Basic Structures of Reality

目錄1 生物力學簡介：基礎術語與概念Introduction to Biomechanics: Basic Terminology and ConceptsNihat Özkaya and Dawn Leger國際量測單位標準系統Appendix The International System of MeasurementDennis R. Carter第一部分 骨骼肌肉系統之組織與結構生物力學Biomechanics of Tissues and Structures of the Musculoskeletal System2 骨骼生物力學Biomechanics of BoneVictor H. Frankel and Margareta Nordin3 關節軟骨生物力學Biomechanics of Articular CartilageClark T. Hung and Van C. Mow4 肌腱與韌帶生物力學Biomechanics of Tendons and LigamentsAngela Lis, Carlo de Castro, and Margareta Nordin5 周邊神經與脊神經根生物力學Biomechanics of Peripheral Nerves and Spinal Nerve RootsBjörn Rydevik, Göran Lundborg, Kjell Olmarker, and Robert R. Myers6 骨骼肌生物力學Biomechanics of Skeletal MuscleTobias Lorenz and Marco Campello第二部分 關節生物力學Biomechanics of Joints7 膝關節生物力學Biomechanics of the KneeVictor H. Frankel, Margareta Nordin, and PeterS. Walker8 髖關節生物力學Biomechanics of the HipAli Sheikhzadeh, Owen Kendall, and Victor Frankel9 足部與踝部的生物力學Biomechanics of the Foot and AnkleMarshall Hagins and Evangelos Pappas10

This book is a customized version in Taiwan, and the content is extracted from Chapters 1 to 15 of the book "Introduction to Python Programming and Data Structures, Global Edition, 3rd edition".-- --For introductory courses in Python Programming.A fundamentals first approach to programming helps students create efficient, elegant code.Introduction to Python Programming and Data Structures introduces students to basic programming concepts using a fundamentals-first approach that prepares students to learn object-oriented programming and advanced Python programming. This approach presents programming concepts and techniques that include control statements, loops, functions, and arrays before designing custom classes. Students learn basic logic and programming concepts prior to moving into object-oriented and GUI programming. The content incorporates a wide variety of problems with various levels of difficulty and covers many application areas to engage and motivate students.For a list of

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping

From the Pulitzer-prize winning, New York Times bestselling author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies in one country do business with corrupt companies in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about th

本書序言Up-to-date, engaging coverage of essential topics●Expanded coverage of cryptography including Elliptic curve photography; coverage of knapsack ciphers has been removed. Also, the important notion of homomorphic encryption is introduced in this edition.●Coverage of recent numerical discoveries, including four new Mersenne primes; the largest known twin primes; the evidence supporting many important conjectures, and more.●Coverage of new theoretical discoveries, such as the proof of weak Goldbach conjecture and the result that there is an algorithm to multiply two n-bit integers using O (nlog2 n) bit operations.A proven approach●Enhanced exercise sets have been examined and improved sets even further, plus several hundred new exercises, from routine to challenging. New computational and exploratory exercises are included.●Connections with abstract algebra: The book does not assume prior knowledge of abstract algebra, but introduces some basic algebraic structures such as gr

Engineering a Compiler, Third Edition is full of technical updates, new material covering the latest developments in compiler technology, and a fundamental change in the presentation of the middle section of the book, with new chapters focusing on semantic elaboration (the problems that arise in generating code from the ad-hoc syntax-directed translation schemes in a generated parser), on runtime support for naming and addressability, and on code shape for expressions, assignments, and control-structures. Leading educators and researchers Keith Cooper and Linda Torczon have revised their popular text with a fresh approach to learning important techniques for constructing a modern compiler, combining basic principles with pragmatic insights from their own experience building state-of-the-art compilers.

A bestselling author, neuroscientist, and computer engineer unveils a theory of intelligence that will revolutionize our understanding of the brain and the future of AI. For all of neuroscience's advances, we've made little progress on its biggest question: How do simple cells in the brain create intelligence? Jeff Hawkins and his team discovered that the brain uses maplike structures to build a model of the world-not just one model, but hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. This discovery allows Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought. A Thousand Brains heralds a revolution in the understanding of intelligence. It is a big-think book, in every sense of the word.

