Methods

When stresses and hassles challenge our abilities to cope, we frequently turn to family, friends, and partners for help. Yet social support from close relational partners does not uniformly benefit recipients or their relationships. By probing the communication processes that link enactments of social support to participants' reactions, this book provides new explanations for when and how receiving social support will be evaluated as helpful and relationally satisfying. The author's research addresses a variety of types of relationships and stresses, including young adult friends and romantic partners coping with the stresses of university life; adult friends, family and spouses responding to everyday hassles' and married couples coping with chronic health conditions. This innovative program of research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to develop a distinctive communication-based framework for understanding why the content, form, style, and sequence of talk matter for our

Nanoindentation and nanotribology are fundamental, evolving, and complementary disciplines within materials science. In recent years there has been rapid convergence of the biomechanical and materials disciplines, as well as explosive growth of the nanotube and nanostructured materials fields. The expansion of nanomechanical testing into these new fields has been accompanied by similarly rapid growth in our understanding of, and ability to perform, mechanical tests with ever-smaller forces and displacements. The understanding of fundamental mechanical measurement techniques must continue to advance to design new systems and materials to meet the challenges of technology. This book is a snapshot of the state of the art in nanoindentation and nanotribology, and highlights emerging topics including the development of new methods for characterizing nanoscale mechanical and tribological properties. Additional topics include: size effects and indentation of thin films; nanotribology and fric

If you need a book that relates the core principles of quantum mechanics to modern applications in engineering, physics, and nanotechnology, this is it. Students will appreciate the book's applied emphasis, which illustrates theoretical concepts with examples of nanostructured materials, optics, and semiconductor devices. The many worked examples and more than 160 homework problems help students to problem solve and to practise applications of theory. Without assuming a prior knowledge of high-level physics or classical mechanics, the text introduces Schrödinger's equation, operators, and approximation methods. Systems, including the hydrogen atom and crystalline materials, are analyzed in detail. More advanced subjects, such as density matrices, quantum optics, and quantum information, are also covered. Practical applications and algorithms for the computational analysis of simple structures make this an ideal introduction to quantum mechanics for students of engineering, physics, nan

This text-atlas is a practical, integrated, and modern approach to lymph node pathology. Intended for both practising pathologists and pathologists in training, it provides a personal view of lymph node diagnosis by one of the international leaders in the field. Illustrated with over 250 full-color photographs, this book covers the entire range of diseases that may be encountered in lymph node pathology. It features extensive coverage of non-neoplastic lymphoid lesions and non-lymphoid lesions, as well as discussing all malignant lymphomas and other neoplasms that may involve lymph nodes in both adult and pediatric populations. The orientation is unique, as the text not only showcases various disease entities but also portrays the progression of disease states from incipient to advanced. Finally, the author emphasizes differential diagnosis, covering all of the methods used in distinguishing different easily confused entities.

What makes some computers slow? Why do some digital systems operate reliably for years while others fail mysteriously every few hours? How can some systems dissipate kilowatts while others operate off batteries? These questions of speed, reliability, and power are all determined by the system-level electrical design of a digital system. Digital Systems Engineering presents a comprehensive treatment of these topics. It combines a rigorous development of the fundamental principles in each area with real-world examples of circuits and methods. The book not only serves as an undergraduate textbook, filling the gap between circuit design and logic design, but can also help practising digital designers keep pace with the speed and power of modern integrated circuits. The techniques described in this book, once used only in supercomputers, are essential to the correct and efficient operation of any type of digital system.

In early modern England, boys and girls learned to be masculine or feminine as they learned to read and write. This 1999 book explores how gender differences, instilled through specific methods of instruction in literacy, were scrutinised in the English public theatre. Close readings of plays from Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost to Thomas Dekker's Whore of Babylon, and of poems, didactic treatises and autobiographical writings from the same period, offer a richly textured analysis of the interaction between didactic precepts, literary models, and historical men and women. At the cross-roads between literary studies and social and cultural history, Eve Sanders' research offers insights into poems, plays, and first-person narratives (including works by women writers, such as Mary Sidney and Anne Clifford) and into the social conflicts that shaped individuals as the writers and readers of such texts.

