The Catalyzing Mind

The Catalyzing Mind

How do we understand and explain phenomena in psychology? What does the concept of causality mean when we discuss higher psychological functions and behavior? Is it possible to generate laws in a psychological and behavioral sciencelaws that go beyond statistical regularities, frequencies, and probabilities? An international group of authors compare and contrast the use of a causal model in psychology with a newer modelthe catalytic model. The Catalyzing Mind: Beyond Models of Causality proposes an approach to the qualitative nature of psychological phenomena that focuses on the psychological significance and meaning of conditions, contexts, and situations as well as their sign-mediating processes. Contributors develop, apply, and criticize the notion of a catalyzing mind in hopes of achieving conceptual clarity and rigor. Disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, semiotics and biosemiotics are used for an interdisciplinary approach to the book. Research topics such as history and national identity, immigration, and transitions to adulthood are all brought into a dialogue with the concept of the catalyzing mind. With a variety of disciplines, theoretical concepts, and research topics this book is a collective effort at an approach to move beyond models of causality for explaining and understanding psychological phenomena.

The Catalyzing Mind

The Newcom++ Vision Book

The Newcom++ Vision Book

The Book contains the Vision of the researchers of the European Network of Excellence NEWCOM++ (Network of Excellence on Wireless COMmunication) on the present and future status of Wireless Communication Networks. In its content, the community of NEWCOM++ researchers, shaped under the common ground of a mainly academic network of excellence, have distilled their scientific wisdom in a number of areas characterized by the common denominator of wireless communications, by identifying the medium-long term research tendencies/problems, describing the tools to face them and providing a relatively large number of references for the interested reader. The identified areas and the researchers involved in their redaction reflect the intersection of the major topics in wireless communications with those that are deeply investigated in NEWCOM++; they are preceded by an original description of the main trends in user/society needs and the degree of fulfilment that ongoing and future wireless communications standards will more likely help achieving. The appendix of the Book contains a list of ‘Millenium Problems’, seminal problems in the area of wireless communication networks, characterized by being crucial and still unsolved. The problems have been identified by NEWCOM++ researchers and filtered by the editors of the Vision Book.

The Newcom++ Vision Book

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

A management professor and a religion professor team up to provide a fresh, penetrating look at the obstacles that prevent people from achieving their full potential. As authors Charles Watson and Thomas Idinopulos demonstrate, inner demons like a lack of integrity, mindless conformity, passivity, or greed conspire to keep people from doing their best. But people can avoid becoming their own worst enemies by using their uniquely human capacities to their fullestto be more responsible, more creative, more self-disciplined, and more honest. Using these strengths, the authors show, makes it easier to resolve ethical dilemmas, attain peak performance without burning out, maintain a positive outlook, and, ultimately, succeed in achieving treasured personal and professional goals.

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

Configuring User-Designer Relations

Configuring User-Designer Relations

User-designer relations concerns the sorts of working relationships that arise between developers and end users of IT products – the different ways designers of IT products seek to engage with users, and the ways users seek to influence product design. It is through the shifting patterns of these relations that IT products are realised. Although it has generally been accepted that achieving better user-designer relations will improve the quality of IT products, there has been little consensus on how this might be achieved. This book aims to deepen our understanding of the relationships between users and designers both as they emerge in the wild and as a consequence of our attempts to intervene. Through a series of case studies the book juxtaposes in-depth explorations of different perspectives and approaches to thinking about – and doing – user-designer relations, considering important implications for design and computer science more generally.

Configuring User-Designer Relations

Robotic Urology

Robotic Urology

Robotic surgery is in a phase of worldwide rapid evolution. Data from many centers indicate that urologists are achieving equivalent, or better, operative outcomes using a robotic laparoscopic interface compared with their open results. Patients benefit from quicker convalescence, less pain, and shorter hospital stays. The multi-authored international text covers the robotic operative procedures in urology that are routinely performed today and still in evolution. It focuses on robotic radical prostatectomy and includes robotic procedures for the kidney, adrenal gland, and urinary bladder. The most essential steps are depicted in illustrations. This book should contribute to the support of new robotic teams and continue to popularize robotic urology.

Robotic Urology

Exorcising Devils from the Throne

Exorcising Devils from the Throne

This political treatise is a passionate portrait of the nation of Sao Tome and Principe (STP) and an analysis of the specific problems of this small island cluster, a beautiful post-colonial country which is slowly but surely being sunk by a battle of politics and perks. Charting the nation’s fortunes since achieving independence from Portugal in 1975, the authors describe a leadership so corrupt and inept as to appear possessed by an evil demon.