Written for a one-semester course in hydraulics, this concise textbook is rooted in the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and aims to promote sound hydraulic engineering practice. Basic methods are presented to underline the theory and engineering applications, and examples and problems build in complexity as students work their way through the textbook. Abundant worked examples and calculations, real-world case studies, and revision exercises, as well as precisely crafted end-of-chapter exercises ensure students learn exactly what they need in order to consolidate their knowledge and progress in their career. Students learn to solve pipe networks, optimize pumping systems, design pumps and turbines, solve differential equations for gradually-varied flow and unsteady flow, and gain knowledge of hydraulic structures like spillways, gates, valves, and culverts. An essential textbook for intermediate to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in civil and environmental engin

This is the first full-length book on the major theme of symmetry in graphs. Forming part of algebraic graph theory, this fast-growing field is concerned with the study of highly symmetric graphs, particularly vertex-transitive graphs, and other combinatorial structures, primarily by group-theoretic techniques. In practice the street goes both ways and these investigations shed new light on permutation groups and related algebraic structures. The book assumes a first course in graph theory and group theory but no specialized knowledge of the theory of permutation groups or vertex-transitive graphs. It begins with the basic material before introducing the field's major problems and most active research themes in order to motivate the detailed discussion of individual topics that follows. Featuring many examples and over 450 exercises, it is an essential introduction to the field for graduate students and a valuable addition to any algebraic graph theorist's bookshelf.

本教材是為了在土木工程專業國際留學生開設《鋼結構基本原理》全英文課程而編寫。根據中國現行《鋼結構設計標準》GB50017和《高等學校土木工程本科指導性專業規範》編寫。本教材只講授鋼結構的基本原理，介紹我國鋼結構專業規範的基本設計條文和基本原則，最大程度的讓國際留學生瞭解和掌握我國鋼結構設計體系的基礎理論和基本設計方法，易於與實際工程最大程度的靠近。內容安排考慮鋼結構課程的內在邏輯規律，遵循以學生為主、簡明實用、可讀性強的編寫原則，突出原理，注重分析問題和解決問題的思路。

This book will guide clinicians to achieve great results with L-PRF. It starts with basic science chapters on tissue regeneration, blood centrifugation, and an explanation of the biologic power of platelet concentrates. However, the true value of this book lies in an evidence-based evaluation of the benefits of L-PRF in periodontal and maxillofacial surgery, as well as in chronic wound therapy. For each treatment, a step-by-step approach has been created by experienced clinicians. The most crucial steps are explained in 18 videos via augmented reality.

Using basic category theory, this Element describes all the central concepts and proves the main theorems of theoretical computer science. Category theory, which works with functions, processes, and structures, is uniquely qualified to present the fundamental results of theoretical computer science. In this Element, readers will meet some of the deepest ideas and theorems of modern computers and mathematics, such as Turing machines, unsolvable problems, the P=NP question, Kurt Gödel's incompleteness theorem, intractable problems, cryptographic protocols, Alan Turing's Halting problem, and much more. The concepts come alive with many examples and exercises.

Regulation is one of the tools used by governments to control monopolistic behaviour in the provision of public services such as electricity, transport or water. Technological and financial innovations have changed these public services markets since the 1990s, bringing new regulatory challenges, including technological and financial ones. This book demonstrates that basic regulatory theory and tools can address these new challenges, in addition to more traditional regulatory issues, both in developed and developing economies. The theory covered in the book is robust enough to guide regulators in multiple contexts, including those resulting from the effects of financial or political constraints, evolving market structures or the need to adapt to institutional weaknesses, climate change and poverty concerns that demand regulatory intervention. A bridge between theory and an evolving global practice, this book mobilizes the lessons of the past to analyse the future of economic regulation

