offers an elaborate framework for analyzing the intrinsic limits to technological progress. The focus is on his ‘early’ works, providing a theoretical and humanistic underbelly for the ‘mature’ ideas of the Capital. Examining the epistemic foundations of the belief in infinite progress, the author argues that actual infinity, either in the form of unbounded technological/scientific expansion or infinite complexity of nature, is redundant for the universality of man, his scientific pursuit and historical experience. The conundrum of universality and power calls for a systematic critique of instrumental reason, its practical applicability and value structure.
Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update
by null Donella Meadows null Jorgen Randers null Dennis Meadows&“A pioneering work of science.&”—Business Insider&“[This book] helped launch modern environmental computer modeling and began our current globally focused environmental debate . . . . a scientifically rigorous and credible warning.&”—The Nation In 1972, three scientists from MIT created a computer model that analyzed global resource consumption and production. Their results shocked the world and created stirring conversation about global &‘overshoot,&’ or resource use beyond the carrying capacity of the planet. Now, preeminent environmental scientists Donnella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis Meadows have teamed up again to update and expand their original findings in The Limits to Growth: The 30 Year Global Update.Meadows, Randers, and Meadows are international environmental leaders recognized for their groundbreaking research into early signs of wear on the planet. Citing climate change as the most tangible example of our current overshoot, the scientists now provide us with an updated scenario and a plan to reduce our needs to meet the carrying capacity of the planet.Over the past three decades, population growth and global warming have forged on with a striking semblance to the scenarios laid out by the World3 computer model in the original Limits to Growth. While Meadows, Randers, and Meadows do not make a practice of predicting future environmental degradation, they offer an analysis of present and future trends in resource use, and assess a variety of possible outcomes.In many ways, the message contained in Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update is a warning. Overshoot cannot be sustained without collapse. But, as the authors are careful to point out, there is reason to believe that humanity can still reverse some of its damage to Earth if it takes appropriate measures to reduce inefficiency and waste.Written in refreshingly accessible prose, Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update is a long anticipated revival of some of the original voices in the growing chorus of sustainability. Limits to Growth: The 30 Year Update is a work of stunning intelligence that will expose for humanity the hazy but critical line between human growth and human development.
The Limits to Growth Revisited
by Ugo Bardi"The Limits to Growth" (Meadows, 1972) generated unprecedented controversy with its predictions of the eventual collapse of the world's economies. First hailed as a great advance in science, "The Limits to Growth" was subsequently rejected and demonized. However, with many national economies now at risk and global peak oil apparently a reality, the methods, scenarios, and predictions of "The Limits to Growth" are in great need of reappraisal. In The Limits to Growth Revisited, Ugo Bardi examines both the science and the polemics surrounding this work, and in particular the reactions of economists that marginalized its methods and conclusions for more than 30 years. "The Limits to Growth" was a milestone in attempts to model the future of our society, and it is vital today for both scientists and policy makers to understand its scientific basis, current relevance, and the social and political mechanisms that led to its rejection. Bardi also addresses the all-important question of whether the methods and approaches of "The Limits to Growth" can contribute to an understanding of what happened to the global economy in the Great Recession and where we are headed from there.
Limits to Terrestrial Extraction (Routledge Focus on Energy Studies)
by Robert E. KirschThis volume focuses on the social, cultural, and ecological consequences of a political economy of energy. A political economy of energy holds that an enduring hallmark of the current context is a reorganization of human society toward energy extraction and production. Limits to Terrestrial Extraction looks at the construction of society itself as an energy-harvesting “megamachine,” the ecomodernist project of the latter half of the twentieth century and its disastrous environmental record, and mining Near Earth Objects to extract extraterrestrial resources. Each chapter explores a limit to terrestrial extraction – spatially, economically, or socially – finding that business as usual cannot yield a different world. The authors eschew easy answers of natural resource management or discourses of wise use, instead offering critiques of market society and its constitutive drive to produce and waste energy. Overall, this volume establishes the existential stakes and scope of change that will be required to build a better world. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental political theory, as well as social scientists and humanities scholars who study the intersection of energy and society.
