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Our environment is changing rapidly, as is the spectrum of possible relationships we can entertain with it. Against this background, one important task emerging in contemporary philosophical discussion concerns defining the status of contemporary images and the "iconic spaces" we encounter with ever-increasing frequency in their various forms. Within this context, the dimension of perception seems to be losing its primacy over the image, making a philosophical description of the relationships between image and reality all the more necessary. Among images, the classical distinction between documentary and fiction has been drastically called into question, and along with it the nature of the emotions and values we experience in these two domains. Rozzoni promotes a phenomenology of the image, that is, a return to a description of images that starts from their essential features while avoiding simplistic dichotomies. By elucidating images' intimate relationship with phantasy and aesthetic experience and their role in shaping our experience of "reality," this book develops a perspectival notion of "truth" intended to shed light on our contemporary interactions with images and the events, emotions, and values we experience through them.

This textbook introduces the essential concepts of tomography in the field of medical imaging. The medical imaging modalities include x-ray CT (computed tomography), PET (positron emission tomography), SPECT (single photon emission tomography) and MRI. In these modalities, the measurements are not in the image domain and the conversion from the measurements to the images is referred to as the image reconstruction. The work covers various image reconstruction methods, ranging from the classic analytical inversion methods to the optimization-based iterative image reconstruction methods. As machine learning methods have lately exhibited astonishing potentials in various areas including medical imaging the author devotes one chapter to applications of machine learning in image reconstruction. Based on college level in mathematics, physics, and engineering the textbook supports students in understanding the concepts. It is an essential reference for graduate students and engineers with electrical engineering and biomedical background due to its didactical structure and the balanced combination of methodologies and applications,

The theory of almost periodic functions is a very active field of research for scholars. This research monograph analyzes various classes of multi-dimensional metrically almost periodic type functions with values in complex Banach spaces. We provide many applications of our theoretical results to the abstract Volterra integro-differential inclusions in Banach spaces.

With the development of renewable electricity and the expected important surpluses of production, how can the use of hydrogen improve the green energy portfolio? Power-to-Gas covers the production of hydrogen through electrolysis and its storage or conversion in another form (gas, chemicals or fuels). It emphasises the need for new technologies with global energy consumption, markets, and logistics concepts. Pilot projects around the world are discussed as well as how policy and economics influence the real use of these energy harvesting and conversion technologies.

This proceedings volume documents the contributions presented at the CONIAPS XXVII International Conference on Recent Advances in Pure and Applied Algebra. The entries focus on modern trends and techniques in various branches of pure and applied Algebra and highlight their applications in coding, cryptography, graph, and fuzzy theory. The book comprised a total of eighteen chapters, among which the first fourteen chapters are devoted to Algebra and related topics, and the last four chapters are included applied mathematics parts. The chapters present the latest research work being done on the frontiers of the various branches of algebra as well as showcase the cross-fertilization of the ideas and connection among these branches.Covering a broad range of topics in pure and applied Algebra, this volume would appeal to a wide spectrum of the researcher in Mathematics. The main aim of this monograph is to contribute to the development of pure and applied Algebra and hence we purposely sought a cross-section of topics in Algebra and encouraged expository presentations and research papers that provide an innovative link between research areas of Algebra and the field of their applications. This volume will be useful not only to experts but also to beginners of research in algebras and related topics.

Scenario planning is a long and well-established approach to help leaders create novel insights and challenge what they know of the world to influence future action. But as the world becomes increasingly unpredictable, leaders must question the traditional mode of analysing the contextual environment and adopt new capabilities to embrace change while they redefine and reframe their organisation for the future. The Evolution of Scenario Planning explores the pervasive nature of change. It provides a contemporary approach to using scenarios as strategic conversation to embrace experiences - past and present - to create novel understanding and insights. The book uses case studies and practical examples to guide facilitators in applying the scenario process in their organisation. Leaders, senior managers, consultants and academics will learn how to engage with scenarios as a central element of strategy and better understand their role in strategic leadership. They will also gain insight into the skills and capabilities revealed during the process of strategic conversation, where ambiguity and equivocality is a natural feature of such conversation. The Evolution of Scenario Planning makes a compelling case for using scenarios to enable leaders to develop foresight and attunement to grasp the ongoing dynamic of their uncertain and ambiguous world.