Regulation is one of the tools used by governments to control monopolistic behaviour in the provision of public services such as electricity, transport or water. Technological and financial innovations have changed these public services markets since the 1990s, bringing new regulatory challenges, including technological and financial ones. This book demonstrates that basic regulatory theory and tools can address these new challenges, in addition to more traditional regulatory issues, both in developed and developing economies. The theory covered in the book is robust enough to guide regulators in multiple contexts, including those resulting from the effects of financial or political constraints, evolving market structures or the need to adapt to institutional weaknesses, climate change and poverty concerns that demand regulatory intervention. A bridge between theory and an evolving global practice, this book mobilizes the lessons of the past to analyse the future of economic regulation

Writing Framework is a nine-book series that is dessingned to focus on practical writing skills for students at high beginner to advanced levels.Carefully leveled activities guide students to learn fundamental structures-from basic sentences to multi-paragraph essays.Students gradually build their confidence in writing with a wide range of fun and engaging topics. This series provides young writers the oppprtunity to develop 21st-century skills and a solid foundation in English writing.●Designed to create a framework for writing●Learn writing skills in real-world contexts from scratch●Help students develop critical thinking skills by the step-by-step guided writing process●Extensive practice activities from personal (emails, journals, letters) to academic (essays, analyzing data, applications) writing●Encourage students to be prepared for project-based 21st-century writing tasks

Writing Framework is a nine-book series that is dessingned to focus on practical writing skills for students at high beginner to advanced levels.Carefully leveled activities guide students to learn fundamental structures-from basic sentences to multi-paragraph essays.Students gradually build their confidence in writing with a wide range of fun and engaging topics. This series provides young writers the oppprtunity to develop 21st-century skills and a solid foundation in English writing.●Designed to create a framework for writing●Learn writing skills in real-world contexts from scratch●Help students develop critical thinking skills by the step-by-step guided writing process●Extensive practice activities from personal (emails, journals, letters) to academic (essays, analyzing data, applications) writing●Encourage students to be prepared for project-based 21st-century writing tasks

Writing Framework is a nine-book series that is dessingned to focus on practical writing skills for students at high beginner to advanced levels.Carefully leveled activities guide students to learn fundamental structures-from basic sentences to multi-paragraph essays.Students gradually build their confidence in writing with a wide range of fun and engaging topics. This series provides young writers the oppprtunity to develop 21st-century skills and a solid foundation in English writing.●Designed to create a framework for writing●Learn writing skills in real-world contexts from scratch●Help students develop critical thinking skills by the step-by-step guided writing process●Extensive practice activities from personal (emails, journals, letters) to academic (essays, analyzing data, applications) writing●Encourage students to be prepared for project-based 21st-century writing tasks

This book summarises the basic structures and rules of stage design, and conducts in-depth analyses of a large number of projects from around the world.

The past two decades have seen an increasing association between Lebanese Salafism and violence, with less attention being paid to Salafis who focus on peaceful proselytization. In reality, it is these Salafis whose influence has dramatically grown since the eruption of the Syrian conflict that profoundly affected Lebanon as well. Based on extensive fieldwork, Zoltan Pall offers insights into the dynamics of non-violent Lebanese Salafi groups and examines the importance of transnational links in shaping the trajectory of the movement. In particular, he shows how the internal transformation of Salafism in Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia led to the fragmentation of the Lebanese Salafi community. By analysing Salafism as a network, we see how the movement creates and mobilizes material and symbolic resources, and how it contributes to reshaping the structures of authority within the country's Sunni Muslim community.

The essential guide for anyone wanting a quick introduction to the fundamental ideas underlying photonics. The author uses his forty years of experience in photonics research and teaching to provide intuitive explanations of key concepts, and demonstrates how these relate to the operation of photonic devices and systems. Readers will gain insight into the nature of light and the ways in which it interacts with materials and structures, and learn how these basic ideas are applied in areas such as optical systems, 3D imaging and astronomy. Carefully designed worked examples and end-of-chapter problems enable students to check their understanding, with full solutions available online. Mathematical treatments are kept as simple as possible, allowing readers to grasp even the most complex of concepts. Clear, concise and accessible, this is the perfect guide for undergraduate students taking a first course in photonics, and anyone in academia or industry wanting to review the fundamentals.