This book is part of a popular series on the materials science of MEMS devices. In the years since, many sophisticated devices have emerged and many aspects of MEMS materials behaviors have been characterized. However, there remain many basic questions about the relationship between process, properties and function for MEMS materials. Experimental methods have been developed, but there remains a lack of standardization that would allow comparison between laboratories and commercial vendors or the creation of materials specifications that would enable greater commercialization of MEMS. The book addresses many of these issues including: RF-MEMS; optical MEMS; MEMS metrology, tribology, materials characterization and mechanical behavior; MEMS surfaces, MEMS reliability, packaging and life assessment; MEMS modeling and software tools for materials integration; biocompatibility of MEMS materials and devices; new materials and fabrication methodologies for MEMS; microfluidics and nanofluidic

This book attempts to uncover the basic form and structure of the Babylonian Talmud, which is a centrally important text in Jewish studies. The contribution made by Dr Jacobs to the study of the Talmud consists in his presentation of the literary principles employed in its composition, and he here presents a clear survey indicating the manner in which earlier material was reworked in order to make each component, or sugya, into a carefully structured and self-consistent unit. Jacobs compares the editors' methods in this regard with the manner in which Shakespeare converted the variety of chronicles and source material available to him into a much more dramatic literary form, which - while preserving the kernel of the story - completely transformed its character and impact. Dr Jacobs' study constitutes an excellent introduction to the Babylonian Talmud and to the nature of rabbinic thinking.

This book presents an introduction to, and modern account of, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, an active field both in general turbulence theory and in various areas of astrophysics. The book starts by introducing the MHD equations, certain useful approximations and the transition to turbulence. The second part of the book covers incompressible MHD turbulence, the macroscopic aspects connected with the different self-organization processes, the phenomenology of the turbulence spectra, two-point closure theory, and intermittency. The third considers two-dimensional turbulence and compressible (in particular, supersonic) turbulence. Because of the similarities in the theoretical approach, these chapters start with a brief account of the corresponding methods developed in hydrodynamic turbulence. The final part of the book is devoted to astrophysical applications: turbulence in the solar wind, in accretion disks, and in the interstellar medium. This book is suitable for graduate stud

Egyptian mummies have always aroused popular and scientific interest; however, most modern studies, although significantly increased in number and range, have been published in specialist journals. Now, this unique book, written by a long-established team of scientists, brings this exciting, cross-disciplinary area of research to a wider readership. It shows how this team's multidisciplinary, investigative methods and the unique resource of the Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank are being used for the new major international investigations of disease evolution and ancient Egyptian pharmacy and pharmacology. It also assesses the current status of palaeopathology and ancient DNA research, and treatments available for conserving mummified remains. Descriptions of the historical development of Egyptian mummifications and medicine and detailed references to previous scientific investigations provide the context for firsthand accounts of cutting-edge research by prominent specialists in this field,

In this, the first comprehensive one-volume survey of the economies of classical antiquity, twenty-eight chapters summarise the current state of scholarship in their specialised fields and sketch new directions for research. The approach taken is both thematic, with chapters on the underlying determinants of economic performance, and chronological, with coverage of the whole of the Greek and Roman worlds extending from the Aegean Bronze Age to Late Antiquity. The contributors move beyond the substantivist-formalist debates that dominated twentieth-century scholarship and display a new interest in economic growth in antiquity. New methods for measuring economic development are explored, often combining textual and archaeological data that have previously been treated separately. Fully accessible to non-specialist, the volume represents a major advance in our understanding of the economic expansion that made the civilisation of the classical Mediterranean world possible.

