Introduction to Programming Concepts With Case Studies in Python

This book is an in-depth empirical study of four Asian and African attempts to create democratic, decentralised local governments in the late 1980s and 1990s. The case studies of Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Karnataka (India) and Bangladesh focus upon the enhancement of participation; accountability between people, politicians and bureaucrats; and, most importantly, on whether governmental performance actually improved in comparison with previous forms of administration. The book is systematically comparative, and based upon extensive popular surveys and local field work. It makes an important contribution to current debates in the development literature on whether 'good governance' and decentralisation can provide more responsive and effective services for the mass of the population - the poor and disadvantaged who live in the rural areas.

This book provides an elementary, accessible introduction for engineers and scientists to the concepts of ordinary and partial boundary value problems, acquainting readers with fundamental properties

Jon Elster has written a comprehensive, wide-ranging book on the emotions in which he considers the full range of theoretical approaches. Drawing on history, literature, philosophy and psychology, Elster presents a complete account of the role of the emotions in human behaviour. While acknowledging the importance of neurophysiology and laboratory experiment for the study of emotions, Elster argues that the serious student of the emotions can learn more from the great thinkers and writers of the past, from Aristotle to Jane Austen. He attaches particular importance to the work of the French moralists, notably La Rochefoucauld, who demonstrated the way esteem and self-esteem shape human motivation. The book also maintains a running dialogue with economists and rational-choice theorists. Combining methodological and theoretical arguments with empirical case-studies and written with Elster's customary verve and economy, this book has great cross-disciplinary appeal.

Likely places of learning in Japan include folkcraft village pottery workshops, the clubhouses of female shellfish divers, traditional theaters, and the neighborhood public bath. The education of potters, divers, actors, and other novices generates identity within their specific communities of practice. In this collection of nineteen case studies of situated learning in such likely places, the contributors take apprenticeship as a fundamental model of experiential education in authentic arenas of cultural practice. Together, the essays demonstrate a rich variety of Japanese pedagogical arrangements and learning patterns, both historical and contemporary. The volume seeks to displace the current focus on school achievement in Japan with a broader understanding of the social context of knowledge acquisition. The cases demonstrate both the power of formal apprenticeship and the diversity of learning arrangements and patterns in Japan which transmit traditions of art, craft, work, and comm

This unique collection of comparable case studies addresses the need to assess modes of conflict resolution in a larger sociocultural context with attention to varying approaches and cultural perspect

When presidents or prime ministers make law by decree, are we witnessing the usurpation of legislative authority? The increased frequency of policy-making by decree, in older democracies as well as in the newer regimes of Latin America and the post-communist world, has generated concern that legislatures are being marginalized and thus that democratic institutions are not functioning. Professors Carey and Shugart suggest which elements of constitutional design should (and should not) foster reliance on decree authority. Individual chapters then bring the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Peru, Russia, the United States, and Venezuela to bear on the theory. The book combines broadly comparative analysis with intensive case studies to provide a more thorough understanding of the scope of executive authority across countries.

When presidents or prime ministers make law by decree, are we witnessing the usurpation of legislative authority? The increased frequency of policy-making by decree, in older democracies as well as in the newer regimes of Latin America and the post-communist world, has generated concern that legislatures are being marginalized and thus that democratic institutions are not functioning. Professors Carey and Shugart suggest which elements of constitutional design should (and should not) foster reliance on decree authority. Individual chapters then bring the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Peru, Russia, the United States, and Venezuela to bear on the theory. The book combines broadly comparative analysis with intensive case studies to provide a more thorough understanding of the scope of executive authority across countries.

The anthropological tradition approaches property as a 'bundle of rights' and property relationships as social relationships. Rejecting both liberal and socialist approaches, which often neglect the wider social and cultural contexts of property, the contributors to this volume renew and extend the anthropological perspective. The ethnographic case studies include accounts of sharing and intelligence gathering among hunter-gatherers and herders in Africa and in Siberia, land appropriation from native Americans, and the problems associated with the disposal of property in Melanesia. However the anthropological perspective can also illuminate capitalist property relations, and there are fascinating essays on property redistribution in Cyprus and Romania, and on the history of property rights in England and Japan.

The anthropological tradition approaches property as a 'bundle of rights' and property relationships as social relationships. Rejecting both liberal and socialist approaches, which often neglect the wider social and cultural contexts of property, the contributors to this volume renew and extend the anthropological perspective. The ethnographic case studies include accounts of sharing and intelligence gathering among hunter-gatherers and herders in Africa and in Siberia, land appropriation from native Americans, and the problems associated with the disposal of property in Melanesia. However the anthropological perspective can also illuminate capitalist property relations, and there are fascinating essays on property redistribution in Cyprus and Romania, and on the history of property rights in England and Japan.