The essential guide for anyone wanting a quick introduction to the fundamental ideas underlying photonics. The author uses his forty years of experience in photonics research and teaching to provide intuitive explanations of key concepts, and demonstrates how these relate to the operation of photonic devices and systems. Readers will gain insight into the nature of light and the ways in which it interacts with materials and structures, and learn how these basic ideas are applied in areas such as optical systems, 3D imaging and astronomy. Carefully designed worked examples and end-of-chapter problems enable students to check their understanding, with full solutions available online. Mathematical treatments are kept as simple as possible, allowing readers to grasp even the most complex of concepts. Clear, concise and accessible, this is the perfect guide for undergraduate students taking a first course in photonics, and anyone in academia or industry wanting to review the fundamentals.

Global performance indicators (GPIs), such as ratings and rankings, permeate nearly every type of human activity, internationally and nationally, across public and private spheres. While some indicators aim to attract media readership or brand the creator's organization, others increasingly seek to influence political practices and policies. The Power of Global Performance Indicators goes beyond the basic questions of methodological validity explored by others to launch a fresh debate about power in the modern age, exploring the ultimate questions concerning real-world consequences of GPIs, both intended and unintended. From business regulation to terrorism, education to foreign aid, Kelley and Simmons demonstrate how GPIs provoke bureaucracies, shape policy agendas, and influence outputs through their influence of third parties such as donors and market actors and, potentially, even broader global authority structures.

This book offers a new interpretation of the metaphysics of Charles Peirce (1839–1914), the founder of pragmatism and one of America's greatest philosophers. Robert Lane begins by examining Peirce's basic realism, his belief in a world that is independent of how anyone believes it to be. Lane argues that this realism is the basis for Peirce's account of truth, according to which a true belief is one that would be settled by investigation and that also represents the real world. He then explores Peirce's application of his Pragmatic Maxim to clarify the idea of reality, his two forms of idealism, and his realism about generality and vagueness. This rich study will provide readers with a clear understanding of Peirce's thoughts on reality and truth and how they intersect, and of his views on the relation between the mind and the external world.

This third edition has been comprehensively updated to reflect the large changes in scientific knowledge and policy debates on climate change since the previous edition in 2009. It provides a concise but thorough overview of the science, technology, economics, policy, and politics of climate change in a single volume. It explains how scientific and policy debates work, outlines the scientific evidence for the reality and seriousness of climate change and the basic atmospheric science that supports it, and discusses policy options and the current state of the policy debate. By pulling these elements together, the book explains why the issue can be so confusing and provides guidance on practical routes forward. Anyone interested in climate change, the global environment, or how science is used in policy debates should read this book. It is the ideal textbook for undergraduate or graduate courses in environmental policy and climate change.

This third edition has been comprehensively updated to reflect the large changes in scientific knowledge and policy debates on climate change since the previous edition in 2009. It provides a concise but thorough overview of the science, technology, economics, policy, and politics of climate change in a single volume. It explains how scientific and policy debates work, outlines the scientific evidence for the reality and seriousness of climate change and the basic atmospheric science that supports it, and discusses policy options and the current state of the policy debate. By pulling these elements together, the book explains why the issue can be so confusing and provides guidance on practical routes forward. Anyone interested in climate change, the global environment, or how science is used in policy debates should read this book. It is the ideal textbook for undergraduate or graduate courses in environmental policy and climate change.