This is an introductory text for students interested in identification and analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites. The emphasis is on animals whose remains inform us about the relationship between humans and their natural and social environments, especially site formation processes, subsistence strategies, the processes of domestication, and paleoenvironments. Examining examples from all over the world, from the Pleistocene period up to the present, this volume is organized in a way that is parallel to faunal study, beginning with background information, bias in a faunal assemblage, and basic zooarchaeological methods. This revised edition reflects developments in zooarchaeology during the past decade. It includes sections on enamel ultrastructure and incremental analysis, stable isotyopes and trace elements, ancient genetics and enzymes, environmental reconstruction, people as agents of environmental change, applications of zooarchaeology in animal conservation and herit

This is an introductory text for students interested in identification and analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites. The emphasis is on animals whose remains inform us about the relationship between humans and their natural and social environments, especially site formation processes, subsistence strategies, the processes of domestication, and paleoenvironments. Examining examples from all over the world, from the Pleistocene period up to the present, this volume is organized in a way that is parallel to faunal study, beginning with background information, bias in a faunal assemblage, and basic zooarchaeological methods. This revised edition reflects developments in zooarchaeology during the past decade. It includes sections on enamel ultrastructure and incremental analysis, stable isotyopes and trace elements, ancient genetics and enzymes, environmental reconstruction, people as agents of environmental change, applications of zooarchaeology in animal conservation and herit

This collection of essays, written between 1975 and 1987, covers the doctrine of analogy; the Trinity; 'theological realism'; the problems of evil and suffering; the doctrine of God, tragedy and Christian life; the doctrine of the atonement, christology, the theology of religions, ecclesiology, discipleship and the so-called theistic 'proofs'. The earlier essays reflect the author's training as a philosopher in the Anglo-American 'analytic' tradition. Later essays have a more explicitly theological focus, and they represent an attempt to come to terms with, and to proceed beyond, this tradition. More importance is attached to issues in hermeneutics and literary and social theory in the later essays. This collection therefore tends to address a wider list of topics than is usual in works of philosophical theology, and it is also distinctive in respect of the methods and approaches used in considering these topics.

Power grids, flexible manufacturing, cellular communications: interconnectedness has consequences. This remarkable book gives the tools and philosophy you need to build network models detailed enough to capture essential dynamics but simple enough to expose the structure of effective control solutions. Core chapters assume only exposure to stochastic processes and linear algebra at undergraduate level; later chapters are for advanced graduate students and researchers/practitioners. This gradual development bridges classical theory with the state-of-the-art. The workload model at the heart of traditional analysis of the single queue becomes a foundation for workload relaxations used in the treatment of complex networks. Lyapunov functions and dynamic programming equations lead to the celebrated MaxWeight policy along with many generalizations. Other topics include methods for synthesizing hedging and safety stocks, stability theory for networks, and techniques for accelerated simulation

This is the second volume to appear in the Cambridge edition of the works of John Webster and includes The Devil's Law-Case, A Cure for a Cuckold and Appius and Virginia. This critical edition preserves the original spelling of all the plays; incorporates editorial scholarship, including valuable information on Webster's share in the collaborative plays; and employs alternative critical methods and textual theory. In particular, the edition integrates theatrical aspects of the plays with their bibliographical and literary features in a way not previously attempted in a scholarly edition of a Jacobean dramatist. The edition presents all of Webster's plays (with the exception of those collaborative plays already published in the Cambridge editions of Dekker, and Beaumont and Fletcher) and provides a brief biography, an account of Webster canon, illustrations, and critical and theatrical history of each play.

The traditional image of northern Iberian mountain settlements is that they are largely egalitarian, homogeneous, and survivals of archaic forms of 'agrarian collectivism'. In this book, based both on extensive fieldwork and detailed study of local records, Brian Juan O'Neill offers a different perspective, questioning prevailing views on both empirical as well as theoretical and methodological grounds. Through a detailed examination of three major areas of social life - land tenure, cooperative labour exchanges, and marriage and inheritance practices - in one particular hamlet, the author demonstrates the predominance of forms of institutionalized economic inequality and social differentiation within the peasantry. Situating the local study within a wider European and Mediterranean ethnographic and geographical framework, O'Neill offers a refreshing and challenging way of combining the research methods of anthropology with those of social and economic history. His book will appeal to