Limnogeology: A Tribute to Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch (Syntheses in Limnogeology)
by Michael R. Rosen David B. Finkelstein Lisa Park Boush Sila Pla-PueyoThis book honors the career of Professor Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch who was a pioneer and leader in the field of limnogeology since the 1980s. Her work was instrumental in guiding students and professionals in the field until her untimely death in 2016. This collection of chapters was written by her colleagues and students and recognize the important role that Professor Gierlowski-Kordesch had in advancing the field of limnogeology. The chapters show the breadth of her reach as these have been contributed from virtually every continent.This book will be a primary reference for scientists, professionals and graduate students who are interested in the latest advances in limnogeologic processes and basin descriptions in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and China.*Free supplementary material available online for chapters 3,11,12 and 13.Access by searching for the book on link.springer.com
Limnology
by Jose Galizia Tundisi Takako Matsumura TundisiLimnology provides an in-depth and current overview of the field of limnology. The result of a major tour de force by two renowned and experienced experts, this unique and richly illustrated reference presents a wealth of data on limnology history, water as a substrate, lakes' origins and aquatic biota. Besides a general part, it gives special focu
Limnology, Climatology and Paleoclimatology of the East African Lakes
by Thomas C. Johnson Eric O. OdadaThe large lakes of the East African Rift Valley are among the oldest on Earth, and are vital resources for the people of their basins. They are unique among the large lakes of the world in terms of their sensitivity to climatic change, rich and diverse populations of endemic species, circulation dynamics and water-column chemistry, and long, continuous records of past climatic change. A comprehensive study of the large African lakes is long overdue. The scientific justification for such an effort is noted in the previous paragraph and is illustrated in great detail in this volume. Societal need for the sustainable utilization of these lakes offers an even more compelling reason for examination of biological food webs, water quality, and past climate variability in East Africa. The lakes provide the most important source of protein for the people of the African Rift Valley, and fish populations are shifting dramatically in response to fishing pressure, introduction of exotic species, land use impact on water quality, and perhaps climatic change. Current estimates of primary productivity, the underpinning of the food resource, are extremely crude and based on only a few spot measurements.
Limnology of the Red Lake, Romania: An Interdisciplinary Study
by Andrei Enea Cristian Constantin Stoleriu Gheorghe RomanescuThe Red Lake is a natural barrier lake at the foot of the Hasmasu Mare Mountains in the Eastern Carpathian Range in Romania. It was formed when the Bicaz River was blocked by a natural dam resulting from two landslides during an extreme heavy storm in 1837. This book presents an interdisciplinary and comprehensive study on the physical, chemical, geographical and ecological aspects of Red Lake (Lacu Rosu). The first three chapters cover the formation and geological setting and its relationship with the Bicaz Gorges-Haghimas national park. Subsequent chapters present the sedimentological, morphological and hydrological evolution of this unique natural laboratory and climatological setting. The final chapters deal with ecological aspects of Red Lake waters and adjacent ecosystems such as wetlands and water resource management issues.
Limnoperna Fortunei
by Demetrio BoltovskoyThis book summarizes all currently available information on the ecology, environmental impacts and control methods of the golden mussel in industrial plants. The golden mussel was introduced in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South America between 1965 and 1990, swiftly spreading in freshwater waterbodies. In most areas invaded it has become the dominant macroinverebrate and a major fouling pest of industrial plants. Limnoperna fortunei attaches to any hard surface, as well as to some less firm substrates. The growth of Limnoperna populations in raw cooling water conduits became a common nuisance in many industrial and power plants that use raw river or lake water for their processes, both in South America and in Asia. This work is written by experts on the golden mussel from Asia, Europe, North America and South America, each chapter critically reviews previously available information, which is in sources of limited distribution, such as internal reports and theses, in various languages.
The LINC Complex: Methods And Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology #1840)
by Howard J. Worman Gregg G. GundersenThis volume describes research methodologies and approaches used to study the Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complex and its cellular functions. Chapters detail structural and biochemical analysis of LINC complexes, mechanical aspects of the LINC complex, analysis of the LINC complex in model systems and development, and LINC complex in mammalian tissue, organs, and disease. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Authoritative and cutting-edge, The LINC Complex: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.