This book provides an in-depth treatment of the instrumentation, physical bases and applications of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and static secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SSIMS) with a specific focus on the subject of polymeric materials. XPS and SSIMS are widely accepted as the two most powerful techniques for polymer surface chemical analysis, particularly in the context of industrial research and problem solving. In this book, the techniques of XPS and SSIMS are described and in each case the author explains what type of information may be obtained. The book also includes details of case studies emphasising the complementary and joint application of XPS and SSIMS in the investigation of polymer surface structure and its relationship to the properties of the material. This book will be of value to academic and industrial researchers interested in polymer surfaces and surface analysis.

A robot manipulator is a movable chain of links interconnected by joints. One end is fixed to the ground, and a hand or end effector that can move freely in space is attached at the other end. This book begins with an introduction to the subject of robot manipulators. Next, it describes in detail a forward and reverse analysis for serial robot arms. Most of the text focuses on closed form solution techniques applied to a broad range of manipulator geometries, from typical industrial robot designs (relatively simple geometries) to the most complicated case of seven general links serially connected by six revolute joints. A unique feature is its detailed analysis of 6R-P and 7R mechanisms. Case studies show how the techniques described in the book are used in real engineering applications. The book will be useful to both graduate students and engineers working in the field of robotics.

People and the Earth examines the numerous ways in which this planet enhances and limits our lifestyles. The authors look at the geologic restrictions on our ability to withdraw resources - food, water, energy, and minerals - from the earth, the effect human activity has on the Earth, and the lingering damage caused by natural disasters. People and the Earth examines the basic components of our interaction with this planet, provides a lucid, scientific discussion of each issue, and speculates on what the future may hold. It provides the fundamental concepts that will enable us to make wise and conscientious choices on how to live our day-to-day lives. Written with wit and remarkable insight, and illustrated with numerous case histories, this book provides a balanced view of the complex environmental issues facing our civilization. People and the Earth is an ideal introductory textbook and will also appeal to the general reader concerned with our evolving relationship with the earth.

People and the Earth examines the numerous ways in which this planet enhances and limits our lifestyles. The authors look at the geologic restrictions on our ability to withdraw resources - food, water, energy, and minerals - from the earth, the effect human activity has on the Earth, and the lingering damage caused by natural disasters. People and the Earth examines the basic components of our interaction with this planet, provides a lucid, scientific discussion of each issue, and speculates on what the future may hold. It provides the fundamental concepts that will enable us to make wise and conscientious choices on how to live our day-to-day lives. Written with wit and remarkable insight, and illustrated with numerous case histories, this book provides a balanced view of the complex environmental issues facing our civilization. People and the Earth is an ideal introductory textbook and will also appeal to the general reader concerned with our evolving relationship with the earth.

In this anthology of Irvin Yalom's most influential work to date, readers will experience the diversity of his writings with pieces that range from illustrative case studies, to theoretical models, an

Engineering is 'the people-serving profession'. The work of engineers involves interaction with clients, other engineers, and the public at large. More than any other profession, their work also directly involves and affects the environment. This book, first published in 1998, makes the case that engineers have special professional obligations to protect and enhance the environment, and the authors - one, an engineer and the other, a philosopher - seek to provide an ethical basis for these obligations. In exploring these ethical issues, the authors aim to show that engineers make a difference. The text opens with a series of case studies in which engineers face complex and challenging decisions about the environment. Succeeding chapters examine different ideas about environmental ethics for engineers, including professional codes and both modern and historical discussions of environmental responsibility. The book concludes with a collection of readings that complement the text. Student

A move towards more flexible, sustainable agricultural practices is increasingly being seen as the way to address or avoid environmental and economic problems associated with existing, predominantly intensive, farming systems. Through case studies taken from around the world, this book examines the implications of adopting more ecologically sound agricultural practices, both at the level of individual farmers and at the level of larger-scale agro-ecosystems such as water catchments. The emphasis of the book is on human and social aspects, rather than on agronomic or economic considerations, focusing on the learning processes necessary for change to be implemented and, in turn, on the facilitation of that learning through participatory approaches and appropriate institutional support and policy structure.