This book, first published in 2000, deals with the micromechanical characterization of polymer materials. Particular attention is given to microhardness as a technique capable of detecting a variety of morphological and textural changes in polymers. A comprehensive introduction to the microhardness of polymers is provided, including descriptions of the various testing methods in materials science and engineering. The book also includes the micromechanical study of glassy polymers and discusses the relevant aspects of microhardness of semicrystalline polymers. The volume also presents selected application examples of the microhardness technique for the characterization of polymeric materials, including the influence of polymer processing, the use in weathering tests, the characterization of modified polymer surfaces, and others. This book will be of use to graduate-level materials science students, as well as research workers in materials science, mechanical engineering and physics dep

This study of intellectuals and their cosmopolitan life trajectories is based on anthropological and historical research in Vietnam and India, two great Asian societies with contrasting experiences of empire, decolonisation and the rise and fall of the twentieth-century socialist world system. Building on the author's long-standing research experience in India and on remarkable family narratives collected during fieldwork in northern Vietnam, the book deals with epic events and complex social transformations from a perspective that emphasizes the personal and the familial. Its central theme is the extraordinary mobility of intelligentsia lives. The author explores the role of the intellectual in the economic, social and cultural transformation of the post-colonial world through in-depth ethnographic fieldwork methods. In identifying parallels and contrasts between Hanoi's 'socialist moderns' and the family and career experiences of their Indian counterparts, the book makes a distinctiv

This book studies the formation of complex societies in prehistoric China during the Neolithic and early state periods, c. 7000–1500 BC. Archaeological materials are interpreted through anthropological perspectives, using systematic analytic methods in settlement and burial patterns. Both agency and process are considered in the development of chiefdoms and in the emergence of early states in the Yellow River region. Interrelationships between factors such as mortuary practice, craft specialization, ritual activities, warfare, exchange of elite goods, climatic fluctuations, and environmental changes are emphasized. This study offers a critical evaluation of current archaeological data from Chinese sources, and argues that, although some general tendencies are noted, social changes were affected by multiple factors in no pre-determined sequence. In this most comprehensive study to date, Li Liu attempts to reconstruct developmental trajectories toward early states in Chinese civilization

This study of intellectuals and their cosmopolitan life trajectories is based on anthropological and historical research in Vietnam and India, two great Asian societies with contrasting experiences of empire, decolonisation and the rise and fall of the twentieth-century socialist world system. Building on the author's long-standing research experience in India and on remarkable family narratives collected during fieldwork in northern Vietnam, the book deals with epic events and complex social transformations from a perspective that emphasizes the personal and the familial. Its central theme is the extraordinary mobility of intelligentsia lives. The author explores the role of the intellectual in the economic, social and cultural transformation of the post-colonial world through in-depth ethnographic fieldwork methods. In identifying parallels and contrasts between Hanoi's 'socialist moderns' and the family and career experiences of their Indian counterparts, the book makes a distinctiv

In recent years game theory has had a substantial impact on computer science, especially on Internet- and e-commerce-related issues. Algorithmic Game Theory, first published in 2007, develops the central ideas and results of this exciting area in a clear and succinct manner. More than 40 of the top researchers in this field have written chapters that go from the foundations to the state of the art. Basic chapters on algorithmic methods for equilibria, mechanism design and combinatorial auctions are followed by chapters on important game theory applications such as incentives and pricing, cost sharing, information markets and cryptography and security. This definitive work will set the tone of research for the next few years and beyond. Students, researchers, and practitioners alike need to learn more about these fascinating theoretical developments and their widespread practical application.