Exorcising Devils from the Throne

Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools

Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools

Restorative practice is a proven approach to discipline in schools that favours relationships over retribution, and has been shown to improve behaviour and enhance teaching and learning outcomes. However, in order for it to work, restorative practice needs a relational school culture. Implementing Restorative Practice in Schools explains what has to happen in a school in order for it to become truly restorative. Section 1 explains the potential of restorative practice in schools, describing the positive outcomes for students and teachers. It also outlines the measures that need to be in place in order to embed restorative practice. Section 2 examines the process of understanding and managing change, providing realistic and pragmatic guidance on the practical and emotional barriers that may be encountered. Finally, Section 3 provides in eight practical steps, strategic guidance for achieving a restorative culture that sticks. Featuring useful pro formas and templates, this book will be an indispensable guide for educators, administrators and school leaders in mainstream and specialist settings.

Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools

Membrane Engineering for the Treatment of Gases

Membrane Engineering for the Treatment of Gases

Membranes already have important applications in artificial organs, the processing of biotechnological products, food manufacture, waste water treatment, and seawater desalination. Their uses in gaseous mixture separations are, however, far from achieving their full potential. Separation of air components, natural gas dehumidification and sweeting, separation and recovery of CO2 from biogas, and H2 from refinery gases are all examples of current industrial applications. The use of membranes for reducing the greenhouse effect and improving energy efficiency has also been suggested. New process intensification strategies in the petrochemical industry have opened up another growth area for gas separation membrane systems and membrane reactors. This two volume set presents the state-of-the-art in membrane engineering for the separation of gases. It addresses future developments in carbon capture and utilization, H2 production and purification, and O2/N2 separation. Topics covered include the: applications of membrane gas separation in the petrochemical industry; implementation of membrane processes for post-combustion capture; commercial applications of membranes in gas separations; simulation of membrane systems for CO2 capture; design and development of membrane reactors for industrial applications; Pd-based membranes in hydrogen production; modelling and simulation of membrane reactors for hydrogen production and purification; novel hybrid membrane/pressure swing adsorption process for gas separation; molecular dynamics as a new tool for membrane design, and physical aging of membranes for gas separations. Volume 1 focuses predominantly on problems relating to membranes.

Membrane Engineering for the Treatment of Gases

Membrane Engineering for the Treatment of Gases

Membrane Engineering for the Treatment of Gases

Membranes already have important applications in artificial organs, the processing of biotechnological products, food manufacture, waste water treatment, and seawater desalination. Their uses in gaseous mixture separations are, however, far from achieving their full potential. Separation of air components, natural gas dehumidification and sweeting, separation and recovery of CO2 from biogas, and H2 from refinery gases are all examples of current industrial applications. The use of membranes for reducing the greenhouse effect and improving energy efficiency has also been suggested. New process intensification strategies in the petrochemical industry have opened up another growth area for gas separation membrane systems and membrane reactors. This two volume set presents the state-of-the-art in membrane engineering for the separation of gases. It addresses future developments in carbon capture and utilization, H2 production and purification, and O2/N2 separation. Topics covered include the: applications of membrane gas separation in the petrochemical industry; implementation of membrane processes for post-combustion capture; commercial applications of membranes in gas separations; simulation of membrane systems for CO2 capture; design and development of membrane reactors for industrial applications; Pd-based membranes in hydrogen production; modelling and simulation of membrane reactors for hydrogen production and purification; novel hybrid membrane/pressure swing adsorption process for gas separation; molecular dynamics as a new tool for membrane design, and physical aging of membranes for gas separations. Volume 1 focuses predominantly on problems relating to membranes.

Membrane Engineering for the Treatment of Gases

Computer Vision Metrics

Computer Vision Metrics

Computer Vision Metrics provides an extensive survey and analysis of over 100 current and historical feature description and machine vision methods, with a detailed taxonomy for local, regional and global features. This book provides necessary background to develop intuition about why interest point detectors and feature descriptors actually work, how they are designed, with observations about , the methods for achieving robustness and invariance targets for specific applications. The survey is broader than it is deep, with over 540 references provided to dig deeper. The taxonomy includes search methods, spectra components, descriptor representation, shape, distance functions, accuracy, efficiency, robustness and invariance attributes, and more. Rather than providing how-to’ source code examples and shortcuts, this book provides a counterpoint discussion to the many fine opencv community source code resources available for hands-on practitioners.

Computer Vision Metrics