The idea that there is a distinctively practical use of reason, and correspondingly a distinctively practical form of knowledge, unites many otherwise diverse voices in the history of practical philosophy: from Aristotle to Kant, from Rousseau to Marx, from Hegel to G.E.M. Anscombe, and many others. This volume gathers works by scholars who take inspiration from these and many other historical figures in order to deepen our systematic understanding of questions raised by their work that still are, or ought to be, at the center of contemporary philosophical debate: the form and nature of practical reasoning, agential self-consciousness or practical knowledge, how knowledge of the good relates to our motivational capacity, and the shape of philosophical thinking about sound forms of living together. Accordingly, the volume is divided into three parts: action theory, meta-ethics, and political philosophy. This fusion of perspectives delivers novel possibilities not only for answering the systematic questions outlined above, but also for understanding both what unifies and distinguishes those historical voices that have sought to articulate the concept of practical reason. "This fascinating volume brings out the richness and profundity of an oft-neglected approach to understanding human agency, one that foregrounds action as itself an exercise of reason. Essays on ethics, mind, action, and political philosophy explore the history, substance, and implications of this idea, cutting across while also revealing the unity underlying various parts of philosophy that are typically treated separately." - Eric Marcus, Auburn University

This book presents a comprehensive description of the basic concepts of soft matter mechanics and of the nano- and microscale biomedical methods that allow characterizing the mechanical properties of cells and tissues.

Most environmental data involve a large degree of complexity and uncertainty. Environmental Data Analysis is created to provide modern quantitative tools and techniques designed specifically to meet the needs of environmental sciences and related fields. This book has an impressive coverage of the scope. Main techniques described in this book are models for linear and nonlinear environmental systems, statistical & numerical methods, data envelopment analysis, risk assessments and life cycle assessments. These state-of-the-art techniques have attracted significant attention over the past decades in environmental monitoring, modeling and decision making. Environmental Data Analysis explains carefully various data analysis procedures and techniques in a clear, concise, and straightforward language and is written in a self-contained way that is accessible to researchers and advanced students in science and engineering. This is an excellent reference for scientists and engineers who wish to analyze, interpret and model data from various sources, and is also an ideal graduate-level textbook for courses in environmental sciences and related fields. Contents:PrefaceTime series analysisChaos and dynamical systemsApproximationInterpolationStatistical methodsNumerical methodsOptimizationData envelopment analysisRisk assessmentsLife cycle assessmentsIndex

UEBER DIE ANALYSE DES BLUTES UND DIE PATHOLOGISCHEN KRASENLE

The introduction of cross diffusivity opens many questions in the theory of reactiondiffusion systems. This book will be the first to investigate such problems presenting new findings for researchers interested in studying parabolic and elliptic systems where classical methods are not applicable. In addition, The Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequality involving BMO norms is improved and new techniques are covered that will be of interest. This book also provides many open problems suitable for interested Ph.D students.

Process systems engineering (PSE) is a discipline that delivers tools for guided decision-making in the development of new processes and products. Proven successful in the pharmaceutical-, food- and water sectors, it has also breached the field of energy systems. The future energy systems aim to be more efficient, cost-effective, environmentally benign, and interconnected. The design and operation is extremely challenging for decision-makers, engineers, and scientists and here lies a crucial role for the process systems engineer.

This book asserts that the goal of smart villages should shift from one of extraction to one of community value creation. To begin this conversation, we examine the smart village discourse, debates in design theory, non-western traditions of innovation, and sustainable development. Through case studies of smart village co-design we offer a way forward. This book is relevant for engineers, social scientists, and development practitioners. The book will be of special interest to those seeking to expand their inquiry into the role of science and technology in low and middle-income countries.

Maximally subelliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) are a far-reaching generalization of elliptic PDEs. Elliptic PDEs hold a special place: sharp results are known for general linear and even fully nonlinear elliptic PDEs. Over the past half-century, important results for elliptic PDEs have been generalized to maximally subelliptic PDEs. This text presents this theory and generalizes the sharp, interior regularity theory for general linear and fully nonlinear elliptic PDEs to the maximally subelliptic setting.