Judicial review by constitutional courts is often presented as a necessary supplement to democracy. This book questions its effectiveness and legitimacy. Drawing on the republican tradition, Richard Bellamy argues that the democratic mechanisms of open elections between competing parties and decision-making by majority rule offer superior and sufficient methods for upholding rights and the rule of law. The absence of popular accountability renders judicial review a form of arbitrary rule which lacks the incentive structure democracy provides to ensure rulers treat the ruled with equal concern and respect. Rights based judicial review undermines the constitutionality of democracy. Its counter-majoritarian bias promotes privileged against unprivileged minorities, while its legalism and focus on individual cases distort public debate. Rather than constraining democracy with written constitutions and greater judicial oversight, attention should be paid to improving democratic processes thr

Systematic Conservation Planning provides a clear, comprehensive guide to the process of deriving a conservation area network for regions, which will best represent the biodiversity of regions in the most cost-effective way. The measurement of biodiversity, design of field sampling strategies, alongside different data treatment methods are detailed helping to provide a conceptual framework for identifying conservation area networks, underpinned by the concept of complementarity. Setting conservation targets and then multi-criteria analyses, using complementarity but bringing in other criteria reflecting competing uses of land or water, to show how conservation area networks can achieve conservation targets in ways that also allow for the production of food, fiber and shelter are also discussed. Providing a clear procedure for identifying conservation priority areas underpinned by cutting edge science, this book will be of interest to graduate students, academics, planners and decision

Polymers exhibit a range of physical characteristics, from rubber-like elasticity to the glassy state. These particular properties are controlled at the molecular level by the mobility of the structural constituents. Remarkable changes in mobility can be witnessed with temperature, over narrow, well defined regions, termed relaxation processes. This is an important, unique phenomenon controlling polymer transition behaviour and is described here at an introductory level. The important types of relaxation processes from amorphous to crystalline polymers and polymeric miscible blends are covered, in conjunction with the broad spectrum of experimental methods used to study them. In-depth discussion of molecular level interpretation, including atomistic level computer simulations and applications to molecular mechanism elucidation, are discussed. The result is a self-contained approach to polymeric interpretation suitable for researchers in materials science, physics and chemistry interest

The focused ion beam (FIB) system is an important tool for understanding and manipulating the structure of materials at the nanoscale. Combining this system with an electron beam creates a DualBeam - a single system that can function as an imaging, analytical and sample modification tool. Presenting the principles, capabilities, challenges and applications of the FIB technique, this edited volume, first published in 2007, comprehensively covers the ion beam technology including the DualBeam. The basic principles of ion beam and two-beam systems, their interaction with materials, etching and deposition are all covered, as well as in situ materials characterization, sample preparation, three-dimensional reconstruction and applications in biomaterials and nanotechnology. With nanostructured materials becoming increasingly important in micromechanical, electronic and magnetic devices, this self-contained review of the range of ion beam methods, their advantages, and when best to implement

The ancient science of harmonics investigates the arrangements of pitched sounds which form the basis of musical melody, and the principles which govern them. It was the most important branch of Greek musical theory, studied by philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers as well as by musical specialists. This 2007 book examines its development during the period when its central ideas and rival schools of thought were established, laying the foundations for the speculations of later antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It concentrates particularly on the theorists' methods and purposes and the controversies that their various approaches to the subject provoked. It also seeks to locate the discipline within the broader cultural environment of the period; and it investigates, sometimes with surprising results, the ways in which the theorists' work draws on and in some cases influences that of philosophers and other intellectuals.

Judicial review by constitutional courts is often presented as a necessary supplement to democracy. This book questions its effectiveness and legitimacy. Drawing on the republican tradition, Richard Bellamy argues that the democratic mechanisms of open elections between competing parties and decision-making by majority rule offer superior and sufficient methods for upholding rights and the rule of law. The absence of popular accountability renders judicial review a form of arbitrary rule which lacks the incentive structure democracy provides to ensure rulers treat the ruled with equal concern and respect. Rights based judicial review undermines the constitutionality of democracy. Its counter-majoritarian bias promotes privileged against unprivileged minorities, while its legalism and focus on individual cases distort public debate. Rather than constraining democracy with written constitutions and greater judicial oversight, attention should be paid to improving democratic processes thr