This comprehensive core text for the presidency course combines broad historical coverage, an in-depth exploration of presidential roles, and illustrative case studies to provide students with a bette

This is the only book that walks COBOL users through the next phase of COBOL: Object-Oriented COBOL (OOCOBOL). Written by experts in COBOL programming, Object-Oriented COBOL teaches you how to integrate COBOL with object-oriented methodologies. It provides explanations and roadmaps that will help you understand, navigate, and successfully integrate analysis and design concepts with enabling OOCOBOL constructs. Designed for current COBOL users and based on the authors' experience teaching Object-Oriented COBOL, experienced COBOL programmers can use Object-Oriented COBOL to begin programming effectively with objects in as little as twelve weeks, significantly less than the steep learning curve of twelve to twenty-four months for Smalltalk and C++. Object-Oriented COBOL also includes extensive examples and experiences, written in OOCOBOL, that explain the defining traits of an object-oriented language, such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.

The theme of British economic decline is inescapable in contemporary debates about Britain's economic performance and sense of national identity. Understanding Decline is a serious contribution to an important argument, approached in a way that is accessible not only to the specialist academic market but to students of economics, history and politics. Barry Supple, to whom the volume is dedicated, when Professor of Economic History at Cambridge was concerned with various aspects of this historical problem. Indeed, his 1993 Presidential Address to the Economic History Society, 'Fear of failing', already a classic, is reprinted here as a highly effective keynote essay. Other essays pick up this theme in diverse but essentially unified ways, seeking to assess British economic performance in different ways over the past two centuries. They include case-studies through which the reality of decline can be explored, while differing perceptions of decline are examined in a number of essays dea

This 1998 book describes the progress that had been made towards the development of a comprehensive understanding of the formation of complex, disorderly patterns under conditions far from equilibrium. The application of fractal geometry and scaling concepts to the quantitative description and understanding of structure formed under non-equilibrium conditions is described. Self-similar fractals, multi-fractals and scaling methods are discussed, with examples, to facilitate applications in the physical sciences. Computer simulations and experimental studies are emphasised, but the author also includes discussion of theoretical advances in the subject. Much of the book deals with diffusion-limited growth processes and the evolution of rough surfaces, although a broad range of other applications is also included. The techniques and topics will be relevant to graduate students and researchers in physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering and the earth sciences, interested in applyi

This elegant book by distinguished mathematician John Milnor, provides a clear and succinct introduction to one of the most important subjects in modern mathematics. Beginning with basic concepts such

With an Introduction by Anthony D. Pellegrini, this work is one of the most extensive studies of early language and literacy undertaken to date. This volume describes the four interdisciplinary facets

Introductory Mathematics for the Life Sciences offers a straightforward introduction to the mathematical principles needed for studies in the life sciences. Starting with the basics of numbers, fracti

The Renaissance, known primarily for the art and literature that it produced, was also a period in which philosophical thought flourished. This two-volume anthology contains forty new translations of important works on moral and political philosophy written during the Renaissance and hitherto unavailable in English. The anthology is designed to be used in conjunction with The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy, in which all of these texts are discussed. The works, originally written in Latin, Italian, French, Spanish and Greek, cover such topics as: concepts of man; Aristotelian, Platonic, Stoic, and Epicurean ethics; scholastic political philosophy; theories of princely and republican government in Italy; and northern European political thought. Each text is supplied with an introduction and a guide to further reading.

The Renaissance, known primarily for the art and literature that it produced, was also a period in which philosophical thought flourished. This two-volume anthology contains 40 new translations of important works on moral and political philosophy written during the Renaissance and hitherto unavailable in English. The anthology is designed to be used in conjunction with The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy, in which all of these texts are discussed. The works, originally written in Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, and Greek, cover such topics as: concepts of man, Aristotelian, Platonic, Stoic, and Epicurean ethics, scholastic political philosophy, theories of princely and republican government in Italy and northern European political thought. Each text is supplied with an introduction and a guide to further reading.

This book is an introduction to the arrow of time in thermodynamics and cosmology, and develops a new quantum measurement theory in which the foregoing concepts play an essential role. The first chapter is an overview and 'route map' and is followed by an exposition of irreversibility, the expansion of the Universe and other arrows of time. The author examines the thesis that the thermodynamic arrow follows the cosmological one, and in doing so extends traditional statistical mechanics. The second part of the book presents a new theory of quantum measurement and possible experimental tests. This theory incorporates the extended statistical mechanics in an essential way. The last chapter discusses open experimental and theoretical issues. Written in a lively and accessible style, the text is liberally sprinkled with exercises. Each chapter ends with a resources section that includes notes, further reading, and technical appendices.