This lively introduction to geologic fracture mechanics provides a consistent treatment of all common geologic structural discontinuities. It explores the formation, growth and interpretation of fractures and deformation bands, from theoretical, field and lab-based perspectives, bridging the gap between a general textbook treatment and the more advanced research literature. It allows the reader to acquire basic tools to interpret discontinuity origins, geometries, patterns and implications using many of the leading and contemporary concepts known to specialists in the field. Problem sets are provided at the end of each chapter, and worked examples are included within each chapter to illustrate topics and enable self-study. With all common geologic structures including joints, hydrofractures, faults, stylolites and deformation bands being discussed from a fresh perspective, it will be a useful reference for advanced students, researchers and industry practitioners interested in structur

This book is a readable, digestible introduction to exponential families, encompassing statistical models based on the most useful distributions in statistical theory, including the normal, gamma, binomial, Poisson, and negative binomial. Strongly motivated by applications, it presents the essential theory and then demonstrates the theory's practical potential by connecting it with developments in areas like item response analysis, social network models, conditional independence and latent variable structures, and point process models. Extensions to incomplete data models and generalized linear models are also included. In addition, the author gives a concise account of the philosophy of Per Martin-Löf in order to connect statistical modelling with ideas in statistical physics, including Boltzmann's law. Written for graduate students and researchers with a background in basic statistical inference, the book includes a vast set of examples demonstrating models for applications and exerc

This book is a readable, digestible introduction to exponential families, encompassing statistical models based on the most useful distributions in statistical theory, including the normal, gamma, binomial, Poisson, and negative binomial. Strongly motivated by applications, it presents the essential theory and then demonstrates the theory's practical potential by connecting it with developments in areas like item response analysis, social network models, conditional independence and latent variable structures, and point process models. Extensions to incomplete data models and generalized linear models are also included. In addition, the author gives a concise account of the philosophy of Per Martin-Löf in order to connect statistical modelling with ideas in statistical physics, including Boltzmann's law. Written for graduate students and researchers with a background in basic statistical inference, the book includes a vast set of examples demonstrating models for applications and exerc

Buddhism is a religion lacking the idea of a unique creator God. It is a kind of trans-polytheism that accepts many long-lived gods, but sees ultimate reality, Nirvana, as beyond these. It does, though, see Dhamma/Dharma as a Basic Pattern encompassing everything, with karma as a law-like principle ensuring that good and bad actions have appropriate natural results. This Element explores these ideas, along with overlaps in Buddhist and monotheist ideas and practices, the development of more theist-like ideas in Mahāyāna Buddhism, Buddhist critiques of the idea of a creator God, and some contemporary Buddhist views and appreciations of monotheisms.

This practical book is designed for applied researchers who want to use mixed models with their data. It discusses the basic principles of mixed model analysis, including two-level and three-level structures, and covers continuous outcome variables, dichotomous outcome variables, and categorical and survival outcome variables. Emphasizing interpretation of results, the book develops the most important applications of mixed models, such as the study of group differences, longitudinal data analysis, multivariate mixed model analysis, IPD meta-analysis, and mixed model predictions. All examples are analyzed with STATA, and an extensive overview and comparison of alternative software packages is provided. All datasets used in the book are available for download, so readers can re-analyze the examples to gain a strong understanding of the methods. Although most examples are taken from epidemiological and clinical studies, this book is also highly recommended for researchers working in other

Model theory begins with an audacious idea: to consider statements about mathematical structures as mathematical objects of study in their own right. While inherently important as a tool of mathematical logic, it also enjoys connections to and applications in diverse branches of mathematics, including algebra, number theory and analysis. Despite this, traditional introductions to model theory assume a graduate-level background of the reader. In this innovative textbook, Jonathan Kirby brings model theory to an undergraduate audience. The highlights of basic model theory are illustrated through examples from specific structures familiar from undergraduate mathematics, paying particular attention to definable sets throughout. With numerous exercises of varying difficulty, this is an accessible introduction to model theory and its place in mathematics.

A prime contemporary concern - how to maintain fair market relations - is addressed through this study of the regulation of bread prices. This was the single most important economic reality of Europe's daily life in the early modern period. Jan de Vries uses the Dutch Republic as a case study of how the market functioned and how the regulatory system evolved and acted. The ways in which consumer behaviour adapted to these structures, and the state interacted with producers and consumers in the pursuit of its own interests, had major implications for the measurement of living standards in this period. The long-term consequences of the Dutch state's interventions reveal how capitalist economies, far from being the outcome of unfettered market economics, are inextricably linked with regulatory fiscal regimes. The humble loaf serves as a prism through which to explore major developments in early modern European society and how public market regulation affected private economic life.