Higher life expectancy on a global level requires complex nursing care as poor education and a lack of knowledge can lead to mistakes. There is a need for nurses who can provide high quality and advanced nursing practice. A mix of well-grounded education and innovative research is needed, where the first provides an understanding of best nursing practice care delivery and the second helps nurses determine best practices and improve nursing care.

This first volume of Metal-Organic Framework Composites focusses on pharmaceutical pollution as an issue of concern due to its effects on the environment and the application of MOFs for remediation. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are advanced porous materials and are promising adsorbents with facile modifications, high specific surface area, controllable porosity, and tailored surface properties. This book discusses MOFs in the removal and comprehensively evaluates the role of MOFs for efficient removal of different pharmaceutical pollutants. The authors present techniques and approaches for removal of pharmaceuticals with suitable examples.

Digital transformation is a must. Consumers have fully embraced the digital age, and companies have followed suit, deploying programs to adapt to the rapidly evolving marketplace. But the pace of technological change is such that digital trends are shaping the future, revolutionizing the business world and turning it on its head. How can business leaders operate, innovate and thrive in the present and future digital market? Digital Business Strategy - How to Design, Build and Future-Proof a Business in the Digital Age provides a practical step-by-step guide with frameworks, examples and real-world guidance to break down what is required to deliver complex business transformation. Six comprehensive sections delve into: understanding the drivers of the digital age, how to develop a digital strategy, the core competencies of a digital business, how to execute transformational change and build a digital culture, how to deliver value today while creating opportunities for tomorrow through ambidextrous roadmap planning and execution techniques, and preparing for the next wave of innovation. Digital Business Strategy is for C-Suite leaders, first-line management, entrepreneurs, SME business owners and students; anyone interested in shaping their team, business, service or proposition to be digitally sustainable and resilient in the present and future digital era.

The present book is based on the extensive lecture notes of the author and contains a concise course on Linear Algebra. The sections begin with an intuitive presentation, aimed at the beginners, and then often include rather non-trivial topics and exercises. This makes the book suitable for introductory as well as advanced courses on Linear Algebra.The first part of the book deals with the general idea of systems of linear equations, matrices and eigenvectors. Linear systems of differential equations are developed carefully and in great detail. The last chapter gives an overview of applications to other areas of Mathematics, like calculus and differential geometry. A large number of exercises with selected solutions make this a valuable textbook for students of the topic as well as lecturers, preparing a course on Linear Algebra.

Quantum crystallography (QCr) is a novel scientific discipline combining quantum chemistry methods and crystal structure determination. Written by leading experts in the field, this book describes original quantum-mechanical approaches to obtain crystallographic data of enhanced value and explains how they correlate with real diffraction and scattering experiments. In particular, the book covers quantum N-representability, Clinton equations, kernel energy method (KEM), and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) methods and their applications in crystallographic studies. Readers will be interested in the Foreword written by Nobel Laureate Ada Yonath and the Epilogue by noted science philosopher Olimpia Lombardi.

Despite their inherent seriousness, the law and those who practice it, be it lawyers, judges, politicians, or bureaucrats, are amongst the most popular objects of comedy and humour. Sometimes even the mention of the law, or the mere use of legal vocabulary, can trigger laughter. This is deeply counterintuitive, but true across cultures and historical eras: while the law is there to prevent and remedy injustice, it often ends up becoming the butt of comedy. But laughter and comedy, too, are also infused with seriousness: as universal social phenomena, they are extremely complex objects of study. This book maps out the many intersections of the law and laughter, from classical Greece to the present day. Taking on well-known classical and modern works of literature and visual culture, from Aristophanes to Laurel and Hardy and from Nietzsche to Totò and Fernandel, laughter and comedy bring law back to the complexity of human soul and the unpredictability of life.

How do people justify what others see as transgression? Taking that question to the Persian-Muslim and Latin-Christian worlds over the period 1200 to 1700, this book shows that people in both these worlds invested considerable energy in worrying, debating, and writing about proscribed practices. It compares how people in the two worlds came to terms with the proscriptions of sodomy, idolatry, and usury. When historians speak of the gap between premodern practice and the legal theory of the time, they tend to ignore the myriad of justifications that filled this gap. Moreover, a focus on justification evens out many of the contrasts that have been alleged to exist between the two worlds, or the Muslim and Christian worlds more generally. The similarities outweigh the differences in the ways people came to terms with the various rules of divine law. The level of flexibility of the theologians and jurists in charge of divine law varied more over time and by topic than between the two worlds. Both worlds also saw the development of ever more sophisticated justifications. Amid the increasing complexity of justifications, a particular kind of reasoning emerged: that good outcomes are more important than upholding rules for their own sake.