This book is an introduction to the arrow of time in thermodynamics and cosmology, and develops a new quantum measurement theory in which the foregoing concepts play an essential role. The first chapter is an overview and 'route map' and is followed by an exposition of irreversibility, the expansion of the Universe and other arrows of time. The author examines the thesis that the thermodynamic arrow follows the cosmological one, and in doing so extends traditional statistical mechanics. The second part of the book presents a new theory of quantum measurement and possible experimental tests. This theory incorporates the extended statistical mechanics in an essential way. The last chapter discusses open experimental and theoretical issues. Written in a lively and accessible style, the text is liberally sprinkled with exercises. Each chapter ends with a resources section that includes notes, further reading, and technical appendices.

Since the beginning of the eighteenth century the philosophy of art has been engaged on the project of trying to find out what the fine arts have in common and, thus, how they might be defined. Peter Kivy's purpose in this accessible and lucid book is to trace the history of that enterprise and argue that the definitional project has been unsuccessful. He offers a fruitful change of strategy: instead of engaging in an obsessive quest for sameness, let us explore the differences between the arts. He presents five case studies, three from literature, two from music. With its combination of historical and analytic approaches this is a book for a wide range of readers in philosophy, literary studies, music, and non-academic readers with interests in the arts.

This book provides an introduction to the general principles of nuclear magnetic resonance and relaxation, concentrating on simple models and their application. The concepts of relaxation and the time domain are particularly emphasised. Some relatively advanced topics are treated, but the approach is graduated and all points of potential difficulty are carefully explained. An introductory classical discussion of relaxation is followed by a quantum-mechanical treatment. Only when the the principles of relaxation are firmly established is the density operator approach introduced; and then its power becomes apparent. A selection of case studies is considered in depth, providing applications of the ideas developed in the text. There are a number of appendices, including one on random functions. This treatment of one of the most important experimental techniques in modern science will be of great value to final-year undergraduates, graduate students and researchers using nuclear magnetic re

In the new edition of this widely praised textbook, all the chapters have been revised and the authors have brought the work completely up to date by the addition of new material on numerous topics. In recent years, solid state chemistry has emerged as a very important element of mainstream chemistry and materials science. Students, teachers and researchers need to understand the chemistry of solids because of the crucial role this plays in determining the properties of materials. An understanding of solid state chemistry is also essential in materials design, and many fascinating relationships between the structure and properties of solids have been discovered by chemists. This text requires only an understanding of basic physics, chemistry and crystallography, and is enhanced with the most recent examples, case studies and references. It will be of value to advanced students and researchers studying solid state chemistry and materials science as a text and reference work.

This book reviews one-dimensional reactions, dynamics, diffusion and adsorption. In studies of complex systems in biology, chemistry and physics, understanding can be gained by analytical and numerical analyses of simple models. This book presents review articles at an advanced research level, describing results for one-dimensional models of dynamical processes such as chemical reactions and catalysis, kinetic ising models, phase separation and cluster growth, monolayer and multilayer adsorption with added relaxation, surface and hard-core particle dynamics, diffusional transport, random systems and experimental results. It also covers experimental results for systems ranging from chemical reactions to adsorption and reactions on polymer chains, steps on crystalline surfaces, and DNA. All chapters are written by leading scientists in the field. They present a self-contained review of this subject that will guide a reader from basic concepts, ideas, methods and models to the forefront o

This collection of readings provides the reader with a basic introduction to the topic and concepts of cultural diversity as it has come to characterize the culture of the United States.

The first edition of this book was widely praised as an excellent introduction to electron microscopy for materials scientists, physicists, earth and biological scientists. This completely revised new edition contains expanded coverage of existing topics and much new material. The author presents the subject of electron microscopy in a readable way, open both to those inexperienced in the technique, and also to practising electron microscopists. The coverage has been brought completely up to date, whilst retaining descriptions of early classic techniques. Currently live topics such as computer control of microscopes, energy-filtered imaging, cryo- and environmental microscopy, digital imaging, and high resolution scanning and transmission microscopy are all described. The highly praised case studies of the first edition have been expanded to include some interesting new examples. This indispensable guide to electron microscopy, written by an author with thirty years practical experienc

This book is about how plants get diseases, from the origins and evolution of parasites to how the great plant epidemics developed. The basic premise of the book is that the conditions favouring disease are inherent in agriculture and that diseases become destructive because of human activities. It also deals with how people have dealt with plant diseases in history. Included in the book are the natural histories of some of the most damaging plant diseases, worldwide, with discussions of why each became destructive. Diseases are grouped according to the most significant factors in the development of epidemics: in every case this is due to a human factor. Discussion of each model disease proceeds from observable facts to more complex concepts; thus, the reader with little knowledge of plant pathology should find the book easily understandable.