Systematic Conservation Planning provides a clear, comprehensive guide to the process of deriving a conservation area network for regions, which will best represent the biodiversity of regions in the most cost-effective way. The measurement of biodiversity, design of field sampling strategies, alongside different data treatment methods are detailed helping to provide a conceptual framework for identifying conservation area networks, underpinned by the concept of complementarity. Setting conservation targets and then multi-criteria analyses, using complementarity but bringing in other criteria reflecting competing uses of land or water, to show how conservation area networks can achieve conservation targets in ways that also allow for the production of food, fiber and shelter are also discussed. Providing a clear procedure for identifying conservation priority areas underpinned by cutting edge science, this book will be of interest to graduate students, academics, planners and decision

Decision analysis is a prescriptive theory that aids individuals or groups confronted with complex problems in a wide variety of contexts. By framing issues, identifying risks, eliciting stakeholder preferences, and suggesting alternative approaches, decision analysts can offer workable solutions in domains such as the environment, health and medicine, engineering and operations research, and public policy. This book is a mixture of historical and forward-looking essays on key topics in decision analysis. Part I covers the history and foundations of decision analysis. Part II discusses structuring decision problems, including the development of objectives and their attributes, and influence diagrams. Part III discusses probabilities and their elicitation and Bayes nets. Part IV discusses additive and multiplicative utilities, risk preferences, and 'option pricing' methods. Part V discusses risk analysis. Part VI puts decision analysis in a behavioral and organizational context. Part VI

Decision analysis is a prescriptive theory that aids individuals or groups confronted with complex problems in a wide variety of contexts. By framing issues, identifying risks, eliciting stakeholder preferences, and suggesting alternative approaches, decision analysts can offer workable solutions in domains such as the environment, health and medicine, engineering and operations research, and public policy. This book is a mixture of historical and forward-looking essays on key topics in decision analysis. Part I covers the history and foundations of decision analysis. Part II discusses structuring decision problems, including the development of objectives and their attributes, and influence diagrams. Part III discusses probabilities and their elicitation and Bayes nets. Part IV discusses additive and multiplicative utilities, risk preferences, and 'option pricing' methods. Part V discusses risk analysis. Part VI puts decision analysis in a behavioral and organizational context. Part VI

In Decision Space: Multidimensional Utility Analysis, first published in 2001, Paul Weirich increases the power and versatility of utility analysis and in the process advances decision theory. Combining traditional and novel methods of option evaluation into one systematic method of analysis, multidimensional utility analysis is a valuable tool. It provides formulations of important decision principles, such as the principle to maximize expected utility; enriches decision theory in solving recalcitrant decision problems; and provides in particular for the cases in which an expert must make a decision for a group of people. The multiple dimensions of this analysis create a decision space broad enough to accommodate all factors affecting an option's utility. The book will be of interest to advanced students and professionals working in the subject of decision theory, as well as to economists and other social scientists.

Molybdenum (Mo) deficiencies in field-grown plants were first recorded more than 50 years ago and this book condenses all the information currently available on the subject of molybdenum as it relates to soils, crops and livestock. The book reviews our knowledge of the chemistry and mineralogy of Mo, the extraction of available Mo from various soils, the various analytical methods of determining Mo in soils and plants, the biochemical role of Mo in crop production, the technology and application of Mo fertilizers to crops, the response to Mo of various temperate and tropical crops, Mo deficiency and toxicity in various plant species, the interaction of Mo with other plant nutrients, and the distribution of Mo within the plant. Factors affecting the availability of soil Mo to plants and Mo status in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics are also discussed.

Testing matters! It can determine kids' and schools' futures. In a conference at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, mathematicians, maths education researchers, teachers, test developers, and policymakers gathered to work through critical issues related to mathematics assessment. They examined: the challenges of assessing student learning in ways that support instructional improvement; ethical issues related to assessment, including the impact of testing on urban and high-poverty schools; the different (and sometimes conflicting) needs of the different groups; and different frameworks, tools, and methods for assessment, comparing the kinds of information they offer about students' mathematical proficiency. This volume presents the results of the discussions. It highlights the kinds of information that different assessments can offer, including many examples of some of the best mathematics assessments worldwide. A special feature is an interview with a student about his knowl