Model theory begins with an audacious idea: to consider statements about mathematical structures as mathematical objects of study in their own right. While inherently important as a tool of mathematical logic, it also enjoys connections to and applications in diverse branches of mathematics, including algebra, number theory and analysis. Despite this, traditional introductions to model theory assume a graduate-level background of the reader. In this innovative textbook, Jonathan Kirby brings model theory to an undergraduate audience. The highlights of basic model theory are illustrated through examples from specific structures familiar from undergraduate mathematics, paying particular attention to definable sets throughout. With numerous exercises of varying difficulty, this is an accessible introduction to model theory and its place in mathematics.

This practical book is designed for applied researchers who want to use mixed models with their data. It discusses the basic principles of mixed model analysis, including two-level and three-level structures, and covers continuous outcome variables, dichotomous outcome variables, and categorical and survival outcome variables. Emphasizing interpretation of results, the book develops the most important applications of mixed models, such as the study of group differences, longitudinal data analysis, multivariate mixed model analysis, IPD meta-analysis, and mixed model predictions. All examples are analyzed with STATA, and an extensive overview and comparison of alternative software packages is provided. All datasets used in the book are available for download, so readers can re-analyze the examples to gain a strong understanding of the methods. Although most examples are taken from epidemiological and clinical studies, this book is also highly recommended for researchers working in other

In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape--from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matt

Covering basic physical concepts, experimental methods, and applications, this book is an indispensable text on the fascinating science of magnetism, and an invaluable source of practical reference data. Accessible, authoritative, and assuming undergraduate familiarity with vectors, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, this textbook is well suited to graduate courses. Emphasis is placed on practical calculations and numerical magnitudes - from nanoscale to astronomical scale - focussing on modern applications, including permanent magnet structures and spin electronic devices. Each self-contained chapter begins with a summary, and ends with exercises and further reading. The book is thoroughly illustrated with over 600 figures to help convey concepts and explain ideas clearly. Easily digestible tables and data sheets provide a wealth of useful information on magnetic properties. The thirty-eight principal magnetic materials, and many more related compounds, are treated in detail.

This book examines the international legal regime covering trade in legal services. While legal services are a vital component of the economies of many developed and emerging countries, they remain poorly liberalized with numerous restrictions undermining market access for foreign suppliers. Although some modern bilateral and regional trade agreements have begun to address barriers to trade in legal services, few go beyond the basic commitments of non-discrimination and transparency contained in the WTO GATS. This book approaches the pressing need to open the global market for trade in legal services across the four modes of supply: cross border, consumption abroad, commercial presence and temporary movement of natural persons. It considers changes under way within the legal profession brought about by alternative business structures and technology. Both underscore the importance of reconceptualizing trade in legal services as one that should be as open as possible with a view to maxim

This book covers state-of-the-art tools in surfactant self-assembled structures in a single reference. The book begins with basic fundamental concepts that have been well established by a long history

This book discusses the basic theories and structures employed in handling the Central-SAR relationship under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy from the perspective of ruling by law. It also explo

'The Church and Empire', the theme of Studies in Church History, 54, reflects the reality that from its beginnings, the Christian Church has had close, often symbiotic, relationships with empires and imperial power. Initially the Church engaged with the Roman Empire, subsequently in Europe with the Carolingian, Anglo-Norman, Genoese, Venetian and Holy Roman Empires, and later - through the Church's global expansion with European empires in the Americas, Africa and Asia - the Spanish, Dutch, French and British empires, and the imperial structures it encountered there. Bringing together the work of twenty-four historians, this volume explores the relations of churches and empires, and Christian conceptions of empire, in the ancient, medieval, early modern and modern periods, as well as the role of empire in the global expansion of Christianity.