"The world is a finite body, and therefore has finite power." John Philoponus is remembered for using this Aristotelian premise to break ranks with Aristotle and argue that the world is not everlasting. This investigation reconsiders Philoponus's arguments from finite power, and then explores the aftermath of this line of thinking in the works of three lesser-known Arabic intellectuals active in the generation before Avicenna (d. 1037): Abū l-Ḫayr Ibn Suwār (d. after 1017), Abū al-Ḥasan al-ʿĀmirī (d. 992), and Abū Sahl al-Masīḥī (d. after 1025). Each engaged with this dictum in unique and novel ways, and in so doing anticipated a number of central features of Avicenna's writings. The history of this argument is of crucial importance for understanding the evolution of natural philosophy and metaphysics in this formative period, away from tedious and simplistic arguments about creation and towards a more robust modal ontology based on intrinsic and extrinsic necessity.

There are numerous linear algebra textbooks available on the market. Yet, there are few that approach the notion of eigenvectors and eigenvalues across an operator's minimum polynomial. In this book, we take that approach. This book provides a thorough introduction to the fundamental concepts of linear algebra. The material is divided into two sections: Part I covers fundamental concepts in linear algebra, whereas Part II covers the theory of determinants, the theory of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and fundamental results on Euclidean vector spaces. We highlight that: Consider hypothetical manufacturing models as a starting point for studying linear equations. There are two novel ideas in the book: the use of a production model to motivate the concept of matrix product and the use of an operator's minimal polynomial to describe the theory of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Several examples incorporate the use of SageMath., allowing the reader to focus on conceptual comprehension rather than formulas.

Volume 1 From Antraquinonoid Pigments to Color Fundamentals With contributions on various industrially important dyes, inorganic and organic pigments, on color fundamentals and colorants in various application systems (building materials, coatings, cosmetics, plastics, printing inks) A comprehensive overview on all important dyes, inorganic and organic pigments supplemented by information on all relevant applications and color fundamentals The chapters are clearly structured and arranged in alphabetical order in the 3-volumes.

Public corporations and private businesses operate in an increasingly complex, uncertain, and interconnected world. When evaluating investment decisions, business managers can no longer base their decisions primarily on expected financial return. They now must now consider a host of performance value measures (i.e., criteria) pertaining to issues such as environmental and social governance, sustainability, and stakeholder satisfaction. In addition, corporate managers must ensure that their investment decisions are aligned with the company's vision, mission, and values in order to maintain investor confidence and protect brand image. Lastly, to be truly successful, business managers must assess the risks associated with each performance measure and manage their impacts during project implementation. This book takes a pragmatic business and economics view towards evaluating competing investment alternatives and/or capital project strategies. It provides a practical step-by- step process using a structured decision analysis framework to evaluate, understand, quantify, and measure project invesment strategies in light of multiple stakeholder objectives and success criteria. This process assists in helping stakeholders (internal and external) achieve a shared understanding of project issues and to facilitate convergence towards a mutually acceptable solution. The approach considers available choices, identified uncertainties, constraints, necessary tradeoffs, and preferences so as to identify solutions that maximize overall benefits while minimizing overall costs and risk. A real world case study is presented in the early chapters and the process steps are demonstrated through application to this case study. Recent advances in technology allow for investment strategies to be evaluated against multiple criteria within one integrated platform. This book guides the reader in performing multi-criteria decision analysis, including the use of Monte Carlo simulation, within an MS Excel environment using native MS Excel and as well as add-in programs such Palisades Decision Tools suite. Example model structures, screen shots, formulas, and output results are provided throughout the book using an illustrative case study.

Chapters collected from "The Virtual Conference on Chemistry and its Applications (VCCA-2021) - Research and Innovations in Chemical Sciences: Paving the Way Forward". This conference was held in August 2021 and organized by the Computational Chemistry Group of the University of Mauritius. These peer-reviewed chapters offer insights into research on fundamental and applied chemistry with interdisciplinary subject matter.