Sylvia Scribner's research and theory have been monumental in forming the emergent field of cultural psychology. Her studies of reasoning and thinking in their cultural and activity contexts added new concepts, methods, and findings to what many are now viewing as a distinctive branch of psychological studies. She was among the first to combine ethnographic studies with experimental studies in order to determine relationships among indigenous literacy and logical activities and their cognitive outcomes. Mind and Social Practice brings together published and previously unpublished work from Sylvia Scribner's productive and wide-ranging career. The book is arranged chronologically and includes five section introductions by the editors, placing Scribner's work in the context of her life, her commitments, and the political and intellectual events of the times. Her later, more theoretically rich writing is enhanced by an appreciation of her earlier work.

Sylvia Scribner's research and theory have been monumental in forming the emergent field of cultural psychology. Her studies of reasoning and thinking in their cultural and activity contexts added new concepts, methods, and findings to what many are now viewing as a distinctive branch of psychological studies. She was among the first to combine ethnographic studies with experimental studies in order to determine relationships among indigenous literacy and logical activities and their cognitive outcomes. Mind and Social Practice brings together published and previously unpublished work from Sylvia Scribner's productive and wide-ranging career. The book is arranged chronologically and includes five section introductions by the editors, placing Scribner's work in the context of her life, her commitments, and the political and intellectual events of the times. Her later, more theoretically rich writing is enhanced by an appreciation of her earlier work.

Cohomology of Drinfeld Modular Varieties provides an introduction, in two volumes, both to this subject and to the Langlands correspondence for function fields. These varieties are the analogues for function fields of the Shimura varieties over number fields. The Langlands correspondence is a conjectured link between automorphic forms and Galois representations over a global field. By analogy with the number-theoretic case, one expects to establish the conjecture for function fields by studying the cohomology of Drinfeld modular varieties, which has been done by Drinfeld himself for the rank two case. This second volume is concerned with the Arthur-Selberg trace formula, and with the proof in some cases of the Rmamanujan-Petersson conjecture and the global Langlands conjecture for function fields. It is based on graduate courses taught by the author, who uses techniques which are extensions of those used to study Shimura varieties. Though the author considers only the simpler case of f

This book examines the relationship between legal tradition and national identity to offer a critical and historical perspective on the study of criminal law. It develops a radically different approach to questions of responsibility and subjectivity, and was among the first studies to combine appreciation of the institutional and historical context in which criminal law is practised with a critical understanding of the law itself. Applying contemporary social theory to the particular case of nineteenth-century Scottish law, Lindsay Farmer is able to develop a critique of modern criminal law theory in general. He traces the development of the modern characteristics of criminal law and legal order, tracing the relationship between legal practice and national culture, and showing how contemporary criminal law theory fundamentally misrepresents the character of modern criminal justice.

This book deals with flows over propellers operating behind ships, and the hydrodynamic forces and moments which the propeller generates on the shaft and on the ship hull. The first part of the book is devoted to fundamentals of the flow about hydrofoil sections and wings, propellers in uniform flow and pragmatic design guides for analysis and performance. The second part covers the development of unsteady section and blade forces arising from operation in non-uniform hull wakes. The problem of a non-cavitating, wide-bladed propeller in a wake is treated by a new and completely developed theory. A final chapter discusses the optimisation of efficiency of compound propulsors. The authors have taken great care to clearly describe physical concepts and mathematical steps. An appendix provides a concise introduction to (or reprise of) the mathematical techniques used.

This new collection of Aristotle's political writings provides the student with all the necessary materials for a full understanding of his work as a political scientist. Not only does it offer an unusually lucid and accessible account of The Politics, it also shows the relation between this and his studies as a constitutional historian. Only one of Aristotle's many constitutions - The Constitution of Athens -has survived and this is now presented here alongside The Politics so that the student can appreciate both the empirical and the theoretical aspects of Aristotle's political science. This expanded Cambridge Texts edition contains an extensive guide to further reading and an index of names with biographical notes, in addition to a revised and extended introduction. Presentation of The Politics and The Constitution of Athens in a single volume will make this the most attractive and convenient student edition of these seminal works currently available.