Lindbergh's Artificial Heart: More Fascinating True Stories from Einstein's Refrigerator
by Steve SilvermanAn all-new compendium of strange-but-true history and science facts from the author of Einstein&’s Refrigerator. When high school teacher Steve Silverman started posting fascinating facts on the internet, what began as a Web site for his students became an internationally sensation. He then compiled the silliest, most peculiar stories into the book Einstein's Refrigerator. Now comes silliness squared with Lindbergh's Artificial Heart, Silverman's second collection of offbeat and often hilarious stories that are absolutely true, yet not often taught in school. Fascinating entries include: The exploding whale: What did the Oregon Department of Transportation do with a dead whale that washed up on one of its beaches? Suffice it to say their decision to blow it up was quite the blubber blunder. Nose picking: Delve into the humorous findings of a study of this bad habit conducted by one of our institutions of higher learning. The fastest charcoal lighter ever: Using liquid oxygen at your family barbecue may speed up the cooking, but it does have its drawbacks . . . such as vaporizing your grill.
Line Defects in Conformal Field Theory: From Weak to Strong Coupling (Springer Theses)
by Julien BarratThis book investigates conformal line defects in both the weak- and strong-coupling regimes. Conformal field theory finds applications across diverse fields, from statistical systems at criticality to quantum gravity through the AdS/CFT correspondence. These theories are subject to strong constraints, enabling a systematic non-perturbative analysis. Conformal defects provide a controlled means of breaking the symmetry, introducing new physical phenomena while preserving crucial benefits of the underlying conformal symmetry. Two distinct classes of models are studied. First, we focus on the supersymmetric Wilson line in N = 4 Super Yang–Mills, which serves as an ideal testing ground for the development of innovative techniques such as the analytic conformal bootstrap. The second class consists of magnetic lines in Yukawa models, which have fascinating applications in 3d condensed-matter systems. These systems have the potential to emulate phenomena observed in the Standard Model in a low-energy setting.
Line Groups in Physics
by Milan Damnjanovic Ivanka MilosevicThis volume gives a detailed and up-to-date overview of the line groups, the groups that describe the symmetry of quasi-one dimensional crystals. Nanotubes, nanowires, nanosprings, nanorods, and polymers are examples remarkable enough to have kept nanoscience as a leading field within material science and solid state physics for more than fifteen years now. The authors present the mathematical foundations, including classifications of the line groups, quasi one-dimensional crystals and quantum numbers, together with important applications. Extensive illustrations related to the physics of nanotubes make the book essential reading in this field above all. The book clearly demonstrates how symmetry is a most profound property of nature and contains valuable results that are published here for the first time.
Line Up!: Animals in Remarkable Rows
by Susan StockdaleLine up for this fascinating exploration of animal behavior from an award-winning author-illustrator!Much like humans, many animals line up for a variety of reasons. Rather than forming lines for the school bus or recess, the animals featured in Susan Stockdale&’s book form lines forsafety: baby Mallard ducklings follow their mother to the water for their first swimwarmth: turtles climb into a stacked line for a better share of the sun&’s raysnavigation: Arctic wolves follow the prints in the snow left by the pack leaderfood: ants line up to follow the scent of their leader to food and safetytravel: pink flamingos form a line to reduce wind resistance and fly more efficiently Featuring birds, crustaceans, fish, insects, mammals, and reptiles from around the world, Line Up is a cozy and comforting book that reminds us of our similarities while illuminating some specific, distinctive behaviors.
Lineage Tracing: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology #2886)
by Jorge García-Marqués Tzumin LeeThis volume covers the state-of-art lineage tracing methods, to record these recent multi-front rapid progresses and promote development of further powerful tools. Chapters explores a broad spectrum of techniques that have been developed and refined over the years, offering a detailed exposition of their principles, applications, and limitations. Additional chapters cover classic methods, such as genetic lineage tracing, clonal analysis, single-cell RNA sequencing, and live-cell imaging. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Lineage Tracing: Methods and Protocols aims to serve as a valuable resource, fostering new discoveries and advancements in the exciting field of cell lineage tracing.