Biogenic toxins are fascinating natural products characterized by an enormous diversity of chemical structures and pharmacological activities. They not only pose hazards to humans and animals, but they are important components in the interplay of substances and living beings in nature and, moreover, important sources for new drugs. The present book is the first volume of the 5-volume series "Natural Poisons and Venoms". Volumes 1-3 cover poisons produced by plants, volume 4 summarizes poisons and venoms of animals and volume 5 deal with poisons of fungi, cyanobacteria, and other microorganisms. This volume starts with a fundamental chapter on history, chemistry and pharmacology of natural toxins, importance of the toxins for their producer, potential danger for humans and animals, and general aspects of toxicology including notes for first aid and proposals for clinical measures. The following chapters focus on the poisonous representatives of terpenes and the related steroids. The reader will be informed about the botany and occurrence of plants producing these toxins, the chemistry, the biogenesis and the pharmacology of the toxins, possible causes of poisonings, precautions to avoid poisonings, symptoms of poisonings of humans and animals, proposals for treatment measures and the possible usefulness, in the past, in present and in the future, of these toxins, especially for the development of new medicines. Numerous images of plants and chemical structural formulas complete the book. Extensive lists of literature references are given. The handbook is intended for physicians, veterinarians, pharmacists, chemists, biochemists, food chemists and biologists, for the students in the relevant fields, and also for interested laymen. You will be informed about all aspects of natural toxins based on the latest knowledge.

Understanding Non-State Actors aims to reduce the scarcity of academic literature on armed non-state actors (NSAs) that have always been a part of world politics and wars. This monograph offers, possibly for the first time, a systematic historical review as well as a substantive theory of NSAs and their arming efforts. From the Jewish rebellions against Rome to the war between the Ukrainian separatists and the Ukrainian government, NSAs' weapons acquisition has been vital for the build-up of their force, enabling both the employment of that force and its sustainability. While weapons are not necessarily the most important factor in military build-up, NSAs need weapons to fight, and revolts usually erupt after the organizers have acquired a certain number of weapons. Conversely, many revolts lose momentum and operations are not carried out, or turn ineffective, due to shortages of arms and ammunition. A major theme of this monograph is that in spite of dramatic political and technological changes, armed NSAs in different periods have employed similar methods to acquire weapons. Self-production, looting and stealing, external support, and the arms trade were always the major ways for NSAs to acquire weapons, though the importance of each method and the type of arms has changed remarkably over time. Understanding Non-State Actors discusses the factors - political, social, cultural, technological, and organizational - that have both facilitated and constrained the ability of NSAs to acquire arms. Especially, lecturers and students of Military, Terrorism, Conflict studies, War and peace studies will benefit from this study.

One important task of metaphysics is to answer the question of what it is for an object to exist. The first part of this book offers a systematic reconstruction and critique of contemporary views on existence. The upshot of this part is that the contemporary debate has reached an impasse because none of the considered views is able to formulate a satisfactory answer to this fundamental metaphysical question. The second part reconstructs Thomas Aquinas's view on existence (esse) and argues that it contributes a new perspective which allows us to see why the contemporary debate has reached this impasse. It has come to this point because it has taken a premise for granted which Aquinas's view rejects, namely, that the existence of an object consists in something's having a property. A decisive contribution of Aquinas's theory of esse is that it makes use of the ideas of metaphysical participation and composition. In this way, it can be explained how an object can have esse without being the case that esse is a property of it. This book brings together a reconstruction from the history of philosophy with a systematic study on existence and is therefore relevant for scholars interested in contemporary or medieval theories of existence.

The risk-based approach to capital markets regulation is in crisis. Climate change, shifting demographics, geopolitical conflicts and other environmental discontinuities threaten established business models and shorten the life spans of listed companies. The current rules for periodic disclosure in the EU fail to inform market participants adequately. Unlike risks, uncertainties are unquantifiable or may only be quantified at great cost, causing them to be insufficiently reflected in periodic reports. This is unfortunate, given the pivotal role capital markets must play in the economy's adaptation to environmental discontinuities. It is only with a reformed framework for periodic disclosure, that gradual and orderly adaptation to these discontinuities appears feasible. To ensure orderly market adaptation, a new reporting format is required: scenario analysis should be integrated into the European framework for periodic disclosure.