Testing matters! It can determine kids' and schools' futures. In a conference at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, mathematicians, maths education researchers, teachers, test developers, and policymakers gathered to work through critical issues related to mathematics assessment. They examined: the challenges of assessing student learning in ways that support instructional improvement; ethical issues related to assessment, including the impact of testing on urban and high-poverty schools; the different (and sometimes conflicting) needs of the different groups; and different frameworks, tools, and methods for assessment, comparing the kinds of information they offer about students' mathematical proficiency. This volume presents the results of the discussions. It highlights the kinds of information that different assessments can offer, including many examples of some of the best mathematics assessments worldwide. A special feature is an interview with a student about his knowl

Social phobia and disruptive social anxiety are features of the lives of many thousands of people. But exactly what is social phobia? What causes it? What is its nature and what kinds of treatments can improve it? Using key concepts and methods and a substantive body of research, this book aims to answer these questions and clarify social phobia by means of critical discussions and examination of evidence. It takes a sceptical stance towards the received view of social phobia as a species of disease caused by a deficient inner mechanism and considers an alternative construal of social phobia as a purposeful interpersonal pattern of self-overprotection from social threats. The possibility that social phobia might not actually exist in nature is also considered. Fearing Others will appeal to researchers, clinicians and students in clinical and health psychology and psychiatry.

Social phobia and disruptive social anxiety are features of the lives of many thousands of people. But exactly what is social phobia? What causes it? What is its nature and what kinds of treatments can improve it? Using key concepts and methods and a substantive body of research, this book aims to answer these questions and clarify social phobia by means of critical discussions and examination of evidence. It takes a sceptical stance towards the received view of social phobia as a species of disease caused by a deficient inner mechanism and considers an alternative construal of social phobia as a purposeful interpersonal pattern of self-overprotection from social threats. The possibility that social phobia might not actually exist in nature is also considered. Fearing Others will appeal to researchers, clinicians and students in clinical and health psychology and psychiatry.

There are forty-one problematic play texts, variously classified as 'bad quartos' or 'memorial reconstructions', from Shakespeare's time. Textual criticism of these quartos has been fraught with assumption and contradiction. Laurie Maguire examines all the texts in detail. She deconstructs the theories of W. W. Greg and his followers, scrutinizing the methods by which critics diagnose texts as 'bad', and examines the historical evidence for the concept of memorial reconstruction (compilation from the recollection of actors or spectators). The valuable contextual material includes fresh analysis of the New Bibliographers, the rise of English studies, Renaissance oral culture and textual problems in non-suspect texts. The assembly of textual information about all the suspect texts in tabular form makes the book an essential reference work. The result is a study which covers a vast textual subject without sacrificing detail.

Optimal Reliability Design, first published in 2000, provides a detailed introduction to systems reliability and reliability optimization. Techniques for maximizing system reliability are described, focusing on component reliability enhancement and redundancy arrangement. The authors present several case studies and show how optimization techniques are applied in practice. They also pay particular attention to finding methods that give the optimal trade-off between reliability and cost. The book begins with a review of key background material, and a discussion of a range of optimization models. The authors go on to cover optimization tools, such as heuristics, discrete optimization, nonlinear programming, mixed integer programming, optimal arrangement, and metaheuristic algorithms. They also describe the computational implementation of these tools. Many numerical examples are included, and the book contains over 180 homework exercises. It is suitable as a textbook for graduate-level co

Adaptive signal processing (ASP) and iterative signal processing (ISP) are important techniques in improving receiver performance in communication systems. Using examples from practical transceiver designs, this 2006 book describes the fundamental theory and practical aspects of both methods, providing a link between the two where possible. The first two parts of the book deal with ASP and ISP respectively, each in the context of receiver design over intersymbol interference (ISI) channels. In the third part, the applications of ASP and ISP to receiver design in other interference-limited channels, including CDMA and MIMO, are considered; the author attempts to illustrate how the two techniques can be used to solve problems in channels that have inherent uncertainty. Containing illustrations and worked examples, this book is suitable for graduate students and researchers in electrical engineering, as well as practitioners in the telecommunications industry.